Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Boat opinions

If we move back up I am considering hauling this up when we move as it is sitting on my property:
https://www.loweboats.com/hunt-fish/jon/tiller/l1852mt-aura.html

Slap a Kenai legal jet outboard on it and maybe a small steering console and call it good. Should be good for lakes as well as the occasional river journey.
Thoughts?

Better have a jet outboard lined up quite hard to find! During covid and before tough to get one with a year lead!

If the boat moves with us (if we sell the house) I won’t be buying an outboard till spring of 25.
Good choice for small rivers such as Little Su, 20 mile, and the occasional Kenai trip as well as small lakes?

.
That looks like a light gauge riveted boat.
It probably shouldn't be taken into shallow water that would require a jet pump.

Then you'll have to decide if it's worth hauling from TN to AK

The power penalty of a jet is too high for Kenai and lakes, IMO. How much skinny water do you plan on?

I'd stay with a tiller and get a 50hp with both a jet and prop lower. You won't win any races on the river with the jet, but you'll be fine. The prop would be the way to go for lakes or summer Kenai. Once you swap them out a couple of times you'll get pretty fast at it.

As I said before, the occasional trip up 20 mile or Little Sue.
Light boat, 50 hp jet, 2 adults and fishing gear
And it’s not enough power for the Kenai or the rivers I mentioned?

A Tohatsu 40 HP jet has a 60 HP powerhead. People used to run 40 hp on the Kenai in much heavier boats.

It’ll work, but you may become frustrated lacking full power. Kenai used to have a lot of 50hp detuned to 35hp, but still with props. They ended up doing more bank erosion they were supposed to prevent, by being underpowered and more difficult to plane. Boat have a tag stating max HP?

Ptarmigan just found the easy button above. 👍

can't use a 60 hp powerhead on the Kenai River above the bend below the bridge, 50 HP max powerhead regardless if jet or prop

Did not know that. Thank you

Like mentioned above, no 60hp powerhead on the Kenai. My little 50hp Tohatsu TLDI does just fine pushes a couple guys and gear up 20mile. I've carried my caribou camp, my son, and a quartered caribou with no issues in my 1752 Aweld.

Are you running a prop or jet?

Just a jet on mine. A prop would be nice though for lakes and bigger rivers.

I would avoid a riveted boat also personally. FWIW. Rivets are tough on rivers in TX where I still run in the winters. They all eventually come loose and need to have all the rivets welded. This after some years of running rivers in AK. Both riveted and not riveted boats.

The natives go everywhere here with riveted boats.

Just remember switching from prop to jet will require a lift, either manual or electric.
And moves the motor back several inches, which in turn sinks the azz end deeper.

Not a huge deal, but everything has pros / cons.

You can correct that with pods. Then you will wish it was bigger.

I would bring it up, leave it as is and use it

Snow,
Is the transom height and side height 21” and 20” respectively.?

Riveted is definitely not my first choice but in fairness I have seen what can be done out of a 16 or 18’ Lund. And it’s a bunch.

I’ve tightened rivets up with a sledgehammer against one side and strikes with a ball peen on the other side..then painted it with Marine Tex. Worked.

It is and that is marginal for the Kenai with all the "woke" wakes.

First factor in all hull speed:power calculations is length to width ratio at the waterline. Short and wide leads to excess wakes and lost power.

Flat bottoms start bringing in "reserve bouancy" concerns, especially in high wake areas like the Kenai. In calm water they are very stable and standing on the gunwale is no issue. But lots of reserve bouncy leads to snap-acting in rougher water. Coupled with very low sides it takes the fun right out of it. Older folks do not respond well to sudden surprises in their footing.

I believe the lighter Lunds are at least .125".

Hull shape has a huge impact on performance. Really long and narrow needs far less power.

Thats what the specs say.

Not saying this boat is a perfect choice, but there are plenty of advantages in having a lighter boat. They require less power, more fuel efficient, and much easier to get off a gravel bar. The rivets don't bother me. Nothing that new rivets and some 3M 5200 or other quality sealant can't fix.

The one thing I learned from my previous Alaska living experiences is one boat doesn't do everything. In a perfect world I would own a nice ocean boat, a quality rig for the Kenai, and a river sled with a 200-250 hp outboard jet on it. Then toss in a inflatable or two for other duties. Maybe add a canoe as well

A question on how "high" the side is... is that measured as a vertical compared to bottom height? Or is it measuring from the bottom at the chine, to the top of the gunwale? I suspect the latter and it is a significant difference.

Nice thing about the lunds is you can move them and use 25-30hp. Everyone loves a .25 bottom until you have to move it down the beach or crane it on the back of a Seiner.

The natives do a lot of weird things.
I had one row me down the Situk and it was actually beyond comical.
"My Dad taught me."
Good thing it's a gentle river.
They make do with what they have.

