We designed and built these ALLWEATHER 8 METER boats for continuous use in all kinds of conditions. Besides keeping the
center of gravity low we believe in keeping it simple as possible. In this world of diminishing oil we thought someone should
tackle that issue in the marine industry.
We did a boat show in Seattle in the late 1990's on a trailer. A middle-aged couple boarded and he came down, looked
over our underbody and running gear and then commented to me that " this is a real boat; if people bought boats like this,
I would be out of a job." (He flew helicopters for USCG out of Port Angeles, Washington)
My favorite time is early of a morning at the tiller, sliding out of some remote anchorage, fresh coffee in hand, the
Kubota murmuring while pushing the wakeless hull through the calm water. It seems all the birds, assorted sealife and scenery
are at their best this time of day. Sealife virtually ignores this boat while belchfires scatter everything in sight. Fortunately
belchfires are pretty well limited to small circles around the fuel dock.
The motion at sea is extremely important. The ALLWEATHER 8 METER has a nice easy motion at sea or anchored. We have a
dagger board we attached to the inside of the gunwhale and down through the scupper in rough anchorages. Having had some fair
sized transom boats, my general take was that they are basically unmanageable in following conditions and a rough ride in
the trough. They snap roll in pretty moderate conditions and in general are oversold to the public as safe and comfy.
Trailerability makes owning a boat less expensive and much more useable. Taken home, it is free of vandalism, underwater
deterioration, moorage fees, insurance, licenses, etc. Around here we get round trip hoists in and out of the water for $25.00
which saves trailers and pickups.
Another show we did attracted the salesman of a 49 foot sailboat made in Florida. Seems one of his snagged a log,
tore the rudder and a large section of the hull out and it promptly sank. He said it had a lot of nice teak in it, but he
wouldn't leave Puget Sound in one. I don't digress when I point out unposted rudders are not safe anyplace.
Our straight, well protected drive system combined with the 18" x 24" x 1/4" stainless steel posted rudder make for efficiency,
reliability and control well beyond I.O.'s or outboards. Basically these hang down systems are completely unprotected; steerage
at other than "speed" is compromised. In the I.O. the power direction is changed 90 degrees twice through bevel gears and
once in an outboard. The props are below the hull and extremely vulnerable (dreams come true for the $75.00 an hour or so
repair shops). Both these systems pull salt water for engine cooling which makes for lots of trouble. However, though our
own system is far superior mechanically and efficiency wise it is more expensive. Remember when you leave the dock you are
on your own and the salesmen's espousal of what they are selling generally far exceeds the product.
The ALLWEATHER 8 METER boat with its inboard diesel power and long range fuel supply is leagues ahead of any other system
in terms of fuel efficiency, reliability, seaworthiness and utility value. "Safety at Sea" is a direct result of these features.
Speed is a much more expensive proposition than salesmen want to concede. Not only does the planing hull burn 8-10 times more
fuel per mile it takes many more times the repairs. Those hang down aluminum legs of the outboard and I.O.'s dissolve in salt
water, are completely vulnerable at speed and suck up raw water for engine cooling. Then some comic invented the duo prop.
In fact I have seen quite a few come in on their kicker with the leg knocked clear off the boat. There are a lot of uncharted
rocks they say.
Basically we have shrunk a much larger boat into a trailerable vessel that you can afford to operate for a pittance compared
to other types of rigs. No wound up screaming engines. Just that ultra reliable little diesel ticking away at some 12 to
20 nautical miles per gallon.
We think the ALLWEATHER 8 METER utility oilscrew is the best open water, most utilitarian boat built in the U.S.A. It
will provide substantial service indefinitely. The fuel wasting power boat industry is on borrowed time. Those of us
who are serious about conserving and preserving the Earth and its resources find the ALLWEATHER 8 METER a long overdue and
welcome relief. We think it would be considerate to leave a few gallons of fuel for the next generation, or maybe we should
live simply so that others may simply live.
