Wednesday, January 16, 2013

How they land fishing boats in Alaska


Simple, really - just convert a logging skidder into a boat trailer, back it into the water, and ram it at full speed!







Peter

6 comments:

  1. Obviously a well-practiced maneuver. Nice. :)

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  2. Drive on boat trailers are pretty common these days.

    Gerry

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  3. Are you sure the guy in the wheelhouse isn't a Captain on a Hudson river ferry service.

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  4. I'm a bit confused. Growing up in the Northwest and spending several fall fishing seasons in Southeast Alaska, I can tell you that this isn't an uncommon way to recover your fishing boat. I'd usually opt for about 25% less speed, but we did that all the time.

    FormerFlyer

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  5. That's SOP with a jet boat. A little more difficult when doing that on a river when the current is moving rather quick.

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  6. They use articulating skid loaders with the big tall tires. The beach is really sandy and does not drop off quickly so you have to go quit aways out in the surf to launch and retrieve the boat. A regular vehicle would get stuck in the soft sand. They launch your boat give you a number that they also put on your trailer and when you are ready to retrieve you use the radio or wave the sign they gave you and they get your trailer and back it out into the surf. The state allows on operator to launch/retrieve boats and it cost about 50 bucks. Exciting with big surf and incoming tide.

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