Pat Anderson wrote:
If I were going to do that, I would probably buy an Allweather Boat from Ferndale, WA, and save multiple 10s of 1000s of $$$...I know that is heresy here (!) but this sure seems to be one slick slow boat!
I took the time to do some research on the Allweather 8 meter and was very impressed with what I discovered. The bad news is that Homer Hughes is no longer building the boats.
There have been only 32 or so built since the mid 1970s and most of them are in Alaska. Homer does have a 1988 boat for sale that he's asking $40,000 for in as is condition. He estimates it would cost about $100,000 to build one today.
The Allweather double-ended hull form is based on the old Norwegian fishing vessels that have been used for hundreds of years and have been adapted for such other uses as motor lifeboats in the early 1900s. They use a 50 hp diesel to push them at a top speed of 7 knots. Homer never has had much use for getting somewhere particularly quickly; he just likes to be sure he'll get there, period.
Talk about fuel efficiency. At seven knots, the boat achieves about 8 MPG but at five knots, that is increased to 20 MPG. The boat carries 112 gallons of fuel in the standard configuration so that works out to more than 2000 miles on a single tank.
They're also built to survive a complete rollover as well as a hard grounding. There is a full ballasted keel with the rudder and prop protected by a skeg and a 1" x 2" steel shoe that runs the length of the boat.
These appear to be tough little boats although the accommodation is quite spartan but certainly adequate with a head, propane or diesel stove, fairly large v-berth and settees that can make up into a double. Homer doesn't believe much in refrigeration, either, but said that a self-contained DC unit could be added under the passenger seat.
Homer won't install shore power because he feels he doesn't know enough about electrical theory to be assured that he can do it safely. He's quite happy with only a 12 volt system although one man who bought an Allweather was an electrical engineer and he put every electrical googaw imagineable on his boat with, apparently, great success.
I spoke to Homer for almost two hours on the phone and found him to be a very bright, experienced and knowledgeable 75 year old who is also a retired high school shop teacher. He has a great sense of humor, can't stand the Bush Administration and has some very colorful words for people who build boats that aren't seaworthy. When you look up the phrase "loveable curmudgeon" in the encyclopedia, his picture is probably there.
I found the time I took to research his website and spent on the phone with him to be not only enjoyable but educational as well. Take a peek at it sometime. His philosophy is very different from that of the C Dorys but I think you'll enjoy it nonetheless.
Jim
)
