Homer’s Boats

One of my favorite pastimes anywhere is walking the docks. It is an ever-changing boat show. Here are a few I saw today:

First, what has got to be one of the nicest to come out of our local boat yard, Bay Weld.

The “Double Eagle” is a very high tech catamaran with lots of goodies.

Lots of fishing space and, of course, electric downriggers. I’d like to think they are coupled to the depth finder for “contour trolling”.

The center fishing/netting/harpooning station is between two gigantic V8 outboards. I can’t imagine hauling a 200 lb halibut over those rails and onto the deck. That boat is so clean; I can imagine the detail crew meeting them as they pull in from a fishing trip.

Did you happen to notice the Joystick control next to  the engine throttles?

When engaged, it controls each engines direction and thrust (forward or reverse) separately for docking. Gone is the need for bow and stern thrusters. The owner proudly stated that he could back out of the slip and proceed down the finger sideways using nothing but the joystick. I’ll bet grandpa could still have managed to ram the fire hose cabinet with the bowsprit.

But wait! That is not all this boat has for tricks. It has a gyro stabilizer, a flywheel with the rotation axis running horizontally and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. This allows the boat to move freely in the pitch axis but resists both roll and yaw movement.

I’ve GOT to get a ride on this boat!

But there are also some boats that have fallen on hard times.

I don’t think this Tollycraft has moved recently.

Meanwhile, on the hard we have the “North Pacific”; undergoing “dismantling”.

Meanwhile again, my two favorite boats are back in the water again and still for sale.

For now I’ll settle for having them on my wall.

All of the harbors I’ve been to in Alaska have docks open to the public. I know it is not that way in the lower 48. Well, you’ll just have to come on up to engage in the sport of “walking the docks”.

The weather is perfect for it!