Ard
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2013
- Messages
- 54
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-24 C (Sterndrive)
- Hull Identification Number
- FLMR2101A202
- Non-Fluid Motion Model
- WetTruck 26 (whitewater motor rig)
- Vessel Name
- Chilidog
- MMSI Number
- 338165568
I’ve just returned from a week at Lake Powell (I couldn’t wait any longer). As a refresher to those of you who don’t know me, I purchased my R21 Classic in Missouri last October. The day of purchase I put her in a small local lake for a few hours to make certain she was suitable for a Missouri River cruise I had been planning for the next several days. All seemed fine so I threw on a couple of 10’ oars and spent the next 3 days cruising 130 miles upstream and down above Kansas City. Subsequently I towed her back to Denver and put her in her barn for the winter.
Since then I have been adding the items I deemed necessary, or just plain fun to have for what will hopefully be many years of future use mainly on the US Inland Waterways. My design goal was to be able to cruise 2 people for 30 days and/or 1000 miles without the need to resupply food, fuel, or water. This all started with the custom camper back which is documented in my photo gallery. Here’s a list of other additions:
60 watt semi-flexible mono-crystalline solar panel with MPPT charge controller
2nd house battery
digital volt meter
new stereo and speakers with bluetooth connectivity and HD radio, powered sub
2 hard wired USB power supplies
additional switch panel
15” TV/monitor (for broadcast TV, PC monitor, backup camera) w/antennas
Windows 7 PC
VHF w/AIS
handheld VHF
handheld dual band transceiver
loud-hailer
GPS chart-plotter
NMEA multiplexer with Ethernet and WiFi (for iPad and PC)
mast mounted 27W LED flood light
hand held 3 million CP spot light
mast mounted backup camera with night vision
ceiling mounted 12” 3 speed fan
50qt 12v freezer (makes block ice daily for cooler, ice packs for small drink cooler)
2 Waterbrick 1.6 gallon containers for rotating block ice to cooler
80qt food cooler
11 gallon composting toilet
butane stove
stovetop oven
coffee press with crank burr grinder
stern rail mounted Solaire infra-red grill
stern rail mounted 10lb. aluminum propane tank
stern rail mounted 54lb. thrust trolling motor
custom power station on side of engine cover, 2 12v receptacles, plug for troller
custom hinged bow ladder
8 tires anchored top and bottom for fenders
custom cable to enable built-in trailering LED lighting
6 5 gallon diesel cans (bringing fuel capacity to 42 gallons)
3000 gallon gravity fed water filter
large slide anchor
trash compactor (I wish😉
I think that’s about it.
We left Denver at 5am on March 9th and arrived Bullfrog at 2:30pm, endured the Quagga Mussel inspection, loaded and launched at 4pm. Cruised for about an hour and anchored in Halls Creek Bay. Drank beer.
Monday, after organizing the gear, swapping ice blocks (and soiling the new composting toilet), we headed south with a planned destination of as far up Iceberg Canyon as we could go. It was a beautiful sunny day of glassy smooth water and highs approaching 70. I settled in on a cruising speed of 6 mph at 2150 rpm. The last time I was at Lake Powell was in 2008 and the water was much lower now. I was disappointed that I couldn’t make it into any of the 3 fingers at the end of the Canyon… all were blocked by exposed dead trees from when the lake was originally filled. There was a nice sandy beach available so I ran her up on the beach and tied off with the slide anchor. Hadn’t seen another boat the entire day. For dinner we enjoyed grilled fillets, mashed potatoes and green beans with freshly baked dinner rolls, and aptly washed it all down with Ranger IPA from one of our local breweries.
Tuesday morning we arose to temperatures in the low 40’s so we waisted no time in shoving off so as to enjoy the warmth of the pilot house heater. With all of the windows closed on the camper back I was pleased to find that I could bring the temperature up to 70 degrees including in the cockpit. With another day of glassy smooth water and no wakes from other boats, we were able to enjoy freshly baked cinnamon rolls with our freshly ground coffee en route. The destination today was the Escalante Arm and its assorted side canyons. We made it to what is presently the end, indicated by significant inflow debris and choked with silt, turned around and made camp on a tiny island.
