{"id":13837,"date":"2017-09-24T01:00:08","date_gmt":"2017-09-24T08:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=13837"},"modified":"2022-01-06T06:52:05","modified_gmt":"2022-01-06T14:52:05","slug":"a-fisherman-and-his-boats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2017\/09\/24\/a-fisherman-and-his-boats\/","title":{"rendered":"A Fisherman and His Boat(s)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I like boats. I would say the words \u2018junkie\u2019 and \u2018addict\u2019 are probably grossly overused exaggerations when describing non-drug related afflictions such as buying boats. When compared to a meth addict or a heroin junky, the negative effects of buying boats fails to compare. So let\u2019s just say that I yearn for boats, and maybe even occasionally lust for them. It\u2019s completely harmless.<\/p>\n

As a fisherman, having the right boat can make or break the day. And I don\u2019t just mean in terms of numbers of fish caught, but also in terms of fun and safety on the water.<\/p>\n

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My first winter of living and fly fish guiding in the rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula<\/a> I had a standard floor raft. I had recently quit my grown-up job and was on a very tight budget when I bought this thing for $550. In hindsight, it was a poor choice and I probably should have eaten more ramen to afford something better. If you\u2019ve ever been to the Olympic peninsula then you know it rains\u2014a lot. Many nights it would rain several inches, filling the boat. I would get up at four AM and flip the raft (with several hundred pounds of water in it) upside down and off the trailer to drain. Then flip it back onto the trailer\u2014by myself and more often than not, still in the pouring rain. Just take my word for it, this is a really crappy way to start a day. The four-am-flip routine almost convinced me to quit guiding that first season. Instead, I found a way to upgrade to a self-bailer. Life got a lot better with the right boat for the job.<\/p>\n

In college, two friends and I once rented a 12\u2019 jon boat to go fishing in the Florida Keys. It was something like $50 a day, which was all we could afford. We went shark fishing. The stupidity of this didn\u2019t really become clear until we had an awesome school of sharks circling the boat, which was leaking. Then the bilge failed and the motor wouldn\u2019t start. True story. Obviously, we made it out of there and I would like to think I\u2019ve gotten wiser with age. Next time we rented a 24\u2019 boat and had a whole lot of worry-free fun.<\/p>\n

No boat is perfect. This much I am certain of. And that is how I ended up owning five at the present time. I\u2019ll tell you how I got there and how the last one added plenty that the other four didn\u2019t bring to the table.<\/p>\n

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Boat #1: 16\u2019 cataraft hybrid. Previously, I had a 14\u2019 Tributary self-bailing raft with an NRS frame I had custom fitted for my guiding needs. I actually loved that boat, but my trailer sucked. So when the opportunity came for me to swap boats and get a new galvanized trailer without spending a dime, I took it. I now have this crazy boat, basically a fiberglass drift boat that sits on two 16\u2019 cataraft pontoons. It\u2019s actually pretty cool; it\u2019s very stable, with lots of dry storage, and I can put a kicker motor on it for stillwater use. My clients love it. The downside, it\u2019s really frickin\u2019 heavy (impossible to launch at unimproved sites) and doesn\u2019t drain well for bigger whitewater. It\u2019s far from perfect, which leads me to boat #2.<\/p>\n

Boat #2: 9.8\u2019 Tributary self-bailing raft with an NRS frame<\/a> customized for my needs. This thing is also pretty frickin\u2019 cool. I bought it so I could launch in places where no one else can and still accommodate up to two additional people (my clients). I can strap it to the top of my truck, or with a little finagling I can fit it inside my truck. Either way, it allows me to tow a small camper as well, which I obviously couldn\u2019t do while towing my other boat. My wife and I took the camper\/boat combo all over the west this summer. I really, truly love this boat, but it\u2019s too big to carry on my back and load on top of the truck alone and too small for my everyday guiding so here comes boats #3 and #4.<\/p>\n

Boat#3 & #4: NRS Packrafts.<\/a> I know, I don\u2019t need two. But if I want to bring a friend it\u2019s really nice to have that option. These things are amazing for backcountry work; I can\u2019t imagine life without them. But I wouldn\u2019t call them everyday boats. They\u2019re just too small.<\/p>\n