Martin09
2010-12-31 03:36:43
Can you post some more pictures? Or send some to my email. nick.martin09@gmail.com
ericv
2011-01-01 16:19:44
A beatiful sight she is, truly saved from the crush of an excavator. I bought her from Jay Erie of the F/V Leonore G back in '93. Jay found and saved her from death while working up in Yakutat and made the huge journey with her to Sitka, she ran at 4 to 5 knots. Her name then was the D5. She's a 1944 Navy Whale Boat, had the original type issued Budah 4 cylinder engine. If I remember correctly she was purchased surplus by a man who had run them during WWII. He had her professionally converted into a troll/gillnet boat in Washington state. The conversion was done masterfully, she had an amazing yellow cedar deck and perfectly tuned aluminum rigging. D5 I believe was the name because he had 5 daughters.
On a trip over from Hoonah, I spied her lines and For Sale sign. She was bare bones and rough, but Jay had gotten her saved from the dead and had begun the task of rehab. Jay was a wonderful and colorful historian about her past and I bought her. I ran her (in October) from Sitka to Hoonah, took 3 days with ear plugs as the engine was bare open and she had a straight pipe exhaust with no muffler. In Hoonah I continued the overhaul. I relocated to Sitka and ran her back in March '94 (another 3 days) she was a beautiful sea boat and rode down Chatham Straits at 4 knots with a monster sea on her stern with no problems. Mis-gauged the tide at Sergius Narrows big time and literally got sucked through at about 8kts rotating like a piece of drift wood ending up being spit out in Siloaha (sp) Bay still upright. Brings to mind why Moms always tell us guys to bring a spare change of underwear.
She spend most of the summer of '94 hauled at Halibut Point Marine, had her professionally re-wired. She was re-crisened as the F/V Aurelia named after my spouse. A shipwright from Port Townsend who was working on a vessel there checked her over. For so many years her engine oil either leaked or was drained into the bilge and completely pickled the planks according to him.I rigged her as a HandTroller and fished her local here in Sitka. She was slow yet economical and her sea keeping out in Sitka Sound was unmatched. Life and things changed in '98 and I sold her in top shape. Looking back and thinking of what I had and what I had done to her, this was one of the biggest and most regretful decisions I ever made in my life. She went through several owners quickly and ultimately found herself stripped of all her goods and anchored in Western Channel waiting to sink. Thankfully she was purchased by a man who knew what she was and had the know how to save her again. What you see is a vessel that has been near death too many times and she has truly been saved, she is virtually a brand new boat. Good luck to who ever buys this fine lady, you'll have no regrets and between Jay and I, we can fill in some of her details. Somewhere buried in all my crap are some great pictures of her when I had her finished. A big "Thank You" to those who did all this work, nothing better than to see a vessel that has been given a second life, now if I could just own her again............
Eric Van Cise - F/V New Hope - Sitka, Alaska (were in the phone book if needed)
trollerislands
2011-01-01 20:23:31
Eric - Thanks for the great information about the boat. When I stripped the hull down, I found no rot at all. Amazing for a wood boat but I guess the periodic restorations she has gone through have helped. It is a great sea boat. I added two 6X6 angle irons the full length of the keel and it's amazing how solid she rides when fishing. I never encountered and really rough weather at Armstrong this year but the boat sure was pleasant to be out on. I'm fishing two lines and it will track perfectly when dragging 40 F. if you pull one line. Pilot hardly works to keep it straight. I wouldn't sell but found another boat in Canada I'd like to bring to Sitka and restore to trolling. It's a slightly larger version of the Puffin and is in fair shape - has a new deck but needs gurdies, hayrack, etc.......
Thanks for the pixs Dave----its me Judi....Great little/big boat! Taku, Judi
Salty
2011-01-09 05:06:21
I just love boat erotica!!
trollerislands
2011-02-01 20:24:55
I will have a survey available soon after Feb. 17. Contact Dave Turcott, 747-3447 or davidturcott@hotmail.com and I will be glad to send out a survey to anyone interested.
Kelper
2012-05-02 16:33:54
I see this boat for sale on Craigslist, for $6900. I understand it sank in some high winds in Sitka, at the dock.
Is the boat worth saving? Seems like a good project for someone. Anybody have any idea if the engine runs or not?
latitudes
2012-05-03 04:29:44
What are some of the other spec's?
Hold size/type
Bunks
Stove
I've got 2 kids l'd like to have up on occasion so I gotta consider the house accomadations also.
Thanks,
Joe