Best boat for PNW

[Nomad Willy]

Close enough to perfect. Maybe I'm too fussy about visibility. It looks basically great in your pic but IMO the most important part is hidden by the hull. But if you've a sharp eye you'd catch it before it went out of sight.

Draft is fine and the metal hull is a definite plus.

Is she planked w strips if overlapped metal? Looks like it in the pic.

Where are you beached. I'll be looking for a good place to do this or that. Are you allowed to beach there because your hull is non-toxic? Is it up at the top of Hood Canal? Port Gardner? How often do you service your bottom re fouling.

For Willard lore look for WBO (Willard Boat Owners) on yahoo groups.

We'll be launching in a week or so at La Conner.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Our boat spent its whole life in the SFO Bay area (Sausalito and Alameda are two of its former hailing ports).

Now Marin, we all know the SF bay area is not the PNW, not even northern California...hehehehe

 

[Marin]

Draft is 4 feet and I am generally not to concerned about touching bottom....

That is the same draft as our Grand Banks 36, although we tend to consider it five feet just to be safe. But we measured it once when the boat was in the yard, and the diestance from the bottom of the deepest part of the keel to the bootstripe, which is where the boat floats, was...... four feet, just like the owner's manual says.

That's not much in the overall scheme of things. Friends of ours have a ketch with a draft of twelve feet.

Veyr nice looking boat, Panope, and I have no issues with your view forward from the wheelhouse. It looks fine to me. I've been on some Alaska limit seiners with worse visibility over the bow, and that's with a wheelhouse fairly far forward (I'm not talking about the flying bridge but their main wheelhouse). As you say, between the boat moving and the helmsman moving, you can see pretty much everything there is to see from your helm.

 

[Marin]

Now Marin, we all know the SF bay area is not the PNW, not even northern California...hehehehe

Don't know about the SFO vs Northern California part, but apparenlty it doesn't get cold enough in the SFO area to make built-in heat a necessity on a boat. Like Mark's Coot, our boat was not built with it and nobody added it later.

Now that the boat is up here, I wish someone had added it down there, if for no other reaon that to create a "boat project" for themselves.

 

[Panope]

Close enough to perfect. Maybe I'm too fussy about visibility. It looks basically great in your pic but IMO the most important part is hidden by the hull. But if you've a sharp eye you'd catch it before it went out of sight.

Draft is fine and the metal hull is a definite plus.

Is she planked w strips if overlapped metal? Looks like it in the pic.

Where are you beached. I'll be looking for a good place to do this or that. Are you allowed to beach there because your hull is non-toxic? Is it up at the top of Hood Canal? Port Gardner? How often do you service your bottom re fouling.

For Willard lore look for WBO (Willard Boat Owners) on yahoo groups.

We'll be launching in a week or so at La Conner.

Manyboats,

Tom Colvin designed those strips (4 each side) to allow the forward section of the hull to be somewhat "hollow". Makes for a finer entry than if plated with a single sheet as is common on metal (and Plywood) boats.

The strips only extend aft about 1/3 of the waterline length. The strips are overlapped a couple inches and are welded inside and out. I believe that this "doubling" of material may add a bit of strength. BTW, the boat is skinned almost entirely with 3/16" material.

I built the trailer (really just a dolly) around an old "lowboy" axle. Tongue is Panope's old fore mast and the vertical "V-brace" is made from her old gaffs.

I do the beaching on a "shoot first and ask questions later" basis. The location is adjacent to undeveloped private property. I am sure the owners could care less about it. It would be crazy for someone to complain from an ecological standpoint as I would then be forced to use anti-fouling paint with the result of more poison in the water. Then again, the world is a crazy place

I launched the boat May 1st of this year. So far I have beached her 3 times. About 1.5 months between beaching seems fine during summer. I have noticed that the marine growth as slowed waaaaay down these last few weeks as the temperatures have fallen. The plan is to store on the hard during the winter. I'll haul out at the end of Oct. or possible go another month. The quality of the sailing as been very good these last few weeks as there has actually been some wind!