Wednesday was much cooler with expected highs in the 50’s so beach lounging was not in order making a perfect excuse for me to become more “at one” with the Chilidog. We decided to head further south entering the San Juan Arm to see how far we could get. That was a long cruise but of course I enjoyed every minute of it. After many miles the San Juan Arm makes a large loop heading in a generally northern direction. As we were approaching the northernmost tip of the loop (just a few miles as the crow flies from Tuesday’s camp in Iceberg Canyon) I could make out what looked like small pieces of floating debris scattered about. I thought it strange that they were stationary and after further inspection I found that these were the tops of dead trees that had all been given “haircuts” by props from speeding boats when the lake was at a slightly higher level. I carefully picked my way through these for perhaps a quarter of a mile before better judgement and impending darkness caused me to turn around and seek camp.
Thursday was another cool and slightly overcast day so we decided to make a run for the Rainbow Bridge. We spotted a canoe with some campers and later a small house boat, the first motor craft sighting since we left the Marina on Sunday! We camped near the entrance to the National Monument and hiked to the Bridge the following morning. We were the only boat there.
Friday we needed to begin the trek north. We camped on a huge beach just off the main channel roughly across from Hole in the Wall.
Saturday we continued north to the mouth of the Escalante where there was known cellular access to check in with loved ones. That being done we continued on northbound with a goal of camping within an hour or so of Bullfrog. I was planning on a late (10pm) arrival home on Sunday to avoid most of the ski traffic.
Around noon I could see the surface of the water ahead changing from glassy smooth to mild chop. As we crossed the line I stuck my arm out the window and surely enough we picked up significant wind which turned to 1 foot chop, then 2 foot chop, then 3 foot chop with a constant howling 30mph wind. I had been trying to pull in the NOAA weather broadcast on the VHF but to no avail. Soon anything that wasn’t on the floor, was. The factory fiddles were no match for the violent ride, and there wasn’t a discernible pattern to the mayhem. I had read about “hull slap” on C-Brats but had never considered that a possibility on the slow R21, until it happen… probably a couple of dozen times. And I was only doing 4 knots. I didn’t feel as if I could go any slower and still maintain control. Spray began to wet the windshield, then it came in sheets and it wasn’t raining. The splash was going over the top of the pilot house. The port lights and windows on the camper back were getting wet from the bow plunging. At one point the webbing loop that secures the bow ladder in its upright position came off so I donned my lifejacket (which in retrospect I should have put on earlier) and climbed onto the bow to secure it. That was fun.
This went on for about 3 hours. As we approached Halls Creek Bay I could barely see the surrounding mountains for the sand storm. We ducked into the bay and found a tiny and very shallow inlet that seemed to offer good protection. Had to trudge through thigh deep mud to get the anchors secured on shore. Finally got the weather broadcast only to find there had been a small craft advisory with winds gusting to 57mph. It was a calm night.
Sunday morning was beautiful but had to start the day by retrieving the anchors from the deep mud (more like quicksand). We made it back to the ramp on schedule, spent a couple of hours de-rigging and cleaning the boat so as to be in compliance with the Quagga Mussel mandate. Made it home just before 10pm.
Regarding the storm… I never once felt unsafe in the boat. It was great to have the experience on a lake. This will be experience that will serve me well on future trips. It was very apparent how easily things could turn ugly very fast. Had I lost power or rudder we could have easily been dashed into the canyon walls. Based on my whitewater experience I would say it was about the equivalent of a class 4 rapid (on the Grand Canyon 10 scale) only rather than being over in a minute or so, it seemed to be endless. Definitely got my attention.
Statistics:
200 miles, 42 engine hours, 10.5 gallons of fuel.
Towed 1000 miles at 61mph, 13mpg. 2011 Nissan Frontier Pro 4X 4.0 liter V6
94 beers
Observations:
Of the 8 devices onboard capable of receiving NOAA weather, 4 are internet based (predominately useless on Lake Powell). And of the remaining radio based devices only the $37 Beofeng handheld could sometimes get weather broadcasts.
I arrived home with the same amount of ice I left with. The system works. Freezer stowed at aft end of the engine cover, combined they provide a full length berth in the cockpit (R21 Classic only).
