The boat we got requires a bunch of work simply to be sure everything safe and the engine's not going to die and we need to take safety certificate tests to be allowed to use it. We got enough going right now that that boat is sitting there while we are finding a mechanic at a marina that isn't going to screw us.

But they opened up the winter crab season so I got another month of crabs if I can just get a pot out into that water but they pulled the docks in. I only have to go a few hundred yards to get the best drop zone.

Smaller boats of a tiny horsepower do not require the safety certificate and I got a Yukon that I could just throw it on top of.

So here's where we ended up:

Newport Vessels NV-Series 36lb Thrust Saltwater Transom Mounted Trolling Electric Trolling Motor w/LED Battery Indicator & 30" Shaft https://a.co/d/9Xc1ylJ

Pelican - Boat Intruder 12 - Jon Fishing Boat - 12 ft. - Great for Hunting/Fishing, Khaki/Beige https://a.co/d/8ePrMSc


Limited-time deal: Newport Vessels Trolling Motor Smart Battery Box Power Center with USB and DC Ports https://a.co/d/9mxdD0D

Combined with a locally purchased deep discharge marine hundred amp hour battery and charger.

Plus some safety jackets.

That boat will strap on the top of my Yukon. I don't have to drive more than a couple of miles.

It will fit two people and four crab traps.

Everything's been delivered and the battery is charging.

That battery should power that motor for three and a half hours at approximately 4 miles per hour. I have no desire to go more than a few football fields out.

So of course the second M gets off work. She's going to say let's hit the ocean no matter what the weather is. I don't have underwater communication gear for when the thing capsizes. And you know she's going to go deeper and deeper because the deeper you go the bigger the crabs get.

Rather than put it on top of the Yukon, I put it inside the Yukon and tied the boat handles down to the passenger handles on the pillars. It stuck out the back about 4 ft. At a downward angle. Not enough to scrape the ground though. I tied that end handle down to the trailer hitch hook point.

6 minute cautious drive to the beach at the park. It's got a large concrete ramp down to the water so I can get very close for the drop off and pickup.

I actually have a beach around the corner here (three blocks away) but they closed the road for the winter. It is a private road that I pay for ($60 a year maintains that road and the local airport) but that also means I can get sued if someone does something really stupid on it. So we close it during the ice months. Keeping in mind there's only ice one or two days a month, but that's enough to be cautious.

Occasional drizzle and snow flurry.

I'll pick the traps up in a couple of hours. That motor certainly pushes me and M and the traps very quickly and I drain the battery for all of 5 minutes to get where I needed to go.

But M went ahead and pulled the trigger on this thing and it seems quite reasonable.

I do have electric winch that I am considering putting into play here.

And yes this is in the winter but I am in the rain shadow and I don't have snow like anyone else does around here. A bit of rain and a bit of wind.