Bought a boat.

[Hatchdog]

Many years ago my wife and I were boaters, both moored at a marina and on a trailer at home. Last boat we owned was around 2003 and have been RV travel trailer folks since.

Lately we (mostly me) have been pinning away to have a boat again. We spent some time earlier this year at a man made for irrigation reservoir called Banks Lake and of course there were boats everywhere. Last summer our grandkids visited from California and they rented a cabin on a large lake nearby. They rented a ski boat and we had lots of fun towing the kids around. All this whet my appetite to have a boat again. I was leaning towards a pontoon boat but my wife wasn’t too keen on one. One phobia she has always had was the prop when using the swim platform. Both just swimming and retrieving skiers and tubers. We have seem some boats with extended swim platforms and she always liked that feature. When we had our trailer boat we did lots of beach camping on Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir created by Grand Coulee Dam. Our boat at the time was a cuddly cabin and we had to walk across the enclosed bow the get to the beach which was a pain. For this reason I always wanted what is called a deck boat which has a front swim platform and boarding ladder.

So I have been watching Craigslist and every time a decent boat showed up it was “gone in sixty seconds”. So one Sunday about a month ago this Glastron deck boat showed up. I showed the pics to my wife making sure the second one she saw showed the extended swim platform. Shame on me . Well, it worked and we took a look at the boat a few hours later. I told her due to my observations on how fast boats are selling that if we liked the boat we needed to be prepared to commit immediately. So off we went to see the boat and agreed we liked it and made the purchase. Fortunately I had the funds from selling my classic Mustang on hand so we were able to put the purchase together the next day.

It’s a 2007 Glastron DS215 21’ deck boat. Powered by a Mercruiser 350 Magnum MPI connected to a Merc Bravo 3 out drive. The 350 is 300 hp and injected. The Bravo 3 is a heavy duty dual prop outdrive used on performance boats. Being a deck boat it will be very stable which is good as we plan to bring our Golden Retriever with us once we get him. Only 234 hours on the motor and while the outside of the boat was clean and shinny it sure needed some deep cleaning. We spend a lot of time cleaning out the interior including the bilge and other enclosed areas. Had to put new tires on the trailer as they were 10 years old. The snap out carper was bad so we have new carpet being made by a local company. So far the carpet has been the most expensive repair needed. Many other small details needed attention but nothing major. We plan to take it out on it’s maiden voyage (for us) on Tuesday after the 4th of July crazies are gone. The seller and I ran the motor in his driveway using bunny ears for cooling and it seemed to run fine. I do have to admit that by not test driving the boat I have a bit on anxiety on the mechanicals.

Some pics…..

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[BigAl52]

Are you gonna train up Hatch and pull it behind the RV? Made a comment in the Morning thread nice boat Im sure you will like it.

[Hatchdog]

Are you gonna train up Hatch and pull it behind the RV? Made a comment in the Morning thread nice boat Im sure you will like it.

No, triple towing is not allowed in Washington State. Idaho and Montana, you bet.

We have three trips planned, July, August and Sept. Two of the three are less than 90 minutes away (Sullivan Lake and Lake Roosevelt out of Kettle Falls) and the third is about 2.5 hours away (Banks Lake). The plan is to haul the trailer and set up camp and then bring the boat up. Or, take the boat first and then go get the trailer. I’ll probably do option II as most campgrounds don’t allow set up until 2:30 PM. I can leave early with the boat and leave it as secure as possible at the launch and then go get the trailer. Tried to talk my wife into trading her Explorer for an Expedition and then she could haul the boat. Man, if looks could kill I would not be typing this.

