Thea & Mike – Orcas Island, WA

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.