Halloween Fishing Trip

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Chris To, Sammy To, Dick Anderson
Weather: Clear and cold
Seas: 1 to 2 feet
Engine Hours: 78.6 to 82.5
Destination: Edmonds, Possession Point, Point No Point, Kingston

Launched "Quay Cat" at about 1:00 PM to try out the new cockpit enclosure and go fishing. We met Chris and his son Sammy at Edmonds and then headed north to try our luck at fishing. Nothing at Possession Point so we headed over to Point No Point to try the tide rips. Immediately we had three hits. Dick was on first and mine was next. However, mine was a hit and run that stole the bait. Suddenly, Chris was yelling too. His was much larger and broke the line. We knew we would get some fish because I had forgotten the net. I had to grab the salmon by the gills to bring it aboard. Glad we did not loose it.

We got back to shore about 5:30 and sent Chris off to catch the ferry back to Edmonds while Dick and I cleaned up the boat. It is about 14 feet high now on the trailer with the enclosure. We had to watch for power lines on the lane into Dicks yard where we keep the boat. Tight fit. We will have to trim some lines from the trees to make it easier to get in and out.

Fueled up before the trip at 78.6 hours. Put 20.5 gallons in the right tank and 8.6 gallons in the left. Not sure why there was such a big difference or why the right tank was so low. Last fuel was at 74 hours. That is about right for the left tank. Fuel use per hour was 6.32. This is a record high. Will check the right engine to see if there is a problem if the fuel use remains uneven.

Maintenance: The aft white light on the mast does not work. We will have to drill the rivets out of the mast and redo the wiring. We had to extend the mast by about a foot when we added the Bimini and enclosure.

Need to decide on a propane heater now too and get it installed before the boat show in January.
Will make final alterations to the trailer this week. Need to move the wheels two feet forward and then place the forward stop in the right place. Then it needs some sanding and repainting.

Getting a Bimini

Eastern Ontario Canvas starts the stainless steel ribs for "Quay Cat's" bimini and enclosure. Canvas goes on tomorrow! Should be done this week.

"Quay Cat" at the Beach

We beached "Quay Cat" at Shilshole. While not eliminating the need for a dinghy on longer cruising trips, the beaching capability is a great way to get to shore for quick visits.

Sea Trials and Video Shoot

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Jerry Konstanski, Gosia, Pawel, Grahame
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 65 degrees
Seas: Calm
Engine Hours: 74.2 to 78.6
Destination: Agate Pass, Alki Beach, Elliott Bay, Shilshole and Kingston

Cruised south around Bainbridge Island. Had video camera and a second boat so we could get 360 degree shots of "Quay Cat" in action. We had hoped for some rough weather to demonstrate the Motorcat 30's stability, but water was very smooth. We will put links to the video up as soon as we edit it.

Beached on Alki. A Seattle cop started chewing out some men playing football near where we landed. When he came over to us he demanded to see a permit for beaching the boat. I had never heard of the need for a permit to take video for two minutes, but try not to argue with people with guns. Clearly he had nothing better to do than pester people playing football. Maybe they did not have a permit either. Seems to be my week for run ins with authority figures. Last Sunday it was the Coast Guard.
Except for the Seattle Police Department, we had a great day. We got our video up at Shilshole and cruised home.

Had dinner with Jerry and crew and discussed a 22 foot MotorCat for day cruise and fishing and a 34 foot MotorCat for long cruise and live aboard. This will give us a great family of MotorCats.

Fueled up with 38 gallons. Engine hours were 74.2. Since last fueling was Last fueling was at 63.8, that is 10.4 hours. That is 3.65 gallons per hour this time, a little higher than usual. Cruising at 20 miles per hour, this translates into 208 miles at 5000 RPM, about half of the range with the MC30.

Maintenance Issues:

Fiddled with the hot water. Restricted the inflow and perhaps that will give hotter water (but less volume. We need a much better hot water system.

We discussed propane heat and venting during the cruise. There is a double cooktop propane heater that I like. The biggest issue is where to vent the unit. Perhaps we can vent it under the step on the port side. Need to check into that.

Decided where to put the speakers in the cockpit for the stereo.

