Thanks very much to all you guys in Alaska for a very interesting thread.Things are a lot easier and gas is a lot cheaper here in the Lone Star state. But we only have little knee deep rivers and 165 pound deer.

The Sportjon that I had previously had a Mercury 210 Optimax jet inboard. The dealer told me it got much better mileage than the average jet due to the oil injection. Even unloaded I found it got crappy mileage. The other guys would go 3-4 times as far with the same fuel. They were a lot quieter too. Also, my engine was much harder to service than the outboards due to computer controls.

After switching to a different boat with a 4 stroke Yamaha I was impressed...heavy loads like Allen mentioned and very little fuel consumption. I routinely haul a cord of wood with 4 guys and can still get on step with very reasonable fuel consumption. The first time I put the boat in the water it had 5 guys and 2,000 lbs of freight in it. I put in at Circle and drove 100 miles to the house. I only used 14 gallons on that trip which took about 3 1/2 hours. I recently spent 5 days on a moose hunt and had the boat about 65 miles from the house. I drove it every day and used about 25 gallons of fuel in 5 days.

I sure don't miss that jet with fuel being $3.10 at my village. In our village of 600 people I think there are less than 10 jets here out of over 100 boats. I also had trouble getting my loaded jetboat to get on step at low speeds. I had to throttle up pretty high vs. the native guys. We found it to be a dangerous situation because they got on step at slower speeds and I couldn't pass them or I would swamp them with my heavy wake (my jet put out a big wake). I would get on step and then pull back and come off step. If I tried to match their speed the trim would be way off and we would suck fuel and wallow in our exhaust. When you travel with other boats (recommended up here) it's best to have compatible equipment in my experience.

How about you guys posting some pictures?
I am have always wanted a small boat but there is very few places here you could hunt from one...

regards,

Pete

Here's my 1976 Fiberform, 24' cabin cruiser. It's powered by a 2001 Volvo Penta 5.7GS engine and Volvo-Penta Duo-prop outdrive...

...we had just run 100 miles to the other side of the island to visit Baranof Warm Springs.

In the slip, with the youngest daughter...


A nice fly-by from the guys at work...


She'll cruise 26mph at 3400-3600rpms (depends on load and sea-state) at 11gph. Not bad for what basically is a Chevy 350 in a 7000lb boat.

We're getting ready to sell her to a friend, it's time for a bigger diesel boat.

This is my boat on the Porcupine River in September.

Anybody use canoes, kayaks, inflatables, etc? I've been wanting an inflatable kayak and a zodiac for awhile. We have plenty of kayaks/canoes up here but no zodiacs. I know very little about those. Do they make zodiacs big enough for my 15 hp kicker? It weighs about 75 lbs. Any good websites for zodiac info?

When I worked for Fish & Game we used Zodiacs on the Bering Sea during the spring Herring Season. They were 12 footers and had 25 and 35 HP outboards on them. There is a dealer in Anchorage but can't think of their name right off the top of my head.

Nice boats BW and yukon delta,

Common guys what about the rest of you? How about some pictures of those airboats and jet boats?

I actually fancied building a little Cajun Pirogue :




These boats can be made any where from 12 foot to 16foot long with a beam to suit...weight is variable depending upon the plywood used and the number of fibre glass coats is given. Most seem to be in the 45lb to 65lb range though..

However, the reality is that I would have no real use for it But still, if anybody is interested the plans and kits are available from:
http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/default.htm

regards,

Pete

Pete,

I noticed your from Wales. The two big sailboats behind my boat (top picture) were from Europe. The forward one was from Germany, and the aft one from Switzerland. We met the couple from Switzerland up at the warm springs, and in typical Europian tradition, the lady got naked to wash off (downstream) and had hair where American women tend to shave!

I know that Paul H., and myself are into wood boats, and we're both considering building a wood skiff. Have you checked out WoodenBoat Magazine Forum that's the best place to discuss all sort of wood boats, mostly small sail boats, but rowing dories and canoes too.

[ 10-27-2003, 03:04: Message edited by: BW ]

I'm in the picture posting mood, so here's some more...

This is me in front of a buddys 22' Woolridge. We we're brown bear hunting about 60 miles north of here. We tried hard to 'indian anchor' the boat each night, but the wind and the tide kept standed it ashore each night. I believe that Allen Gores boat looks a bit like this one...



Here's another friends 36ft wood troller...



