The Year To Get Her In The Water

T

Thorne

New member
Hello All,

New to the forum. My wife and I bought a place only accessible by boat in Southeast Alaska back in 2010 with a broken down homesteader's cabin, a bunch of tools, and a 22' Angler. The boat has been sitting on the trailer for at least 15 years. We have been so busy building our house during the brief summers that little time has been spent fishing, soinvesting in a new motor, steering cables, electronics etc. . . .has not been worth it. However, this will be the summer to get the boat in the water.

What advice do you have in terms of equipment, etc. . . The hull appears to be in good shape from a visual inspection. The current motor is a 1986 90 Yamaha 2-stroke that looks new under the cowling. After sitting that long (and the prior owner was not known for winterizing and maintenance) I expect that there is corrosion, and won't trust it. I'm planning on replacing that with a 4-stroke 90.

The rear of the pilot house is rotted out so needs replacing. There was never much mounted on the rails etc. . . .so not many holes. The gel coat has a few fine hairline cracks. I've built a house, wood/canvas canoes, done a little fiberglassing, run wilderness fishing lodges, have my pilots license and flown in the Alaskan bush, etc. . . so while no expert am not a complete noob.

I'd like to do what it takes to get it back in the water for the summer, then work on it over the winter down in Metlakatla.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 
Wow, sounds like a fun time of life. We've had a similar situation here in WA on Decatur Island, and rest assured there is an end in sight, with more time available for leisure. I would do all of the following I could afford, roughly in the order listed: new main motor/controls/hydraulic steering; new dual batteries with combiner switch; new or thoroughly checked-out fuel tanks/filter/hoses; fixed mount VHF; combo GPS/sonar/radar unit; repair/replace boat horn; backup motor with separate fuel tank; repair of all navigation lights; anchor system; boat hook. This would be on top of the obvious safety/spares/maintenance items any boat requires. I wish you all the best this Summer! Mike
 
I should probably caveat the above by suggesting you confirm the hull to be sound before doing anything. My little wish list will cost you at least $15K, which you definitely don't want to sink into a suspect boat. Cheers!
 
Thorne;

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. I can't add anything to what Mike suggested. However, we will be in Whale Pass in August. My sister in-law worked at the Lodge in 1988 & 1989 when it accommodated forestry workers. We will be visiting Sharon Hillis at North End Cabins and stay at the dock for probably a week to fish 108 and below Cavern Lake. Then we head to Thorne Bay before heading back to lower 48. Look for a Tom Cat around August 7th. My phone is 707-834-4100.

Gene
 
Hi Gene,

We are friends with Don and Sharon, and make a point of visiting with them every year. In years past we would have left by the early part of August to go back to work at whatever location we happened to be (Kuwait, Mongolia, India. . . ) However this year we head to Metlakatla which has a later start date, so we have most of August in WP this summer. Our place is around the point and up in the first cove. You must have steamed past us on the way to North Entrance many times. Our daughter has worked at the lodge for 4 years now.

I'll keep an eye out for you.

Andy
 
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