We factory ordered our second North River Seahawk 21 and we’re very pleased with the end result. This boat is actually not very different from our blue Seahawk, but we do love the new color, the removable fish box in the floor, and the slightly different canvas top.

We’ll be spending the next month installing Lowrance GPS/Sonar/Radar, iCom VHF, and Scotty electric downriggers. We’re hoping to have her in the rental fleet by early June, after we’ve had a chance to take her on a few “shake down runs” to work out any kinks!

We did a factory direct order on our second North River Seahawk and its looking good! Check out these shots from the factory to see it getting rigged and ready for the west side of Vancouver Island.

This boat is identical to the first aside from a couple of small differences:

• Welded frame on the canvas top for easier highway speed towing.
• Deleted all interior carpet to increase durability in a salt water environment.
• A removable fish box in the floor which makes it easier to transport fish up to the cleaning table

Our North River Seahawks 21s are the ultimate fishing boats for spots like Barkley Sound, Bamfield, Port Alberni, Ucluelet, Tofino, Nootka Sound, etc.

The BEST part? Nobody will know you’re renting because we don’t paint our boats obnoxious colors or plaster our names all over them!

We take delivery in late April and it should be in the rental fleet by the end of May once we’ve finished commissioning and done a couple of “shake down” runs.

We were starting to wonder if our first North River Seahawk 21 was ever going to be ready. We’ve been like little kids waiting for Christmas morning! Its finally here and we couldn’t be more pleased. This is a solid, beamy, boat with every Salmon fishing feature you could possibly want. You WILL attract a lot of attention when you pull up to the boat ramp or marina dock with this boat behind your truck!

Pictures will follow in the next couple of days.

Let’s look at the costs:

1) Purchase Price: A new boat that is capable of fishing the west coast of Vancouver Island is going to cost a minimum of $45K. I’m talking about a boat that is at least 20′ long with a single 150 HP main engine, 8+ HP trolling/emergency engine, GPS, VHF, etc. Of course you can spend a LOT more than $45K!

2) Annual Costs: Now that you’ve purchased your boat, you’re going to need to pay for moorage/storage, insurance, annual maintenance, etc. This can easily go over $1000/year.

3) Depreciation Costs: Is there anything, other than computers, that depreciates faster than a boat with an outboard engine? If you were to sell that brand new boat after 2 years, you’re probably looking at taking at least a $10K loss. Ouch! After 5 years your $50K boat is now a $25K boat.

4) Opportunity Cost: Lets say you’ve got $45K to spend on a boat. Wouldn’t you be better off investing that money somewhere at 10% instead of buying an asset that depreciates massively and is worth a fraction of the original price after 10 years? That $4.5K in interest can pay for a lot of fishing and you’ve still protected your capital!

5) Spousal Cost: Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones whose significant other is in full support of your fishing boat purchase. If so, then you are probably in the minority!

6) The Compromise Factor: Can you really get the specialized fishing boat that you want? Owning a specialized fishing boat is about as practical as driving a 2 seat convertible if you’ve got a family. A lot of fishermen going looking for an offshore fishing machine and end up with a bowrider ski boat!

How often do you REALLY go fishing?
If you fish 100 days a year then it clearly makes sense to own your own boat. But how many of us can really say that? If you’re like most people, you probably get out fishing a couple of weeks per year at the most. How much are you really paying per fishing day?

Add It All Up!
Do the math. Every situation is different, but I’m guessing that boat ownership doesn’t make much sense if there is a rental alternative available to them. The cost per day is actually significantly cheaper if you go the rental route.

Why Renting Makes Sense

1. Preserve your capital and avoid depreciation costs – Invest your money somewhere and make a profit instead of sinking your capital into a depreciating asset.
2. No maintenance concerns – All the maintenance is performed by the rental company. You just pick up the boat and then drop it off when you’re done.
3. Happy spouse – Can you put a price on that? She gets her driveway back and she might even get to stop having to drive your 3/4 ton pickup truck!
4. Get the boat you want – Forget about trying to fish from a bowrider lake boat and go fishing on a real fishing boat.

We’re in the process of procuring a North River Seahawk 21 from Oregon. She’ll have a 150 HP Evinrude E-tec, 8 HP high thrust 4-stroke kicker engine, fishing arch, rocket launchers, electric downriggers, Lowrance electronics, washdown pump, extra fish box, full canvas & curtains, trim tabs, air ride seats, etc. With a deep-V hull, super wide 8’6″ beam, offshore bracket and 70 gallon fuel tank she’s built for big water. This is a hairy-chested west coast fishing machine. We think that you’re really going to like it. I know that we will!

We’re accepting bookings for August, September, and October 2007. Wouldn’t you look good behind the wheel while trolling for giant Chinooks in Barkley Sound?