Re: 1977 Orrion becoming an ocean animal
Thanks GT1M. It turned out to be 80 lbs added, but it was about 250 lbs removed when I got the water logged deck, foam and transom out of it 2 winters ago. So the net weight reduction of the transom / stringer / new deck job 2 winters ago is 250 minus 80 for a net of 170 lbs lighter as of now than when water logged 2 years ago. The halibut fishing trips usually cover about 30 to 38 miles round trip burning about 6 gallons of gas. It took 8 gallons in the waterlogged configuration for the same trip so I saved about 2 gallons per trip last year, and that's a bunch. Much less power to get on a plane and go. I'll probably lose a little bit by adding the 80 lbs.
I went in for the window glass and they needed to order the rubber, so this weekend is no fishing, no big deal. Looks like they can do it Monday or Tuesday. I could splash it windowless but heck with that. I need to mount the antennas, hailing speaker and landing net holder anyway, along with some more paint inside and out. I still never painted (or gel coated) the cap or the very bottom. I painted the sides of the hull after the rebuild last year but it's been an ongoing project in modular form so the paint is unfinished. This winter I'll flip the boat over the paint the bottom and also do the cap. The little by little methodology has kept me able to use the boat throughout the process.
Albacore tuna are getting pretty close too, about 30 miles out right now. That's just within reach for this boat. The last 4 days have been a glass smooth ocean with no swell totally flat, like a lake out there with the sun out and clear. Whales and all kinds of other life out there, it's a magic place.
