Gear and items fishermen can't live without
Published onOnce again, I posted a question on Facebook asking fishermen what sort of gear and personal items they would never go to sea without, and the list is interesting. Coffee, cigarettes, and weed are important for a lot of fishermen. "Cigarettes! Ive never seen 100 feet of steel real estate turn so nasty and negative in my life. Just a bobbing blob of hate, says Boston-based fishermanArchie MacLeod Jr. In most fishermens experience, its true. Life without small comforts is hell, but Kirsten Delane, who fishes salmon off Oregon, counters that A good attitude is all you need. Even if youre scrounging for butts in the ashtray. For those who have had to pull rabbits out of their hats to keep a trip going, its all about tools. Chris Lillehoff never goes to sea without his Sawzall. I have found it works for cutting anything quickly in desperate ...
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Vallation Outerwear gains ground with fishermen
Published onSince first bringing its products to market three years ago, Vallation Outerwear in Poulsbo, Washington, has steadily grown its customer base and presence in fishing gear shops around the U.S. coasts. We dont do a lot of advertising, says company founding partner Cory Jackson. Weve gone to Pacific Marine Expo every year, and the Maine Fishermens Forum last year. Were supporters of the United Fishermen of Alaska and the Maine Lobstermens Association, among others. Mostly, we find people try our gear, like it, and tell their friends about it. Vallation has a line built on jackets, pants, and bibs. We started with the Dark Rain jackets, pants, and bibs, says Jackson. Those are your nylon with 10K water resistance and 5K breathability ratings. We also have the Ocean Watch line, which has more breathability, and the Ocean Rein, made from PU. Jackson notes that the Ocean Rein PU foam ...
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Gearing up in 2025 with Grundens
Published onIts the cold season for fishing. Crew are meeting waves and wind-blown spray coming across deck, hammering ice off the rails, and trying to stay warm. These are the fishermen Grundns talks to and more importantly, listens to. According to Colin Sarfeh, senior marketing manager at Grundns, the company is introducing several items in 2025 all aimed at keeping crew comfortable on deck, including tough new bibs for lobstering. The Sternman Armored Bibs are reinforced in high-wear areas specific to pulling pots traps, says Sarfeh. We designed them for lobstermen, but they can be used in a wide range of on-deck fishing environments. Under the bibs, Sarfeh suggests that fishermen hauling gear offshore in cold weather can wear a pair of Grundns Kryall pants. The companydesigned the Kryall pants for comfort and mobility under the bibs or as standalone weather-resistant pants for when you just need ...
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The Cadillac of winches powering commercial fishing
Published onPullmaster winches can be found on commercial fishing vessels all around the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and are exported to several other countries. Weve got winches in Australia, Korea, and others, says Edward Schultz, Pullmasters distribution sales manager, north region. Schultz started with Pullmaster at age 19 and has been with the company for 36 years. He notes that three European machinists started the company in Surrey, British Columbia in the late 1960s. It was a jobber shop building gears for other companies, says Schultz. They looked around and saw and opportunity and started building winches. Once they beefed up the winches, they were on 95 percent of North American fishing vessels. True enough, its almost impossible to find a trawler, shrimper, or scallop vessel without a Pullmaster somewhere on board. Our smaller winches are popular, says Schultz. Those are the PLs, the planetary winches, and the M series ...
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Kolstrand showcases deck gear at 2024 Expo
Published onAt the 2024 Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle, Brad Tibbs of Kolstrand came again to sell the deck gear the company is famous for. I came to my first Expo in 2006, says Tibbs. Thats 19 years." At the Kolstrand booth, Tibbs stands next to an array of equipment. We call in the Christmas tree, he says. Starting at the top, Tibbs points to the Kolstrand TopTailer. Its a slack taker for a purse seine winch, he says. The TopTailer consists of a steel bar with a hydraulic-powered nylon roller that keeps a strain on the purse line coming off the capstan head. The TopTailer includes two adjustable speed control valves and mounting brackets for port and starboard side hauling It keeps people away from the capstan head, a dangerous machine, says Tibbs. And it eliminates the need to have someone tending the line. The guys buying it are ...
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In good standing: commercial fishing boots making waves
Published onThe commercial fishing industry relies on good boots, and the boots keep getting better. Fishermen working long hours on exposed decks need comfort where they can find it, and that starts with their boots. The nature of the fishery, the season, and myriad other factors determine a fishermans choice of boots, and now more than ever, they have a lot of options. Xtratuf boots, now under the ownership of Rocky Brands and part of the Honeywell corporate conglomerate, have earned their place at the top of the visibility chart. These boots, which have been a staple in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest for decades, are gradually gaining popularity in other regions, particularly New England. Xtratuf has also expanded its range to include a white shrimp boot for fishermen in the southeast and Gulf Coast, catering to their specific needs. You dont have to go far along the coast to find ...
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What to wear on deck this summer
Published onAs the Alaska summer fisheries kick into gear, it is time for seasonal fishermen to think about packing their duffle bags. What goes inside is a key part to a comfortable and profitable season. Below is a guide of what to pack to wear on deck, from head to toe. Grundns Mens Neptune PRO Bib Raingear As a baseline, we always recommend one of the tried and true heavy-duty jacket and bib combinations. The cornerstones here are the good old Grundens Herkules 16 raingear or any of the heavier-weight Guy Cotten alternatives, like the X-Trapper line. Both of these are thick and durable, with a relaxed, old-school fit that allows for layering underneath. Theres nothing fancy about the Herkulesits just PVC-coated polyesterbut there are reasons it has been ubiquitous in the industry since Grundns rolled it out in 1954.: It keeps you dry in almost ...