Rivet boats are lower cost and that's probably the main reason people end up with them.
No one, and I mean no one here in the PNW runs shallow water in rivet boats.
You'll see them in deep water but not running rivers.
Leaking rivets are always nagging at you. Grab the bail bucket or hit the bilge pump switch.
SmokerCraft tried to get into the river running business with their rivet boats but they're all gone now.

In a small freestone river (rare here) you could get away with using a rivet boat, but the solid basalt stuff will rip open a 1/4" bottom if you do the wrong thing.

Leaking rivets is not at all common or a real concern with a small boat, by the time rivets start leaking, the hull is probaly toast anyway.

I agree!

I installed a cheap toggle switch bilge pump in my '73 18' riveted boat (Lowe? MonARC maybe) ). acquired with remote cabin in 74 oe 75. Leaks like a sieve. Running it, currently, with an added console. Tillers, pull-start, and old don't play well together. Just sold the 2012 40/30 jet Yamaha (probably too cheap- it was gone in 30 min. - 89 hours). Current new 50 Yamaha just done with 2 hour break-in has both jet and prop lower units-and a tiller handle - probably will only run the jet, off the console. I don't do much with it- mostly just the 100 mile RT run to the Interior remote cabin off the Tanana from Manley once or twice a year. Always way over-loaded! .

Maybe once or twice a year when the wife wants to go Kenai River touring. Have used the boat with prop unit motors years ago on both Skilak and Tustemena Lakes- but no matter the unit, those lakes can kill you easily.

Would never consider another riveted boat, if I had more years ahead of me than I will be boating now. MY old, leaky Sneer will probably outlast my use.

Unless the price was really right!

Leaking rivets are a concern because you always have to bail it. You can't leave it moored for any length of time with leaking rivets unless you trust your automatic bilge pump.
Rivets can often start leaking before the hull is toast.

People get into them because they are lower cost. In areas where there is no year round boating, they are popular because folks don't want to invest a bunch in something that sits for half a year.
So you take your pick.

Yep, large loads of freight have been moved on northern rivers for over a hundred years now, using narrow/long boats. They get up on step at a slower speed too. Things can get cumbersome on tiny creeks, but still trudge along if you have the fkn skill.

The boat only weighs 450. It should run pretty good with a 50. Jet too. People have been using riveted boats for years. Lots of people run lowe boats in Arkansas and Missouri in rock bottom rivers. they will bounce off a rock without opening like a tin can. I traded in a riveted Grumman 4 years ago. It was used hard for 36 years. It hit more rocks and logs than I can remember and never opened up.

Own a 19 foot semi V Alumacraft T195 for my big boat down here. It is riveted. This is the 9th year I owned it and hull is as dry as a bone.
I wouldn't hesitate to own another riveted boat. Not everything needs to be a welded super duty to last 15-20 years.

Those were the days before they made big outboards!
Grins!

I have 27 foot ex military canoe/boat that I had hoped to fix and use. Alas its wood and time has taken a toll.

Thought you use to have a Wooldridge and a Seasport?

Holy sht! No way? There are very few of them around. Black rapids ran them all over. Always wanted to restore one or even build a mold off one. I have 40 gallons of mold resin and 10 gallons of tooling gelcoat.....

I did when we lived in Alaska
24 foot Sea Sport XL with a 496 inboard and duoprop
23 foot Alaskan with a 200 hp Optimax prop for the Koyukuk
Also owned a 25 foot Thunderjet inboard jet with a 496. Man that thing sucked up the gas. 1 mpg when loaded.

I bought it a few years ago from XXXX Pete (cant remember his handle).

It will take a lot more than 40 gallons of resin to bring er back LOL.

They were made in Delta, I think some where made in the 50's and another batch was made in the 70's by Frank Columbo.

I had big plans to make a Yukon Cruiser, still might but will have to start from scratch.

All nice boats, 1 MPG.... OMG... I could never make it to the Inoko with that! I guess that's what you had the Alaskan for.

People who knew more than me told me not to buy an inboard jet for our Koyukuk trips. I didn't listen. They were right and I was wrong. Even the Optimax was a bad choice. Had to carry way to much oil.
4 stroke prop is the way to go for the Yukon to Koyukuk to Huslia and beyond.

The Sea Sport? We loved it. Owned it 9 years before we decided to move out and never once thought it was a bad choice. It was a fantastic boat.

You going to need a lift to run jet or prop so skip the pods and get a longer boat stay narrow, I can't remember what year but I still think it works, a Suzuki 40 horse ..one 20$ part changes it to a 60 horse ...buy the 40 and you can turn it into a 60... just a heads up , info at The the hull truth..I believe

Long and narrow for the win, lots of math to get it rite..

2nd post on this.

