Re: [bolger] Utility for hauling and towing

I believe that a Diablo or Diablo Grande is a much
better sea boat than the Clam Skiff. I also think that
the resale value, which probably won't be high in
either case, would be much better for either Diablo.

But, what do I know? Less and less.

Phil Smith

My wife liked the little Michalak Toto I built so much that she's
having me build a second one. I'm also getting ready to start a
Gypsy this fall, and on top of that we've decided to try some boat
camping this fall at the lake near my shop. The concept: paddle
around in the calm mornings and sail when the wind comes up after
lunch.

The light cat schooner we have is a terrific daysailer, but is a bit
awkward to get all of our camping gear into. My thought was that a
simple power boat could lug all of our gear, carry the Totos in a
rack like a truck's pipe rack, and tow the schooner or the gypsy out
to the campsite. I even think I could get a skiff, a gypsy, and both
Totos on my flatbed utility trailer to do this all in one trip to the
lake.

I'm considering the 18'-6" Clam Skiff or a Diablo for this purpose
and wondered if anybody in the group felt strongly one way or another
about which boat would be best. The Colorado reservoir we'd be doing
this on can get a short chop and very windy, but the trips will be
short and slow, and we can always wait things out or hike to the
truck if necessary.

The Clam skiff has the advantage of greater stability at the rails, a
big flat bottom for gear, and really rugged construction, but the
Diablo looks better, is lighter to build alone, and would probably be
easier to sell down the road.

Any thoughts?

Jon