3 AK tough work/commuter skiffs

[Sobie2]

I am contemplating a new boat for my fleet. I am looking at a Southeast Alaska do it all work/play platform. I have a remote cabin without a dock. I am looking at three commercial fisheries I can fit in around a normal work schedule (good for my sanity, teaching my children about work, possible tax write off) hand trolling, dungeness crabbing, and possible SE drift gillnet (though this would be a more specialized build). I do a lot recreational hunting, crabbing, and fishing with my family. We already have a beat up old 22' center console landing craft, a SeaArk 1860 jet tunnel skiff, and a 36x12 twin diesel flybridge cruiser.

I am looking at three tough boat builders designs for a wide body beachable multipurpose boat with a single outboard 250-350 hp and a kicker. Here are the 3:

Mavrik Marine Workskiff 26x10 http://www.mavrikmarine.com/gallery-of- ... -26/aid/37#

Bayweld 26x10.5 Look at their Oil Response design http://bayweldboats.com/services/new-bo ... -response/

and Pacific Skiff 26x11 wide body setnet skiff ( the flatter bottom may be its weakess) http://www.pacificskiffs.com/recent/recent.php

*Svendsen Marine in Wrangell is close but they haven't build such a craft yet and they will be contacted.

All three of these boats can obviously be 100% customized.

I am looking for a drop bow, but with as much of a salty vee shape as possible (Bayweld is the front runner) and a spartan walkthrough or walk around pilothouse with seating for up to 7 (family plus inlaws). Lots of rear deck space for fishing.

Sobie2

[welder]

Drop Bow?
Do you mean Landing Craft?

[goatram]

Add Munson Boats in Anachortis. Mavrik so you can see both. Also Kevin is located up north and he could be of help.

[onwhiskeycreek]

Good luck on trying to find one boat... I think at the last count the wife was up to 15 boats. The only thing they all have in common is they are all paidfors, and I get to work on all of them. We live on the beach here and if you don't have a dock you need a skiff on a haul line to deal with the tide. Then you'll need a bigger boat that you can put on the beach to load and unload supplies and equipment, we use an old 28 alumaweld jet boat, but a Landing Craft would be sweet. It is nice to have a boat with a low or drop bow for pulling into beaches for jumping on and off. We used an old 24' heavy set netter with a 135 Honda and a SOT this winter for snapping logs off the beach. Was amazed at the size of logs we could get off the beach and the log raft we could tow with a small boat, although it was well past dark thirty getting home at 3.5 to 4 knots. Then you'll need a boat with some V to it for bigger water and the list just seems to go on and on. It's a lot easier if you just need a boat to go an have an adventure on. We've taken the 26 footer and done 500 miles out just poking around for a few weeks, but then again have made 200 mile trips in the kayaks. There are a lot of opportunities for small business for kids to participate in. Our business is for guests and we really enjoy the interaction with them and getting to see where we live through there eyes. What ever you do just remember that this water can sink any boat, and no one boat can do it all. Have fun it's all an incredible adventure.

Gary

[Voyageur]

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Have you considered this model modified to suit you?

http://bayweldboats.com/services/new-bo ... rettyPhoto

Good luck.

-Voyageur

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[Sobie2]

Welder,
I do not mean landingcraft because I tend to think of these as having a more flat bow and being wide enough for moving equipment/supplies through. As mentioned I already have one of these.

Voyageur,
I am looking for something more spartan than those models.

I don't think I will try to make it gillnet. Crabbing or Hand trolling will most likely be a better fit. This boat is meant to to spartan and utility grade. This Specmar Allen Marine 30 is nearly just right if I could add the Bayweld bow.

Sobie2

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[Chaps]

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Have you considered this model modified to suit you?

http://bayweldboats.com/services/new-bo ... rettyPhoto

Good luck.

-Voyageur

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I love that walk-thru cabin, drop bow combo. Wow, that is versatile. FWIW I painted a Bayweld last summer and that was a very spartan boat, well built but zero interior creature comforts so it looks like he'll build anything.

For beaching and other shallow water ops I'd definitely mount the engine on a porta-bracket like the one on my LaConner though I'd notch the transom so most of the bracket was buried in the notch which would bring the engine in closer to the boat

[Sobie2]

Chaps,

And some UMHW on the bow to keep from gripping the rocks. Beaching on a falling tide with up to 25' of change in 6 hours sucks at times. But we do it a lot. I have found that around here a Porta bracket isn't necessary, of course I haven't tried one.

Sobie2

[Napa Mike]

Drop Bow?
Do you mean Landing Craft?

check out the picks of the bay welds. instead of a true landing craft bow, it has a normal looking pointy bow on hinges that provide a set of stairs for getting into and out of the boat. That would be very handy when there is no dock at your access point!

Mike

[Chaps]

Chaps,

And some UMHW on the bow to keep from gripping the rocks. Beaching on a falling tide with up to 25' of change in 6 hours sucks at times. But we do it a lot. I have found that around here a Porta bracket isn't necessary, of course I haven't tried one.

Sobie2

The PortaBrkt allows lifting the engine vertically high enough that the prop is above the keel of the hull but still pushing directly aft (unlike a trimmed-up engine). In other words as long as you are below planing speed the boat will maneuver normally and pick up cooling water normally but the prop is protected from rocks and shallow beach landings almost as if you had a jet set-up.