Any members have or been in the newer model alumaweld Columbia? Willie has the nemesis but shouldn't this be a better ride? Willie is 8 degree in the transom where the Columbia is 14....

Fish on!

Sensuous asking.... there is another manufacture building these "big river" style boats too. Wooly has the Sportster which is currently at the Portland boat show and will be at the Puyallup sportsman show. Its 12 degrees at the transom and features the shallow running jet tunnel too. High sides and a whopping 7' 4" bottom!

If I were a hard core salmon troller, that's what I'd drive! . . . and name it "mini doc."

Boy would you look at all that structure, not to mention the storage in that baby!!

IMHO the Columbia is the boat if you are looking for an open fishing forum in the aluminum boat realm. These boats are not for running rivers, but perfect for the Columbia, B10, and some ocean play. I guess if I am going to purchase a 25ft. barge I wouldn't be worrying about running shallow. I put up a post with some pics of a AW Columbia a while back...it's on my wish list!

CM

Nice looking craft Danny.

Thee difference is that the Willie has a varible hull. It has a 32 degree bow and a 20 degree entry and transitions to 8 degrees at the back. The steeper angle at the front is for cutting waves/chop and 8 degree is makes it stabler and troll flatter. Rumor has it, with the motors up it will float through 8" of water.

I will be going for a ride in one shortly and guessing by the guide sales, they are a hit.

Plus you can get it built anyway you want with any option you want.

Whoa, nice boat Danny. Lot's of room in that thing. Looks like it's meant to take some rough stuff.

Here's a cool write up on one that 3 Rivers built for Guide Trevor Storlie. Looks pretty dialed. 3RM's custom Alumaweld Columbia

Nice rides......Gotta like it. Good luck,

SZ

I like the Columbia, time to upgrade Sledder! I won't yell at you either!

K2

Alumaweld will do stuff just as custom if not more so than Willie is what I found out. Another reason why I was considering this boat is the raptor I owned was a VERRRRRRRRRRY wet riding boat.

I wanted to know of people who ran this boat what they thought...also they are running them with a Jet. The rep said that it runs great with a jet and shallow if need be.

Hell they ALL ride wet... just give me that tiller!



And a couple more clips from the following year....

http://vid662.photobucket.com/albums/uu3...zpsc6fb0008.mp4

http://vid662.photobucket.com/albums/uu3...zps3b7d775f.mp4

Doc,

The titanic would have run wet in some of the stuff we have been caught in down there

CM

I don't think there is a dry boat in Astoria on the right day.

My predator runs wet when you put too much weight up front. If the weight is spread out correctly, its no worse than any other boat.

The wettest I have ever been was in a koffler, granted I think you would have been wet in a submarine that day.

Doc your a little on the extreme side. I tried one of those days this past season at Astoria. We met up with doc and followed him across, upon arrival we found ourselves in building 4and 5fters, when we had them entering the boat at both ends under trolling speed I had to pull the plug. As we were securing the boat for the return crossing I kept looking over my shoulder thinking dammit doc has got to be thinking the same thing and he should be following. But no he had to rub it in and stick and stay. There were fish around in the three hundred yards we did fish we hooked three. In all doc just has a little bigger set of balls when staying in the slop.

Fishing in it that day was doable...but not comfortable.

Going into port? We ran across to Hammond and got a ride back to Chinook for our rig and then drove over and got it!

Running down the north shore was really, really, really sucky.

Fish on...

Todd

Running out of Hammond is the only way to go................Good luck,

SZ

Doc what did you get for a new boat?

Video of a columbia running skinny

Alumaweld 23 Columbia: http://youtu.be/t4W5TBxxJbY