aluminum boat camping

[slaydown]

Hi guys,
I was wondering if anyone has some info in regards to remote beach camping. I am currently looking for an all welded 16-17 ft aluminum boat and want to explore cool areas off the beaten path with some privacy anywhere along the coast/island. The idea of beaching my boat seems a little daunting but I have heard of guys doing it. I have seen some cool spots in and around bamfield and the broken islands but I think those are kayaker spots? Any input from guys who have done this would be much appreciated. I want no amenities, be close to some descent fishing and able to beachcomb and a little privacy. I know that list is hard to come by here haha, but a guy can hope.
Thanks

 

[Sharphooks]

I spend lots of time in the summer boat camping. The Bamfield area lends itself to that because there are literally thousands of hidey holes you can find that are just around the corner from good fishing areas.

The best part of that approach- waking up at 0'dark thirty, firing up a mug of coffee and the kicker, dropping the gear in the water, and starting to fish without ever firing up the main engine

Forget about the kayakers-~~ they do not have Manifest Destiny for ANY of those camping spots (although from the stink-eye they sometimes give us power-boaters, you would think they do...)

In the Broken Group, you do have to respect some of the First Nation places where they don't allow camping -- if you stop at the Information Office just at the turn off between Tofino and Ucluelet, you can get a pamphlet that describes those spots

In order of importance when deciding where to drop the hook--I usually look for:

proximity to fishing hot-spot,
protection from NW blows,
sandy bottom (or at least minimal kelp and rocky spikes)
and level area for tent

Running the boat ashore for beach access-- I personally would NEVER do that, for two reasons: you'll become a slave to tides (which negates the coolness factor of being in close proximity to good fishing) and last but not least, it's guaranteed you will NOT have a good night's sleep because you'll be worrying about what the boat is doing (or you SHOULD be worrying about what it's doing which is worse...)

The way to sidestep the worry-factor: get yourself a good quality inflatable raft. I have 7 of them, all different sizes for all different applications, but the one I use quite often for boat camping is 2 1/2 meters long and when not inflated, is the size of a rolled up sleeping bag----easy to stow and keep out of the way. For convenience, get yourself an electric pump so you can inflate and deflate it in minutes off your house battery

Inflatables give you a huge amount of flexibility for boat camping~~ one or two trips to shore gets all the camping gear and booze in place; the mother ship stays anchored out where the tide won't ground her, and when the lights go out, you'll sleep like a baby with visions of tyees dancing in your head

If you play your cards right, this is what you could wake up to the next morning:

[/URL]

OR THIS: (just through that notch of rocks at the far right of the picture is one of the best spring spots in Barkley Sound)




OR THIS:




HOT TIP FOR ELECTRIC PUMP CONVENIENCE FACTOR AND "INSTANT INFLATABLE" : (Scotty, are you taking notes??)

 

[Fisherman Rob]

Nice shots sharphooks! Where's that last beach?

Slaydown, it depends on the angle of the beach, but for a smaller 17 footer, a clothesline anchor set-up works great for overnight camping similar to this:
http://navigatorjoel.blogspot.ca/2011/11/clothesline-anchoring-revisited.html

Instead of tying to the boat cleats, I clip both ends to the bow eye. This allows the boat to swing with the wind and tide without twisting the lines up. You need about 300' of line to get about 150' between the shore and anchor (I tied 2 150' lengths together with a triple fishermans bend). I find it holds really well with the danforth as the boat doesn't swing around the anchor in the wind and tide ( ie the pull on the anchor is always toward the beach). At night I attach as clip on flashing bike light to the vhf antenna, so I can peak out the tent and quickly see all is well.

 

[Fish Camp]

poulton bay top of quadra island has deep ancorage low current,and a large area for camping.trail to chonat lk.spent a few spring early summer days there.when the wind blows everywhere else on the coast this area is often calm.launch from browns or rock bay,road and launch mid way is 4x4 and not used for bigger units.

 

[jack fish]

Nice pics. What do you recommend for a inflatable that rolls up small and won't break the bank?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gungadin]

Nice shots sharphooks! Where's that last beach?

Slaydown, it depends on the angle of the beach, but for a smaller 17 footer, a clothesline anchor set-up works great for overnight camping similar to this:
http://navigatorjoel.blogspot.ca/2011/11/clothesline-anchoring-revisited.html

Instead of tying to the boat cleats, I clip both ends to the bow eye. This allows the boat to swing with the wind and tide without twisting the lines up. You need about 300' of line to get about 150' between the shore and anchor (I tied 2 150' lengths together with a triple fishermans bend). I find it holds really well with the danforth as the boat doesn't swing around the anchor in the wind and tide ( ie the pull on the anchor is always toward the beach). At night I attach as clip on flashing bike light to the vhf antenna, so I can peak out the tent and quickly see all is well.

Thanks for the link. In the area l fish l can go out in the early am and fish in protected areas, but the trip home can be a nightmare if the wind and tide are wrong. I have had to "hole up" for hours in a protected area, sometimes until after dark before heading home. I have storage room for an anchor and a couple of hundred feet of 1/4 in rope. Will start packing them this year.

