Benchrest vs boat.
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gkgeiger
Silver $$ Contributor
In the late 80’s, we owned a 36’ fly bridge sedan sport fish with twin big block gas engines. We boated out of Marblehead Ohio. We took a trip to the North Channel through Lake St Clair and Lake Huron. Fuel was much cheaper but we still spent about $2500 for the trip. One other story about fuel cost, I invited a few of my employees to go Walleye fishing. They said great, we’ll buy the gas, my boat had two 160 gal. tanks. You should have seen their faces as the dollar amount kept rolling on the pump. I didn’t take their money.
ronsatspokane
Gold $$ Contributor
Had a 34 Tolly sedan flybridge for years. Moored it on Lake Union in Seattle. Lived on it part time when I was working over there. Running to the San Jaun Islands would end up being $1000 bucks in gas every time and we did it quite a bit. That was nearly 10 years ago. Between the cost of operation, the cost of the boat itself and moorage we spent a small fortune. Sold it and never looked back but I would not trade the memories of the places we visited and time with family and friends for any amount of money.
P.S. Ask our administrator why we call the Straights of Jaun de Fuca the Straits of Praveen de Puka.
Now I've got a little 18 foot sled with a 60 hp tiller motor that I tow around for fishing. It sips gas, costs nothing to maintain or store and has been a lot of fun fishing on the Snake River, the Columbia and various lakes in the area. Would love to have a 22 or a 24 foot sled with a 250 hp tiller motor like the guides run but it's not worth the money to me. Could build a lot of expensive rifles for the price of one of those.
P.S. Ask our administrator why we call the Straights of Jaun de Fuca the Straits of Praveen de Puka.
Now I've got a little 18 foot sled with a 60 hp tiller motor that I tow around for fishing. It sips gas, costs nothing to maintain or store and has been a lot of fun fishing on the Snake River, the Columbia and various lakes in the area. Would love to have a 22 or a 24 foot sled with a 250 hp tiller motor like the guides run but it's not worth the money to me. Could build a lot of expensive rifles for the price of one of those.
Steve Donlon
Gold $$ Contributor
I spent a few years diving San Clemente Island and Cortez Banks for abalone and black coral. As soon as we had 100 dz. abalone, we would radio San Diego and our abalone buyer would come out with their boat and buy our abalone on the spot with cash and bring us fuel, water, food and what ever else we needed to stay out at the island and dive. So every 3 days they would come out. There were some old navy udt frogmen Korean war vets that where also out diving for abalone. So we became good friends because they only dove deep and sometimes it took longer to get 100 dz. abalone for them. So by us getting 100 dz. every few days, they could use our pick-up boat for selling their abalone and get supplies too. They showed us where there was Black Coral growing off the south end of San Clemente Island at about 175" deep. The tops of the rock pinnacles were at about 90' and went down to 210'. With giant Black Coral bushes growing out the sides. Bigger than anyone even knew existed. We never dove deep so they showed us how to do it. We bought analong decompression meters and went for it. At that depth, we only had about 12 or 15 minutes bottom time. So we could only get 2or 3 bushes for that one dive for the day. So we did it on our last diving day at the island. We could sell one bush, as a specimen for big bucks to asians. We did good for awhile. Then I got married and figured I needed a different job. The Government found out that there was Black Coral out there in 2005 and how unique and big they are, then they outlawed harvesting them and made them a protected species. No one even knew they existed. There are a few things out there in those waters and Cortez Banks that no ones knows exist. Giant species of known life forms that no-one knows get that big and I"m glad they don't know. The Channel Islands are a very unique place where no-one dives deep to see what is there. We dove with hookah rigs and air hoses, and compressor.
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Rwfish
Silver $$ Contributor
Ammo cost won’t even come close to the fuel costs for that thing!
CJ6
Silver $$ Contributor
I enjoy both, but nothing really compares to hitting the lake at first light and just taking all the peace and quite in. Listening to the Loons and watching the Eagles flying.
We've never had all the Hi-tech gear so many use today and never needed it even though the lake is decent sized (approximately 10x12 miles).
We've never had all the Hi-tech gear so many use today and never needed it even though the lake is decent sized (approximately 10x12 miles).
dryhumor
When an old man dies, a library is lost forever...
