I have heard that the currents in SE Alaska near Ketchikan and POW can be insane. Do you HAVE to have a boat that will get up on plane? Does anyone run a displacement hull boat of a fairly small size? Or is it dangerous?
I am kinda odd. When I am on the water I am never in a hurry. And I like bottom fishing more than anything. Why wouldn't a displacement hull work for puttering around?
There ARE many places in SE Alaska where the tidal currents are quite strong but not so strong as to make displacement hulls impractical or undesirable. There are plenty of displacement hulls operating in SE Alaska - mostly in commercial fishing boats and other commercial boats but also in pleasure craft. But tidal currents are not the main factor pushing people one way or the other in selecting a hull type.
There are several factors that drive most people toward planing hulls - speed probably being foremost. Most working people have little time and have to fish/hunt/recreate after work and on weekends. They want to get to where the fish are and back as quickly as possible. Also lots of people get their start by buying a skiff with an outboard and progress up through what they are familiar with and is most readily available - the floating bathtubs with outboards or inboard/outdrives that are fast but at a high cost in fuel and seaworthiness - that have been the most popular/available from the boating industry for a long time. These things tend to measure fuel use in tens of gallons per hour. Most people who buy/operate boats don't really spend the time to learn about the characteristics of the different hull types (or about weather, etc.) and just buy what is most available (new and used) and what is the trend of the day at the time they get into a boat. And certainly the pleasure boat industry has been and still is dominated by planing hulls so that's what most people are familiar with, see in ads, see on the water and buy themselves. They don't live on their boats - just spend a few hours a week on them during the months of May - September, so speed is the most important factor.
For commercial fisherman speed was (and for most still isn't) the most important factor in selecting a hull design. Function, efficiency, and seaworthiness are more important. When commercial fishing was not a rodeo (and for some fisheries it still isn't) speed wasn't that important. Getting out, being able to stay out in rough weather and GETTING BACK all at low cost was most important.
I've fished and hunted out of Juneau for 40 years. Although I now live in Anchorage my boat still lives in Juneau - in the Douglas Harbor where it's lived for a long time. I have a little 27" double ender with full displacement hull and single screw inboard diesel. It is a great fishing boat and also very nice for cruising the waters in SE and using as a base for hunting. It's too slow for most folks - cruises @ 6.5 knots - but is great for my purposes. It burns only 1/4 gallon (yes one-quarter gallon) of diesel per hour at cruising speed and with a 100 gal fuel tank has a range of @ 1200 miles. It's perfect for trolling for king and silver salmon - basically puttering around dragging bait through the water where there are salmon. So, yes displacement hulls work for puttering around in SE Alaska.
Here's the URL of the builder
http://www.allweatherboats.com/. They are built by Homer Hughes out of Ferndale, WA (just outside of Bellingham). Homer is an interesting guy who builds these things to be stout, functional, and seaworthy. They ARE very well made, very seaworthy, and very low maintenance boats.
On a side note: I too once dreamed of owning a St. Pierre dory - sailing dories were THE fishing boats on Bristol Bay (and most of Alaska) at one time. There was a great example in Juneau in the mid-'70s. It was 27" with a cuddy cabin where you could crawl in to sleep, with a rudder and a motor well. It was for sale for @ $2,500 - unfortunately at the time more than I could afford. I agree they have beautiful lines and are very functional - can be set up for rowing, sailing or motoring (or all three). There was years ago an old time builder in Ouzinkie (on Spruce Island - a small island a few miles north of Kodiak) who made beautiful dories. May still be some folks building/using them.
You're not "odd" you've just got a different perspective and different sensibilities from most people on the water (or anywhere else) today.