Title: Ready for Cruising at Edmonds Guest Dock

Quay Cat at Edmonds before our cruise with Robert Scoble. The Motorcat30 is a sleek boat that always looks great. No matter where we go, people always want to see more of the MC30.

Check out the new North Sound Cruising website for more information.

Seattle Day Cruise

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Bill Weir, Robert Scoble, Maryam
Weather: Sunny and clear
Seas: Smooth
Engine Hours: 69.6 to 74.2
Destination: Edmonds, Seattle, Alki, Bainbridge Island

What a great day for a cruise! After several days of rain and fog, we took Quay Cat out for a cruise with blogger Robert Scoble. We had scheduled this a couple weeks earlier and crossed our fingers for a nice day. We will have to cross our fingers more often. The weather was spectacular.

Picked Robert, Maryam and Bill up in Edmonds at 12:30pm. I put the boat in the water at about 11:00 with Thomas helping out and left solo for Edmonds at 11:30. I stepped onto the dock in Edmonds with the stern line, but the wind had pushed the bow out too far. I climbed back aboard and tried again. After about the third try, I made it. I led a line aft and jumped ashore with both bow and stern lines in hand. Docking solo in wind is tricky.

We were boarded by the Coast Guard in Elliot Bay. This was a first for me. The were doing safety inspections and had chosen us at random. Random was a bit of a funny thing though, because we were one of only two boats in Elliot Bay at the time and they had just finished boarding the other one. Robert was surprised they could board us without any probable cause.

The check took about 15 minutes and we discovered we were deficient in the following areas. First, the life jackets sent with the boat by Bond Yachts, although nice with the MC30 logo and all, were not Coast Guard Approved. We will toss them and get real jackets. Second, the fire extinguisher is also from Poland and is not USCG approved. We have to replace it. They were nice about it and did not write us a ticked, but gave us a written warning to keep in the log.

Beached the boat at Alki. A little girl asked us if we had wheels on the boat. She also asked if she could look inside, how much it cost, and finally, Why we had come onto the beach at Alki. I told her that we beached it because we could. As she came aboard with her grandma, she told me that her dad needed to get a boat with a cabin and that perhaps they could sell their house and just live on the boat. Very Cute.

We stopped at the City Dock in Bainbridge Island and had a late lunch at Doc's. Great burgers. Sunset was spectacular as we cruised back north to Edmonds, dodging the gill netters. I dropped Robert, Bill and Maryam off at Edmonds at around 6:00 and was back in Kingston a half hour later. I still like cruising at night. The water was glassy smooth and the lights from the other boats, fisherman, commercial freighters and navigational markers are beautiful.

We all commented over and over during the day about what a great place Seattle was to live and how lucky we all were to be able to enjoy this place. The Motorcat definitely adds a larger perspective to the beauty of Seattle.

Maintenance Issues:

The GPS mount seems loose. Need to tighten it.
Need new life jackets and fire extinguisher that are USCG approved.
Condensation still in the two fuel gauges from Poland and the trim gauges from Honda, replace at 100 hour service.

Photo: Heading into the Fog

Heading into the fog with Thomas on lookout. We slowed down and kept a keen eye out for other boats. Keeping a straight course is much harder when you cannot see the land.

Photo: Spawning Salmon

My boys show me what they think of the smell of rotting salmon along the Dosewallops River. Each of the little dots on the right bank is a 3' salmon that has spawned and died.

Overnight at Pleasant Harbor WA

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Tom Karren, Rob Karren
Weather: Clear on Sat. Foggy on Sunday. High 60's
Seas: Calm to 2'
Engine Hours: 63.8 to 69.2
Destination: Pleasant Harbor in Hood Canal

A week or two ago Bill Weir and I were exploring Hood Canal in "Quay Cat". Although I have been racing, sailing and cruising in Puget Sound since 1991, I had never been south of the Hood Canal Bridge until last week. (Except for one time crabbing just south of the bridge in my Porta-Boat, "Origami". Since we only went a few hundred feet past the bridge, that does not really count as seeing Hood Canal.) When we came around the corner from Fisherman's Harbor, Bill and I both were Stunned by the view of the Cascade mountains and the water. I immediately planned a weekend trip back.

