Skookum Maru

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  • cstevens
    Dreaming of a boat
    • Nov 2014
    • 6357

    #46
    Re: Skookum Maru

    Originally posted by Garret
    Amesbury, eh?

    A # of years ago, I did a cell antenna audit for AT&T. A church in Amesbury had one in its steeple - so I had to climb up to inventory what it was. To get there meant climbing ladders up through the bell tower. As I came up through the trap door into the bell room itself, I almost hit my head on the 6 ft. diameter bell. When I looked at it a bit more closely, it had "Paul Revere & Sons" cast into it. That sent a shiver down my spine.

    Anyway - back to the boat!
    Yeah, stuff out there is old!. My mother's side of the family supposedly came over on the pilgrim ship Anne, in 1623....

    Anyway yes, back to the boat. On a somewhat related subject I'm picking up this little skiff on Sunday:





    It popped up on craigslist yesterday and I've made arrangements to go get it this weekend. It's a "Portage Bay Skiff", a boat that was sold as a kit by the Wooden Boat Shop here in Seattle. I worked for them as a kid in the early 1980s and saw a bunch of these little boats around the shop back then. Nothing fancy - just a little plywood flat-bottom row boat. But at just 7' long I figure it's about the right size for Dash to grow into.
    - Chris

    Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

    Life is short. Go boating now!

    Comment

    • Phil Y
      Banned
      • Apr 2010
      • 21066

      #47
      Originally posted by cstevens
      Exactly. Whereas on Skookum Maru we would be sitting at anchor with all the drop windows in the salon open and a nice breeze blowing through, taking off the heat of the afternoon. Sipping a glass of dry cider while a couple of salmon steaks are grilling in the cockpit, next to some fresh asparagus. All it needs is a quick hollandaise sauce, easily made on the butane burner, and then top it off with a bit of dill.... And maybe a few fingerling potatoes for a starch. Toss them in salt, rosemary and olive oil and roast them in foil on the grill as well.

      Hm. Suddenly I'm ready for dinner.
      Me too!

      Sent from my CPH1851 using Tapatalk

      Comment

      • _QB_
        Senior Member
        • Apr 2012
        • 303

        #48
        Re: Skookum Maru

        Originally posted by cstevens
        You know that would look good as the mothership S.M.'s dinghy.

        Good looking and lighter, so S.M.'s davit winch would be happy.

        --Paul

        Comment

        • cstevens
          Dreaming of a boat
          • Nov 2014
          • 6357

          #49
          Re: Skookum Maru

          Originally posted by _QB_
          You know that would look good as the mothership S.M.'s dinghy.

          Good looking and lighter, so S.M.'s davit winch would be happy.

          --Paul
          Yes to all of the above, except that I think this little boat would be hard-pressed to carry two adults, a child, a medium-sized dog and a load of groceries. Add in a little bit of a chop and I think it would be a fifty-fifty thing whether we made it ashore dry foot. Or dry anything. But replacing the electric winch with a manual one is on my list. I never had a problem with the manual winch on Savona and she had a dinghy similar to the one on Skookum Maru.
          - Chris

          Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

          Life is short. Go boating now!

          Comment

          • Favorite
            Banned
            • Oct 2018
            • 623

            #50
            Re: Skookum Maru

            Originally posted by cstevens
            It popped up on craigslist yesterday and I've made arrangements to go get it this weekend.

            That little guy is adorable ! Good thing Favorite has a leaky tin dinghy already or I'd be jealous !

            Comment

            • Boatsbgood
              Senior Member
              • Apr 2017
              • 510

              #51
              Re: Skookum Maru

              Like the little skiff a lot, but see that she's a bit wee to be the packhorse. Sorry if this has been covered before (I didnt see or find it) but , curious about the davit winch setup: I gather that it's presently electric, but a bit overtaxed. What is the existing, and what would you envision as a manual solution? Hope its not a distraction, but it seems to fit here...

              Comment

              • Favorite
                Banned
                • Oct 2018
                • 623

                #52
                Re: Skookum Maru

                Originally posted by Garret
                Ah - but do you get lobsters delivered to your boat? Have oysters a 3 minute dinghy ride away?
                Lobsters don't live out here but you have to drive around the crab buoys getting into and out of the harbor. And the oyster barge is one of my landmarks, maybe five minutes instead of three ...

