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Reader Boat Profile: The Good Skiff
Can a wooden skiff work offshore?
Background
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Overview
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Neat Stuff-Part 1
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Neat Stuff-Part 2
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Parting Shot
Motor
For propulsion, Brad is currently running a
Mercury Salt Water Edition Optimax 115,
with power trim-and-tilt and tiller steering. Why a tiller?
"Running safely in rough seas requires absolute control" Brad said, "That is
why I chose to use a tiller setup rather than a steering wheel and remote throttle.
The tiller allows instant lock-to-lock steering and articulate throttle control." Brad has added a 12" tiller extension, which increases his leverage and makes controlling
the engine easier.
The tiller steering layout also allows for maximum interior room, which we'll cover
a bit later.
As we noted at the beginning of the article, we first met Brad while he was evaluating
motors for a repower. For many years Brad ran a Yamaha 90HP 4-stroke,
but now
that he was looking at new motors, he was seriously considering repowering with
the Evinrude E-TEC 90. He was intrigued by the technology and performance, and especially
liked the fact that the motor could be rope-started if necessary. While he's never
had a battery go dead on him, he liked
the extra bit of backup a rope starter would provide .
Brad went as far as ordering a tiller steering E-TEC 90, but in the end, he wound
up canceling the order and going with the Optimax. An unscrupulous dealer
(who tried to register an E-TEC 90 from the showroom floor in Brad's name, rather
than the engine he ordered), extended delivery delays, and in Brad's view, some
poor customer service from BRP soured the deal for him. He switched to the Optimax
115 and has been extremely satisfied.
Brad enjoys the extra 25 horses, and has found the fuel economy and oil burn
rates to be as advertised. His cruise speed went up 4 MPH, and he actually gets
about .4 MPG better fuel economy than he did with the Yamaha 90.
Electronics
Brad has a complete set of electronics on board, starting with a Garmin 185S sonar/GPS unit (no longer made),
and a
Standard Horizon Quest VHF radio. He uses
an external antenna for the GPS, and has chosen a 3' whip antenna for the radio.
Brad also installed a Jensen marine stereo with West Marine and Bose speakers
in the Good Skiff. Now that's a bit of class. Brad can thoroughly enjoy his tunes
while camped out in the boat.
The Good Skiff's engine is rigged with a
Mercury SmartCraft consolidated gauge, in order to minimize
real estate requirements.
When Brad is tired of steering, he turns over control to a
Raymarine ST1000 Plus tiller autopilot. Like us, Brad thoroughly enjoys
the autopilot, and couldn't live without it...OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration,
but he really does like it, especially since he goes offshore alone
Fishing & Other Features
One of the more innovative features in the Good Skiff is its pressurized bait
tank (left). If you look closely at the lid, it is held down with a
strap. Brad has rigged a valve to allow him to completely fill the tank while running,
with the overflow exiting via a drain tube in the lid.
By completely filling the tank, the water does not slosh around, keeping the bait
in much better shape. When he's not running, the valve is opened and the tank is
allowed to run normally.
Brad coated his decks with a combination of
Evercoat Skid-No-More,
and a limited
amount of outdoor carpeting.
The Evercoat paint uses small rubber particles to create
the non-skid surface, rather than silica grit. Effective, and a lot less painful
on skin softened by a few hours in the water.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Brad usually overnights on the Good
Skiff when he travels to San Nicolas. A folding cot and a set of camvas for the
foreward section of the hull provides a cozy place to sleep.
But the single most unusual feature of the Good Skiff is it's viewing port in
the bottom of the hull. To hear Brad tell it:
"A few years after I built the Good Skiff, I put a viewing port in the bottom of
the hull. It's a two-piece stainless steel housing with a 6" diameter piece of
optically pure, 3/4" tempered glass. It is flush on the bottom and there
is an inspection cover for the cockpit floor."
"I can't even begin to describe how much fun that window is. I have watched whales,
dolphin, Giant Black Sea Bass, White Sea Bass, yellowtail, tuna, you name it...On windy days, I can tilt the motor and drift over kelp beds, taking photos or videos
as I drift".
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