The trolling motor will push the R21 at a reliable 2.5mph and is a well spent $169 in the event of loss of motor, prop, or rudder.
Camper back laughed at the wind.
The composting toilet is indeed odorless.
In conclusion, this is one impressive craft. The quality of construction is impeccable. At 14 years old, beyond normal maintenance items there is virtually nothing in need of repair. With great anticipation I’m looking forward to adventures far and wide.
Ard
Since then I have been adding the items I deemed necessary, or just plain fun to have for what will hopefully be many years of future use mainly on the US Inland Waterways. My design goal was to be able to cruise 2 people for 30 days and/or 1000 miles without the need to resupply food, fuel, or water. This all started with the custom camper back which is documented in my photo gallery. Here’s a list of other additions:
60 watt semi-flexible mono-crystalline solar panel with MPPT charge controller
2nd house battery
digital volt meter
new stereo and speakers with bluetooth connectivity and HD radio, powered sub
2 hard wired USB power supplies
additional switch panel
15” TV/monitor (for broadcast TV, PC monitor, backup camera) w/antennas
Windows 7 PC
VHF w/AIS
handheld VHF
handheld dual band transceiver
loud-hailer
GPS chart-plotter
NMEA multiplexer with Ethernet and WiFi (for iPad and PC)
mast mounted 27W LED flood light
hand held 3 million CP spot light
mast mounted backup camera with night vision
ceiling mounted 12” 3 speed fan
50qt 12v freezer (makes block ice daily for cooler, ice packs for small drink cooler)
2 Waterbrick 1.6 gallon containers for rotating block ice to cooler
80qt food cooler
11 gallon composting toilet
butane stove
stovetop oven
coffee press with crank burr grinder
stern rail mounted Solaire infra-red grill
stern rail mounted 10lb. aluminum propane tank
stern rail mounted 54lb. thrust trolling motor
custom power station on side of engine cover, 2 12v receptacles, plug for troller
custom hinged bow ladder
8 tires anchored top and bottom for fenders
custom cable to enable built-in trailering LED lighting
6 5 gallon diesel cans (bringing fuel capacity to 42 gallons)
3000 gallon gravity fed water filter
large slide anchor
trash compactor (I wish😉
I think that’s about it.
We left Denver at 5am on March 9th and arrived Bullfrog at 2:30pm, endured the Quagga Mussel inspection, loaded and launched at 4pm. Cruised for about an hour and anchored in Halls Creek Bay. Drank beer.
Monday, after organizing the gear, swapping ice blocks (and soiling the new composting toilet), we headed south with a planned destination of as far up Iceberg Canyon as we could go. It was a beautiful sunny day of glassy smooth water and highs approaching 70. I settled in on a cruising speed of 6 mph at 2150 rpm. The last time I was at Lake Powell was in 2008 and the water was much lower now. I was disappointed that I couldn’t make it into any of the 3 fingers at the end of the Canyon… all were blocked by exposed dead trees from when the lake was originally filled. There was a nice sandy beach available so I ran her up on the beach and tied off with the slide anchor. Hadn’t seen another boat the entire day. For dinner we enjoyed grilled fillets, mashed potatoes and green beans with freshly baked dinner rolls, and aptly washed it all down with Ranger IPA from one of our local breweries.
Tuesday morning we arose to temperatures in the low 40’s so we waisted no time in shoving off so as to enjoy the warmth of the pilot house heater. With all of the windows closed on the camper back I was pleased to find that I could bring the temperature up to 70 degrees including in the cockpit. With another day of glassy smooth water and no wakes from other boats, we were able to enjoy freshly baked cinnamon rolls with our freshly ground coffee en route. The destination today was the Escalante Arm and its assorted side canyons. We made it to what is presently the end, indicated by significant inflow debris and choked with silt, turned around and made camp on a tiny island.
Wednesday was much cooler with expected highs in the 50’s so beach lounging was not in order making a perfect excuse for me to become more “at one” with the Chilidog. We decided to head further south entering the San Juan Arm to see how far we could get. That was a long cruise but of course I enjoyed every minute of it. After many miles the San Juan Arm makes a large loop heading in a generally northern direction. As we were approaching the northernmost tip of the loop (just a few miles as the crow flies from Tuesday’s camp in Iceberg Canyon) I could make out what looked like small pieces of floating debris scattered about. I thought it strange that they were stationary and after further inspection I found that these were the tops of dead trees that had all been given “haircuts” by props from speeding boats when the lake was at a slightly higher level. I carefully picked my way through these for perhaps a quarter of a mile before better judgement and impending darkness caused me to turn around and seek camp.
