Crab trappin', flounder gigging, oyster scoopin' craft? For Savannah?

[OconeePirate]

I thought I'd made up my mind that I wanted to build a trimaran version of the Wa'apa. Now I'm not so sure. Its intended to be easy to transport, but it is a lot of boat to build.

Any suggestions on something easy to transport that would be good for crabbing and fishing? and I know nothing about gigging flounder but its something my brother is hyper about trying. Perhaps even spending an evening feeding the sand gnats from?

Right now I'm tempted to build a Bolger Junebug just because I can get it built quickly (before my son's spring break in April) and lug it around on top of the car.

[Paul Pless]

Don't forget fishing for reds and trout and mackerel and bass and crappie and catfish too. And you may want to try some bay shrimping. I'd go for a garvey or jonboat. The ubiquitous crabbing boat in Savannah is a Carolina Skiff. The prettiest little wooden ones I've ever seen are Ben Garveys.

[OconeePirate]

Oh yeah, and the one solid requirement is that I'm looking for something that is primarily for sailing but, if necessary, can take a small motor.

Although that is a neat little motorboat. The chopped off bow reminds me of the Dutch scows that were posted a while back.

[Dan St Gean]

Have you seen the folding setup on the www.diy-tris.com site? You could use a Tamanu hull and simple outrigger forms if you want to do it. Tamanu hulls go together amazingly quickly.

Dan

[Paul Pless]

Oh yeah, and the one solid requirement is that I'm looking for something that is primarily for sailing

That changes everything.

I'd look at a small sharpie then, either ply or semi traditional like the way Oyster builds them.

Here's a variety of boats built to Reuel Parker's 19' Ohio Pound Net Sharpie design.

[Plumbtex]

The scow sloop was the answer for the shallow Texas bays, a smaller version might suit your purposes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pigmundt/2341023823/

[hokiefan]

Get Reuel Parker's "The Sharpie Book". Our host has it.

Cheers,

Bobby

[Outlaw]

hey Paul, what kind of boat is that and how long and wide and what size motor? I know, alot of ?'s.

sorry, didn't mean to hi jack this thread. it's the first boat.

Outlaw

[davebrown]

Paul Pless's post, no. 5. Or, maybe Hylan's 16 ft. version. Might be a little small for your needs.

[Paul Pless]

hey Paul, what kind of boat is that and how long and wide and what size motor? I know, alot of ?'s.

sorry, didn't mean to hi jack this thread. it's the first boat.

Outlaw

http://dhylanboats.com/ben_garvey_plans.html

[Breakaway]

Ever see this one? http://www.atkinboatplans.com/Oar/LittlePeter.html


Kevin

[MN Dave]

Right now I'm tempted to build a Bolger Junebug just because I can get it built quickly (before my son's spring break in April) and lug it around on top of the car.

Oh yeah, and the one solid requirement is that I'm looking for something that is primarily for sailing but, if necessary, can take a small motor.

Although that is a neat little motorboat. The chopped off bow reminds me of the Dutch scows that were posted a while back.

OK, you want a sailboat, good with an outboard, cartopper, built by April... no problem, except you want to stand up,haul traps oyster tonging and gig flounder?

You can get half way there with a Dobler 16,but you might need a catamaran to do it all.

[davebrown]

That could be a nice looking hull. Can't tell from the photos on Firth's site. I like the drawings.

[kenjamin]

As many times as I've recommended this boat, I should have two or three of them but check out Ross Lillistone's Flint:

http://www.baysidewoodenboats.com.au/

[SScoville]

I really dig Atkin's Little Peter and hope to build one someday. I have a Bay River Skiff 17 from B&B Yacht Designs. It was designed with all your purposes in mind. You'll have to trailer it. The original design is 15'. http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/brs.htm The designer's sons used the original boat for commercial crabbing at least for one season.

[OconeePirate]

OK, you want a sailboat, good with an outboard, cartopper, built by April... no problem, except you want to stand up,haul traps oyster tonging and gig flounder?

You can get half way there with a Dobler 16,but you might need a catamaran to do it all.

LOL... and I want to be able to circumnavigate the globe in it with a crew of 5.

Let me clarify some of my comments. Buildable by April was just an aside meant to describe the Bolger Junebug, not a necessity by any means for my plan search. I am seriously thinking about building a Junebug just to get on the water quickly. Its effectively a big canoe/pirogue sort of thing so it'd be cool for much of the area I want to fool around in anyway.

Cartoppable is not a solid requirement, it'd just be really nice. Once I get into something that has to be trailered it opens up a lot more options for designs but also would mean I would have to find a place to store it as my lease specifically states that I am not allowed to store a trailer on the property. I'm kind of tempted buy one of those folding trailers, folded and propped against the wall, covered with a tarp I'd probably be able to get away with it. Lots of the boats I've considered seem to transport fine with a simple utility trailer. As far as the catamaran comment, I'm by no means anti-multihull. My number one choice is still the Dierking Wa'apa in a trimaran configuration.

