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Proud Owners
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From
the 2008 Bartender Rendezvous:
On this trip north, with 2 people & camping gear & the 25HP
Nissan, we averaged right around 1.5 GPH. We also got a chance to
see how our boat performed in comparison to the other Bartenders in
the fleet (flock?). Our top speed was naturally slower than
the boats with bigger engines, although they kindly did not push the
point -- we usually run at around 15 -16 kts, and 18 or 19 if we
push the throttle down.
In
the foul weather on the last day we definitely noticed a difference
running alongside Strait Shot & Surf Scoter: the heavier boats
sure looked good blasting through the swells. Even so, we
liked the way the 19 Bartender handled as well as any boat we
have had in these waters, ever, bar none. After we parted company
with Dave & Bill at Bedwell Harbor we took it home to Orcas
through some pretty nasty water and we decided that we really,
really like the boat. We just took it a bit slower, played the
waves, and didn't break an egg.
Thea
& Mike Orcas Island, WA
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I
built a "stretched" version of the cuddy-cabin 19-ft
Bartender over the last couple of years, beginning with a frame kit
from Bartender Boats to give me a jump start on the hull.
The kit was an awesome way to get a hull up fast, especially
helpful for a first-time boatbuilder like me, because the kit brings
in frames that are already true and fair on their jig braces.
Even so, there was plenty of interesting problem-solving as I
got further along.
Thanks to Bill and the gang of supportive Bartender
owner-builders on the Yahoo Bartender group, I had a fine time, and
the boat turned out very well.
It always draws attention at the ramp, both with folks who
know the design, and with others who wonder why it has two pointy
ends!
Surf Scoter has a 65 hp Westerbeke inboard,
generating a top speed of 24-25 knots with one person aboard and
some 23 knots with two.
We cruise comfortably at 17-18 knots, and get about 2.4
gallons/hour.
We selected it for use as a "mother
ship" so we can run over exposed waters from one protected
embayment to the next, planning to paddle our folding kayaks off the
stern.
Having a huge cockpit area with a combination engine box,
sit-upon, and tabletop in the center of our "living room"
makes this a good boat for two gunkholers. Sleeping aboard has been
very enjoyable for us.
We plan to use it a lot, both on the lower Columbia River
here in Oregon and up in BC.
Dave
Kruger Astoria, OR
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I built my 26' sport-fishing Bartender Storm Crow in spare
time over the course of 4 years.
I was guided through the build by George Calkins' original
drawings and instructions, with crucial advice along the way by Bill
Childs, proprietor of the Calkins designs.
When I chose the Bartender, I admired the
looks and the reputation, but had only a general sense of the
design's virtues.
With each step in the building process my appreciation for
the Bartender's beauty and intelligence grew.
But the true revelation came on the water; from the moment of
the first launching through every hour thereafter, I have been
amazed and thoroughly gratified by the boat's performance.
Each day on the water brings fresh insight into what the boat
can do, and how well she does it.
Not once have I had to apologize for a shortcoming, or make
allowances for limitations other than my own.
I've found no need to modify the boat, add ballast or
mechanical appendages, or compensate in any way to improve
performance.
I hewed close to the plans, took seriously the admonitions of
George and Bill to keep it light and keep it simple, and the payoff
is a dazzling thoroughbred of a boat, if I don't say so myself.
Storm Crow will top 30+ knots,
cruise 20 knots at 4 gph, and carry fuel for a realistic cruising
range in excess of 400 statute miles.
I set her up for sport-fishing and general family adventure
on the big waters of the Pacific Northwest, and she has proven to be
aces at that.
I've
met few people unappreciative of my boat's appearance, but I realize
that, like myself before building her, most can only half-way
imagine the full visceral glory of a correctly built Calkins
Bartender.
That perspective is the privilege of those who have had a
chance to live with one.
Lee W. Baxter
Beaverton, OR
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In the spring of 06 I ordered the 19 Bartender kit and by May of
that year had started building the boat. It took less than a year for me
to complete it and was one of the most rewarding projects I have ever
built. The kit really jump-started the project and made lofting
unnecessary. Bill Childs is very knowledgeable and very good to do
business with. He really cares about the success of your boat as well as
preserving this great design for the next 50 years.
I launched the
boat in May 07 in Juneau, Alaska and after some minor adjustments
with the outboard trim it has served me very well this past summer,
making several 100 mile round trips from Juneau up Lynn Canal to Haines
AK. During this time I gained confidence in the design and what its
capable of when the weather would turn for the worse. Size for size I
think one would be hard pressed to find a more seaworthy design anywhere
in a hull designed to plane. From my experience with the smallest of the
Bartenders I can say it will make a fine boat for a couple to travel
with economy, safety, and of course style!
