The Advantage

I decided to build our boat in 1987, after securing adequate financing. I assembled a great group of people to help: Norman Moe, a master shipwright with 50 years experience, Jack & Dawna Westrick, Tom Bennett, Al Nyhus, Chris McKay and many other volunteers. Everyone contributed so much to the final outcome that I cannot thank them all enough.

I chose the 56 x 17 foot Sportfisher hull offered by the Westport Shipyard and we took the bare hull to Ted Holland's shed and began construction in early January 1988. We fiberglassed stiffeners, bulkheads, and bunks in place. Next we glassed in the rudder and shaft logs, engine and tank beds, and the deckshelf. Then we installed a water tank (200 Gallon), fuel tanks (850 Gallon), twin 6v92 Detroit engines (900hp), and built the deck and forward cabin. We fiberglassed, gelcoated, grinded, sanded, and put guards and caprails on. Finally, we did all the plumbing, wiring and finishwork. On May 5th 1988 we were proud to be able to launch our new boat in Westport. The subsequent sea trials and US coast guard inspections went very well. We ran our first charter trip on May 14th in Neah Bay.

The whole process only took 5 months from start to finish. During this time we took many great pictures. The Advantage has performed wonderfully over all these years and has proven to be one of the fastest and most productive vessels on the Washington coast.