Christmas Wind

[Tomas]

Strong High Pressures in the Central Atlantic supercharge the normal Trade Wind flow this time of year and are called Christmas Wind. Since I've been liming more than working the past two weeks and had plans on some serious fishing, the wind was not welcome. It looked pretty good at dawn yesterday and I started putting my kit together but even before I could get down the mountain the wind started howling. I may be a p#$$y but dealing with Wahoo in conditions like that on a 4.7 meter boat is beyond what I am ready to risk. A Wahoo is an alligator with no legs...if you get my drift and at four to six feet long makes them a handfull to share deckspace with, on my boat!

Here's wishing all a Happy New Year and for all of you in the great white North, don't let your beer freeze up.

Tomas

[Hightower]

Very dissapointed!!! I expected a thread about Brussel Sprouts or something

[Tomas]

Never been to Brussels but Amsterdam will do just fine!!!!

[jyasaki]

LOL. This thread is pretty randomly surreal...

Wahoo are an impressive fish. Watched a dive boat capt beat the crap out of with a baseball bat, only to have it find renewed energy and thrash everything in sight. Pretty tough guys. Mean teeth, as well. Tasty, though.

jky

[Tomas]

I get my beans and other coffee supplies from Sweet Maria's in Oakland. They are very good folks. God bless priority mail!

Yes, wahoo are ballistic missles. We troll 350' at the drop off around the island and that seems to be where they hang. I don't down rig off my searider but that works very well. I troll flying fish rigged lures that track just below the surface. When Mr. Whaoo sees one up above, they launch and it's off to the races. It brings fear to the heart to know that the record is 154#. The usual is 20 to 30# and the bat is mandatory. If the teeth don't get you that second "cheater" hook can and it ain't pretty if either happens. One also gets nervous with a fish on the gaff after reeling in more than a few fish heads that were left after a shark hit so it's usually into the boat and dance. My buddy Cap'tn Pete's ankles look like he got into a low rise knife fight but he's been doing it for 30 years.

I guess the previous post must suggest that Brussel Sprouts make one fart (Christmas Wind) but it took me a while to put it together. I don't like the little green buggers anyway. There are plenty of other food groups to keep the wind blowing not the least of which are West Indian beans and rice! These Brits do indeed have a dry sense of humor but they like it wet when it comes to boating, that's for sure!!!

I'm Jonesing for a larger boat but after ten years of hard use my Avon remains flawless so I can't justify kissing her goodby cause she's worn out. In spite of the brutal UV around here the fabric is "as new" I had to put new vinyl on the jocky seat but so what.

Anyone out there care to offer an estimate of what a 1997 4.7m Avon Searider with a 50 Johnson 2 stroke is worth? I don't have a clue what to ask, if I were going to offer it for sale. I have an A frame but it needs re-engineering and welding repairs....not Avon's proudest moment.

I got a quote from Ribcraft on a 5.85 but some of the boats I've read about here, in the NW US, sound interesting. I think Stoo has one that looks real good. In spite of the burden I would go for twins. I just don't have the balls to make the 35 mile crossing to the BVI's on a single, much less a ten year old Johnson. One false move and you're on the slow boat to Costa Rica!

Tomas

[dctucker]

Searider 4.7? Those are unobtanium aren't they? Rare as rocking horse sh*t, I believe someone here once said. Boat & motor both 1997? I'd guess you could sell it for $7500-$10,000 USD, but what do I know. That's a pure SWAG.... I'm sure you could get more for it in the UK than the Islands or the US.

Ribcraft 585 is a sweet ride. It's the only RIB I've driven that I'd consider trading my Searider 5.4 for.

[Tomas]

Originally Posted by dctucker

Searider 4.7? Those are unobtanium aren't they?

I tagged on to a Coast Guard order in Annapolis for the one I have. The vendor was pushing me toward the leasure class but admitted that they were placing an order for the gov. and saw no reason why they couldn't add one for the boy! I picked it up directly out of the customs warehouse, got it on a trailer, towed it to Fla and shipped it here. Shipping is a bitch on boats due to the fact that they put the rig on an open stackable container...20' in my case and charge you for the entire cube. I don't know how they move them across the atlantic or what that cost is on a comparable basis.

If I could get ten grand for it which would include an almost new aluminum trailer I would deal!

Thanks for the comment on the Ribcraft...that seems to be the concensus.

Tomas

[pathalla]

Originally Posted by Tomas

Strong High Pressures in the Central Atlantic supercharge the normal Trade Wind flow this time of year and are called Christmas Wind. Since I've been liming more than working the past two weeks and had plans on some serious fishing, the wind was not welcome. It looked pretty good at dawn yesterday and I started putting my kit together but even before I could get down the mountain the wind started howling. I may be a p#$$y but dealing with Wahoo in conditions like that on a 4.7 meter boat is beyond what I am ready to risk. A Wahoo is an alligator with no legs...if you get my drift and at four to six feet long makes them a handfull to share deckspace with, on my boat!

Here's wishing all a Happy New Year and for all of you in the great white North, don't let your beer freeze up.

Tomas

I can imagine how that is, boating a angry fish in a rubber boat, teeth and hooks thrashing about, my adrenaline would be pumping big time!

[Tomas]

Originally Posted by pathalla

I can imagine how that is, boating a angry fish in a rubber boat...

This is a real testamonial to Hypalon! Never once have I feared damage to the tubes from either reptile or rig. I have the commercial rub strakes on the outer tube but inside the boat it is just bare hypalon. The taughtness and large diameter of the tube coupled with toughness of the material makes it bullet proof for fish related risks. The real trick is staying away from the damn thing once you boat it!!! The console is offset on the Avon so I climb over on the narrow side between the jockey seat and tube as I gaff pull the fish in, amidships.

[dctucker]

Originally Posted by Tomas

Shipping is a bitch on boats due to the fact that they put the rig on an open stackable container...20' in my case and charge you for the entire cube. I don't know how they move them across the atlantic or what that cost is on a comparable basis.

If I could get ten grand for it which would include an almost new aluminum trailer I would deal!

Thanks for the comment on the Ribcraft...that seems to be the concensus.

I know a thing or two about shipping boats... Ive packed a 23' Sonar sailboat into tall 40' boxes more than once to send back and forth from Europe, and imported my wife's current race boat from Indonesia. I've usually been blessed with a shipping sponsorship though, so the freight charges were usually free. That freight charge is usually ~$3000-$3500 USD, give or take a few hundred, not including packing or unpacking the box, which we've usually done ourselves.

Advertise it for $10K and see if there are any bites. That's the only way to know.

I've driven a fair number of different RIBs available in the US, while supporting disabled sailing events. Ribcrafts have been the only ones that didn't make me long for my Searider. I'd love to have a 5.85 someday, but they're too pricey for me currently. Maybe someday... Ribcraft USA is about 1.5 miles from my house. They're very friendly and nice, though they've not managed to pull through for me with a demo or used boat to use when I've been in a bind.