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Replies
possible because of the weight of the engine in back to
balance the load.
Five batteries.... Just exactly what did he have on that rig that required so many batteries? That would be my very first question. Remember every boat owner gets to do whatever their heart desires with their rig. Sometimes you're looking at a great idea - other times.... not so much. Some years back I expanded my small charter business (I'm a skiff guide working out of a beat up old Maverick skiff, almost 17' long) to include running some of my customers rigs instead of my own. Mostly it's been a treat since many of them are nearly brand new, bigger and faster than what I run. Occasionally though I step onto a boat that I would never own -and I'm darned careful while running something that's not rigged right at all (at least in my opinion... ).
"Aren't boats fun?"
Bob LeMay
(954) 435-5666
Bob LeMay
(954) 435-5666
Times are changing.
My first offshore boat had no batteries after the starting battery went dead.
Manual start 75 Rude that started on the first or second pull.
No depth finder. .Depth finder was a heavy bank sinker on 8 lb test. We counted the seconds it took to reach bottom.
No radio. Waving white towels was the day signal used back then.
The dead starting battery had just enough juice to light up the running light bulbs for a short while if we had to return in the dark.
You could fish all day and maybe see only one private boat offshore on a weekend and one or two charter boats made of wood. The only other boats you saw were commercial lobster boats and they would threaten you with a hunting rifle if you were free diving/spearfishing anywhere near their lobster buoys.
.
I knew young people who trolled for dolphin with ten lb test because they
could not afford larger outfits. They caught dolphin to 40 lbs and avoided the hoards
of small ones.
You seldom saw a private trailered boat larger then 20 feet at the ramp.
Fiberglass boat was very rare and got a lot of stares at the ramp. Some first glass boats
mimicked wood boats with fake lapstrake hull designs. People thought fiberglass boats would shatter like a piece of glass on impact with a floating piece of lumber or tree.
We carried 3-4 gallons per person for emergency drinking water and just enough ice
cubes to keep some Coca-Cola bottles cold in a small cooler made of galvanized steel.
Well, that rules out the repower to heavier motor idea.. Perhaps he hauled heavy gear.. i.e. scuba tanks and wanted to shift weight forward. Or, just didnt like the batteries in the back for some other reason.