...we spent a week black bear hunting on this boat last Spring. I REALLY like this boat! She's slow (4-71 diesel) but so reliable. We hit some decent seas on the trip, and she handle like a champ.

Yeah my boat is just like that Wooldridge 22' except that mine is the older 3 window version that was made in 1983 and mine has a 150 OMC Ficht Intruder on it. Also has a full enclusure green canopy.

This is my previous boat from Compeaus in Fairbanks. Notice the stomp grate on the rear platform. That was one of the nicer features. This photo was taken on the Chena River that runs through Fairbanks (for those who aren't locals). I had to trailer this boat 4 hours from Fairbanks on a gravel road over a mountain to put into the Yukon River at Circle. Then I go downstream 100 miles to my house. By the way, the current in the Yukon at my place flows at 12 mph.

BW, yukon delta

Nice boats and what a back drop! Alaska surely is a beautiful place! I have just finished watching a brown bear bow hunting video filmed in Alaska; the scenery really looks breath taking..

BW, that troller is the sort of boat that really appeals to me...nothing fancy, flash or super fast, just a solid reliable working boat. A guy I used to work with bought a small offshore steel hulled life boat that had been de commisioned from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (they do coastal/off shore rescue arround the UK) and that was the same. She was not that fast but could take the heaviest sea's and was infact self righting....

Yukon,

From the decription over where you live, it amazes me you have internet access that far into the sticks!

When the guys talk about airboats, are they the same thing they use in the Everglades?

Regards,

Pete

Internet in the Bush? Well, we just got it actually. Before last month we had to connect through the school computer or dial up long distance through AOL, etc. That never worked well because our phone service is through a satellite and there is a delay/echo. That echo kills the communication between computers. We were constantly getting kicked offline and it cost 50 cents a minute to boot! Now we connect through a wireless system to a satellite and it's only $50 a month. Everything in the Bush is a hassle. For example, I haven't had a haircut in almost 4 months because gettting one means I have to fly to Fairbanks. That makes my haircut cost about $200. I could go on but you get the idea.

yukon,

That's a great looking boat! I'm hoping you traded it for something even nicer?

Could you back off that bank, just with engine power?

Must be an old picture, as you look kinda young in the drivers seat.

I know the Chena. We used to live in Fairbanks from ''87-'91. Nice place, but we enjoy S.E. Alaska a bit more.

Pete,

Here she is again. This time we're actually stuck on a rock we hit. The hull was fine, but we were glad the tide was rising! She floated off with no problem...



Took this picture while we were fighting the seas. Pictures never due justice in these cases...

Sure I could back off that bank easy enough. The only problem was it ran so shallow that if you ever got it stuck it was really tough to get it off. It also was heavier than I liked, too loud and got bad gas mileage as mentioned. The boat I replaced it with is the first one I'm pictured with in this thread. It has an outboard and no top.

Pete E -

Yes the airboats here are much the same as those in Florida with off course localize modifications.

Here is a link to a picture that I took of one a couple of years ago on a deep section of the Copper river below Chitna. The picture is used by the company that owns this boat. The boat had two bear hunters in it that were being retrieved from way down river.

http://www.copperrivertours.com/air3.jpg

I'll try the link again!!

[ 10-28-2003, 03:16: Message edited by: John/Alaska ]

Living in SE it gets a little rainy on occasion. I have had a couple of Bayliners but now (today, its for sale) a 22ft SeaSport. Darn sturdy vessel w/diesel heater 5.8L gas Duoprop,Wife said that it had to have a roof, heat and a potty. !!

I have two boats a Woodleigh 22" Alaskan with a 105 Jet Even. V-6 Outboard....very fine boat. I would like to upgrade to a Honda 4 Stoke one day,
the other boat I have is Grumman Frighter 19" Canoe with a Lift and a 9.9 Honda Motor. I have the only two boats I will ever need in Alaska and their paid for.

Ocen-going powerboats are a little out of my interest, but the river questions always perk me up! A couple of posts mentioned canoes and how worthy they are for Alaska rivers. I figured most of you would appreciate some cool photos of my river hunting experiences, mostly with rafts, catarafts, and canoes. The link below brings you to a NEW inflatable canoe I designed this year. I wanted to develop a means of accessing shallow rivers where other boaters simply cannot access, as oftentimes the hunting is much more productive and peaceful. You can read more about the adventures and decide for yourself how they serve Alaska's remote locations.

By the way, I flew into most locations and floated out to areas like Bethel, Ft. Yukon, Arctic Village, Kobuk, etc.