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The Buzz on Electric Deck Machinery
Published onMarine manufacturing giant MacGregor is moving toward electric deck equipment, including fully electric deck packages. We want our customers to have the convenience of a single control system, says Nils Arne ksenvag, head of sales and tendering in the fishery and research division at Macgregor. Electrically driven deck machinery delivers the benefits of reduced energy consumption and lower maintenance requirements, significantly less noise, more precise control, while also removing the risk of leakage from high-pressure hydraulic drive systems, states the Macgregor literature. Now a global company, MacGregor has been building equipment for the marine industry since 1929. In 2017, the company expanded its offerings to the commercial fishing industry by acquiring the Rapp Marine Group for over $16 million. Rapp MacGregor electric winches are well known in the US fishing industry and are used on vessels such as the OHara Corporations trawler Araho. Built with 10 to 110 tons ...
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On Deck in the Pacific Northwest & Alaska: Boats & Gear
Published onWeather inevitably sets the baseline for working on a fishing vessel, and the importance of basic comfort cant be underestimated. Boats Gear editor Paul Molyneaux talks to fishermen about what their experience has taught them to carry in Crew Comforts (pg. 7)Outerwear is the first defense from the elements. Products editor Brian Hagenbuch reviews the latest sea-tested gear on page 10. Speaking of favorites, fishermen Harry Allen recently finished his 16-year rebuild of Shenangan. You can read how he did it starting on page 24. On page 16, Molyneaux profiles how one electronics company took a decade to design sonar tailored to fishermens needs.Correspondent Maureen Donald looks at the science behind seafood, and why the local catch really does more than just taste better (pg. 20). Finally, North Pacific bureau chief Charlie Ess profiles one Alaska fisherman whose story tells how determination and ingenuity are key ...
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Wicked Pissah: Maine’s H&H Marine launches a star-quality bluefin tuna hunter
Published onPaul Hebert, one of the stars of the TV show Wicked Tuna, cant say enough good things about his new boat, the Wicked Pissah, built by HH Marine in Steuben, Maine. I have never been on a more solid hull in my life, says Hebert. And Ive been doing this since I was 12 years old. Im telling you, my boat, when it goes through waves, 6-footers, it doesnt even know its in 6-footers. Its the most comfortable tuna weapon its an animal. Eric Moores, who oversaw the building of Heberts 40-foot Osmond Beal-designed boat, cant say enough good things about his hull lay-up crew. These guys deserve recognition, he says. The boat starts with them. Moores himself started on a layup crew after graduating high school in 1985, and HH has been building boats for 35 years. The Wicked Pissahs 40-foot hull, based ...
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Wash. yard wins $3 million contract to build government-funded commercial fishing boats
Published onACI Boats in Port Townsend, Wash., has been awarded a $3 million contract to build four identicallonglineboats for American Samoa. The fleet of 38-foot Super Alia longliners will be used to train new entrants to the fishery, as well as established fishermen, and to ensure the safety of the local commercial fishing fleet. It is our goal and vision to stabilize, further develop, and grow the fresh fish industry to support our local restaurants and tourism industry, said Michael McDonald, assistant director of the Department of Commerce of American Samoa. The design, construction and launch of this fleet is funded by a grant through the U.S. Department of Commerces Office of Insular Affairs and the federal Economic Development Administration. The four Super Alia (alia means catamaran in Samoan) designs are identical 38 x14 semidisplacement catamarans, designed by ACI Boats and Coastwise Marine Design. They will be constructed with ...
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Feeling the Alaska Spirit
Published onOHara Corp. launches a 229-foot Bering Sea freezer-trawler after off-season overhaul Frank OHara and the OHara Corp. had to buy the Alaska Spirit on faith. He and his team did not get much of a look at the boat before they signed on the dotted line. We had to take her as she was, where she was, says OHara. We werent even sure we had a deal for a long time. FCA [Fishing Company of Alaska] was keeping it all secret, and then all of a sudden it went through. OHara Corp. is a fishing company that began in New England in 1907 and has been carried down through four generations of the family. OHara credits the success of the company with having good people onboard, his three sons, and a cadre of trusted experts. Its important to surround yourself with very knowledgeable people, he says, noting ...
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Wooden deck boat has been working the Chesapeake for 104 years
Published onMany railways in the South came about because commercial fishermen were challenged to find a railway close enough their home ports to get their annual maintenance and other repairs done. Instead of going distances, innovative fishermen built their own railways to haul their fishing boats, and they let their neighbors use it for hire. A few of those railways are still around. Nelsons Boatyard in White Stone, Va., is an example. Frank Nelson is a commercial fisherman on Chesapeake Bay who decided to buy one of those small railways to service his own commercial fishing boats. Recently, Nelson purchased the classic 50-foot bay deck boat Ella K., built in 1918 at Perrin, Va., by James Smith. The boat was built for commercial fisherman John Henry King who was the same owner from 1918 to at least until 1962, when he was still listed as owner in that years edition ...
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