                I'm still laughing, one of the fishermen told me, when you go north take a rifle and bag a deer, you can hang it in the shrouds -- I can see it now, the Joads come to British Columbia, put a moosehead on Skookum's bow for a figurehead

                Comment

                • cstevens
                  Dreaming of a boat
                  • Nov 2014
                  • 6357

                  #53
                  Re: Skookum Maru

                  Originally posted by Boatsbgood
                  Like the little skiff a lot, but see that she's a bit wee to be the packhorse. Sorry if this has been covered before (I didnt see or find it) but , curious about the davit winch setup: I gather that it's presently electric, but a bit overtaxed. What is the existing, and what would you envision as a manual solution? Hope its not a distraction, but it seems to fit here...
                  Not a distraction at all! And very much something I've been thinking about. Here's what Skookum Maru has for a dinghy winch now:



                  A pretty basic powered trailer winch mounted on the davit. We haven't actually had an opportunity to launch the dinghy yet so I can't say anything about how well the winch deals with the load, but just in testing it my impression is that it's a bit loud. At least for me. Different people have different levels of noise tolerance so it might be perfectly fine for the next person. But in any case my plan is to replace it with this manual winch:






                  It has a 1000lb capacity and an auto-brake so that the winch won't just spin out of control if you let go of it while lowering. It *should* just bolt up in place of the old winch, or at most after drilling some new holes in the mounting plate on the davit, but I'll have to take a closer look at how the power winch is mounted to know for sure.

                  This is the setup I had on Savona. Quiet, simple and effective. But I'll admit that changing from a power winch to a manual one is purely an aesthetic choice. The power winch has been likely been working fine for many years. I just dislike noise and complexity. Thus the switch from the Espar heater to the Dickinson stove, which many people would see as a step backwards. I prefer oars over an outboard too. I do, however, draw the line at the anchor windlass. I spent my childhood hauling a heavy galvanized Danforth up from the bottom by hand as we had no windlass on the boat we lived aboard. Now give me one with a great big motor and a button. Although maybe I'll get a picnic anchor that Dash can haul up a few times just so he can have the same experience I did... It'll build character!
                  - Chris

                  Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

                  Life is short. Go boating now!

                  Comment

                  • Favorite
                    Banned
                    • Oct 2018
                    • 623

                    #54
                    Re: Skookum Maru

                    Originally posted by cstevens
                    I'll admit that changing from a power winch to a manual one is purely an aesthetic choice. The power winch has been likely been working fine for many years. I just dislike noise and complexity.
                    Besides being satisfyingly minimalist, the whole electrolysis with wood boats thing makes me think that the least electricity you can get away with is best ... so maybe there is a practical side to your aesthetic values

                    Comment

                    • _QB_
                      Senior Member
                      • Apr 2012
                      • 303

                      #55
                      Re: Skookum Maru

                      Originally posted by cstevens
                      I think this little boat would be hard-pressed to carry two adults, a child, a medium-sized dog and a load of groceries. Add in a little bit of a chop and I think it would be a fifty-fifty thing whether we made it ashore dry foot. Or dry anything.
                      It's true, the existing tender is fine. Pretty handy and pretty tough. No worry hauling out even up a rocky beach. Lots of built-in flotation (I have little doubt that it is unsinkable with the compartments intact, but I have not tried it). It is heavy though, and with your full bill of lading there is not going to be a whole lot of freeboard left. So be careful.

                      But I concede your point.

                      My point that the skiff would look good on Skookum Maru still stands, though .

                      But replacing the electric winch with a manual one is on my list. I never had a problem with the manual winch on Savona and she had a dinghy similar to the one on Skookum Maru.
                      Well, I never had a problem with the electric winch on Skookum Maru, so there . It is noisy, but all its bearings are permanently sealed and immune to maintenance so no way to address that. The original galvanized wire rope was in poor shape; I replaced it with amsteel, which was holding up great when I last saw it. I'd say continue to use it until you find a nice bronze manual winch that can handle the load. The stamped steel ones? Just say no .

                      --Paul

                      Comment

                      • navydog
                        Senior Member
                        • Sep 2007
                        • 1851

                        #56
                        Re: Skookum Maru

                        Originally posted by _QB_
                        It's true, the existing tender is fine. Pretty handy and pretty tough. No worry hauling out even up a rocky beach. Lots of built-in flotation (I have little doubt that it is unsinkable with the compartments intact, but I have not tried it). It is heavy though, and with your full bill of lading there is not going to be a whole lot of freeboard left. So be careful.

                        But I concede your point.

                        My point that the skiff would look good on Skookum Maru still stands, though .



                        Well, I never had a problem with the electric winch on Skookum Maru, so there . It is noisy, but all its bearings are permanently sealed and immune to maintenance so no way to address that. The original galvanized wire rope was in poor shape; I replaced it with amsteel, which was holding up great when I last saw it. I'd say continue to use it until you find a nice bronze manual winch that can handle the load. The stamped steel ones? Just say no .

                        --Paul
                        I'm with Paul on the which issue, much easier to control the lift; up or down. The dinghy davit makes a good man over board retrieval device as well. Holding a button down will be a great advantage in such a event.

