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Boats & Such for the
Traveling Crowd.... |
Fishing
is OK....but what I really Love to do is go Crabbing .
I could almost eat Dungeness Crabs in garlic butter
every day ... I love them so.
So....part of our very ' necessary ' full-timing setup
will be a small boat and motor .
At first I was leaning toward the folding Porta-Botes
...but after using a friends Walker Bay dingy I think
I'll go for that instead....
I like the idea of just popping the thing in the water
without having to unfold it and generally mess about too
much..
Below is a listing of small boats that we feel work out
nicely for traveling folks who don't want to pull a boat
trailer along with them. We haven't listed canoes or
kayaks because even though they're great water craft for
Nomadic types ..we're getting older and feel a beamier
boat (wider) is a better all-around solution for folks
like us.
Were not going to add anything about motors because that
sort of thing is very specific to boat size and where
you intend to use the thing.
If you only intend to use your boat in a small pond with
little or no wind then you can get by with a small
12-volt trolling motor and a set of oars....but if
you're going to fish on a tidal bay , then you need
something with a lot more power to get you safely
around.
So...'shop around' and ask lots of questions before you
buy a motor .
You want one that isn't too big and heavy for the boat
....and also isn't to small and under-powered for your
boats size.
Porta-Boat sells some nice Nissan & Tohatsu 15-Horse
Power 4-Strokes that are great little motors ....Honda
makes a few good small outboards also....
NOTE: I've listed
places where you can buy these small boats new ...but you can also
find boats such as these used ...check out EBAY . Just be careful
and try to look at the boats first before purchasing ...you don't
want to buy something that's been patched a lot and might have been
exposed to solvents which will break down the 'Plastics' & 'Rubbers'
integrity.
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Porta-Botes are the perfect solution for folks who don't
have the 'space' to carry and store a rigid boat. They
fold down to only 4 inches (thickness) which is a very
cool detail when it comes to finding places on or under
your rig for storing the boat.
Porta-Boat sells mounts for this.
Cost wise you're looking at around $1000.00 for the
smaller models .
Here's
Porta-Botes Website
They don't list the prices for the Boats on their site
...instead you use their 'Quote Form' .....which I'm
sure they feel is just Good Business practice ... I tend
to think its a bit cheesy for them to do this.
But , whatever ....they still make a very good boat , so
check them out. |
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You see a lot of these nice little Walker Bay
dingy/tenders at marinas ...
These are REALLY nice and well made little boats that
allow you to get out there safely and do some crabbing
and fishin' when you want....
You can also pick up sailing kits & a very cool ADD-A-
Tube 'collar' kit that turns the Walker into a rigid
inflatable boat...
The 8 foot model only weighs 71 lbs. , which is
amazingly light weight for a boat of this size. and
costs around $750.00
(
Here)
For folks looking for a larger boat ...Walker makes a 10
ft. model.
Here's Walker's website |
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For the Do-it-yourself crowd who loves Wooden Boats
....The 7 ' 7" Nutshell Pram cant be beat .
This is a lovely and beautiful little boat that's pretty
easy to build.
Here's the Specs...
Glued-lap plywood rowing or
sailing tender with plenty of capacity.
LOA - 7' 7" * Beam - 4' *
Draft (cb up) - 5" (cb down) - 1' 9" * Weight about 90
lbs.
Sail Area : 37 sq. ft.
Construction: Glued lapstrake plywood
No lofting required
Skill level: Basic
Plans include 8 sheets.
I bought a
set of plans for building the Nutshell Pram for $75.00
from the Wooden Boat Store and was really happy that the
plans and construction booklet were well setup and very
easy to follow and understand.
So , if you have the time and inclination to build your
own small wooden boat ...I highly recommend buying a set
of these plans.
Here's the Link to the
Nutshell Pram Plans
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I'm not Big on inflatable anything ....I just don't
trust the stuff to stay inflated when you really need
them to.
But....That's not to say they're aren't any trustworthy
companies producing heavy-duty inflatable's .
Zodiac
and even
Sea Eagle
makes some pretty good boats for folks who want
something compact and don't mind going through the
process of blowing them up ...and then letting the air
out every time you want to use them and then store them
away.... |
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If you have a truck setup as
your trailer hauler and you don't want to attach your boat
to the trailer ...you'll need some way to get your Boat &
Motor on and off the hauler in a civilized non-back breaking
manner.
So here's a couple of small crane/lifts you can pick up to
help out ...
By the way...little cranes come in handy for lots of
stuff....you'll have something to pick up your heavier stuff
with (batteries etc.) plus they're nice to have around for
hoisting up Deer & the like for skinning....
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Spitzlift Truck-Mounted 700 LB. Capacity Crane/Lift |
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This is
the Lift I want to buy for our Bus/Hauler ....it's
lightweight and strong and should do the job of lifting
stuff off and on our bus nicely.
" Spitzlift, the world’s lightest portable crane, sets
up in less than a minute, weighs 30 pounds and has a
lifting capacity of 700 pounds. Built of high strength
structural aluminum, it rotates 360º and does the work
of three men. "
MAXIMUM
CAPACITY: 700 LBS FOLDED DIMENSIONS: 7.5" X 13" x 48"
BOX DIMENSIONS: 8" X 13" X 50" MAXIMUM HEIGHT FROM BED
OF TRUCK/TRAILER TO TIP OF EXTENDED ARM: 6'11" MAXIMUM
REACH: 4' STRAP LENGTH FROM WENCH: 15'
3 ft. Model
$399.95 - 4 ft. Model
$409.95
Here's the link to the site that
sells these lifts |
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Northern Industrial Tools 1000 LB. Capacity Crane |
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Swiveling crane lift with 3 ton hydraulic ram. Lift
height range from 31 in. to 71 in. Adjustable boom is 35
in. closed and 55 1/2 in. fully extended. 9 1/2 in. x 7
1/2 in. base plate for mounting.
* Height from base of column to top: 40 3/16in.
* Height from base of column to pump support: 26 3/16in
* Diameter of Column: 3 1/2in.
* Boom Swings 360 Degrees
* Length of Cable on Winch: 25ft.
* I.D. of Bottom Section of Post: 3in.
$149.99
+ Shipping
Here's the Link to buy this Crane
Lift
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There's other stuff you'll need
and maybe want for your RV'ing Boat....
A small gas tank is nice , oars and life vests are a necessity ....
a set of 'wheels' are a great help for getting your dingy in and out
of the water.....
And don't forget the Crab Traps ! Yum...
