Roseburg, Ore., can be identified by its proximity to Portland (three hours north on I-5) and the California border (two hours south on I-5). One hundred miles inland from the Pacific Coast, and surrounded by forests, Roseburg has been called the Timber Capital of the World.
The largest employer in town has long been Roseburg Timber Products. Roseburg is also home to North River Boats, which employs about 300 people who collectively build about 300 aluminum boats a year. Sizes range from a 21' fi shing boat with a 150-hp outboard to a 32'x16' Bristol Bay commercial gillnetter with twin waterjets to a 52'x16' crew transport boat with a wide variety of power options and cabin configurations.
It’s a broad spectrum with many different models, almost all of which are powered by outboard engines. Many, maybe most, North River boats are used for fi shing, both recreationally and commercially by charter operators. One such operator is Nootka Marine Adventures, which owns three upscale resorts on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
This summer, Nootka Marine will be getting eight new North River 3100SXL models followed by seven more next year. The 31-footers will be delivered from Port Boat House in Alberni, British Columbia, also on Vancouver Island. Port Boat House is a dealer for North River and Yamaha and does all the final outfitting.
“We do motors, controls, electronics,” said Dan Redland at Port Boat House. “We assemble the seats. We usually do the anchor systems. They usually come to us basically wired and plumbed for toilets, sinks and showers and things like that. And then we pretty much do the rest.”
Nootka Marine already has 10 other North River boats, all 32-footers. The new 31s are powered by twin Yamaha F250 outboards, which are mounted on a stern platform extension. Inside the cabin there is seating for five passengers and one operator. All seats are S5s from ShockWave, Sidney, British Columbia. The house also provides a stand-up head and a small sink. There is no galley equipment. These are get-out-there-and-fish boats, but comfortable get-out-there-and-fish boats with shock-mitigating seats, Seakeeper 2 roll-stoppers, and Espar G4 diesel heaters.
Seakeeper gyro stabilizers have been around since the first prototype was developed in 2006. The concept is basic physics: a heavy flywheel is spun to a very fast rpm (8,000-9,000) while positioned on a vertical shaft. The spinning gyroscopic action counteracts the rolling of the boat. It doesn’t eliminate rolling, but it diminishes it to just a few degrees. Most boats, like the 3100SXL, have the gyroscope under the deck and on the centerline, but off-center and on-deck locations can also work. The Seakeeper flywheel is housed inside a vacuum-sealed, spherical steel cover. Sensors inform the unit of the boat’s motion, and the gyro is adjusted as necessary by hydraulic arms powered by electric motors.
On the new boats, the Seakeeper 2 model runs on 12-volt battery power, as opposed to 120-volt systems on larger models. The 31-footer’s Seakeeper 2 battery bank has three AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries. Alternators on the Yamahas provide the power for recharging these batteries as well as powering the boats’ other batteries, starters, helm electronics, lights and pumps.
The North River 32s have a walk-through cabin that opens to the bow and seating for nine, including the operator. The 31s will have a cuddy across the front and the house is pulled forward to provide more room on the back deck for fi shing — and a larger aft overhang — while limiting seating to six, including one operator. “We’ve definitely increased the back section of the dance floor, as we like to call it,” said Luke MacLaurin, Nootka Marine’s marketing specialist.
Like the 32s, the 31s will also carry all necessary fi shing gear such as downriggers, cannon balls, rod holders, and iced fish boxes.
With twin 150s, MacLaurin said the boats could run faster but speeds are generally held to about 30 mph at 3,800 rpm. “We have maybe 10 boats a day out fi shing, so we need to manage our costs for fuel,” said MacLaurin. The boats will have tankage for 255 gals. of gasoline, five gals. diesel and 10 gals. fresh water.
All three Nootka Marine resorts are located on ocean inlets on the west side of Vancouver Island. Fishing trips are often taken to the outside for ocean trolling.
