Subject: River Rat
Date: 8/6/02
Hi Barry,
Thanks for your e-mail. I had not seen Ray Macke's website and now I am looking forward to reading about his Missouri River adventure. He appears to have done a wonderful job building the Cabin Skiff. I seriously considered building that boat -- and actually purchased the plans -- but finally decided on the River Rat because of its extra size.
Anyway, my plan is to leave for Buenos Aires next spring when the feeder streams of the Yellowstone have sufficient water flow -- probably in early June. I don't know when I last corresponded with you, but I launched my boat on July 4th and problems were minimal. The engine runs extremely well, the electrical system shows no glitches, the boat handles very nicely as far as motion and response to rough water are concerned, and the hull seems to be durable. I'm happy. Only two significant problems remain: engine (or more likely jet) noise is excessive and the steering is very tricky at slow speeds. The first I will attack with more insulation; the second will be addressed with practice. I plan to take the boat to Lake Powell for 6 days in early October, and then the winter months will be spent setting up the interior for the extended cruising I am planning to do.