Saturday morning we got up and gassed up the MC30 with 20 gallons. Engine hours at the last fuel stop were 56.7 hours. Fuel usage was 2.84 GPH. Seems that average fuel usage for me on nearly 70 hours of usage is under 3.0 GPH. Compared to the usage of 20 GPH for a similarly sized aft cabin cruiser, I will have saved 1,190 gallons of fuel since mid August! At $2.50 a gallon, that is $2,975 saved in fuel purchases! Also, since I am trailerable and can buy my fuel at the local gas station instead of the gas dock, I save another $0.75 a gallon on the gas I do buy. That is another $150 so far.

Cruised the Motorcat 30 to Pleasant Harbor. Water was glassy smooth. Five or six submarines were visible at the Bangor Sub Station. Even from the far side of the Hood Canal, they look huge. We got to Pleasant Harbor at about 3:00 PM. We took a quick hike to the mouth of the Duckabush, but the state park was another 5 miles up the canyon. Too far to walk in boat shoes. Went back to the marina and soaked in their hot tub for 20 minutes. Since we were hooked up to shore power, tried the electric cook top. Heated up a little slow, but got plenty hot once it got going. Dinner was salmon risotto. I bought Dove Bars for desert.

Walked up the highway to Dosewallops State Park on the Dosewallops River to see the salmon swimming upstream. Although there were hundreds of big salmon spawning in the river, there were thousands of dead ones rotting on the banks. Pew! We figure it is the NoseWallop right now. Although the fog had lifted in the harbor when we got back, it was still thick in Hood Canal. We cruised slowly home relying on charts, GPS and compass. Fog was thick and visibility was only 100' or so most of the way home.

Orca were swimming in Puget Sound this afternoon. We did not spot them, but friends we saw out on the water dropped by with a fresh silver for us tonight and asked if we had seen them. Evidently it was either one large pod of whales or two smaller pods. Maybe we will see them later this week.

Maintenance Issues:

Still no luck with the hot water. Although we were on shore power, water was just shy of warm. Not good enough for showers. The light on the water heater was on, but no hot water. Will check with the manufacturer and see if it can be adjusted.

Rob broke the faucet in the galley today. He was leaning on it (sitting on it actually) for some reason and when he shifted his weight, he snapped it off. I will try to superglue it back on, but will probably have to replace it.

Detailed the boat today. Looks great, but the patches in the gelcoat where I moved the VHF antenna do not match well. Will take back to Bay Marine to have them redo the getcoat patches.

Dropping off with Rapp Upholstery and Eastern Ontario Canvas to get the Bimini and aft enclosure started tomorrow. Should be done in a few weeks. I will still have access to the boat while they work.

Photo: Parking the Motorcat30 in Seattle

Parking is only $10 for an evening in Seattle. "Quay Cat" is nosed into hourly parling and I am coming forward along the port side.

Photo: Boatless in Seattle

People stand on Pier 66 and watch us cruise into the marina. The look on their face is "I wish we had a nice boat like that Motorcat!" Seattle is a great place. Too bad so many of the people here miss out on so much of what it has to offer if they lack a boat.

Quick Elliot Bay Cruise

Skipper: Scott Karren
Guests: Jay Biagi, Ron Erickson
Weather: Clear with 15 knot winds
Seas: 2' to 3'
Engine Hours: 60.0 to 64.5
Destination: Elliot Bay

Took Jay and Ron out on Quay Cat. Jay is a principal at Monihan and Biagi and Ron is the CEO of Blue Frog Mobile. Ron was amazed at the interior, especially the workmanship and Jay was also very complementary. "I have owned several boats and this is the perfect boat for the Northwest."

I put the boat in the water at around 10:00 AM and cruised to Seattle at 17 MPH since I was not in a big hurry. I met up with Jay and Ron at Bell Harbor Marina. We cruised in Elliot Bay for about an hour. The seas were fairly rough, but Quay Cat cut gently through the chop and hardly bounced at all. Smooth as silk. The only sign of the roughness was some spray on the windshield.

Maintenance Issues:

Need to replace 3 fenders. Lost one today and only have 3 on board.