Again, very impressed with the quality of conversation here. Enjoy the slide show!

Larry Bartlett
http://www.pristineventures.com/alaska_hunting_products.htm

Several months back,at the Alaska Trappers Forum there was mention about a outboard lift for a 25-40 HP for running shallow rivers. Most seemed to be homemade rigs. I was wondering if someone made and sold these? Thanks for any info. Crowcommander

The ones around here used by the Natives are mostly homemade. You have to have a light outboard to use one. No way you could lift a decent sized 4 stroke.

HI,

HOBIE, I still like the Munson, they can pull up on shore for easy loading and unloading and they tell me they can handle the open sea very well. I would go for something 25 feet and over.I am still listening to everyone as I am a total green horn about boats. Thanks,Kev

I've been planning a sailboat project for some time now, and I've settled on Bruce Roberts as the designer. As I look over his plan catalog, I see several power boats that would work well for Alaska, I believe - they might even be set up as live-aboards. These are steel boats that can be welded up in any decent shop (or even by yourself if you have the skills), and most are available as precut kits. I'm sold on steel as a boat material, especially when thinking about heavy weather. Custom built boats are not necessarily out of monetary reach with good planning - compare to the cost of any new powerboat!

I've beaten up several fiberglass boats, and really don't think it's as great as everyone thinks - just my personal opinion.... Metal is better, and steel is better than aluminum for big boats.

You might want to look at the Coastworker series and the PCF 40 here: http://www.bruceroberts.com/
Good sturdy boats for big water. Displacement hulls are always better than planing hulls when the going gets tough.

No, I don't live in Alaska, but I know some about the ocean and now live in Minnesota, where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a body of water. Even with their vices, I have this need for a V8 jet boat now. I got to like them when I lived/fished in Oregon, and I guess it stuck with when I came back here.

Whatever you choose, make sure it is seaworthy every time you go out in it. Poor boat maintenance is a BAD thing when you need it to keep you breathing. maxman

The main reason I haven't been posting lately is because I've been building one of these



I'm building the widebody, nominally a 21 1/2' length, 7 1/2' beam boat, though I'm stretching mine to 22 1/2'. The pilot house will be fully enclosed, but I'll still have a nominal 7' long 6' wide fishing deck. I still haven't decided on what I'm going to hang on the transom, but the main contenders are the 90 and 115 hp 4-stroke yamaha's with an 8hp two-stroke kicker. I want the kicker to be light enough to pull off and mount on an inflatable to be carried on top of the pilothouse. Other plans are twin 35 gallon tanks below deck for lots of range w/ the nominal 5mpg that folks are getting with the yamahas.



A fun project, not sure if it'll be on the water next year, or the year following. So long as I can still provide room for my wife to park in the garage as the boat grows, domestic tranquility will be maintaned, I think

Brian,

I wouldn't have been able to start the boat if I hadn't gotten the sink out of the living room, and returned it to the bathroom.

I've been working on the boat for about a month now, more off than on. Hopefully next week I'll make some progress. I'd recomend Renn's book as a good informative read, even if you don't plan on building a Tolman skiff.

Paul,

Speaking of "domestic tranquility", did you get the bathroom put back together?

Glad to hear your actually working on the boat! My computer screwed up and I had to have the hard drive flushed. (more bathroom humor? ) The only thing that was saved were a couple hundred digital pictures and my e-mail address book. I had forgotten to go back and check out Woodenboat.com since I got back on-line. Are you posting pictures of your progress anywhere?

Oh yea, I watched Saeeds tape tonight, it will get sent out tomorrow.

In another life, I was a part-time boatbuilder. I'm partial to sharpies and other tack and tape, or tape and stitch designs, such as Phil Bolger, Jim Michalak or Harold "Dynamite" Payson. If you want a good, shallow draught enclosed water boat, those guys are best, imho.

I can't say the Tolman skiff is best for Alaskan waters, but it has been successfully plying them for ~2 decades. Some folks have also made some amazing trips in them. http://www.nas.com/boat/tales.html

I also think Renn hasn't recieved the same recognition of other designers, which doesn't diminish the quality of his design. What I think sets the Tolman apart is that it's designer uses his personal skiffs alot, and he doesn't have a ton of designs out there. His designs are both proven, and continue to serve there builders well. It is a design that didn't come off a drafting board or cad station, but rather one developed by countless hours on the water in various craft, and a culmination of the best traits of various small boats.

Merry Christmas!