The boat of choice

So the desire to travel down the Murray is there, the next question, what to do it in?
As I didn't own a boat anymore, it meant that the options were open.

Sailing something like a Mirror dinghy would be too much of a compromise, rowing without a sliding seat would be a laborious exercise, you could fit a sliding seat unit into a Mirror but the position of the dagger board would mean you were up high and with a reasonably wide boat in rowing terms, leverage would be reduced.

Sailing comes with the need to constantly tack and there's plenty of trees to catch a sail. Maybe possible in the South Australian section of the Murray but forget it further up.

Not an option.

A motor boat such as a tinnie would be a good option if you could ensure a reliable supply of fuel. Either petrol or electric are possible options.

The immediate downside is boat weight, at night it will never be far from the water and porting a tinnie isn't an easy thing.
It doesn't take much research to work out that suppliers of fuel are few and far between so it would mean a fair bit of fuel with a lot of associated weight in both fuel and motor.

Slow travel, a must, peaceful travel, not possible.

Electric trolling motors have come a long way in recent years as have battery and solar technologies.

Main upside, they're quiet. Downside is charging time for batteries and the dependence on sun or access to power. Research showed that Solar alone cannot drive a boat, you need batteries. More power needs more solar and batteries, solar takes up space, batteries are heavy although they are getting smaller and lighter but not getting much cheaper.

So with weight, noise, lack of transportability, lack of reliable power supply and high cost, not an option.

A kayak, so many people have done the trip and continue to do so, it makes sense;

• you're facing any obstacles
• generally light and hardy enough to drag up or over things
• ready made and affordable
• easily transportable
• water tight compartments
• water proofing options such as skirts
• relatively unsinkable
• paddling isn't rocket science

Why not kayak? I have never kayaked, in a long trip like the Murray, why do it while generally ignoring the biggest muscles you have?

From an ergonomic view point, paddling is relatively inefficient.
It'd mean having to learn and train and given I'm not young, developing strengths that have never been there, I'd suspect my shoulders would very quickly pull the pin. Watching people paddling a kayak for hours on end doesn't look very exciting, white water looks like fun, paddling a marathon, not so.

What about a row boat? As a competitive cyclist for a number of years, I have the big leg muscles necessary to push a bike and know how to row utilising the same muscles, why not row?

Tipping a single skull takes no effort at all, been there, done that, besides, they're designed to race, not row a marathon, lightweight but no storage and easily damaged. 

What other options are there? Go to Google and type in "Camping row boat".

One of the first hits is;

https://angusrowboats.com/pages/sailing-rowcruiser

SAILING ROWCRUISER
SAIL, ROW, AND SLEEP
The Sailing RowCruiser is the most versatile boat we offer. We have taken the basic RowCruiser hull (a versatile boat on its own, which provides sleeping accommodation and impressive rowing performance) and added a performance ketch sailing rig with planing amas (outriggers). 

The result is a boat that can sail up to 11 or 12 knots, or in calms can be rowed at 4 knots for hours. This is an economical boat that turns heads, and straightforward stitch and glue construction is utilized for the three hulls.

Now this is getting close to what I had in mind. A very versatile craft designed to do what I want. The versatility of options to row, sail or attach a motor and solar panels. A berth on-board means less time setting up a tent but is this really required on the Murray? Is sleeping on-board a practical option?

Downside, I'd probably have to make one. This isn't something that immediately puts me off, the problem is time and a lack of decent shed to build it in.
It would also mean having to source other essential parts such as oars, trailer and other sundry gear which all adds up.

But this set the path as to what I was looking for.

So what is similar? Can I buy something like it ready built? So more Googling.

It's late March 2021, I ended up on an Australian site called Rowtrade. Hidden in the Sykes and Wintech adds was one for an Expedition Wherry.

More information about the boat showed;
Expedition Wherry
Length: 18' 3" (5.6 m)
Beam: 36” (914 mm)
Weight: 92 lbs. (42 kg)
Max Payload: 423 lbs. (192 kg)
Cockpit length: 7’ 6” (2.3 m)
Water Line Length: 16' 9" (5.1 m)
Water Line Width: 28" (711 mm)
WLL/WLW Ratio: 7.2:1
Hull Speed: 5.5 knots, 10.2 kph, 6.3 mph

So here's a boat that pretty much suits what I'm looking for, boat, trailer and oars.

The price has been reduced substantially so I contact the owner and it's still for sale.
We agree on a price and I also agree to buy the Watersnake SWDR54/48 Electric Trolling motor, all that is needed is a battery.

So the Anzac day weekend, Swansea in NSW is the target, 3,000km round trip to buy a boat unseen, Victoria is out of lockdown #3 and NSW is still open so it's 2 days up, try out the boat, hitch it up and another 2 days to get home while I can before NSW is a no go zone.

It rattled on the ball but the oars, motor and drop-in rowing unit all fit inside the Jazz and it's an event free trip home.

Any boat fitted with a motor in SA needs to be registered, any motorboat also needs a hull registration, Adelaide Shores Marine were a great help with this and also helped to get the trailer registered in SA.

So I'm a boat owner again, now the planning and modifying of the boat to do what I want to do.