As many of you know, I sold my trusty Parker 23 SE around Labor Day. After visiting the Annapolis boat show last weekend, my boating juices got flowing again. Yesterday I pulled the trigger and drove to Cobbs Creek, VA to pick up my new ride. Unlike the Parker, this boat has two motors, a full transom, and comes with a trailer.
But before your imagination gets too far carried away, let me share some other comparative statistics. The weight is about 9% of my Parker, the power is only 4% of the Yamaha HPDI I had on the Parker, and it holds only 5% as much gasoline. On the positive side, the boat cost only about 7% of what I paid for my Parker in 2002.
As you have probably guessed by now, I got a very small open boat. It is a 2000 Gheenoe Classic. At 15'6" and 250 lbs hull weight, it is not a boat to carry me all over the bay. It will be great for running in shallow and sheltered water in the Severn River and other nearby tidal bodies. The 8-hp motor should push the hull at 15-20 mph and will sip gasoline. I mentioned above that I now had two motors -- the previous owner included an electric trolling motor. I have never had a boat with a trolling motor before, but it should be fun playing around with it.
My very first power boat was a smaller Gheenoe, so I guess I have come full circle . Formerly Marylander, Capt. Frank Ciurca, now runs a guide service in Florida. I have fished twice with him on his larger center console boat. But he also uses a Gheenoe like mine for extremely skinny water fishing trips for a single angler. So it can be a serious fishing machine in the right setting.
This size and weight of boat is what I need at this point in my boating life. I look forward to many happy days on the water.
But before your imagination gets too far carried away, let me share some other comparative statistics. The weight is about 9% of my Parker, the power is only 4% of the Yamaha HPDI I had on the Parker, and it holds only 5% as much gasoline. On the positive side, the boat cost only about 7% of what I paid for my Parker in 2002.
As you have probably guessed by now, I got a very small open boat. It is a 2000 Gheenoe Classic. At 15'6" and 250 lbs hull weight, it is not a boat to carry me all over the bay. It will be great for running in shallow and sheltered water in the Severn River and other nearby tidal bodies. The 8-hp motor should push the hull at 15-20 mph and will sip gasoline. I mentioned above that I now had two motors -- the previous owner included an electric trolling motor. I have never had a boat with a trolling motor before, but it should be fun playing around with it.
My very first power boat was a smaller Gheenoe, so I guess I have come full circle . Formerly Marylander, Capt. Frank Ciurca, now runs a guide service in Florida. I have fished twice with him on his larger center console boat. But he also uses a Gheenoe like mine for extremely skinny water fishing trips for a single angler. So it can be a serious fishing machine in the right setting.
This size and weight of boat is what I need at this point in my boating life. I look forward to many happy days on the water.
