Well done mate...nice to feel your feelings and hear you thoughts even from little New Zealand...After 60 years of exploring and cruising I am now limited to living through the experiences of others. It is so lovely to have your person expressed in this way. Thanks mate.
Thanks Mate! Great fun, whether out there yourself or vicariously feeling others out there. I love NZ. Visited for 7 weeks a few years ago with my wife, exploring from the Milford Trek in the south to the very top of the North Island and the Bay of Islands. She’s a surfer and we found so many cool little surf towns. You, like we, are lucky to have such a fine place to knock about! John
Hi Dan, as you’ll see in the next article one of my surprises on the trip is how little we’ve used our tenders. The scout is pretty awesome though, it’s size and weight make it easy to deploy and stash back up top and it’s narrow beam let’s me use a kayak paddle instead of the oars, which also work well. Anyway, I’m glad to have it, but Tuffy’s almost small enough to be her own tender. 🤩
As Senior boater, who has camp-cruised the San Juan’s several times with small sailboats (and a dinghy for lifeboat, shore boat and extra fuel/water jugs), I have been tempted by Sam Devlin’s designs, as I believe the author has as well. Is this a “Surf Scotter” design?
This is a Black Crown 25, I believe the smallest of his Black Crown series. It’s my second Devlin. Really strong and functional boats. I purchased and set her up for this trip and am now pondering what to do when I get home. I have a Boston Whaler, which is great for the rivers, bays and grandkids so I may turn her over to the next guy who wants to take on the Inside Passage… it would be her 5th trip to Alaska I believe, and she’s got at least 5 or more in her!
Thanks for the story. My wife an I are planning on doing the Inside Passage next year and have decided that a <25’ boat will work for us. We have considered a Sam Devlin boat for this. The Surf Scoter or the Black Crown 25 would work for this trip. If you do decide to sell her please let me know we would like to see her and maybe purchase her.
Hey David, I thought I replied to this but don’t see it so maybe it didn’t go. You can have Josh give you my contact info or tell him to give yours to me. Up at Ocean Falls right now, pirating a BC Ferries signal at their ramp (they have one ferry a week (weather permitting) for a couple of months… not sure why. We’re positioning tomorrow for a passage across Queen Charlotte Strait (hopefully Monday or Tuesday) so I’ll be out of communication for several days at least.
Well done mate...nice to feel your feelings and hear you thoughts even from little New Zealand...After 60 years of exploring and cruising I am now limited to living through the experiences of others. It is so lovely to have your person expressed in this way. Thanks mate.
Thanks Mate! Great fun, whether out there yourself or vicariously feeling others out there. I love NZ. Visited for 7 weeks a few years ago with my wife, exploring from the Milford Trek in the south to the very top of the North Island and the Bay of Islands. She’s a surfer and we found so many cool little surf towns. You, like we, are lucky to have such a fine place to knock about! John
Now that you’ve used it for a while, how has your Scout 245 dinghy worked out?
Hi Dan, as you’ll see in the next article one of my surprises on the trip is how little we’ve used our tenders. The scout is pretty awesome though, it’s size and weight make it easy to deploy and stash back up top and it’s narrow beam let’s me use a kayak paddle instead of the oars, which also work well. Anyway, I’m glad to have it, but Tuffy’s almost small enough to be her own tender. 🤩
As Senior boater, who has camp-cruised the San Juan’s several times with small sailboats (and a dinghy for lifeboat, shore boat and extra fuel/water jugs), I have been tempted by Sam Devlin’s designs, as I believe the author has as well. Is this a “Surf Scotter” design?
This is a Black Crown 25, I believe the smallest of his Black Crown series. It’s my second Devlin. Really strong and functional boats. I purchased and set her up for this trip and am now pondering what to do when I get home. I have a Boston Whaler, which is great for the rivers, bays and grandkids so I may turn her over to the next guy who wants to take on the Inside Passage… it would be her 5th trip to Alaska I believe, and she’s got at least 5 or more in her!
Thanks for the story. My wife an I are planning on doing the Inside Passage next year and have decided that a <25’ boat will work for us. We have considered a Sam Devlin boat for this. The Surf Scoter or the Black Crown 25 would work for this trip. If you do decide to sell her please let me know we would like to see her and maybe purchase her.
Thanks.
I can send you contact info if you like.
Hey David, I thought I replied to this but don’t see it so maybe it didn’t go. You can have Josh give you my contact info or tell him to give yours to me. Up at Ocean Falls right now, pirating a BC Ferries signal at their ramp (they have one ferry a week (weather permitting) for a couple of months… not sure why. We’re positioning tomorrow for a passage across Queen Charlotte Strait (hopefully Monday or Tuesday) so I’ll be out of communication for several days at least.
And the Black Crowns (even at 25’) are beautiful, deluxe, stable cruisers; “Dream Boats”.