New boat! Skagit Orca

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

What is it about the Rocna that holds better in Kelp? To me a Rocna looks a lot like a Bruce plus that ring and an extra bend in the shank. To my uninformed eyes I don't see how either of those helps.

Curious about your opinion on this because I have a Bruce sitting in my bow roller but have yet to spend a night on the hook.
 
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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)

Thanks

Here is a pic of my pod. Quite different from yours.

I'd like to do a lot more overnighting on my boat so I will keep a close eye on the bruce set up. I will check in the anchor locker for a backing plate. Overall I am super impressed with the build quality of these boats.
 
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Very cool design on your bracket---I can see how the tapered rise up from the keel would promote laminar flow to the prop---my guess is you have a silky smooth wake behind your boat. Nice!!

One comment about the bilge on a Skagit Orca: when I picked mine up, the foam in the compartments in the bow was soaked with water and there was standing water in the bilge compartment under the forepeak

I was on high alert, thinking there were leaks around the rub rails or the deck fittings----water intrusion into foam---that was ice water down my neck

I found a hairline crack in the anchor locker and thought maybe there had been water intrusion through that crack and sealed it up.

But I continued to find water in the bilge under the forepeak and couldn't figure out where it was coming from

Anyway, I finally figured out that bilge water in the stern has acccess to the bilge in the forepeak (even though it appears there is a hermetically sealed bulwark separating the two spaces)

My guess: the former owner had the boat on a steeply inclined driveway (bow downwards) all winter. Rain collecting in the stern built up in the bilge and flowed towards the bow and eventually soaked all the foam

Moral of the story: keep the boat level on shore when it's trailored, with the bilge plug pulled.
 
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Congratulations BigReel! They are extremely well built boats and great to fish from. I was lucky and got mine about 9 months ago. I tested 2 models and fished out of a 3rd and I get the impression that they all handle a little differently. As stated above, they handle rough water extremely well... especially heading into the waves. However, they are technically challenging to handle in a following sea. Mine is a 22 SC with a 250 Yamaha. The boat originally came out of Port Boathouse and my pod looks similar to yours. The original owner made similar modifications to the pod that Sharphooks is describing (see pics) and also switched the prop to a 4 blade. The rationale for the changes was to help the boat get up on plane faster. It accomplished that, however it came at the expense of stability in a following sea, or even when small bow waves from other boats came from the side. My first trip in this boat off of Nootka sound was a bit frightening! Fortunately, through Port Boathouse I was able to track down the original manufacturer of the pod. When I started explaining what they had done with the pod he interrupted me and said "you can't do that with that boat!". He then went on to explain how it would affect the handling in a following sea. He then rearranged his work schedule to take the modification off because he was worried about me doing another trip on the West Coast. Since taking the modification off the boat is much more stable, however you still have to be constantly working your trim tabs when the waves are behind you. I have also gone back to the original 3 blade prop as I found with the 4 blade I was cruising at 5000-5200 rpm. The 3 blade seems slightly better on my boat/motor, but there isn't a big difference. If you are wanting to try the 4 blade I still have mine.

Overall, they are great boats and hopefully you have many happy hours out in yours. "Springfever" (Mike) from this forum was very helpful when I bought mine and helped me sort out some of my issues. His is the same model as yours with a 300 Yam. Hopefully I'll see you out there!

Matt
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All of the pictures of the pod are too large to upload. Send me a PM with your email and I'll send them to you if you're interested. Cheers!
 
I totallay agree about the Rocna anchor. Changed my Bruce to a 10kg Rocna on my 26 Seaport and now have on my Commander.
They set almost immediately and you have to be careful backing down as you come to a sudden stop.
Don’t fit as nice in the bow roller although now they have the new Vulcan model which does fit better. Like sharp hooks said you want piece of mind when anchoring. Get the best.
If you want a Halibut anchor setup you can use the Bruce.
 
All of these cabin boat designs have a higher centre of gravity and are sensitive to shifts in weight when up on plane. (especially if they are cabin boats with a narrower beam which requires no permits while being trailered) My Seasport is similar in some aspects as described in this thread. Anyone getting up and moving around from side to side will require my playing with the tabs to level her out again. At this point I will tell people to stay put until we get to where we are going. I don't have any issue with following seas unless I push it too hard on the throttle and drive it hard down the face of an ugly wave.
 
Not to belabor the anchor issue, but there's a spot behind Bell Island (near Port Hardy) that has a beautiful camp spot with enough room to anchor a boat. Only problem: the spot has a kelp carpeted bottom and also can be a bit of a wind tunnel when the afternoon northwesterelies start blowing

For 5 or 6 years I put up with my Bruce anchor there and multiple times, almost had to peel my Arima off the rocks when the Bruce started dragging in the kelp when the winds came up

A few season ago, I went to a Rocna and despite several 25 knot blows in the same anchorage (and a Skagit Orca weighing almost twice as much as my old Arima) the Rocna never budged.

As Sir Reel mentions, you pull up to your spot, drop the Rocna and instead of backing down on your gear like you're instructed to do with just about every other anchor, you just toss out a bit of scope, cleat off your line, and go pour a drink. No backing down, and sleep like a baby all night.

I can get away with 3 to 1 scope on the Rocna (with chain the length of your boat). That pays off when your anchoring in little hidey holes that if you had the normal accepted 5 to 1 scope, you'd end up on the rocks on the swing

Bruce anchors are great on mud and sand, which is why I suspect Hali guys use them and think they're so effective. If halibut lived in kelp.....maybe a different story
 
Congratulations BigReel! They are extremely well built boats and great to fish from.

Since taking the modification off the boat is much more stable, however you still have to be constantly working your trim tabs when the waves are behind you. I have also gone back to the original 3 blade prop as I found with the 4 blade I was cruising at 5000-5200 rpm. The 3 blade seems slightly better on my boat/motor, but there isn't a big difference. If you are wanting to try the 4 blade I still have mine.

Overall, they are great boats and hopefully you have many happy hours out in yours. "Springfever" (Mike) from this forum was very helpful when I bought mine and helped me sort out some of my issues. His is the same model as yours with a 300 Yam. Hopefully I'll see you out there!

Matt
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Thanks. The "Pacific Lady" looks great. Lots to learn about these machines. I was wondering about a pitch change but I haven't put enough hours on the throttle to make the call. Plus its new so I wasn't loaded down with all that extra gear that seems to accumulate. My eye will be on the fuel gauge for the next few runs for performance.

I read quite a few of springfevers posts on the search function as well as others. Lots of good information out there. I see there is a few guide boats that are orcas on here.
 
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