 

[Sharphooks]

Nice pics. What do you recommend for a inflatable that rolls up small and won't break the bank?

UNQUOTE


I have been using eBay and Craigslist for as long as those sites have been available to outfit my fishing collection (rods and reels) and my boating needs (marine electronics, outboard motors, inflatable rafts)

The trick: get the best of the best and know exactly what you're looking for (and know what the approx. market value should be)

The best inflatable on the market? Avon, made in the UK between 1980 and 1990. (pure hypalon with natural rubber fittings)

Yes, Achilles and Mercury make a good inflatable. But the oar locks suck. Avon oar locks are worth the price of admission.

Zodiac? PVC pieces of crap. They remind of why Budweiser beer has a following: Tastes like buffalo p*ss but always had a good marketing campaign

For comparison purposes, if you purchased an Avon RedCrest new and paid full retail at today's prices, they would be approx. $1200 and they would be a piece of crap compared to the ones built in the 80's---reason-- all the fittings, including the rubbing strake, are now PVC and will peel off within a year or so---be thee warned

Their best models for boat camping out of a 16 to 21 foot boat?

Avon Redstart (8 feet)
Avon RedCrest (9 feet),
or a bit bigger with a wood transom for an outboard:
Avon Rover 2.8 (as pictured above)

I am usually prepared to pay approx. $150 - $ 250 for one of those models, depending if they come with Avon pump, Avon inflatable seat, or Avon break-down oars

This inflatable pictured below is an Avon 7, their smallest inflatable. I got it for $75 on our local Craigslist (no oars or anything else) but the condition was so good I offered the guy another $25 (which he declined)



The side bonus of getting a small high quality inflatable?

Doing river trips for steelhead in between salmon seasons (Avon RedStart up in Alaska for a fly-in)





Note the netting stretched over the bow: keeps your camping gear out of the bilge and most important, keeps the weight off the floor so when you drag over shallow riffles or up an oyster-shell beach in the salt chuck, you protect your investment

This next picture is an Avon Redcrest (9 feet). Lots of room for camping gear, very stable = SAFE, and will accept a small wood transom for a kicker (up to 5 hp if its a 2-stroke)

I picked it up on eBay for $50 from a guy in Florida. He told me it was so full of leaks he had given up trying to fix them. I said ship it. The leaks were an easy fix and this inflatable gets used ALL the time because it's easy to carry holds lots of gear:




This last pictures is an Avon Rover 3.0 (10feet). I purchased it off a guy in Michigan on eBay for $ 300 (30% of the cost was shipping)

He guaranteed it had a leak that was "unfixable" . It was not unfixable. I used this inflatable back in the days when my GF would come with me out on the boat (bit more comfort and SAFE)

Note the large cooler up against the starboard gunnel: when deflated, my inflatables are rolled up and lashed to this cooler. VERY EASY to deploy over the side.



This one also gets double-duty as a river boat. Perfect for an 8 hp 2-stroke which will get you anywhere you want to go ON MOST rivers:



And last but now least, without my trusty Avon inflatable, how else would I have gotten this killer boat camping picture????




Last comment and I'll shut up about boat camping: that "clothesline" approach mentioned above? Maybe, in totally protected water with a nice sandy or mud bottom for the flukes of your Danforth to bite. Me? Never in a hundred years would I trust that set up. I can sum up my huge skepticism with one word: KELP

I have woken up numerous times seeing my boat shifting anchorage position. Why? The anchor flukes started skipping on Kelp. A little bit of wind. A little bit of tide. And kelp in BC waters is EVERYWHERE. The picture on that guy's website of his anchor line tied directly to his Danforth without a length of chain????? Double-nuts.... Disaster waiting to happen.

I have 20 feet of chain attached by a stainless shackle to what I think is hands down the best anchor on the market:
the Rocna.

Why did I drop $300 on a Rocna? It's the only anchor I've ever owned that doesn't skip on kelp. When I'm boat camping, that is the weakest link of the whole boat camping experience, whether you're on a clothesline or swinging freely on a tide

 

[Reel Gone]

Excellent pics Sharphooks! Never tasted Buffalo **** but I do like Bud

 

[Sharphooks]

OK, you're right, my bad---that was an unfair comparison. I'll try again:

Zodiac? PVC pieces of crap. They remind of why Vladimir Putin has a following: He's a thug, a kleptomaniac and a bully, and although he'll do whatever it takes to line his pockets and the pockets of his Buddies, most Russians think he's a good guy because he has a killer marketing campaign

 

[jack fish]

I've used a anchor buddy when camped on rocky islands with poor beaching. But I like the idea too anchor farther off and use a roll up inflatable as a tender. My boats too small for a real tender.


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[Fisherman Rob]

Yes, with a 17' boat you need at least 17' of chain. Never anchor in kelp so hasn't been an issue. No swing on the anchor line means the danforth holds solid. Dinghy gives you more options for sure, but not easy to bring it along with you on a 17' boat.

