Fish Report 3/18/07 ~ Or is it February 46th?!
Cement Boat
Super Short Notice - Going Tog Fishing
Hi All,
A lot closer to having my rig ready for inspection now. Just have to do two more bilges. Not that they aren't clean - want 'em super clean. My crew always seem to enjoy that. (Pinocchio syndrome)
The water has warmed a touch, but not enough to really inspire confidence. Yes, we set a state record on our last set of trips - we also had one of the worst trips I can remember! It is fishing...
If you're of a mind to go, the weather looks good tommorrow and OK on Tuesday. Lets try it. Monday and Tuesday, March 19th and 20th ~ 7am to 3pm ~ 14 People Sells Out ~ Crabs Provided ~ Reservations Required.
The Reef Foundation recently acquired a 55 foot cement sailboat hull. This thing is a beast. Seems to have been designed for 'crossing the pond' ~ transoceanic voyages.
Yes, the boat is made of concrete. Used to be more commonly practiced than now. There's been some fairly large ships made of it. I've always though it the perfect material to make targets with. Cheap to build; if one of the armed forces anchored 1/2 a dozen or so concrete barges over a reef site and gave 'em what for, we'd all win. Target practice for them ~ fish habitat for us. Bet that would make the papers!
Anyway, this hull will make a fantastic reef unit. With some modification it could be a five star hotel!
Modifications would have to take place rapidly though. In a marina it's pretty easy to overstay your welcome with a boat that's more suited to being on the bottom!
I'd like to load the hull with either prefab concrete units like pipe and junction boxes or frame up some forms to make truly permanent tog sized 'rooms'. In any case, we'd then have to shoot concrete around everything. Ballasting is always a good thing.
Why modify it? Well, I've spent a lot of time and money nosing around with the underwater video gear. Believe this, some habitats are used far more heavily than others. What really comes to mind is an old barge I looked at. (precisely in the western north Atlantic) This barge had an area that resembled a heavy book case - stacks of square cubicles. Each square was occupied by a single tog: the highest density I've ever seen of mature fish ~ a five star hotel...
If you have knowledge of forming concrete, some time and are in the area, contact Greg Hall or myself.
This is a once in a decade opportunity to engineer a deluxe reef unit.
Also, if you happen to know where there's a heap of steel, I know a high school welding shop teacher that would sure like to have some. His kids have built some fantastic reef units in the past - need a little more raw material!
See you on the rail - Regards,
Monty