[John E Davies]

Nice boat, I hope there are no surprises….. I am headed next week to Kettle River campground just ten minutes NW of Kettle Falls, it is a really delightful spot. No boat launch there, but you could beach your new boat near your site. There is a small courtesy dock. The water level is right at full pool elevation now, so there is actually water around the campground, so it is cooler. Once the water drops ten feet, the sand banks are everywhere. I love these Lake Roosevelt campgrounds, FYI they are Reservation Only now, every single one. There are still tons of vacancies mid-week, but it looks like the best sites are filling up for the weekends. Since these are so close to Canada, they don’t seem to be as busy as the ones closer to Grand Coulee Dam, the Canadians are not coming down through the border crossings and the Americans don’t want to drive so far north. So it makes a great choice for a Spokane area RVer. I’ll be in Site 13 Thursday thru Sunday, come see me

https://www.lrf.org/recreation/boat-launch-lake-levels

John Davies
Spokane Wa

[JEBar]

if she runs anywhere as nice as she looks, you have one nice boat and trailer .... looking forward to your on going reports

[Hatchdog]

Thanks for the invite John but I don’t think we will be in the area when you are. On our Tuesday cruise I’ll cruise by and check it out. Looks very nice and peaceful due to the small size.

[John E Davies]

Thanks for the invite John but I don’t think we will be in the area when you are. On our Tuesday cruise I’ll cruise by and check it out. Looks very nice and peaceful due to the small size.

Here are some pics I took of Kettle River CG when I was scouting that area at Memorial Day, the CG was closed but not barricaded. The lake level was about 30 feet below full pool height, so you can’t get a boat there that time of year, unless you want to hike. But now all those vast sand banks are under water since the water level has risen. Looking north toward Canada eh! the river is off in the distance.

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Site 13, wide open view and sun in morning, shade after noon:

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View from the far bank (east shore) of the Kettle River:

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John Davies
Spokane WA

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[Hatchdog]

Yesterday’s test cruise went very well. All systems except for the depth finder worked as they should. Depth finder wouldn’t give an accurate reading, mostly showing either exactly 60 ft or exactly 0.9 ft. I did get a few other readings but something is amiss. I’m beyond impressed with the power, it gets on plane almost instantly. This is my first dual prop set up and it sure makes a difference on the hole shot. Took it up to 50 mph with some throttle left but decided not to go max until I am more comfortable with the boat. Because it’s a deck boat it has a pretty flat bottom but the few wakes I crossed were barely noticeable. Tried a few sharp turns but didn’t get too aggressive and it tracks well. We leave in two weeks for several days of camping and boating in the exact location as we were yesterday (Upper Columbia near Kettle Falls, WA) and will give it a better workout.

John, I saw what I believe is the mouth of the Kettle River but didn’t venture up. With the wonky depth finder I didn’t want to risk running aground or damaging the props. Sure is nice to have the reservoir at full pool, man that’s a lot of water. Back in the day we spent lots of time in the Fort Spokane area on both the Columbia and the Spokane but this is my first experience with the Upper Columbia.

[BigAl52]

Glad it worked out for you Hatch. I sure did like the twin countershaft I had. As you mention hole shot and on a plane quick. You will have a good time with that boat for sure.

[RanchRoper]

Can't go wrong with a Glastron....they built the 1960's Bat-Boat....

[Hatchdog]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Holy spinning propeller Batman, that’s a sweet looking boat.

I remember that boat from the good old days of Batman.

Funny, I was a little hesitant with this boat as my memory of Glastron boats is that of a lime green tri-haul square fronted ugly beast. But, after looking at their more recent boats Glastron is right in line with other manufacturers.

[RanchRoper]

If I was buying a boat it would be a Glastron or Sea Ray....pretty solid boats.

[John E Davies]

It is pretty amazing what an extra 20 feet of water does, this is Kettle River CG today, all the sand flats are covered. There is a nice southerly breeze off the lake, so the 85 degrees feels much more mild. Very few bugs. If you had a cruiser you could anchor and just ride out in one of the two lagoons. This is really a gem of a campground for this area.

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And it is practically deserted. Too close to Canada for Americans, and no open border for Canadians to drive down from.

BTw cellular is pretty spotty around this end of Lake Roosevelt, but this CG is in the right spot, I have 50 Mb download speed with Verizon, enough that I could stream videos. Many of them have zero cell coverage.

John Davies
Spokane zwS

[Hatchdog]

Beautiful pics John. We’re planning to be at the Kettle Falls campground in a couple of weeks for several days. Sure hope this heat wave breaks but at least the water is refreshing. When we were there a few days ago this campground was pretty deserted too.