Anky 4/15-16

Post by **RHTFISH** » April 18th, 2005, 1:52 pm

If anyone likes WINDY and COOL they would have been in heaven!

Left Anky Fri am and headed up to Peters Rock area only to find
water MUDDY and wind continually increasing. One 18" and two
shorts and I'm ready to head back down coast. Not the best
day for the old Fish N Ski Barge....8-10 mph at best....between two
waves and next one over the boat....between two waves and the
next over the boat. Back to Anky for hot shower and a nap.
Went back out for about an hour before dark and tried shoreline
near Hickory Mound without any success.

Sat am out about 9 and headed west and started "fast" drift off
Long Point in about 2.5'. Wind really never let up but between
about 9:20 and 2:45 caught 23 keepers and kept 5: 17.5-19.5.
No way to give total number of shorts....I lost count at 70 most of
which were 12-13". CT with jig of any color....just didn't seem to
matter. Water was really churned up and cooler than the previous
weekend.

I can't remember fishing two days in a row with that much wind
blowing! I was going to try Sunday am before heading back to GA
but the wind just made me give up and come home.

Post by **Sir reel** » April 18th, 2005, 2:34 pm

Sounds like you did about all you could with what you had to work with

I was on the water Thursday and the conditions you reported are very familiar

Post by **wevans** » April 18th, 2005, 5:17 pm

Sounds like ya done pretty good ta me

what size Fish N Ski ya got? our project boat "fishable but not finished yet" is a 20 footer

Post by **RHTFISH** » April 19th, 2005, 2:42 pm

wevans wrote:what size Fish N Ski ya got?

Finally got the pic up..I think.

17'9" x 8'...lots of room!

Oldie but GOODIE!

Post by **wevans** » April 19th, 2005, 4:08 pm

Sweet, I gotta get a pic of ours sitting in the water

Maybe tomorrow if I can get this danged network problem solved tonight

Hit-n-Miss · Post by **Hit-n-Miss** » April 20th, 2005, 7:16 am

Those Fish-n-Ski's are great flats boats. My buddy had one and I told him not to sell it, but he did anyway and regrets it.

Post by **RHTFISH** » April 20th, 2005, 9:37 am

They are getting harder to find. I bought a new 19' tunnel in 87
from Buddy's in Tally and used it for 5 years. It was a little
difficult to pull on highway but a dream in the water. One year
I wasn't getting to fish much and a man came by with a big handful
of money and in a weak moment I sold it. Depression set in about
2 weeks later when I realized my mistake. For the next several
years every time I would see one of any size or condition I would
quickly offer to buy. Most folks just laughed in my face.

The boat gods smiled on me when I found this one listed on FS for
sale in Tally. I broke the Albany-Tally land speed record getting
down there to buy it. Life has been so much better since then!

Wevans got that 20 footer....now that will be an awesome fishing flatform
and very safe for kids to move around on.

Post by **Sir reel** » April 20th, 2005, 9:46 am

OK now you've gone and forced me to display my ignorance (wasn't all that hard was it

).

After looking around on the Inet.. I find several manufacturers who have a model called Fish N Ski...... Fish-N-Ski.....Fish Ski.... Fish and Ski... etc.

Who makes(or made) the version pictured and being discussed here? Thanks.

Post by **RHTFISH** » April 20th, 2005, 10:09 am

Good Question Sir Reel:

Fish n Ski Barge was name of boat company in Arkansas (family
business) for at least 30 years. Each of their boats had
then a model name....mine is 17' Flats Master.
I think they sold patents in early '90s.

Hope that helps!

Post by **Sir reel** » April 20th, 2005, 10:12 am

Thanks RTHFISH

Do we know who the patents went to or if anyone is still producing a version of this boat? I apologize for this obvious boating thread ....moderator....feel free to move us.

Post by **RHTFISH** » April 20th, 2005, 10:53 am

Bill and Dick Kenner started building small wooden boats in 1948. From 1948 until 1962, with time out for a return to the wars in Korea, Kenner Boat Company of Knoxville, Arkansas was pretty much unknown, except locally. In the late 1950's, Bill and Dick started building runabouts built of fiberglass and marketed them under the trade name "Kencraft". In traveling around Arkansas and its environs, you still will see many of these boats in use.

The first major expansion for Kenner Boat Company was its starting to build, under contract, a 27' fiberglass cabin cruiser. At that time (1960), it was one of the larger boats being built of fiberglass. When the company that marketed the 27' cruiser disbanded, Bill and Dick used the extra plant space to start production of the famous Ski Barges.

With the advent of the Ski Barge, Kenner Boat Company started the real growth that helped it become one of the larger fiberglass boat builders and gained, for Kenner Boat Company, a reputation as a leader in new and different styles of boats.

I found the above in search. I know they made "barges" of several
sizes for gunboats and transportation during the Nam era. The first
Kenner bay/flats boat I ever saw was the spitting image of FishNSki
Barge with the nearly full width front deck. Hope this helps!
Over the years I've seen many models from the basic 14' to 16',
17 and 19 with and without tunnel, 20 and 24 with cabin. I'm sure
there were others.

Post by **Sir reel** » April 20th, 2005, 11:00 am