I've been running 18-40 hp 2-stroke prop. units on the Tanana, Yukon, and Cosna Rivers since '75, and Yamaha 4 stroke 40/30 jet on Tanana and Cosna since 2012. Frequently over-loaded. Occaisionally to the point not getting it on step (down-river, never up-river) Same boat all that time - an 18 foot riveted flat bottom. Not a Lowe from the looks of your pic. Those motors have always gotten me there, assuming mechanicals stay on line... . Eventually. Bush time works for me. ( Pushing to meet a time-line is a mistake!!! It can kill you.)

A 50 hp powerhead with either prop or jet on your boat as stated should do you fine, tho not necessarily speedily. As mentioned, jet units up here are hard to come by.

I'd buy what I need Outside, and bring it up with your boat (assuming you already own/buy one there.)

I have also run 18' Grumman canoe with side-mount 4 hp Merc on Cosna and Tanana bertween my cabin and Manley Hot Springs. That 35 miles upriver from the mouth of the Cosna to Manley, on the Tanana, takes awhile thusly, even with just me, my survival gear and a Lab ( or weight) up front in the canoe for ballast.

The 20' square stern with 10 hp 2-stroke did it better, but got stolen.

One time, early October (checking on squatters in the cabin) I broke ice with the 18' Grumman, going down the Cosna from my cabin. Canoe still bears the dents. The Tanana, once reached, running slush, was no problem, even going upstream back to Manley. About 8 hours IIRC. I should probably sell that 4hp, 2 blade, '62 Merc....

Naw... I might need it yet. Might get a spare prop for it, tho, if I can find one.

It beat waiting another 6 weeks or more for freeze-up, tho.... then I'd have had to walk the 50 miles. Probably would have kilt myself on/in the river.... Happened to a neighbor about that time of year one year.

Damn - Did I had fun when I was younger, or what???!

Seemed "normal" at the time. Still does, but I have gotten lazier.

I might be back to ground zero here. Just got a call from a gent who seems very sincere and is picking up the boat this weekend.
So if we move back up the slate is clean and I’ll start a fresh search this fall.

Have a nice 8 hp Yamaha LS 2 stroke on sale on Craigs List
https://post.craigslist.org/manage/7727417279

Uh-oh boatless bank trash all summer....!!

I know, disgusting, lol.

The Lowe is gone. Looks like I will start with a clean slate once we move up. Will have to decide if I want to explore the rivers and small lakes or travel the Kenai. I’ll give it plenty of thought over the winter.

I'm pretty sure you know at least one guy that'll take you saltwater fishing.

Probably for the best actually. Take some time. Decide what you want to do really. Then research the best boat overall.

Even if it means driving south to visit and bringing a boat back with you if you can't find or afford AK. I"ve actually been surprised that AK is not quite as bad on prices as I had heard. Though cheap is not anywhere on that list usually unless its someone transitioning out for whatever reason.

I’ve been on a lot of moose/caribou trips with those basic riveted Lowe boats. Broke a few, had a lot of adventures.

A few years ago I bit the bullet and got a 1660 sea ark with a Yamaha 60/40, it’s a bit heavier than a low and has a larger motor than the older 40/30 Yamahas I used in the past but that sea ark is amazing.

I did that three previous times. Drove to WA state. Once for a 24 SeaSport XL, then a Wooldridge Alaskan, and last burn and turn was for the 25 foot Thunderjet inboard jet. The journey doesn't bother me that much.

What makes Alaska pricing interesting is the lack of a state sales tax. Here is a good example:
When our son and his wife purchased their home in Anchorage we gave them a house warming gift of a new living room set. They picked out what they wanted from Costco and Costco shipped it up from the lower 48 and delivered it inside of their house for $99. If I would have done the same thing in Tennessee we would have had to pay roughly $450 in sales tax. So in the end it was $351 less expensive to buy it in Alaska. Strange huh? I paid almost $4k tax when I bought my Alumacraft T195 8 years ago. I bet it could of been shipped to Anchorage for the same amount, or less.

If there is a shortage of outboards in Alaska that’s on the local dealers. Plenty of lower 48 vendors have them in stock and will ship the crate to Alaska.

Snonwolfe,
Holy moly! Seriously, $4k in sales tax for the boat? That's as much money as I paid for my backwater frame shipped USPS and my GX 690 from rods saw shop.

And this thing pushes an entire moose in bone, and heavy wood stove camp up the Yukon river.


Currently designing a 28 ft behemoth of a freighter canoe for the latest 50-60 hp big block mud motors. Would take at least a 130 hp jet, to get anywhere near the torque of these latest brutes. Such a waste of fking fuel, these retarded jet motors.

Mainer,
The tax was on my 2015 Alumacraft with a 200 hp Yammie, trailer, electronics, etc. Just sold it yesterday as a matter of fact.
But yes, $4K in sales tax. 9.5% tax rate adds up fast. In some ways Alaskans have it better than most. And most don't realize it.

Do buyers down there have to pay the sales tax on a used item? Or only on new?

Depends on the state. Here in Tennessee sales tax has to be paid every time ownership is transferred as far as stuff that requires a title or to be registered.