Second best is renting one… I’ve caught a lot of fish off of rented boats.
Nice. Years ago I used to archery hunt Santa Cruz and Catalina islands for hogs, sheep and goats. I free dove Santa Cruz Island while hunting , no mask or wet suit , and used to get abs there. In later years I dove with tanks at all those islands spear fishing and lobstering.
I live in Northern Ca. so all my ab diving up here was free diving. I sure wish they would open it back up. One thing for sure the California coast, especially the northern coast doesn't get the credit it deserves for all the abundance of life out there. I have dove quite a few places and the Ca. coast is the most beautiful I have seen, Hawaii and other tropics look like a desert compared to here, nothing like a big kelp forest.
Steve Donlon
Gold $$ Contributor
People don't realize how much they are missing that live there. The kelp forest are like the redwoods of the ocean. Glad you got to see it. Your big reds were not at the southern islands, only pinks, and greens with Sorensons out deep. They where worth the most money. Guys would dive over a 100' deep to get them, then have to sit on a swing at 50' to decompress for awhile. But in that one dive, they could get 20 dz. abs worth more than any other kind. We thought they were crazy and they thought we were crazy for diving in the kelp forest and getting our hoses all tangled up in the kelp or pushed up on the rocks on the beech. Those two places were still virgin territory for abalone. No one had picked any abalone there yet. They were everywhere, a virgin resource they will never be what it was. I feel blessed to have been able to see it and am thankful every day. Sounds like you saw the same thing up north, really glad you saw it brother. I think about the times of free diving with an Hawaiian sling out there for big sheephead or calico bass. That's hunting!
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Lots of sail boats. A set of sails cost more than any of my BR rifles. Maintenance doesn’t even compare. And when I go shooting I only need myself. Putting a crew together was nothing short of a nightmare depending on the race. Oh yeah, time I will be gone in a race is totally unknown. Went on on a two day race ( should have been anyway) and returned 6 days later.
But like shooting, it’s horribly addictive.
But like shooting, it’s horribly addictive.
Yes it was defiantly good times, wouldn't trade it for anything. I got my first ab at 5 years old rock crawling, getting pounded by waves,LOL. I think the abs I got at the islands were Black Abalone, it was in the early 80's. I felt guilty taking them, I was used to a 7" minimum size limit of the Reds we have up here. LOL I got to see some good diving in the past. I had hundreds over 9 3/4" and and I have 5 that are 10" and couple just a bit over 10". There is nothing more beautiful than diving the big Kelp forest, like you said the redwoods of the ocean and so much life in them.
jackieschmidt
Gold $$ Contributor
That’s what they make Justices of the Peace for.
That’s about what Marilyn and I did. …….over 54 years ago.
It was never going to last
ronsatspokane
Gold $$ Contributor
We did one step up. A place called the Hitching Post in Post Falls Idaho 40 years ago. Plastic flowers, 3 or 4 friends and a few family members. Long before all of California moved to North Idaho, it was back woods in those days. I worked at a shake mill a mile down the road in a quonset hut as a flat saw sawyer while going to college. We were poor in those days. I think we only spent 100 bucks on rings. Still have those rings and still married. The big boat is history though.That’s what they make Justices of the Peace for.
That’s about what Marilyn and I did. …….over 54 years ago.
It was never going to last
My wife and I went to the courthouse and filled out the paperwork. No wedding. We used the money for the wedding on a downpayment for a house. Best decision of our lives.That’s what they make Justices of the Peace for.
That’s about what Marilyn and I did. …….over 54 years ago.
It was never going to last
Ackman
Gold $$ Contributor
Yeah. My diesel truck has 5 tunes and an on the fly switch. I always run it on the small tune, plenty enough. This engine has to last.
Dale, Is that a turbo Moony ?
hogpatrol
Gold $$ Contributor
Not this one, M20F, normally aspirated IO360A1A. Built in 1967, still flying in Washington state.
Hogpatrol -
Howdy !
While scanning quickly down through the responses, I initially shot right past your post.
In the brief 1/2 sec blink of a peak I had at your planes pic, I thought it might have been a Comanche 400.
Upon return for a closer look, I saw it is a Mooney.
With regards,
357Mag
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