Dave Nussbaumer -- 20' BARTENDER
Juneau, AK
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We decided to build the BT-19 after seeing Bill's beautiful cuddy-cabin
version. The frame kit was a great way to get started. The frames fit together quickly and accurately on the jig and the overall kit quality
was first-rate. The building process was fairly straightforward. If I got stuck on something Bill was always quick to respond to my questions.
He even came up for a test drive after the boat was launched.
The whole family was involved in the project right from the start and we couldn't
be happier with the results. Halcyon does everything we want her to and more. There is plenty of space for 2 adults, 2 kids, and our dog. The
40-Hp outboard has a top speed of 25 Knots and outstanding fuel economy.
We have used her for fishing, water skiing, and hauling way too much stuff to and from our summer cabin.
The BT-19 is a high-performance
design that is fun to drive, safe to ride in, and very nice to look at. Halcyon gets a lot of attention at the dock. I am surprised how many
people recognize it and ask "Hey, is that a Bartender?". It's a great
feeling to answer "Yes, we built it ourselves".
Don Froese - 19'
BARTENDER
North Vancouver, BC
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In the early 1960s I saw
advertisements for the Bartender at the back of boating magazines
showing the Coast Guard version of the 22 model. From the description
and the pictures I had this design on my deferred wish list. By the
middle 60s I started in boating with a Snipe, then a Venture, then a
Mercury one-design. My first power boat was a 13 Boston Whaler. All
were fine boats in warm waters and sunny skies. A couple of years ago I
ran across the Bartender Boats web site and since I live not far from
Bellingham I called and made a visit. Not long after that visit I took a
ride on a 19 Cuddy Bartender and then ordered a hull built. I decided
on a stretched 19 with inboard power and Bill modified the design and
installed nearly everything to complete the boat. No business I had ever
encountered was more willing to put itself out for me as Bill has.
Soon after launching Swizzlestick I joined the fleet of Bartenders
that cruised over to Montague Harbour, BC for the 2007 Bartender
Rendezvous. The boat performed flawlessly, burning about 2.2 gal per/hr
with the 120hp Mercruiser at an estimated average of 15kts.
Cant wait to get back on the water.
Paul
Fogel 20 BARTENDER
Camano Island, WA
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My previous
boat was a 22 C-Dory. I
will happily
tell you that the BARTENDER does NOT have the same function
characteristics as the C-Dory.
I fish at Neah Bay, Washington. The BARTENDER doesn't rattle your teeth
in the
smallest chop,
nor the largest, and it doesn't have a tendency to slide
sideways down the face of a large swell (scary and
dangerous). My BARTENDER isn't the
fastest out of the harbor but once in
the nasties, I'm passing everything in sight and my ride is like a
rocking horse and just as smooth.
Gordon Zumach 26 BARTENDER
Port
Angeles,
WA
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"I first heard of the Calkins BARTENDERS around
1962 or 1963 and when the plans became available I purchased a set for
the 19-footer. I started construction in 1965 and launched the boat
Labor Day 1967.
I read as much as I could about building a boat and then I bought Glen
L. Witt's book "Boat Building With Plywood". I would recommend this
book to any person undertaking the construction of a small wooden boat.
At a boat show in Los Angeles Mr. Calkins provided a film
of the 22-footer being tested by the U.S. Coast Guard. This film was so
impressive that I new this was the boat I was going to have.
My Yamaha 40 hp four-stroke provides a speed of 28 mph at 5700 rpm and
20 mph at around 4300 rpm. My fishing trips do not exceed twenty miles
and the most fuel I have used is 4 gallons.
I retired in 1985 and have been out on the ocean many
times since. In 2003 I went out 54 times and this year 56 trips."
Philip E. Smith
-- 19' BARTENDER
Southern California
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"I'm not much of a fisherman but I know what I like in the
"look" of a boat. I'd been looking for a safe boat to
restore for my 85+ year old father and mother and the whole family
at Lake Tahoe. When I saw the BARTENDER, I just knew this was the
boat for them. Safe, seaworthy and funky lookin' to boot.
We
found a 1961 BT-22 (hull # 127) that had been sitting in a barn in
Mendocino, California for 14 years and needed a lot of love and
attention. Not knowing anything about restoring old boats turned out
to be less of a problem than we thought as we soon discovered the
BARTENDER group web site and were able to get all the advice we
needed. The restoration took about 9 months and was a real family
project. We're really proud of the results.
With
our mahogany bright work and the double ended look, we turn more
heads at Lake Tahoe's annual Wooden Boat Concours d'Elegance than
many of the expensive official entries. As far as performance, our
1970's vintage 160 HP V-6 moves her right along and in fact
when there is any kind of chop on the lake, many of the vintage
Chris Crafts with much bigger engines have a tough time keeping up
because they can't handle the chop like our BARTENDER."
