Avalon again...

[Capt. Dan]

Bob,
What kind of numbers do you see out of your tritoon? Do you have lifting strakes on all the tunes? Anything you would have done differently?

[BobG]

Bob,
What kind of numbers do you see out of your tritoon? Do you have lifting strakes on all the tunes? Anything you would have done differently?

Hah, no strakes. THAT is what I would have done differently.
Oh, and maybe the 150 instead of 115.
I seldom boat below 7,500 feet elevation, and 24 MPH is the best I've seen.
I've underskinned her myself.

Interestingly, she goes the same speed with the full cabin up, as she does with all the canvas down.

[Capt. Dan]

Why would you have gone no strakes? Im considering one with six strakes...

[curtiscapk]

He would have gone with strakes! You definitely should.

[Capt. Dan]

Ahhhhh, i misread it as he would have gone without strakes if he had it to do over.

[BobG]

Ahhhhh, i misread it as he would have gone without strakes if he had it to do over.

Sorry about that. No, I WISH I had strakes.

[BobG]

And here's the "structural" story.

Last year (well I THINK it was last year) I was coming out of the Lake Fork arm of Blue Mesa Reservoir, right into the teeth of a hellacious storm that was just hitting. I couldn't run to shore, or even run away from it, because the shores are just too rocky. So there I was, with the Admiral, and two guests.

Lesson learned number one: Never NEVER make the assumption that the two guests, even though they are 20+ year scout leaders, know how to put on a life vest. Seriously.

So there we are, and I realize that the only way through this, is literally THROUGH it. First order: "Everybody take your seats, and the Admiral will now pass out life vests - get them on." That's when I realized that I had to drop everything to assist in the donning of life vests. Not pleasant. At this point, it's raining so hard, I can't see more than 50 yards, and I'm sailing directly into 2 foot waves. Manageable.

Then the storm got into the spirit of it. The rain picked up to where visibility was not more than 50 feet. Waves picked up to 3 to 4+ feet. The waves are crashing over the bow like crazy. If it wasn't for the GPS, I would not have known that I was gradually drifting toward shallow water AND the rocky shore. In an aircraft, they call this IFR - "Instrument Flight Rules". Keep the nose pointed not more than 15 degrees plus or minus of "straight into the waves", because trying to go diagonal will probably result in a flip. This went on for a HALF HOUR before I finally emerged out the far side of the storm. Structural damage? ZERO. Emotional damage? Significant. Crown Royal Inventory Damage? Substantial.

[Capt. Dan]

Wow Bob, quite a story. Ive run through stuff like that on ourfishing boat which was scary enough, doing so on s pontoon would be quote nerve wracking ro say the least!

[Capt. Dan]

Going to see the Avalons again this weekend, it will finally be dry and nice out so we can do a good inspection. Hope to get squared away this weekenc on one of the two boats we like!

[monksblood]

I feel safer with a foot or so of water on the pontoon deck than I would with my 16 foot crestliner in the same situation