$850 and a month's worth of work put to use

Well it took a month's time from deciding on St Patty's day to build it to launching it on April 17th, but The Hanna Platte floats, can carry 600 pounds worth of fisherman, dogs, beer and gear. She drafts about 8 inches in the water and cuts through the river much better than my raft. Plus she must weigh around 200 pounds, I'd guess and is pretty easy to load on my raft trailer. I decided to mount a cooler as my rowing seat as I saw posted here to utilize room in this small boat. you can really tell if one of my dogs is leaning to one side or the other based on how the boat is sitting, it's a pretty tipsy ride, in more ways than one. Like the dog that shares her name she ain't no high dollar purebred and will be rode hard and unfortunately put away wet. But she does the trick and you can catch fish out of her. Thanks everyone here for your input and encouragement and maybe I'll see some of you on the river one day, maybe the Big Horn, Green or North Platte though probably not here in Colorado as I may be the only fool around these mountain streams to row a wood boat.

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Comment by mark hilbert on June 9, 2010 at 3:27pm

Hauled The Hanna Platte up to Montana and put in a couple days on The Bighorn. Great river and some good fishing had. Then floated Grey Reef on The North Platte in Wyoming on the way back south. Fishing stunk, wind was horrible but we found out HP can handle 2'-3' waves and can cut through some heavy upstream gales.

Comment by Lee Pendergrast on May 21, 2010 at 4:49am
Thanks Mark,

I figured out that you have a Rapid Robert just after I wrote you by reading some other blogs. The Picture in "the Book" didn't portray the boat from that angle and after just having built a Trapper, That's what I saw. I am near the Hiwassee River in Tn, It is very shallow and rocky. I settled on 8 ft oars but on another boat that length was alot of work to manage. I think smaller water=smaller oars.
Comment by mark hilbert on May 18, 2010 at 6:07am
lee, it's a Rapid Robert from Roger's book. If you have "THE BOOK" it's on the next few pages after The Trapper. I believe it's a little longer, how else they very I'm not sure without looking at the plans again. As for the oars, I have been using 9' but they are too long. I've asked that question on here and the response I've gotten is 8-1/2'. I just cut down my 9' spruce oars to 8-1/2' and used a grinder and sander to resphape the handles, now I just need to rope wrap the oars. Let me know about your oars when you get a chance to test out whatever length you are using.
Comment by Lee Pendergrast on May 17, 2010 at 9:02am
Hi Mark,

Isn't that boat a Trapper? I just built one and it looks pretty much Identical, right down to how you have done the standing knee brace.Looks good. What length of oar do you prefer?
Comment by mark hilbert on April 27, 2010 at 4:47pm
Thanks all, AJ-I would love to come up that way especially to the boat show and to hit some Montana waters that I used to fish when I lived up there 15 years ago. Problem is my buddy who is holding the brown and the net in one of the pictures of The Hanna Platte's maiden voyage is getting married on....you guessed it May 29th. I've still been thinking about skipping the wedding and heading north fishing/floating as the wife will be in Turkey with her sister's on vacation and I'm not in the wedding! Ahhh.... decisions!
Comment by AJ DeRosa on April 27, 2010 at 11:41am
Nice work Mark, you did good. The only "fools" in Colorado are the ones that don't get it. You have the most versitale boat on the river. Jackson hole is not too far for a Colorado boy. Come up and show it off at the show.

AJ
Comment by Dave Z on April 22, 2010 at 7:18pm
good for you man. That's a nice looking boat and you found its real purpose fast!- to get to the fish!
Comment by Chris Patterson on April 22, 2010 at 3:59pm
Very nice! Congratulations on a great looking boat.

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