DMCI 16 Skagit Skimaster

[DMCI]

Here is a picture of my new boat (new to me) as it appeared at the Seattle boat show exhibit.

I did not buy the outboard shown there, but will put a new Merc 60 Bigfoot on it in the very near future. I need to do some work on the tanks because those original Skagit ones do not like unleaded regular.

I am posting here, because I need to upgrade my member status so I can post back on the events page.



I discussed this matter with a member and he informed me in order to post there in the future you need to be a paid up member in good standing. Well, that is very good news because for a while it was not required, but I was going to pay my dues shortly in any event. Most likely before the Seattle cruise.

[Skagitguy]

Dave, That is one very nice Skagit !

Dave, Dick who ? The one that was at the Seattle boat show ? ? Huh ? My wife does not let me go to boat shows anymore. Only kidding...i think ?
__________________

[DMCI]

Dick Dow of Redmond, the wood boat guy.

:boater1:

[Skagitguy]

Here you go. This was in 2005 at Lake Whatcom

[DMCI]

Yep, that's the one. They look so tiny and water, compared to what I'm used to but when you're next to it it didn't seem that small. I can hardly wait to get back on the water, even though it won't be at 40 kn. Oh well, it will be a different kind of fun.


Now I've got a do is find a first mate (temporary.)

[Skagitguy]

I had one of those SkiMasters too. I sold it to a guy in Oregon to put the $$ towards the Farallon. Mine had a ski tow bar and hardtop. Did Dick give you the burgee and staff ?

[DMCI]

Skimaster modernization move forward.

Here's a picture of the boat as it appeared today at the fabricators.



Nothing more until the project moves a little further.

[Steve_Kiesel]

Wow, that one looks like a 10. I like it.

[DMCI]

More on Skagit Skimaster.

In the last few days, have made two trips to the ship chandlers and outfitters.

Purchasing such things as a float coat, flare kit, fire extinguisher, a paddle, PFD's, mooring lines, some newer cleats (as I am not enamored with the jazz they used in the 50s), although I think I will leave the old cleats on because they make perfect bumper hangers. The mooring lines I found are 3/8 braded which are blue to match the boat. I purchased most of the stuff from fisheries supply in Seattle, which for an experienced boater is sort of a Valhalla. The only thing that they're out of is arming kits for my inflatable. Wrong time of the year to buy those I guess.

The motor is ordered, with a single mercury do everything gauge and Neema 2000 Gateway. The Neema 2000 Gateway will allow me to interface the chart plotter with engine data. More on all that in a future technology post.

The 1960s vintage Caulkins will soon be surplus and replaced by a more modern galvanized Easyloader. If the vendor can handle it, I have requested rollers rather than bunks just like the Caulkins.

It looks like a strong possibility that the boat will not be ready for the Lake Washington exercise. In that event I still plan to bring my Canon video camera.

In retrospect, I'm a little bit shaken by the recent accident caused by a fall getting into the boat. I know that I am not a spry as I once was, man handling big twin diesel cruisers in a moderate wind single-handed. In those days you had to solidly dock the boat and jump off the bridge and tie the thing up before it decided to blown away from the dock. In today's world at my age, that isn't going to happen.

More later as things develop.

[Helmar]

Looken nice there Dave...

I think Clint and I are the last two up here with the hard tops for those.
I have never seen one on the 14 Sportster Skagit but that I think would look pretty cool as well...

I also have that same trailer you have but mine is well, a get home trailer as it was sacrificed to the salt gods.

The first thing I do is hunt down or hunt up a top. Jerry's upholstery (forget his last name now, he was part of our hunting party) who is in Sandy Oregon has a pretty good eye for new ideas on boat tops - which is all he does now.
People from all around take boats down to him. I think his address in is Boring Oregon (chuckle chuckle).
I have been wet and cold one too many times and decided to have a top to stay dry under. Everything I take out will have a top of sorts.

Anyway, enjoy and yeah, I know about falling out and or in the boat

[DMCI]

Helmar:

Thanks for the input as always. Funny about a top, I ended up taking one off my 27 and replacing it with a pair of ski goggles with orange lenses. It broke up the wind and the lens made it easier see the drift at 35 or so knots. (My dad was always great with rhetorical questions: "What happens if you hit a big log with that thing at 40 knots?")

My big problem now is what sort of transducer to put on the hull. I have been advised to go with the transom mount, but I sure like flush through hull mount. Either way, you end up drilling either four small holes or one big one. The other question is whether I can get by with a 600 WATT transducer or do I need a 1KW one. There is a definite difference in the performance over 800 feet.

My physical oceanographic "consultant" tells me that the Puget Sound is as deep as 600 or 700 fathoms, so it's not absolutely relevant unless you want to get a good view of the fish, you know those upside down half loops. By the way, he criticized me for trying to put too much gear on a 16 foot boat. My answer was that the little Skagit is really not a boat but it is an instrumentation platform. That mostly shut him up: you do whatever you want, said he but I've been on oceanographic vessels that had less gear in your boat will have. Well, just because it will have GPS plotting mapper, VHF, DSC, AIS reporting, and dual batteries to power it all, that don't mean a thing.

[Bflaherty]

0_o

I have to agree with your salesman, what are you planning to do with this "instrumentation platform" that you need all this equipment?

I would think a 16 foot runabout is a little on the small side for serious Puget Sound adventures and no lake in this area justifies that kind of hardware...

[DMCI]

Very nice question

Brian:

For practical purposes, that is a very good question! :GoodJob:

Well it turns out you need depth finder, and a book of charts for the Puget Sound, not to mention a good VHF DSC and GPS for feeding it your position. So I got to thinking about it and by time you put all that jazz on a boat you're nearly there.

So, you can add it piecemeal or go for a totally integrated system which for a systems engineer like me, the later gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies.

It also turns out that by electing to go with the Mercury 60 Bigfoot instead of the Merc 75, the savings just about pays for Garmin package. Besides it will give me something very interesting to write about in the technical forum. Also I don't have to buy a flock of gauges as the Garmin handles that as well!

Oh, and if I ever do decide to cruise down to BAHA in the thing I will be ready.

[strobee]

There are at least three Skagit hardtops around LaConner. The hard top is not terribly practical but it looks so good that I leave mine on. Mike Holmstrom has a hard top on a 1959 or 1960 Skagit 17 or 18 foot. Skagit listed the 17ft hull as 18ft in 1959 and 1960. John Seabeck have a hard top on a 1959 ski master. I have a 1959 ski master with hardtop. As far as using the ski master in Puget sound, they are very seaworthy and can be used most anywhere if you watch the weather. Yours is the only 1958 ski master that I have seen. I would like to compare our hulls to see if yours came from the 17 or 16 mold. The 16 was designed by Lloyd Lindberry and is quite different in the way it is built. Will try to add some pictures of our boats. The picture with 2 men standing next to my Skimaster is of Lloyd Linberrys sons taken at his funeral. They are very proud of the work their dad has done. Clint

[Dick Dow]

Hi Chuck!

Dave has the burgee and staff and endless advice and opinions from the former owner...