#2
Post
by kmorin » Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:26 pm
dflorea,
odd that the site didn't provide any reply at all? Pacific is a well known, high quality builder of open welded boats.
What I like about the two Pacific's I've seen was the high quality TIG work on the stern, and the fact they have some proprietary extrusions they use in hand railing, and gunwale trim. This allows some nice railing structures that are very strong and look nice using their extrusions. They do pay attention to detail that many production builders just can't afford to do- mainly because production builders are selling to market price point and Pacific is only in the high end of the market.
What I have seen is they refuse to put and external spray rail outboard on the topsides so the skiffs are wet in a 3' - 4' or greater head sea. I'm not sure what the issue is with external spray rails? but I've yet to see a Pacific with one out there?
A while back someone told me that was false- they weren't wet skiffs by the head... but then there happened to be a utube video of a Pacific running into a breeze and head sea- and the windscreen was wet! Not sure why they won't hang another rail on their topsides to try to avoid this? but in general I don't see external topsides spray deflection above their chine plates.
As far as I know, and I'm not expert on this brand... they're about the only builder to cast their own polystyrene foam blocks for the compartments in their bottom! That is a lot of effort (I've ranted elsewhere about the "futility of foam") and puts them in their own league in that aspect.
However, there are at least some questions about the bilge mounted fuel cell/tank under the deck. Jetty Wolf, member here, has a thread somewhere here, about his tank problems. Neither the Wolf or Pacific has seen fit to really explore that tank failure - at least not here, in public- so we're not exactly sure the cause? Could be design, could be some other factor... I can't see that the Skipper/Capt'n Dave/member Jetty Wolf could have been responsible... unless some factor of his boat's operation were unique compared to hundreds of boats?
Like all single deadrise planning hulls, warped or monohedron, you choose your V or deadrise angle and live with the resulting ride and performance envelope. If you get a huge, deep V? you're running speed can be higher with "less impact" but you'll get tired rolling all day as you fish. If you go flatter in the bottom deadrise? you'll have to slow down much more than the deeper V when the Lake lumps up... but you'll be less fatigued at the end of the day having spent much less energy compensating for a greater rolling motion.
Pacific's design decisions have plenty of years of very well performing skiffs to rely upon- so performance is as good as any other single deadrise angle bottom in welded aluminum. But in my view, their construction workmanship is of a higher quality than most of the production boats and as good as the next tier in the market of one-off, custom made welded skiffs.
Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK
kmorin