Meet Doris. She was built in Kernville Oregon of Port Orford cedar. 34 feet long, one of the last of the narrow design boats. She was built in the same year that the Columbia River was tamed and the happy time for salmon before WWII was still creating a demand for purpose-built salmon boats. Much of her equipment is original: her steering, autopilot, fish hold, and deck layout. Most of the original boat still remains. Like any other antique piece of equipment, she requires constant and continuous maintenance despite us not having a salmon season this year. Part of this is a slip. I do not own Doris. She owns me. I am her caretaker and it is my responsibility to preserve her. I'm Joshua. My fiancee, Erica happily helps in every way she can including fishing the boat with me. We bought into the vessel with our last dollar in 2024 and fished her in both 21 and 22. In 22 we had to do some emergency repairs and replaced part of her skeleton. She soaked up most of what we made. This year we are scrambling to make ends meet and have the household needs covered by plying the skills learned at sea in other trades, but we need help with Doris. We will eventually get a few pennies from the government in up to a few years from now, but the harbor wants their slip fees and we still have tuna to fish for in a few weeks. We are fishing for: $4500 back fees $1500 in fishing permits to keep Doris "alive" Anything more collected will go straight into Doris. She is, after all, a black hole in the ocean that money cannot escape from, but she's a beautiful purpose built vessel with a rich and unique history, and well worth preserving for future generations to wonder at.
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