And I'm not trying to set up some sort of commercial seafood operation. I don't know a damn thing about oystering or flounder gigging, I just know the critters are out there and would like to retrieve some for my self. As for crabs..... I'm just all about harassing those silly little side walkers as much as I can. We're all crabs in a bucket and I mean to be the crabbiest crab of them all!

[Eddiebou]

Giggin' flounder is easy. Get a piece of 3/8" round steel rod about 3 1/2 to 4 feet long. Sharpen one end, drill a hole for your string in the other end. The string should be about 5' long. Walk along the flats with a light, (like a Coleman lantern) and when you see a flounder burried in the sand, you purposely jab the sharp end through 'im, right behind his eyes. You pin him to the bottom, he's gonna flap and flap and get you all wet and muddy. Simply reach down and slide him up the rod and onto the string. Tie off the first one and just slide the other ones on top of him. I've only done it in water as deep as my arm but I've heard tales of people doing it in deeper water with submersible lights.
I went bowhunting for redfish and sheepshead one night with my cousin in Louisiana, but we didn't have favorable conditions and his equipment was getting wore out. That was fun. I couldn't hit those fish underwater, but he could!

[hokiefan]

Giggin' flounder is easy. Get a piece of 3/8" round steel rod about 3 1/2 to 4 feet long. Sharpen one end, drill a hole for your string in the other end. The string should be about 5' long. Walk along the flats with a light, (like a Coleman lantern) and when you see a flounder burried in the sand, you purposely jab the sharp end through 'im, right behind his eyes. You pin him to the bottom, he's gonna flap and flap and get you all wet and muddy. Simply reach down and slide him up the rod and onto the string. Tie off the first one and just slide the other ones on top of him. I've only done it in water as deep as my arm but I've heard tales of people doing it in deeper water with submersible lights.
I went bowhunting for redfish and sheepshead one night with my cousin in Louisiana, but we didn't have favorable conditions and his equipment was getting wore out. That was fun. I couldn't hit those fish underwater, but he could!

Check the laws carefully about fishing at night with a light. I never checked in Georgia, but I remember it being illegal to crab at night with a light growing up in Virginia.

Bowfishing you have to aim high because of the deflection of the light through the air/water interface.

Cheers,

Bobby

[wely]

Any decision yet on which style boat you want to build?

[OconeePirate]

Any decision yet on which style boat you want to build?

NO!!! TOO MANY CHOICES!!!!

I have decided I'm definitely building a Junebug just to get on the water. That is starting tomorrow. Maybe.

[John Bell]

One thing about boating in and around Savannah to be aware of is the large tidal range and strong currents. Of all the boats mentioned in this thread, the big outboard garvey shown at the top of the thread would be my choice of a platform for fishing, crabbing, and oystering. In a small sailboat, if you get caught on a foul tide you could spend a lot of time sitting out in the marsh being exsanguinated by vicious swarms of mosquitos, sand gnats, and deer flies. Not my idea of fun.

I've never seen anyone tong oysters in Georgia like they do on the Chesapeake. Most of the time, the oyster pickers go out at low tide and slog through the pluff mud with a hammer and a bucket knocking them off oyster bar.

If you've got a small outboard, something like the outboard version of Michalak's QT Skiff would be good choice. It's bigger than I'd want to cartop, but it would be doable by a motivated owner.

You don't want something that's primarily a sailboat for your stated purpose in that part of the world. I've done fair amount of boating in coastal GA, (admittedly it was a long time ago) and it's tough in those creeks when you get caught out on a strong ebb. A foul four knot current isn't fun in any boat, much less in one that can only make 3.5 knots under the best of circumstances. If I lived down there again, I'd have an 18-20' utility with enough HP to run at least twenty over the water.

[OconeePirate]

NO!!! TOO MANY CHOICES!!!!

I have decided I'm definitely building a Junebug just to get on the water. That is starting tomorrow. Maybe.

Bought a stack of wood, very entertaining to bring it home on top of the Sentra. It sat on the dining room floor for weeks with lines drawn out on one side for a Junebug, on the other side for a Wa'apa.

I've started build on a Wa'apa. I have enough room to build it on my porch and in the dining room. My number one priority is to be on the water; I'd probably be happy with a good sized chunk of Styrofoam and a trolling motor.

[Paul Pless]

My number one priority is to be on the water; I'd probably be happy with a good sized chunk of Styrofoam and a trolling motor.

That can be arranged. . .

[OconeePirate]

We're gonna need to see a proper build thread in B&R!
Just sayin'

Doug

The only way I have to make pictures go on the internet right night is to post them to Facebook from my phone. I've taken a few. Maybe once I have enough to be interesting I'll recompile them and start a build thread. Tomorrow I should be going 3D with the main hull. Thursday and Friday are my weekend, so thats when I get to make wood chips.


@Paul, that's exactly the picture I was thinking of when I made that comment.

[davebrown]

Paul: do you know anything more about this build? Whose is it and are there more photos available?

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Here's a garvey that's a sailboat or a low-power boat too. The style is supposed to be quite popular for sailing on sections of the Mediteranean. Some have built it without the sailing hardware because it is a capacious vee-bottomed fishing boat of modest length.

http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=CV16