Aluminum boat

[Riley Smith]

If you don't have one, maybe you'll get one sooner or later. In my case, it was a desire to clunk around the shoreline in a small boat on occasion. So I bought the Durocraft for that purpose, made up in Oregon. It's a fine little boat (10') and only needs minimum power to go. I use a set of oars, and the outboard for those long runs. I also built a dolly to get it from under the old house to the shoreline via lawn tractor. It'll take me to Graveline or out on the bar and has the same hull form as the catboat. You can STAND UP in it safely....a TEN FOOT BOAT! Not your average Jon boat, and we've had several adventures. I've fished the local pier lights on several nights and basically used it like a 4-wheel drive. Tough little boat. PS you've never lived until you've ghosted up to a pier in the dark and the water is filled with redfish!

So Mississippi SAYS I can renew the registration online. So far, it hasn't worked and only the decrepit center console is listed under my name. I GAVE that boat away to an unsuspecting Rube. Not even the catboat! Ah well, maybe customer support will be able to sort this all out tomorrow, it's too lazy today to get all in a huff about something stupid. So an adventure awaits when the registration flashes up on the screen and the printer spits my papers out. No telling where that boat and I will wind up!

[Frank B.]

You've reminded me that I should check on my registration for the sailboat and the skiff.  I think they usually mail me a renewal form every three years, but seems like a while since the last one.  If it's time I'll try it online see if I can make that work. I have not put the last sticker on the sailboat, too hard to do it laying on the foredeck, rather wait till it is out of the water so I can stand up and do it.

I considered just buying an aluminum boat when I built my skiff.  I wanted some vee in the hull form and somewhat rare up here while flat jonboats are a dime a dozen. Also, to get to plane and the speed I wanted would take twice the HP for an aluminum and three times for a factory GRP. So I built and it has mostly worked out well.  One of the things I planned for it was scalloping off Blacks Island in the St Joe Bay.  Unfortunately, upon finishing the boat, Presnells, my launch site was sold and will no longer allow launches unless you are staying at their campsite or lodge.  The run from the Port St Joe municipal is long and scary at times in a boat that size.

[Norm L.]

Riley, I have to tell you that I have had several exciting experiences hours on the water with an aluminum boat and air.

I don't remember the size of the propellor and that aircraft engine. I do remember a safety belt and headset.

If you would like it you can now do swamp tours at 50mph. I guess it could match one enjoying a sail and air on ice or sand.

[Riley Smith]

Those airboats are LOUD! BTW...when the Deepwater Horizon was going on about 150 miles south, a contingent of airboats used the marsh on the south side of the bar as a staging point. We had a few tar balls and I could smell the crude once or twice, but for the most part those guys stayed put thank goodness. I often wondered what a stump hung up on that bar would do to the whole operation.