I LOVE my Shamrock

[Bonefrog]

Just finished a major re-fit on my 20cc. Replaced everything below deck. 4th motor for this boat. I used a new Michigan Motorz 5.7MPI new tranny and all hoses, pumps & wiring. I can't begin to tell you how spectacular this boat performs. After fussing with a more than a year and a half with a shoddy instillation of an old 305 truck motor, it eventually burned itself up along with the existing transmission I bit the bullet and made this boat what I imagined it could be when I bought it. Sham-"rock"

 

[mako2]

Glad to hear its running well for you.

 

[Mickey Z]

I have been watching the board lately and notice a trend that may not help our brand. Maybe it can be chalked up to winter doldrums but I thought I'd make a post.

As I looked at the topics and posts I see numerous ones which could be unsettling to a visitor or a potential purchaser. Take for example the thread "Will Palmer keep making Shamrocks?" If I were looking at a Shamrock and ran across this thread it might cause me to avoid the brand as I might not be able to get service after I buy. If we want Bo to continue to make Shamrocks, lets support the brand and help him sell new boats.

Other threads mention problems a very few owners have had, many not related to the boats Bo Palmer constructed but bashing Shamrocks in general. Not all boats are perfect, and there were a few boats built by KCS that slipped QI causing problems (What have we verified, three boats out of thousands). These few cause harm to the brand when it isn't warranted. Thus here are my thoughts on why I own and love my Shamrock boat.

I owned five boats prior to becoming a Shamrock owner. Two I/O's, two O/B's and an inboard 26' Tollycraft. The last boat before the Shamrock was a 21' Seaswirl which I drove around the San Juan Islands and took to to Princess Louisa Inlet twice. It was a replacement for another I/O powered Fiberform. Both lost I/O’s from hitting logs. I know they are suppose to pop up when hit but the marine maintenance shops in the Puget Sound region will tell you I/O repairs are usually their bread and butter. I have never had a drive kick up when hit, even when brand new. I lost one I/O on the first boat, sold it, then proceeded to lose three I/O’s on the second boat (okay, I admit I was a slow learner, but darn, that second boat sure looked sexy!)

That was when I noticed the little Shamrock 20' cuddy (the original cuddy which is now like the WA) and fell in love. It was slow but solid. I bought it and immediately started driving it all over the San Juans. My break-in cruise was to Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls .... in February! I commuted between islands so drove the boat in the morning before sunrise and at night. If I wanted to see a movie, visit a friend, or have dinner at a restaurant, I had to drive at night. No Problem. I have hundreds of hours in Shamrocks at night and don’t see any need to restrict your operating hours to daylight. I never had a crunch that hurt a Shamrock hull. As an aside, when the County Sheriff's office needed a boat to take a deputy to another island, I was called. Those men loved the Shamrock and preferred it to all other boats when the weather was rough until they got their own.

Once I was delivering a 20' Cuddy to a customer, a commercial fisherman, in Ketchikan. The seas were rough enough I couldn’t spot the deadhead in front of me. I was traveling about 25 knots when I hit the log. The boat literally launched out of the water and I was thrown over the seat and landed against the transom. When I was able to regain control of the boat, I stopped and checked the bilge for water. None was entering and I couldn’t see any damage. I started the engine and put it in gear. No vibration. I continued on and the next day at Ketchikan the fisherman met me at the docks with two buddies.

I explained what had happened and arranged to have the boat lifted and inspected. I told the customer I would have the damage fixed to his satisfaction or deliver another boat, his option. Once the boat was in the air, the three fishermen, surveyor, and I walked under it. The new owner looked the boat over well and asked me if I was pulling his leg as he couldn’t see any damage. At that moment, the surveyor called us over to the keel and asked me if the long black streak on the keel and hull were there before I started out. No, I said, they weren’t. I took a rag and rubbing compound an in about 10 minutes the only mark on the boat was a tiny area of first impact that had fine crazing. The surveyor said it wasn’t structural damage, wasn’t through the gel coat and the bottom paint would seal it. I knocked a $100 off the owner’s price and he was ecstatic. He bought me dinner and went on and on how any other planing boat in Ketchikan would have been destroyed by that encounter. He had me relate my story several times to friends. His two buddies were equally impressed and I left Ketchikan with two more sales.

I delivered about a dozen Shamrocks to Alaska and northern BC while young and invulnerable. I hit a lot of junk in the water, especially during the spring when logs were floated down the rivers or broke loose from big rafts. Never, ever, did I damage the hull, prop or rudder. I did bend a skeg once but that is an easy repair.

