Yesterday was the day.  The first trip on the water for the H7HT duck slaying machine known as 'The Boat'.

All this for 1 Big Betty

Bright sunshine was on order for the morning as my neighbor, and secret agent of SEAL Team .5, Chris and I headed off to Killarney Lake to see if all the effort was worth it.  Short version: it floats!  This was really a shakedown run for everything.  Would the new truck pull the boat up the hills at highway speed?  Would the boat leak?  Is a 2hp motor big enough to push the boat?  Do you have to drink beer whenever you are in a boat?  Well, the answer is Yes, and No. 
I was pleasantly surprised at how easily the truck pulled the boat.  See, the truck is best described as questionable.   When you buy a 26 year old leaky, oil dripping, valve clanging, smoke emitting truck, you never know how it's going to perform pulling a boat. So far so good.  We put the boat in the water and although the drain plug leaked a bit, the rest of the boat was just fine.  It even had a more shallow draft than I expected.  No worry's about loading it down with gear and wikki.  Chris fired up the motor and headed up wind on the lake.  Good thing too because the motor immediately died and we rowed back to shore, proving that the oars work too.  After a quick refueling we were off.

We motored around the lake for a few minutes and then headed out into the river.  The water level is very high right now but the current is still not all that swift, walking speed or maybe a little faster.  We pointed the boat upriver and the little motor propelled us against the current at a slow pace.  Chris suggested a 10 or 15hp motor would be the ticket for proper motivation of the boat on this river with all the gear load I suspect we'll have.  (make you checks out to H7HT motor fund, c/o B. DaFolder, North Idaho chapter.)  After a few minutes we had to crack a beer and toast the good fortune of not sinking, proving that yes, you do need to drink beer whenever you are in a boat.
I practiced docking and beaching the boat on the shore and Chris taught me a few useful knots and tying up tricks as we putted around the river.  We then tied up to a pylon on the lake and had a snack and another ice cold beer, Chris is a good teacher.  Without his help I surely would be still out there trying to figure how back the trailer up to retrieve the boat out of the water. Practice needed I say.
Well, there it is.  The first duck boat trip of what I'm sure will be many.  Keep those checks rolling in!

GBCH