Tolman skiff

[Sangster21]

I have been interested in building a Tolman for quite some time now. Has anyone ever fished out of one of these things? They have quite a following in Alaska and would like to hear about some local experience with the boat.
Alan

 

[Saxe Point]

I have been interested in building a Tolman for quite some time now. Has anyone ever fished out of one of these things? They have quite a following in Alaska and would like to hear about some local experience with the boat.
Alan

This never got answered over a year ago, but now I am interested in maybe building one of these. While there is a lot of internet information about them, does anyone have any local or personal knowledge about or experience with them? They seem like excellent seaworthy boats for our BC waters, both near and offshore.

 

[Bifmalibu]

I was planning to build a 20' wide body last year until I found a good deal on a project Arima. I haven't fished from one but I've had a good look at one up close in Tofino. The one I saw was a 20' Standard and the guy was just getting ready to take his family out fishing. He had a 60 hp Yamaha on it and said it was plenty of power. He fished offshore from it. From what I have gathered about these boats, they will handle more than you will. Renn Tolman designed them to handle big water and the addition of scuppers makes them even safer. I will still build one at some point.

 

[Sangster21]

I ran into someone here in Comox that built one, can't recall if it was a standard or a widebody. He used to own a double eagle and raved about the handling of the Tolman compared to the DE. He claimed it performed very well in following seas. Of course he may well be somewhat biased as he did build the Tolman himself. There are a number of Tolmanites that are building their second Tolman skiff because they loved the boat but wanted something bigger.
The Tolman jumbo has been built up to 25-26 feet by a number of builders, and they can be powered by something as small as a 140hp outboard! If you want a little bigger, check out the Great Alaskan. This is a longer, slightly beamier version of the Tolman skiff.
If I had a shop to work out of, I would have built one rather than doing the rebuild of my 21 Sangster. Next time!
Alan

 

[Sculpin]

They are cool boats for sure. I bought his books and have read them over and over and did a lot of the research reading all the builds on fishyfish.com. I really wanted to build one about 10 years ago but I just hate working with fiberglass lol. They are light and strong and pretty economical to build and run. What's not to like?

I saw one in Bamfield and it looked like a wide body version with a cabin. I would love to take a ride in one someday.

Cheers,
John

 

[Saxe Point]

Here's a related question and a tough one. It involves the always difficult question of what size of boat to get. Of course I realize that it's all about understanding your needs in a boat and appreciating that you will always have to make compromises as no boat does everything perfectly. This is a particular challenge for me, because I want to do so many things with my next boat.

I am considering a Tolman or similar pilothouse in the 21-25 foot range. The reason I like them is because they would allow me to do so much. They offer: weather protection for fishing the lousy weather days, which I like to fish; V berth and sufficient space for longer trips and camping out, which I want to do more of (an Inside Passage trip to Alaska with lots of fishing is a dream that I want to make real); Swiftsure, Bajo Reef, Rivers Inlet and offshore tuna trips tells me I should build at least a 21. I think a Tolman (or similar) in the 21-25 foot range will serve all these purposes. Plus the Tolman will get 4-5 mpg with a 115-140 HP motor, so the economy is great.

But I also want a boat that's easy to launch and handle for those regular days when I just want to go out for the morning from Esquimalt Anglers or Sooke. They are so close that its great to be able to just drop the boat in and go, and pull it back home with as little hassle as possible. Will a 21 be much better in this respect than a 25?

Many people say that the extra 1-4 feet will always be worth it, but I'm not sure. Again, it's all about trade offs and I'm looking to balance a lot of things.

I would be very grateful for the wisdom and advice of all of you guys who have struggled with this and those of you who do one or all off these things that I want to do in my bigger boat.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[MRACER]

The more options you want to have in your boat, the more square footage you require--just like your home or garage. I think 23 would be a nice size compromise for your dreams. You might also contemplate twin 70's or similar for the waters and fishing you contemplate. A trip to Rivers inlet would feel a lot better with the insurance that you make it back safe--Pt Hardy to rivers is about 1 1/2 hours, but trying to find safety on a kicker up there would give me pause if not panic-LOL