Steve

 

[Xsbank]

Lovely boat and a very lively crew! Thanks for the photo of the helm. Another question, why doesn't she fall over on the hard? Wide keel? The other photos don't show the structure that supports her. Very unusual boat but I can see the quality of the work in her, I can also appreciate that you'll never see yourself coming like you tend to with most boats. Well done!

 

[Panope]

.........why doesn't she fall over on the hard? Wide keel? The other photos don't show the structure that supports her............

Xsbank,

I constructed this beaching leg from schedule 80 aluminum pipe. Attaches to boat via an unused chain plate pad and a 1" bolt. Block of wood fits contour of gunwale and protects paint.

Designed to give about a 10 degree list. With the main boom swung out and an anchor to the jib halyard, I feel pretty safe working on the "unsupported" side. A big earthquake at the wrong time could be very problematic. Late in the summer it is difficult to find a decent low tide during the day. Last beaching was very early in the morning.

 

[55chev]

best boat

"paid for" sure makes the problems $$$ that pop up a little easier lol

 

[bligh]

I consider my Coot to be ideal for the PNW except for its lack of a built-in heater (a declined option).

Yeah , that and the fact its 800 miles away.

 

[markpierce]

Yeah , that and the fact its 800 miles away.

But the PNW is less than one fill-up-at-the-start ($1300) away!

 

[hollywood8118]

Most wouldn't think twice about the $1300.00

It's the 700+ miles of crappy water that keeps a lot of California boats down south.


Hollywood

 

[markpierce]

Most wouldn't think twice about the $1300.00

It's the 700+ miles of crappy water that keeps a lot of California boats down south.

Exactly. That's why I take cruise ships. Don't look forward to bouncing for days on end.

 

[Marin]

Most wouldn't think twice about the $1300.00

It's the 700+ miles of crappy water that keeps a lot of California boats down south.


Hollywood

That's why God invented trucks and created companies like Associated to operate them.

Which is how we "cruised" our boat from Alameda to Puget Sound.

 

[sunchaser]

When much younger and regularly cruising off the Pacific Coast the rigors of life at sea were the norm. Then I read a few things in the boat mags and on TF and became dissuaded from venturing out unless 101 issues are tended to. Then guys like Panope come along and remind me that we can pretty well do whatever we put our mind to, thank you.

 

[Nomad Willy]

But Tom,
That makes us risk takers on a very conservative forum.

 

[bligh]

But the PNW is less than one fill-up-at-the-start .

You should go! It would be the trip of a lifetime!

 

[bligh]

Most wouldn't think twice about the $1300.00

It's the 700+ miles of crappy water that keeps a lot of California boats down south.


Hollywood

Yes, not a trip i would be interested in without lots of time to pick and choose my conditions.

 

[Pack Mule]

Panope
Your boat is too cool ! Love it

 

[Panope]

Panope
Your boat is too cool ! Love it

Thanks Pack Mule,

I like yours too but I could not find an online source for more information/pics. I would be curious to see how the interior is layed out with such a large chunk of space dedicated to the aft deck.

I see that you are in Tennessee. A fantasy of mine is to truck Panope to Sioux City Iowa (closest put-in) and explore the river system. Are you traveling much or mostly hanging around that big lake I see on the Tennessee map?

Steve

 

[Pack Mule]

Thanks Panope .Our boat was built in Fla nah he only built a couple . The builder built about 40 tugs that were 26 ft long . Ours has wheelhouse , vberth , and wet head ., but it does have a walk in engine room from the vberth . We just travel about 40 miles each way from our marina . I'm still working and only have long weekends .we completly rebuilt the inside and last year replaced teak cap rail and new teak wheel house doors . We are painting on the boat this weekend .
There is a Colvin at our dock that has been in same slip for 20 yrs and has never left . I will try to get a picture to send .

 

[hollywood8118]

Getting back to the perfect NW boat...

42' Nordic Tug is my vote, fast when you need it, good layout, goes slow and sips fuel too, no teak, good lines and US built.

That being said not MY idea of the perfect boat.. too run of the mill for my tastes. And I still have not got over the time the then Pres. of Nordic drug anchor down on me and tried to blame me for us apparently dragging anchor into the wind. Gouged up the two week old hull paint job and not even a apology.