                        I have a dislike of little dinghies. In flat water with well behaved passengers they are just passable. I like a real tender capable of rowing through a chop with a load. Like taking a couple of 230 lb adults and a big dog and not worry about capsizing or taking water over the bow.
                        Last edited by navydog; 03-30-2019, 07:58 PM.

                        Comment

                        • cstevens
                          Dreaming of a boat
                          • Nov 2014
                          • 6357

                          #57
                          Re: Skookum Maru

                          Originally posted by _QB_
                          It's true, the existing tender is fine. Pretty handy and pretty tough. No worry hauling out even up a rocky beach. Lots of built-in flotation (I have little doubt that it is unsinkable with the compartments intact, but I have not tried it). It is heavy though, and with your full bill of lading there is not going to be a whole lot of freeboard left. So be careful.

                          But I concede your point.

                          My point that the skiff would look good on Skookum Maru still stands, though .



                          Well, I never had a problem with the electric winch on Skookum Maru, so there . It is noisy, but all its bearings are permanently sealed and immune to maintenance so no way to address that. The original galvanized wire rope was in poor shape; I replaced it with amsteel, which was holding up great when I last saw it. I'd say continue to use it until you find a nice bronze manual winch that can handle the load. The stamped steel ones? Just say no .

                          --Paul
                          Well, coincidentally I might know where a suitable bronze winch would be available however it does not have a brake. I doubt any vintage winch would. And I'm reluctant to haul a dinghy without a brake on the winch. At the same time I agree that the stamped steel option leaves much to be desired. I could be convinced that a motor is not a bad thing here I suppose.


                          Originally posted by navydog
                          I'm with Paul on the which issue, much easier to control the lift; up or down. The dinghy davit makes a good man over board retrieval device as well. Holding a button down will be a great advantage in such a event.

                          I have a dislike of little dinghies. In flat water with well behaved passengers they are just passable. I like a real tender capable of rowing through a chop with a load. Like taking a couple of 230 lb adults and a big dog and not worry about capsizing or taking water over the bow.
                          Agreed on all points. And it does occur to me that I may be being over sensitive to the issue of winch noise. After all it's not as if one raises and lowers the dinghy several times a day. You arrive at your destination, anchor, and lower the dinghy and there it sits, quietly (unless you are careless with your fenders and the painter, and you let it bump into the side of the boat that is) until you depart. At which point you raise the dinghy and proceed. Or just avoid that whole exercise and tow it, if conditions permit. The winch motor is not going to be an unreasonable intrusion during those operations in any case.
                          - Chris

                          Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

                          Life is short. Go boating now!

                          Comment

                          • Rapelapente
                            French Schooner
                            • Mar 2006
                            • 1410

                            #58
                            Re: Skookum Maru

                            This bronze one, normally intended for a hallyard has a brake, and could do the job.
                            Robust classic bronze halyard winch, for wire. With winch-handle socket for normal 11/16" 8-point handles. A very robust and long-lasting unit, made…


                            [_20190401_195001.jpg
                            Last edited by Rapelapente; 04-01-2019, 12:51 PM.
                            Gerard.
                            SCHOONER FOR EVER, GOELETTE A PERPETE

                            http://www.goelette-anthea.fr

                            Comment

                            • navydog
                              Senior Member
                              • Sep 2007
                              • 1851

                              #59
                              Re: Skookum Maru

                              Lol, My goodness if noise is an issue we will need to find you a suitable sailboat for cruising. ��

                              Comment

                              • cstevens
                                Dreaming of a boat
                                • Nov 2014
                                • 6357

                                #60
                                Re: Skookum Maru

                                Originally posted by Rapelapente
                                This bronze one, normally intended for a hallyard has a brake, and could do the job.
                                Robust classic bronze halyard winch, for wire. With winch-handle socket for normal 11/16" 8-point handles. A very robust and long-lasting unit, made…


                                Ah - that's lovely. Tempting but I would have to let the boat budget recover a bit from the stove project first!

                                Originally posted by navydog
                                Lol, My goodness if noise is an issue we will need to find you a suitable sailboat for cruising. ��
                                I love sailboats and sailing but I also like space belowdecks, a covered helm with good visibility for the rainy weather out here, and a decent motor for when the wind is not blowing the way you need it to. Which is more often the case than not out here, judging from the number of sailboats I see trudging up and down the Sound under power with their sail covers still firmly in place. So I think this would be the sort of sailboat for me:



                                But it's been a very long time since I last went sailing. Looking back, I think it was actually in 1987 on a one-off stint as crew for a race out of Annapolis when I was at the University of Maryland.
                                - Chris

                                Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

                                Life is short. Go boating now!

                                Comment

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