Boat is a hole in the water?

[dsharp]

;D Sounds like you guys have some nice boats. I have the next best thing, a small, easily portable, fuel efficient boat and a buddy with a big one! ;D

Seriously though, I enjoy my little 16' inflatable and have taken it many places. I have a plotter/sounder and VHF. I get about 60 miles loaded out of a 6 gallon tank. Of course, there are drawbacks.

I am generally at least damp when I get where I am going.
I will probably require dental work and kidney replacement later on due to getting pounded pretty good.
The dealer will tell you my boat carries 8. I will tell you it carries 2 guys,shrimp gear, gear for a week(if you wear one spare set of clothes and eat light), 30 gallons of fuel and a wet dog.
Once you have all the above items loaded you are not allowed to move for the remainder of the trip.

Other than that, it makes a great little short run halibut, shrimping and just GP boat.

I have never seen a sub surface up here, but I once had a whale surface so close I could have hit him with a paddle. I saw the wrinkles in his skin and individual drops of water rolling off. I'm not gonna say I was scared, but when we got back to our slip I had a piece of seat vinyl embedded in the back of my rain pants.

One day I will join the ranks of the true deep water boaters, just gonna take me a while to get there, and I'm sure it will be worth it.

 

[Tom]

That's one heck of an inflatable. I assume it's a RIB (fiberglass hull with tubes)? What brand is that?

Don't let fiberglass fever get to you; If you're happy with the boat you have, it's the right one for you.

 

[dsharp]

It is a 16 ft Achilles. Best hypalon boat for the money out there, I think. It's not a RHIB, but an inflatable hull. It handles pretty well in most conditions and is VERY  stable. I have had it out in some nasty stuff and come out OK. I do go out pretty far, sometimes as far as 90 miles, and I carry a 30hp main, also a 3.5 hp kicker just in case. Some people say I should get more motor, the boat is rated for up to 60hp, but most of the time because of water conditions and the size of my boat I'm doing 15-20 anyway, sometimes slower, and 30hp is plenty for that. I guess I should mention that the area I do go out in, Prince William Sound, while remote, is fairly well protected from the Gulf and it is really more of a near coastal type environment because if it does get nasty, theres 1001 places to hide. Perfect inflatable country. Having said that, if I bought another inflatable, it would be a RHIB.

My buddy picked up a 30' custom aluminum from ATEC in Kenai in June, thats probably the route I'll go in a few years, except I'm thinking of a 35' deep water landing craft built for charter. I have this crazy dream of becoming a transporter up here. Hunters, kayakers,sightseers etc. Maybe even some work for the state. I am working on my hours everychance I get to go out and will be attending school here in Anchorage as soon as I get some other obligations done with. The boat can be done inside of 3 months, and I have my eye on a 671 diesel I helped a guy pull out of a converted navy landing craft. Somebody put a bow and crane on it and used it as a tender, can you believe that? American ingenuity. I am also looking for info from anyone who owns a Lugger diesel.

Check out ATEC here:  http://www.atecmarine.com/commercial.html

 

[Tom]

That landing craft is quite a boat!

I am also looking for info from anyone who owns a Lugger diesel.

What's a lugger diesel? My boat has a pair of diesels, but it sure isn't a lugger.

 

[dsharp]

Lugger is a brand name, they are supposed to be awesome, commercial quality stuff, but I want to talk to some owners first. Should find a few up here eventually.

Check them out here:  http://www.northern-lights.com/

 

[Tom]

OK thanks, I wasn't thinking of "lugger" as a brand name until I clicked on that link.