help me decide

[ondarvr]

Re: help me decide

I've fished all the locations you talked about and many more in OR for over 20 years and from just about every type of boat you can imagine. The Heurth may work OK for 2 on lakes, but it will be crowded with three and if you plan to fish the Columbia you be limited as to where you can go, plus crab pots and people won't fit easily. Wood rots if kept out side and new paint hides many sins, I'm not saying it has issues, but never trust wood in the wet and rainy NW.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: help me decide

lets see;These boats were built for the rental industry in the 60s along the Columbia and Willamette rivers for salmon fishing and there are not many of them left. They handle well, and with the steep V-hull and hard chine, handle swells and waves with ease. The boat is flat in the stern which adds to stability and makes for a great backtrolling. No problem taking this boat out into the bay and beyond, they caught thousands of ocean brights in these boats and pulled lots of crab pots.

17'1966 wooden Willamette Salmon Skiff ; 42 years old and still looken good
$2000 i still say give it a try. heck your getting $800 to $1000 worth of motors

 

[ondarvr]

Re: help me decide

I worked in the marinas back then, the wooden boats were somewhat well built, but beat to crap, left outside all year, etc. the only way I would recommend one of these boats is if someone wanted a wood boat because they really loved them and wanted to go the extra mile to take care of it. To buy one as a newbee and want it to work for what he plans to do is a mistake, there are much better options for the same or less money. There were hundreds and hundreds of these boats around back then, for some reason very few are left in working condition.... can you say rot.

A small center console is not what you want for fishing in the NW, the CC takes up a great deal of space and you have no protection from the weather. For comfort stick with a windshield and canvas top.

 

[lordblitzalot]

Re: help me decide

yeah but it seems like to me if i do really like this one and it is in nice condition i would care to upkeep it.
how limited would i be on places i could go with it?
could i take it to bonneville?
bouy 10 in astoria?

 

[75reinell]

Re: help me decide

Don't make the same mistake I did. I bought a 1975 reinell becasue it was cheap and I figured I could get it running or put a little money in it and make it nice. I missed last season becasue I could not get the motor to run with my limited knowledge. I sold it off took my loss and bought the right boat. There are great deals to be had if you are patient. You will want a bigger boat the first time you put more than 2 people in the one you are looking at. I fish the places you mentioned and you need a bigger boat for what you are talking about doing.

 

[lordblitzalot]

Re: help me decide

ok got it down to 2 boats i am planning on getting one of them this friday.
most of the time i am gonna be in lakes, probably go crabbing once or twice this year and taking it to the multnomah channel by st helens and the columbia in jantzen beach for sturgeon.
about 90% of the time i will only have 3 people aboard (all adults) but occasionally 4 or 5.

the first 1 is the heurth

and the second 1 is this: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/boa/1017619003.html
he is willing to take 1,800$
he says:
"both motors are running good the seats have a few seems coming undone.
no dryrot
no holes
fiberglass is in great shape"

i am wanting to get 1 of the 2 this friday, we are planning on going on a week vacation in about 2 weeks and i want a boat to take fishin.

 

[lordblitzalot]

Re: help me decide

what is the difference in width between the heurth and my 1977 20' bayliner?

 

[woodrat]

Re: help me decide

so, you must not have bought the Heurth, since I see that it's still on CL. Did you get a boat?

I haven't looked at the Heurth in person and I'm not crazy about old mercs, but still, it's a great looking hull, and if you know how to look it over and aren't afraid of maintenance, I wouldn't necessarily avoid wood. I've had plenty of problems with aluminum, too.

As to where you can take a boat like this, I would say that has as much to do with judgement and experience as the boat itself. I have taken my open 16' Valco Bayrunner skiff out to the CR buoy many times, but it has a lot to do with picking the right day and watching the weather and the bar report carefully. I've seen plenty of boaters that shouldn't go anywhere near the bar no matter how seaworthy and huge their boat is.

As far as how many people goes, that IS something that is limited by the boat you pick. I have fished two adults and a kid and three adults out of my Bayrunner, but it is tight quarters for sure. One or two is much more comfortable and I would guess that the Heurth is probably limited to that, too. My 19' Bellboy would comfortably and easily fish with four adults on board, no problem. At least it did until I hit a rock and broke the outdrive off... Still haven't got that back together, since I've had a hard time finding the right parts in good shape.

If I had the dough, I would be looking at that Heurth, and I'm tempted to look at it anyway and figure out the money later... ;-)