Thursday was another cool and slightly overcast day so we decided to make a run for the Rainbow Bridge. We spotted a canoe with some campers and later a small house boat, the first motor craft sighting since we left the Marina on Sunday! We camped near the entrance to the National Monument and hiked to the Bridge the following morning. We were the only boat there.
Friday we needed to begin the trek north. We camped on a huge beach just off the main channel roughly across from Hole in the Wall.
Saturday we continued north to the mouth of the Escalante where there was known cellular access to check in with loved ones. That being done we continued on northbound with a goal of camping within an hour or so of Bullfrog. I was planning on a late (10pm) arrival home on Sunday to avoid most of the ski traffic.
Around noon I could see the surface of the water ahead changing from glassy smooth to mild chop. As we crossed the line I stuck my arm out the window and surely enough we picked up significant wind which turned to 1 foot chop, then 2 foot chop, then 3 foot chop with a constant howling 30mph wind. I had been trying to pull in the NOAA weather broadcast on the VHF but to no avail. Soon anything that wasn’t on the floor, was. The factory fiddles were no match for the violent ride, and there wasn’t a discernible pattern to the mayhem. I had read about “hull slap” on C-Brats but had never considered that a possibility on the slow R21, until it happen… probably a couple of dozen times. And I was only doing 4 knots. I didn’t feel as if I could go any slower and still maintain control. Spray began to wet the windshield, then it came in sheets and it wasn’t raining. The splash was going over the top of the pilot house. The port lights and windows on the camper back were getting wet from the bow plunging. At one point the webbing loop that secures the bow ladder in its upright position came off so I donned my lifejacket (which in retrospect I should have put on earlier) and climbed onto the bow to secure it. That was fun.
This went on for about 3 hours. As we approached Halls Creek Bay I could barely see the surrounding mountains for the sand storm. We ducked into the bay and found a tiny and very shallow inlet that seemed to offer good protection. Had to trudge through thigh deep mud to get the anchors secured on shore. Finally got the weather broadcast only to find there had been a small craft advisory with winds gusting to 57mph. It was a calm night.
Sunday morning was beautiful but had to start the day by retrieving the anchors from the deep mud (more like quicksand). We made it back to the ramp on schedule, spent a couple of hours de-rigging and cleaning the boat so as to be in compliance with the Quagga Mussel mandate. Made it home just before 10pm.
Regarding the storm… I never once felt unsafe in the boat. It was great to have the experience on a lake. This will be experience that will serve me well on future trips. It was very apparent how easily things could turn ugly very fast. Had I lost power or rudder we could have easily been dashed into the canyon walls. Based on my whitewater experience I would say it was about the equivalent of a class 4 rapid (on the Grand Canyon 10 scale) only rather than being over in a minute or so, it seemed to be endless. Definitely got my attention.
Statistics:
200 miles, 42 engine hours, 10.5 gallons of fuel.
Towed 1000 miles at 61mph, 13mpg. 2011 Nissan Frontier Pro 4X 4.0 liter V6
94 beers
Observations:
Of the 8 devices onboard capable of receiving NOAA weather, 4 are internet based (predominately useless on Lake Powell). And of the remaining radio based devices only the $37 Beofeng handheld could sometimes get weather broadcasts.
I arrived home with the same amount of ice I left with. The system works. Freezer stowed at aft end of the engine cover, combined they provide a full length berth in the cockpit (R21 Classic only).
The trolling motor will push the R21 at a reliable 2.5mph and is a well spent $169 in the event of loss of motor, prop, or rudder.
Camper back laughed at the wind.
The composting toilet is indeed odorless.
In conclusion, this is one impressive craft. The quality of construction is impeccable. At 14 years old, beyond normal maintenance items there is virtually nothing in need of repair. With great anticipation I’m looking forward to adventures far and wide.
Ard
