Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
One of the projects I had to do on my boat this spring was to paint and varnish inside the cabin. In preparation for the task, I first removed everything I could from the boat. When I say "everything" I mean quite literally "everything" that wasn't permanently fastened to the boat including drawers, doors, electronic brackets, lights, hatch covers, trim, ceiling panels, seat pedestals, and of course all tackle and equipment. When I was done the waterline at the bow was up by four inches and the stern by two. For a 40-foot boat that's a lot of displacement. While I had her "light" I took a little ride down the bay and was not surprised to note that the top-end and cruising speeds had increased by a couple knots and by being higher out of the water the boat also had an entirely different feel than what I'd grown accustomed to after more than 20 years of steering her. Not necessarily better - just different.
The process got me thinking about how much fuel I was burning compared to when she was fully loaded. I didn't have time to figure that one out, but I can only imagine it would likely prove to be a rather substantial savings. I was left wishing that I could get away without reloading everything back aboard and go through the fishing season without toting around the extra weight. Of course that ain't happening - so I figured the best I could do was to use a lot more discretion in what would be put back aboard when it was time to do so.
The process reminded me of when I first got the boat and how I was seduced by all the extra storage space available and inclined to fill every cubic inch of it with all the tackle and equipment I owned "just in case" I might find a use on any of my trips. The problem was, after a few seasons I realized that there was an awful lot of stuff that I'd been hauling to and from the fishing grounds every day but not using at all. It didn't make sense because it was all just taking up space, adding extra weight, and some of it was showing signs of corroding, mildewing, or other forms of deterioration from being stowed in the saltwater environment for so long.
So I made a commitment that when it came to tackle I'd keep aboard only what I knew would be used on a regular basis and keep the "just in case" items down to a bare minimum. It didn't take long to realize the benefits of my decision. After removing all the extra ropes, gaffs, brushes, and fenders stowed below deck, I suddenly had a much cleaner and efficient engine room, which certainly made it a lot easier to do maintenance. Tackle drawers became much more efficient in that I could actually find things when needed and these days when I pull out a rig or lure I don't usually get four or five tangled in with them. That in itself was worth the effort because as any fishermen knows there will be times when opportunities unexpectedly present themselves, such as when dolphin or cobia swim up to the boat, or when bluefish or tuna start breaking water and anglers need to quickly re-rig and get something out to get a hook-up before the fish disappear. That's no time to be searching for the proper hooks or trying to untangle a glob of leader and lures!
A boat that's orderly without a lot of extra “stuff” is also going to be a safer vessel as tools and equipment that might be needed during a breakdown or in an emergency will be more easily accessed. While having problems on the water the last thing anyone needs is to waste time searching for a critical tool or engine part that's hidden beneath a pile of extra rain gear or old fishing magazines. Boaters need to scrutinize absolutely everything they might bring aboard and decide what will really be used and what will just take up space, add weight, and increase fuel consumption - a lot of little things add up!
A while back, a friend proudly showed me the "maintenance" closet on his boat that was filled with new and partially used containers of paint, varnish, solvents, epoxies, oils, sealers, brushes, cleaners, sandpaper, rags and so forth. It was all well organized and secure but I couldn’t help but conclude that it was way too much flammable and caustic materials to be storing on a boat. It should have been out in the dock box, in a storage room or even in the back of his truck, not aboard the boat, particularly when it would only be used when the boat was at the dock anyway.
While there's no doubt that we boaters need a lot to maintain our vessels and catch whatever fish happen our way and every year most of us accumulate more stuff than we get rid of, but our boats should never be looked at as floating storage sheds - that’s what garages, attics and dock boxes are for. A clutter-free boat loaded with just the essentials will always prove to be the safest and most efficient fishing machine.
Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and Captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
