Lund bounced around rocks for hours

Charlie B., North Bend, WA

“I bought my OD 16' SSV from Master Marine in Mount Vernon, WA in 1998. It is used every October through January to duck hunt on the Columbia River. We hunt big water and the shore is broken lava rocks. It is not unusual to have 40 knot winds and I have been hauling decoys in winds a lot stronger. Temperature in Eastern Washington range from 60 to minus 20. The Lund has been bounced around on these sharp rocks for hours, day after day. It has been dragged over the rocks as the river is dammed and the level can vary more than 10 feet in hours. We put out about 100 decoys, half puddlers and down wind half divers.

This boat is powered by a 25 Suzuki and runs about 27 light and 24 loaded with decoys and blinds. It has been a perfect boat for the big waters of the Columbia, especially given the huge water fluctuation of the irrigation driven water use behind the dam.

The picture is launching for our 8 mile run upstream in the dark and snow. It blew at least 40 knots that day and snowed most of it as well. What is really surprising is how durable the bottom has been given the sharpness of the lava rocks which tears boots and waders up in a season. I just take a metal file and smooth off the rough edges, paint over the worst spots and she is ready for another year.

We use the boat for crabbing and salmon fishing in Puget Sound in the summer as well. I bought the Lund because they are the boat of choice in Alaska where your life may depend on it. Well my life on the Columbia River depends on it as well.

My safety gear includes the usual, lifejackets, flares etc, but I also have the ACR TerraFix I/O Personal Satellite Locator Beacon and a VHF radio and strobe light. There are very few people on the river and in nasty weather we are often the only ones for 10 miles either way. Thats why we have equipment that we can trust.”