I guess I need to learn to let things go.

HOLLYWOOD

 

[Boydster]

Mine is the best boat for the pacific northwest.
You should buy it.

 

[nwboater]

My Willard 40 is one of three widebody boats built in Costa Mesa, Cal. In the Seventies. We appreciate her heavy displacement and spacious saloon and the five large windows looking forward. But her best quality was learned the hard way when we got caught on the Strait of Georgia in a big following sea -- to our delight, those big wind driven waves simply rolled under Northstar's canoe stern and kept on going.

 

[eyschulman]

My Willard 40 is one of three widebody boats built in Costa Mesa, Cal. In the Seventies. We appreciate her heavy displacement and spacious saloon and the five large windows looking forward. But her best quality was learned the hard way when we got caught on the Strait of Georgia in a big following sea -- to our delight, those big wind driven waves simply rolled under Northstar's canoe stern and kept on going. View attachment 34095View attachment 34092

 

[BryanF]

I think for me the big ones to make a good boat for the PNW
1. I do not have to sit outside in the rain to run the boat.
2. It has heat.

 

[ksanders]

In my opinion the perfect PACNW boat has...

• A Raised Pilothouse because you want a nice spot to drive from out of the rain.
  
• A Covered Cockpit because you want a nice place to sit or fish from out of the rain.
  
• A Large Flying Bridge because when its nice up here, its really nice and you need an outdoor place to soak up the sun.
  
• A place to store a large tender because there is so much to explore.
  
• A reasonable price because you shouldn't have to be rich to enjoy boating.

There are lots of examples of great PACNW boats.

Here's a photo of just one of many.

 

[Delfin]

I put up a post earlier this year on the Cruising-West Coast section of this forum called Stuff in the Water. I included some photos I'd taken of the Fraser River.

While dry sorting may have reduced the amount of debris, there is still tons of it, brought down by the rivers, escaped from log rafts and the raft make-up areas like Beaver Cove up by Port McNeil, and lifted off the shorelines on a high tide.

More than enough opportunities to take out a prop or a strut or a rudder or a hull still today.

We must have an anti-debris force field around us, as we are currently returning from Port Townsend (AP slaved to Coastal Explorer, so we can sleep, play Scrabble, etc.) and after hour 8 of run time I've spotted two seagulls on a log around 12" long, one kelp bundle and a floating cutting board. Weird, huh?

Now, I did wake up for a moment while below (wife was playing her Cello forward), and spotted some people swimming in our wake. Well, maybe not swimming exactly, but treading water while holding onto seat cushions, but I don't count people as debris.

 

[Delfin]

Panope, your boat is a winner, love it. Go ahead, raise the sails! Forward mast like a Sharpie? Tell us more about the design.

And she is even prettier under sail. Panope posted a great thread called "Happiness is a warm spool gun" on Cruisers Forum that documents the restoration of this lovely vessel.

 

[Delfin]

I think for me the big ones to make a good boat for the PNW
1. I do not have to sit outside in the rain to run the boat.
2. It has heat.

That pretty much sums it up Bryan. We had a 28' Albin between a cruising sailboat and Delfin and took it to Rivers Inlet, around Vancouver Island and a made a number of trips to Barkley Sound beside toodling around the San Juans year long. It cruised at around 12 knots, you were inside, it was warm and if you watched the weather had as much fun as it is legal to have cruising. Not much more is needed.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Either slow or fast if it's a good boat. People in the 50s had a great time driving their outboards to Juneau .. frequently in groups. The PNW has a lot of cloudy and frequently wet weather so cabin comforts, space, long on provisions and the knack of spending a day or two at anchor w/o any cabin fever could be more important than either speed or seaworthyness. Happily cloudy weather produces lots of very calm seas. But if given the choice of a 20 knot boat or a seaworthy boat I'd pick the latter but only if I had the time to go slow. And slow makes a much better experience going far in the PNW. But speed works too.

Fuel economy has a lot to do w it depending on how much money one has for fuel. A good SE Alaska cruise should be at least 3000 miles. One should spend time doing high mileage days but the opposite of that usually is the core of the trip.