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"Instead of burning less fuel after the 1973 Arab
oil embargo we burned more. A couple years ago I was at the Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, Washington, and up pulled
an approximately 25 foot fiberglass-bottomed, soft-sponsoned Coast Guard patrol craft with three large outboards
that burned 96 gallons of gas per hour at speed.
Anyway, in 1978, I found a wooden North Sea double-ender
named the M/V Elvina which came out of Western Norway and was probably of the '50's era. My quest was solved in that
the hull was solid (7/8" pine) and fair, had a good open straight keel and a good bow entry and stern leave and access
to the prop and rudder from the cockpit. The freeboard was low so we raised the sides (sheer) 13 inches which also added a
lot of volume to the interior. I eventually got a prototype hull running with cabin and cockpit which we launched
without much ballast or much fuel. There was a good chop and, although with a little rolling, the hull handled nice compared
to square stern hard chine rigs. We then added about 600 pounds of lead for what seemed a nice medium stability (minimal roll
but still bouyant).
The sectioning of the Allweather layout into cockpit, middle interior and bow was influenced
by my upbringing in the '30's when the next meal wasn't a sure thing. The cockpit is large enough to work
all kinds of gear with several Allweathers in use as hand trollers. The comment of Mr. Wood, of Petersburg, Alaska,
is typical. He told about making up some shrimp gear and in two tows catching all he and his wife can eat in a year.
With a rack over the cockpit it's easy to store and launch a skiff or partly or fully enclose for added dry
space. We still have a good functional interior and a vessel that typically takes on some pretty serious conditions."
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