In November 2019, my husband Fredrik and I were looking for a small boat for a long expedition in remote areas of Alaska. We needed a boat we could row, sail, and beach. We began our search by visiting Gig Harbor Boat Works, where the Salish Voyager was still in the design stage. We rowed their Jersey Skiff, which has the same hull shape, and liked it. As we were about to leave, Falk Bock, the production manager, mentioned that a cruising version of the skiff, the Salish Voyager, was in the works and might fit our needs perfectly.The Jersey Skiff and the Salish Voyager are both modern interpretations of boats from the late 1800s—small rowing and sailing vessels for fishing off the New Jersey shore. The story goes that these seaworthy little craft, which could be launched and recovered through the surf, were also used for rescuing shipwrecked sailors and salvaging their cargo.Safety was the prime consideration in the design and building of what was to be an expedition boat. In August 2020, Hull #1 of the Salish Voyager had its first sea trial and became Gig Harbor Boat Works’ demonstration boat. Our boat is Hull #2.
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…and how will we know when the book comes out? Perhaps SBM will print an excerpt?
Thanks for the rundown on the boat and how you used it. I look forward to the book when it is published.
I’m blown away you can pack for 6 weeks. Can you publish your stowage list?
I second the above question – Thanks!
My impressions of the boat mirror those in the article. The first time I boarded her the tenderness caught me off guard (and put on quite a show for the neighbors) but too much initial stability would make a her a poor row boat. Secondary stability is fine though.
The capsize recovery characteristics are much better than other designs I looked at and one of the main reasons for choosing her.
If you see one with a green stripe named Opium that’s us!
Interesting boat. And well sorted out. I like the double slides. I’ve had good luck in a similar smaller boat extending my mast and sail over the bow with some suitable straps as we often get an old swell with a calm that makes rowing with the mast up pretty miserable.
Let’s get to the important question, how was the fishing??
I was under the impression that the boat is self-bailing, but it sounds as if you had to sponge it out. Does it self-bail to some degree?
Yes, it is self bailing. I think their description of the capsize test with empty load vs full load is helpful. It will sit lower in the water when there’s six weeks of gear in storage.
Sounds like an amazing trip. Did I miss a link to a blog? Can’t wait to see more photos. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, Fredrik and Nancy have a great series of blog posts up here: https://ghboats.com/tag/wild-places/