 

[RiverBoy]

X2 for anchor buddy. Used it several times. Works great. Of course the paranoid part of me makes sure the shore rope is tied to something wicked solid.

 

[fshnfnatic]

Nice shots sharphooks! Where's that last beach?

Slaydown, it depends on the angle of the beach, but for a smaller 17 footer, a clothesline anchor set-up works great for overnight camping similar to this:
http://navigatorjoel.blogspot.ca/2011/11/clothesline-anchoring-revisited.html

Instead of tying to the boat cleats, I clip both ends to the bow eye. This allows the boat to swing with the wind and tide without twisting the lines up. You need about 300' of line to get about 150' between the shore and anchor (I tied 2 150' lengths together with a triple fishermans bend). I find it holds really well with the danforth as the boat doesn't swing around the anchor in the wind and tide ( ie the pull on the anchor is always toward the beach). At night I attach as clip on flashing bike light to the vhf antenna, so I can peak out the tent and quickly see all is well.

I was told once how to do this,but forgot how this was accomplished.Thanks very much for that link FR.

 

[slaydown]

Thank you to everyone for the great information, exactly what I was looking for! And the idea for the inflatable is a great one. Thank you very much. Now all I need is a good aluminum boat and I'm set. If anyone has a lead let me know. I'm ready to pull the trigger any day now. Hopefully something newer powered by a good yamaha or similar. Seriously thanks guys. This forum is awesome

 

[firelight]

Thank you to everyone for the great information, exactly what I was looking for! And the idea for the inflatable is a great one. Thank you very much. Now all I need is a good aluminum boat and I'm set. If anyone has a lead let me know. I'm ready to pull the trigger any day now. Hopefully something newer powered by a good yamaha or similar. Seriously thanks guys. This forum is awesome

I have a 18' center console lifetimer that we use for boat camping a fair bit, no need for any dingy that's what the aluminum is for, I usually use a bungy anchor but might look at that clothesline to get it off the beach a bit more. Or just leave it on the beach and wait for the tide to come back in, done that before.

Aluminum is a good way to go for sure, don't worry about shining it just get out and use it.

 

[Joel Bergen]

Last comment and I'll shut up about boat camping: that "clothesline" approach mentioned above? Maybe, in totally protected water with a nice sandy or mud bottom for the flukes of your Danforth to bite. Me? Never in a hundred years would I trust that set up. I can sum up my huge skepticism with one word: KELP

I have woken up numerous times seeing my boat shifting anchorage position. Why? The anchor flukes started skipping on Kelp. A little bit of wind. A little bit of tide. And kelp in BC waters is EVERYWHERE. The picture on that guy's website of his anchor line tied directly to his Danforth without a length of chain????? Double-nuts.... Disaster waiting to happen.

I have 20 feet of chain attached by a stainless shackle to what I think is hands down the best anchor on the market:
the Rocna.

Why did I drop $300 on a Rocna? It's the only anchor I've ever owned that doesn't skip on kelp. When I'm boat camping, that is the weakest link of the whole boat camping experience, whether you're on a clothesline or swinging freely on a tide

For the record the Danforth in my photo is my shore anchor, and the shore anchor does not need a chain. If you were tying your shore line to a tree, you wouldn't use a chain. If you were tying your shore line to a log, you wouldn't use a chain. And if you're tying your shore line to any type of anchor that you've securely buried in the beach, you wouldn't need a chain either. Unlike the sea anchor, there are no issues with scope or abrasion on the shore anchor, so why use a chain? It's not "double nuts" or a "disaster waiting to happen". It's simply common sense. The sea anchor does need a chain, obviously.

You're right about kelp, and Rocna's perform very well in kelp. Danforths are awful in kelp, which is why I only use mine as a shore anchor. By all means use a Rocna, if that's your preference, for the sea anchor with this clothesline setup. Once the sea anchor is securely set, the chances of it dragging are far less with the clothesline setup than when swinging at anchor, since it's always pulling one direction regardless of wind or tide. It's safer too. If the sea anchor were to drag, the shore anchor would keep the boat from floating away. I'd much rather emerge from my tent to find my boat anchored to the beach than to find it missing.

 

[Birdsnest]

Paddle boards are very useful for this purpose as well. I have been using a paddle board for getting to the beach from the boat for a couple of years now. They make them inflatable as well and they are very tough and stiff. Quite a few options for this purpose. Plan on wet feet. I wear waders in the winter with a lifejacket when I do this so if I fall I could likely save myself from getting a soaker.

 

[sly_karma]

HOT TIP FOR ELECTRIC PUMP CONVENIENCE FACTOR AND "INSTANT INFLATABLE" : (Scotty, are you taking notes??)

This is gold. I have a standard 12V outlet near the helm but that location is not so convenient when filling an inflatable. More capacity on the downrigger circuit for a compressor too.

 

[Fisherman Rob]

Hi Joel! You must have had some traffic to your site after I linked you in my post above.