From the comments of our surveyor, “this boat has good bones”! Well, that’s what we loved about her 10 years ago when we bought her, and really, it was about all we could love about her, as she needed A LOT of deferred maintenance work at that time!
MV Runaway is a 1963 Sea Skiff Runabout, designed with the purpose of moving passengers from one port to the next at a relatively quick speed. She’s not really a runaway at heart, she likes to stay close to Port Townsend Bay and an occasional San Juan or Orcas Islands getaway on very fair-weather days in protected waters. Runaway’s life’s purpose has been to bring pleasure while transporting and as such, many options and comforts have been added to her configuration, which also increased the operating weight and put more strain on the right-rotating Crusader corvette V8 engine when demanding more speed. Our solution was Bennett 12” X 24” trim tabs to help with getting the planing hull on step without excess power. With the 40 gal fuel tank in the rear of the boat and with guests visiting on the aft deck seating area, the trim tabs have allowed for not only planing ease but also for longitudinal and lateral leveling control. The ride is more smooth, speeds are greater and fuel efficiency has improved.
She can comfortably accommodate eight people on a nice summer day dining cruise and we use it mostly for, dinner cruiser/crabber/day boat. The months of July and August crab traps are part of the decor on the rear deck. Family and guests thoroughly enjoy the whole crabbing experience, even when there’s only one keeper in the pot! The galley’s Eno propane two-burner stove can easily accommodate a 12” round crab pot, bringing two gallons of water to boil in about 15 minutes. Fresh crab, pasta, butter and veggies can be cooked up in a flash. USGA safety features installed are automatic easy to reach remote shut off controls and a propane sniffer.
As temperatures can fluctuate quickly in the NW, when temps cool, the automatic thermostat for the electrically operated kerosine Webasto heater quickly heats the main cabin and can be divided among the aft enclosed deck for comfort all around. The Webasto heater sips fuel at .4 gal/hr. Seating four people comfortably in the galley, the mahogany dining table and its azimuth inlay helps further inspire a nautical atmosphere. Easy dining room table conversion to a bed for a couple of young deck hands is an nice feature.
The main keel is made of White Oak, most everything else including the stringers, ribs and lapstrake topside are all mahogany. We spent many of hours stripping turquoise paint and varnish off of the deck, trim and gunnel. We wanted to see the wood! Two coats of oil application on entire exposed mahogany takes about 2 hours. We do a good oil soaking in the summertime. This gem is completely covered during the rest of the year when not being used.
These early era wooden boats appeal to us and our exciting family and friend-oriented lifestyle. Being at the helm and in the cabin with all the beautifully varnished rich wood is warming and soothing to the soul. The last ten years have been an absolute pleasure (usually) bringing life back into this darling. The nostalgia, comfort, speed and functionality makes all the effort and love we poured into her worth it. We love our Owen’s Sea Skiff!