New boat! Skagit Orca

And finally...... that boat was well cared for. You will get lots of enjoyment out of it.

It was definitely taken care of. I will carry on the tradition.

No fishing for me. Work is taking the next 6 weeks of my life. But lots of time to plan.
 
Nice ride. Looks like someone took very good care of it---nice to see that type of behavior. Curious what the power is: 250 Hp Yamaha or....?


Here's mine after I got the decals on---maiden voyage to Bamfield with my daughter.


Remember: with a Skagit Orca you can NEVER have too many transducers---that's why they gave you that huge squeaky clean bilge area under the deck --to drill holes through

Today I just attached transducer No. 5 to mine: With all the holes drilled through the fiberglass floor this one I decided to hang off the engine bracket.

By the way, What do you have for electronics?


View attachment 37544 View attachment 37545View attachment 37546View attachment 37544 View attachment 37544 View attachment 37545View attachment 37544 View attachment 37548 View attachment 37544 View attachment 37544 View attachment 37548IMG_0148.JPG
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0304.JPG
    IMG_0304.JPG
    347.5 KB · Views: 147
Last edited:
Beauty. Does the red awning fold toward the cabin? Might be in the way sometimes.

Nope but I have a system. My kingfisher had a similar one that was occasionally in the way when on the fish.

congrats!
is that the one that was on vic craigslist and up island in storage?

Nope

Nice ride. Looks like someone took very good care of it---nice to see that type of behavior. Curious what the power is: 250 Hp Yamaha or....?

Here's mine after I got the decals on---maiden voyage to Bamfield with my daughter.

Today I just attached transducer No. 5 to her: Too many holes drilled through the fiberglass---this one I hung off the engine bracket.

What do you have for electronics?

Yamaha 250/9.9.

Your boat looks great. What power do you have? Suzuki? How was the boat in Barkley?

Old jrc radar that is going to get replaced. Hds gen2 touch up front with an older lowrance on the rear station. Soon to be redone with an hds12 gen3 and move the gen2 touch to the rear station. Not sure of the transducer. P66 maybe.
 
Hey BR: I have a Suzuki 300 on mine (24 footer)--- good power because I usually travel HEAVY. Funny you should ask about Barkley: I decided to leave P.A. At noon, even though it was blowing like nuts----I'd heard how Orca's like big water so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try it out on it's maiden voyage---two meter water around Nitnat: blue stuff coming over the bow ---my daughter was doing laps around the rosary beads but we made it to Bamfield fine.

I've also had her in big following seas: No fun at all----those Orca's tend to bow steer so you have to be careful because they can get somewhat squirrelly. You'll find out very soon that your trim tabs are your best buddy

You'll love that boat, though--not sure what you had before but they ride really nice.

No, not a stock pod. When I bought the boat, it looked like I was dragging a dead cow behind the boat at speed. Cowl of the motor was always soaked. I finally had a guy weld another aluminum sponson under the original bracket to extend the pod down to the keel of the boat---it was like someone turned the channel---silly smooth ride now----you can see the weld line of the new add-on pod in the picture---best $$ I ever spent on a boat
 
Hey BR: I have a Suzuki 300 on mine (24 footer)--- good power because I usually travel HEAVY. Funny you should ask about Barkley: I decided to leave P.A. At noon, even though it was blowing like nuts----I'd heard how Orca's like big water so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try it out on it's maiden voyage---two meter water around Nitnat: blue stuff coming over the bow ---my daughter was doing laps around the rosary beads but we made it to Bamfield fine.

I've also had her in big following seas: No fun at all----those Orca's tend to bow steer so you have to be careful because they can get somewhat squirrelly. You'll find out very soon that your trim tabs are your best buddy

You'll love that boat, though--not sure what you had before but they ride really nice.

No, not a stock pod. When I bought the boat, it looked like I was dragging a dead cow behind the boat at speed. Cowl of the motor was always soaked. I finally had a guy weld another aluminum sponson under the original bracket to extend the pod down to the keel of the boat---it was like someone turned the channel---silly smooth ride now----you can see the weld line of the new add-on pod in the picture---best $$ I ever spent on a boat


Mine will likely see a 300hp repower in the future but not for a couple years. Ive heard to stay away from the yamaha 350. Id like to see more power for the boat because it is heavy. But i travel minimalist. Safety and fishing gear only. If i overnight i load it up a bit otherwise that stuff is in the garage. There is a huge fuel tank on this. 167 gallons/630liter i cant see myself ever running that full.

Ya the canal can really pick up the weather in the afternoon. Sounds like a good trip. Always nice to find the limits but still be safe. I remember crossing from lasquiti to french creeking 35knot winds and gusting 40+. Not a fun ride but gained valuable experience. A few waves found their way across the bow.

Im a big trim tab guy. Always adjusting to find the right ride. I found the boat can move around a bit with moving people. More touchy than my KF.

Post some more pics of your pod. Interesting set up ill be sure to pay more attention to mine.
 
Congrats!!! She is a beautiful boat
 
Here's a "before" and "after" of the pod mod---you can see the old bracket (above the weld line) was basically just an aluminum platform with a transom hanging off the stern. No flotation under the Suzuki but worse, a lot of turbulent water coming off the rear of the keel was tumbling into the spinning prop which caused all the commotion and the crumby ride.

The welded pod enclosed all the space under the old pod which not only added flotation (so the Suzuki was riding higher in the water) but created nice smooth laminar water flow going over the prop. (That's my theory anyway)

It would be interesting if you could post a pic of your bracket if you get her up on a trailer

BTW, you asked for tips or suggestions from Orca owners in your earlier post.

No. 1)) I discovered there was no stainless backing plate behind the bow roller. I thought that was nuts and installed one to match the bolt pattern. It was a PITA, but as I do a lot of boat camping, I thought it was a good insurance policy and...
No. 2)). Take this for what it's worth but I think that Bruce anchors (or Bruce anchor knock-off designs) have NO place on a boat that operates in the Pacific North West, especially heavier boats like Skagit Orcas.

Why? In a word.....kelp. Bruce anchors will skip on a bed of kelp. After I saw my older boat (a 21 foot ARima) almost end up on the rocks multiple times because of a Bruce anchor, I pulled it off the boat and installed a Rocna. Absolutely worth the money (and peace of mind)

The Bruce is o.k. In sand and mud. Everywhere else, boater beware

Again, Just my .02 cents based on experience with Bruce over the years. I attach a pic of the Rocna hanging off my bow

Thanks
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0261.JPG
    IMG_0261.JPG
    326.7 KB · Views: 202
  • IMG_0059.JPG
    IMG_0059.JPG
    479.3 KB · Views: 172
Last edited:
Nicely done. That pod flotation extension looks great. Did you have to play with the engine height much or at all after installing it?

Oly
 
Good question and that brings up a part of the mod I should have mentioned---my Suzuki leg is 30". I have no idea why the former owner went that direction---I know he fished albacore and did his boating back and forth across Columbia bar out of WEstport---maybe he wanted that longer leg for better control in big waves?

It def. sat too low in the water----by adding that extra pod (and additional flotation) it brought the leg out of the water just right. To seal the deal, I added a 16" diameter four blade stainless prop. (PowerTech). I'm not interested in speed---just wanted to get her up into the 6K's at WOT and get on step at 3,400---that 4 blade is ideal for that performance target. A 16" 3-BLADE will pin your ears to the back of your head in that boat with half a tank of gas. At full tank (almost 620 liters) it's a bit sluggish with any prop due to all that weight
 
Back
Top