I was expecting a brass band or maybe even a bagpipe to celebrate the big launch day... alas, the only folks to go with me were my good friends Jeff the cabinetmaker and Eric the financial manager... Jeff was the guy who allowed me to erect the tent on his property and Eric is an experienced boater who built a Devlin designed boat as well... Eric brought the camera.
We jumped in the boat and off we went. I assumed we'd go around the little harbor, but we left the harbor and kept going. We eventually landed on an island about 4 miles away and as you can see by the pics, there was a lot of ice around. Keep in mind, this is all salt water so ice on the ocean means very very cold.
Jeff was miserably cold, Eric had a blast driving the boat and I was a nervous wreck hoping to God that the boat would hold together because humans last only about 15 minutes in ice cold water and believe me we were the only ones on the water that day.
Note, the boat only draws about 6-7 inches and is bouyant. I've poled into small streams and shallow marshes with ease. It's a versatile design. It has utilitarian looks and for good reason, it's utilitarian ; ).
Everything turned out well and the boat exceeded my expectations in terms of handling and speed. It turns in it's own length and pops right out of the water and steps up on plane nicely... We had a great time.
Next... a new paint job, a more civilianized version + the addition of a helm with wheel...
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