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How far we have come since 1968?

 
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neverending
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:03 am    Post subject: How far we have come since 1968? Reply with quote

This past Saturday, December 2, 2006, I had a leisurely ride in my '68 25' Alglas and for the first time since I bought her 3 months ago I was just out for a ride. No sea trial, no fishing, no checking the latest repair or whatever. Just cruising. I wasn't testing fuel consumption, performance, speed, trim characteristics, looking for fish to tame... Just cruising.

And...

What came to mind was how wonderful a ride this is. Smooth, solid, stable, secure. A great ride, Head seas, following seas, confused seas. No slapping, bouncing, heeling, rocking or rolling. A great ride. There were times I thought I was on land.

So, how did Pacemaker/Alglas do this in 1968? This is not a highly modified boat. In fact, except for a repower in 2001, and a new transmission in October 2006, this boat is pretty much as Pacemaker intended in 1968.

I remember when I bought my previous boat in 1999. I was, at the time, the owner of a 42' Pacemaker SF and was looking for a smaller fishing boat that I could more easily single-hand and could go "in" where the 42' couldn't without sacrificing too much of the 'out' offshore performance of the Pacemaker. I had really settled on a new Grady-White 25 Sailfish and was ready to buy and took a sea trial. The local broker had a 'Day at the Docks' with all their models in the water to lust over and 'get wet' on. I took the Grady out and as soon as we got up to speed there was the too familiar pounding and slapping that I had conveniently forgotten about after having the 42 footer for several seasons. So I tried the rest of the boats at the event and ended up with a 25' Parker Walkaround with a single Volvo diesel.

Great boat for sure, especially after outfitting with all the goodies. 400 mile range, dry, and never missed one day at sea for a mechanical or any other issue. But... in the typical 4-5 foot chop and 8-10 foot swell of the local waters 16 knots was about all I could handle without destroying my dental work. Better than the Grady, much better, but still not very comfortable. But hey, this is fishing... right?

So, this time around, wanting to learn from the good and the not so good of past boating ventures, I was looking for... well, I wasn't quite sure. I figured I'd know it when I saw it. I was hoping to find something requiring less initial investment because we all know that's just the tip of the iceberg. Something that would provide a good foundation for building a reliable seaworthy fishing boat. Maybe it would be a Bertram, a Topaz, Albemarle, Stamas, Skipjack. Who knows what. I was telling others, when they asked what I was looking for, that I was in search of a powered rod holder. That if the boat had a cigarette lighter it had better be for plugging an electric reel into.

So, to make a long story short... fat chance for that, huh? I stumbled upon this local Pacemaker/Alglas and fell in love with the lines and an intangible grit that I just knew that this boat had seen its share of fish in its almost 40 years. It was there just waiting for me to transform into my personalized fishing machine.

For the past few months I've been exploring this machine, tuning, tweaking, focussed on planning new gadgets, and arsenals. Testing, probing, and armoring this machine for the war next spring between me and fish.

Then Saturday, yesterday... epiphany. This is already a great fishing machine, a great boat. Probably the best I have ever experienced. Runs like a charm, swims like a fish and in just 2 feet of water at that. How did Pacemaker do this 38 years ago? How did they do this and so few gave notice? What have the marine engineers been doing since?

I'm sure there are many fine boats out there and I've just not had the chance to try them all, but one thing I'm pretty certain of... this is the best boat I have ever owned and I look forward to spending every possible moment with her. What a pleasure, what a treasure.

Just had to share that.
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Dennis Sherod
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dennis - I am sure there are many with the same questions - You look accross the pacemaker line up and you have to wonder how they ever went out of business - The one model that sticks in my mind as being way ahead of its time like 30+ years is the Wahoo - Look at the center console market today like every one has a center console and Pacemeker did it 30 years ago - No only that they did it but they did it with balance that even the boats today can't match - Inboard or inboard outboard diesel or gas - low center of gravity centered squarely in the center of the boat - If you never gat a ride in one try it - It makes you think how did this happen on a design that is 30+ years old! Maybe they had a time machine at Pacemaker!

Mike - Rolling Eyes


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neverending
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As far as going out of business, that can happen to anyone, even the best. A good product does not a successful business make, but I'm sure you know that. There are so many elements that go into making a business success.

I'm grateful that they made what they did, while they could.

You touched on something though that I think is central to the last 20-30 years of boat building. Namely, aft mounted propulsion. It was the modularity of the stern drive system that commoditized boat building. It lead to the diffusion of the market and drove many of the less agile builders out of the market and resulted in a dirth of mediocre and inferior designs. Stern drives made the production processes simpler and had mass market appeal because they brought the price of vessels down and were seen as easier to handle in single engine configurations, at the expense of sound marine engineering.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 10:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dennis, Mike,

As a proud owner of a 26 Wahoo, I have nothing but praise for it. [I was told that it was not "POLITICALLY CORRECT" to refer to a boat as "HER", I can't wait to retire.] The day that I brought "Her" from Forked River to Bayville, N.J. I knew that "She" was the boat. I bought "Her" from a good friend of mine. The day that we were to move "her" in April, the winds were out of the N.E. at 18 to 20 mph with gusts to 29 +. My Buddy insisted that this is no big deal for this boat. We had a boat behind us us out of the River, but when we hit Barnegat Bay, he headed back. We saw one other boat the entire 10 + mile trip. "She" planned no problem and we took it easy and ran at 20 kts. DRY and SMOOTH. The owner of the other boat, a 23 Roballo, that was a few slips away from me, said that he had NEVER SEEN ANOTHER BOAT HANDLE THE SEAS LIKE THE WAHOO AND WISHED THAT HIS BOAT HANDLED THAT WELL. I continue to receive nothing but praise for "Her". The "modern boat" that resembles the Wahoo the most is the 26 Albin Center Console. All said and done it is over $100,000. "She" is definitely not the fastest boat out there, but "She" is definitely one of the most seaworthy and comfortable boats ever built. This past summer, My family took a cruise. At the Gran Tacos, my son and I booked a fishing charter. The boat was a 27' Polar. The seas were a little rough, but this boat for it's size had to be the "WETTEST CENTER CONSOLE" that I was ever on. My 18' Dixie center console, that I had bought new in 1980, and still own is drier. Pacemakers were Definitly Ahead Of Their Time.

John
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