George
Marquis 22 BARTENDER
Lake Tahoe, CA
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"Once
in a great while - say, once every one or two
generations - something special comes along in the field
of human endeavor, something which combines a unique
blend of ingenuity and practicality, of creativity and
pragmatism, of artist and artisan. For instance, in
1700, it was the violins of Antonio Stradivarius; in
the 1880's, John Moses Browning revealed the
Winchester Model 1886 Lever Action Repeating Rifle, in
1919 Orville Gibson came out with the L-50 guitar with
the first "f" holes seen on a guitar. In the
1950's,
in the world of powerboats, something extra special
came along - the 22 foot BARTENDER designed and built
by George Calkins.
I own a 19' BARTENDER and I have just begun to build
a 22' BARTENDER from one of the outstanding kits
developed by the new owner of BARTENDER BOATS - Bill
Childs. I live and boat in Alaska, an area of
extremes, where the water is cold and the weather and
seas unpredictable. The BARTENDER has handled all the
seas I have yet experienced with aplomb, handling
waves, wind, following seas, and strong currents with
ease and safety. When I'm 25 miles out from port, I
may be in one of the smallest boats that ventures out
so far, but I am also in one of the most seaworthy
boats out there.
And one thing I must add - the BARTENDER is just plain
fun. The 19' BARTENDER hurdles waves like a dolphin,
shoulders waves with a nonchalant shrug, and leaps on
plane like an arctic loon springing towards the sky
with only my low power 35 hp motor. The BARTENDER
evokes a feeling that I think far too few of us feel
far too seldom-a feeling of joy.
As I boated this past summer past hanging glaciers,
under blue skies or pounded by pouring rain, with sea
otters milling about or whales breaching next to my
boat, or pulling in brightly colored rock fish from
the ocean's depths, I experienced feelings of pure,
undiluted joy - the Joy of BARTENDERING."
Larry
Williams 19' and 22' BARTENDERS
Anchorage, Alaska
"Thank you for
giving me such a beautiful boat. I received many admiring glances
on the way home. In fact, the day I left you I drove to Roseburg,
Oregon and the following day, I drove into San Diego. The boat has
already gotten quite wet. We went through a hailstorm in the
Central Valley, so much so that I had to pump out the boat with
the vacuum at a gas station.
The
favorite that I received was from this young kid who was running
the gas station in San Diego who, at midnight, comes out of the
gas kiosk to make the following comment:
"Gnarly! The boat looks like a
surfboard for old people!" Anyway,
I just wanted you to know how incredibly happy I am with the boat.
I am absolutely overwhelmed by the beautiful simple craftsmanship.
I have looked at it very, very carefully and everything that has
been done has been done to the highest standard. I am very proud
to own this boat. I
will send you photographs as the building progresses. I am
probably your happiest customer." Laurence
McKinley, MD -- 19' BARTENDER
San Diego, California |
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Thank you again for an excellent product.
It took me about an hour to set all the jig beams and frames,
and another hour and a half to shim, level, square, and screw
everything down. Everything went together perfect. The
kit has already saved me a lot of time and hard work. I
am very pleased.
Jonah
Green
-- 22' BARTENDER
Heathsville, Virginia
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I raced a
Master Craft ski machine this weekend.
Although the Master Craft is a much faster boat, I beat him
hands down due to what I believe was sheer intimidation.
The sight of the BARTENDERS' sharp bow slicing the moderate
chop, setting the hull down lightly, then rising gently to take another,
was just too disheartening to the ski boats owner - dislodged molars and
posterior trauma from the heavy pounding (no doubt).
Dan Payne 26 BARTENDER
Southern California
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"My wife and I fish and cruise the waters
around our home on Wrangell Island in S.E. Alaska in a 19 ft. BARTENDER "Patty Lou".
We have made many trips in the boat traveling as much
as 20 miles or more to the fishing grounds fishing out the day then
returning home. Weather and water conditions here can change quickly and
a day that starts calm can end stormy with rough water caused by wind,
current, and strong tide rips that frequent these waters. The BARTENDER
is a good rough water boat. Several times we have traveled out to fish
running the boat on plane but came home mushing along at 10 to 12 knots
-working our way through some pretty rough stuff to get back to the
harbor. The double-ended BARTENDER will handle a following sea with
ease. We have spent countless hours trolling in the boat some of the
time in strong winds and when trolling downwind the big swells just
slide by and the boat tracks straight without any tendency to broach. It
is a comfort to be able to trust your boat. George Calkins 19 ft.
BARTENDER lives up to the notes George wrote on the construction
drawings "For Rough Water Fishing".
Almost every
time we launch the boat someone will come up and compliment us on the
looks of the boat and say--isn't that a "BARTENDER"--now that is a
boat!!."
Ron McIrvin -- 19' BARTENDER
Wrangell, Alaska
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