The Pintail was created from her original hull, a prototypical Columbia River bowpicker. Her 28′ was originally constructed in lap strait design with overlapping Port Orchard cedar planking on oak frames. Her indented use was as a day fishing gillnet boat, designed to cross the Columbia River bar by oar power, fish by gillnet and fill the hull, and coast home to Astoria with a makeshift sail. Her fishing days ended in the 1930’s, and since then she has had a number of additions and retrofits. She now has a General diesel that pushes her along at a robust 5.5 kn, and we have used her as a day/picnic boat in the waters nearby. Her house was added in the 1950’s, and it has had several retrofits and upgrades in the interior finishings and woodwork. She boasts a diesel stove that doubles as the heating system and an onboard head. The main and only lovely indoor space on Pintail serves seating, cooking, dining, and resting, with refrigerator and oven. She retains an art deco feel and has a beautiful profile with an utterly unique historical flavor.
