Adventure Marine 16 Elaho Customer Comments
December 2021
Whitten by; Richard H. Courtenay, BC
Some ancient mariner once told me, “Everyone has their own reasons for owning a boat and what is important to you might not be important to them.” With this piece of wisdom in mind, I would like to offer my comments about the Adventure 16 Elaho welded aluminum boat that I purchased from Adventure Marine MFG in the spring of 2021. Please note that these comments represent the personal opinions of someone who is not an expert but a person who has been a pleasure boater for several decades and has learned a few things along the way.
As context, I am a resident of Vancouver Island on the north Salish Sea; my local conditions include a rock beach, highly fluctuating tides, occasional powerful storms, and no dock or set up for mooring. I needed a craft that could be kept on a trailer and easily unloaded/loaded, be able to withstand my local conditions, and be used for a variety of purposes, including: fishing (a favorite pastime in my neck of the woods), transporting friends and relatives to Savary Island, day-tripping to Desolation Sound, and zipping over to places like Lund to take care of errands. I needed a boat that could accommodate up to 5 passengers and associated cargo, be reasonably stable when crossing the Salish Sea under good conditions in the summertime, withstand the local tides and rock beach conditions, and have enough power to move at a decent clip.
After having searched far and wide and looked at various options, I landed on the Adventure16 Elaho as my boat of choice. I purchased a package from Adventure Marine that included the 16’ boat, a 50 hp Honda gas outboard engine with the optional propeller guard, and
trailer.
Specifically, what sold me on the Adventure 16 Elaho was the following:
Welded aluminum.
Previously, I owned a riveted aluminum boat from a respected “brand name”. What happened was that the boat developed leaks that eventually could not be repaired. The leaking markedly decreased my enjoyment of that boat and also introduced potential safety concerns. Importantly, I did not think a fiberglass hull or an inflatable would work well in my particular setting. Welded aluminum was a big factor in my decision-making.
Console.
Having a driver console represents a major upgrade from the tiller-controlled outboard of my previous riveted aluminum boat. With a 50 hp outboard, I can cruise comfortably at 25 mph (~22 knots) under calm conditions. That’s fast enough for me in this boat (while I am protected by a windscreen on the console, passengers seem to enjoy having the wind in their hair). I understand the Adventure 16 Elaho is rated to accommodate a 60 hp outboard; my plan is to wait until electric outboards become more mainstream, and will maintain my current 50 hp gasoline engine and replace it with electric when the time comes.
Stability.
Although the Adventure 16 Elaho does not have the type of deep V-shaped hull that can handle virtually all but the most extreme ocean conditions (think Grady White or something similar), my impression is that the hull has a decent enough “V” to effectively handle a mild and perhaps up to a moderate chop. Also, the freeboard is on the higher side of other options I explored, and this gives me additional confidence for my intended uses, i.e., in saltwater with nearshore navigation, on a lake or on the Fraser River, under good (but not necessarily perfect) conditions.
Flexible Seating.
My particular boat has three comfortable swivel seats which can be positioned in different places, depending on the intended use. For example, it might make sense to move one seat centered toward the bow when fishing. For those passengers not sitting on a swivel seat, they can sit comfortably at the front, facing toward the stern.
Cargo capacity.
As mentioned earlier, having the ability to move cargo along with passengers is a real plus. This adds to the diversity of function that I did not experience with my previous riveted aluminum boat.
Propeller guard.
I took advantage of this optional feature from Adventure Marine, given my local conditions of the rock beach. Having piloted the Adventure Elaho 16 with and without the propeller guard, I am delighted to report that the guard does not appear to affect the performance of the 50 hp outboard motor, and having the guard in place gives me a lot of piece of mind.
Transport Canada Certified.
I have no interest in taking a questionable craft out onto the water, let alone purchasing one. Adventure Marine obtained the necessary approvals from Transport Canada for the Adventure 16 Elaho prior to me completing the purchase, for which I am extremely grateful.
Adventure Marine.
Dealing with Greg Epp has been a pleasure throughout the entire process. I think he has correctly identified an important niche that can satisfy the needs of a wide variety of boaters, and in my opinion, the Adventure 16 Elaho fits the bill for all sorts of diverse uses. Finally, as a token of our appreciation to Greg and our overall satisfaction, my family and friends refer to our boat as the “Eppic”!
In closing, going back to what the ancient mariner said, I trust you now have an understanding of my motivation for purchasing the Adventure Elaho 16 and that some of my comments will resonate with you and be relevant to your situation. Happy boating.