Shamrocks are solid boats built heavy for their size. The keeled boats have a low center of gravity making them extremely stable. The keel helps tracking and all in all the boat is great. It is the only 20' boat I would even think of taking to Alaska on its own bottom.

On my current model, a 2000 22 WAC I hole sawed the hull in two places and was astonished at what I found. The first hole was starboard of the keel about one foot outboard of the keel and one foot behind the rear of the engine. The puck I pried out of the hole saw was 5/8" thick! No wonder I wasn't worried when delivering to Alaska.

The other puck as sawn over the port bilge discharge at the rear and just under the gunnel. The thickness was 5/8"! This is the overlap area at the top of the hull so I have about 5/16" thick hull sides. Thank you Shamrock.

Each spring, I spend an hour or two prepping the boat for summer use. I am NOT mechanically inclined. Still, even a knuckle busting klutz like me can replace sparkplugs, belt, impellor and change oil. It costs me about $57 for parts and in two hours max I'm ready for Baja.

My wife and I spend time on Lake Powell every year. She isn't thrilled with the ocean but loves the lake. We sleep on the boat which has a comfortable amount of room for us. With the rear seat in, we can carry a week's worth of food and fuel and enjoy the quiet of remote spots.

That is another thing I love. With a full keel I am not afraid to explore all the nooks and coves as if I hit bottom I'm comfortable knowing I won't damage my running gear. In the remote ends of some reaches, the water is so green one can't see six inches below the surface. A full keel is very comforting.

My wife will also go to Catalina Island in the Shamrock. Even when the wind comes up she is unconcerned. She knows the boat is capable of handling any seas we may encounter. One particularly nasty night I was traveling from Two Harbors to Cat Harbor when my electronics died. It was pitch black with heavy seas. I was afraid but my wife wasn't concerned until I asked her to put a life jacket on. We made the trip and once tied up, my wife's biggest concern was to get ashore so she could use the restroom.

I have taken my little Shammie on two week cruises of Baja, far north toward Alaska, and fished all over. It has never let me down. If the engine were to ever quit, I feel confident I could get it running again. I love the service California Offshore provides when I can't do it myself. I love the fact that the owner of the company monitors this site. Other owners may do so but I'm unaware of any with the involvement we have here.

With other members of this board I have taken my 22 WAC as far as 110 miles offshore into Mexican waters to fish for albacore traveling most of the way at night. I wouldn't consider any other 22'er for a trip like that.

I love the fact that almost every Shamrock ever built is still in use. Even a Katrina sunk hull, ugly as sin, still brings a good price on ebay because real boaters recognize the quality of the hull.

I love how my boat handles seas. Only twice have I been afraid on the water. Once crossing Queen Charlotte Sound in 10'-12' seas in a 20'er and once at night off Catalina Island. The only reason I was concerned there was due to the closeness of the Island and the fact that I was very near some offshore rocks without a proper position and no chartplotter or GPS. I bought a handheld for back up the next week as I found out I couldn't drive the boat and look at a gps and chart in snotty seas all at the same time.

I love that Shamrock has never tried to 'stretch' its models by adding swimstep and pulpit lengths to the advertised length. My model is the 220 rather than a 26' like a smaller Bayliner is advertised as. In fact I have a friend with a 'not to be named boat' who joined me for a fishing trip to Mexico. When we got to BOLA, he was staring at my Shammie with an odd look. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "You have 22' boat, right? Mine is a 25 but yours is bigger. Why?" We had a short talk on truth in advertizing.

My 20' Shamrock is a 1980 CC. Best boat I ever had. Was a wreak when I got it. Its heavy but after replacing the 302 that was in it. ( had sunk a valve thru the top of #4 cylinder) swtiched over to electronic ignition. Electric fuel pump and just about everything else. Only thing I haven't replaced is the sea strainer and the blower motor & hoses. I worked on it a year before I put it in the water. I set it up for Catfishing in the Santee Lakes here in South Carolina.

 

[deputyrpa]

My 20' Shamrock is a 1980 CC. Best boat I ever had. Was a wreak when I got it. Its heavy but after replacing the 302 that was in it. ( had sunk a valve thru the top of #4 cylinder) swtiched over to electronic ignition. Electric fuel pump and just about everything else. Only thing I haven't replaced is the sea strainer and the blower motor & hoses. I worked on it a year before I put it in the water. I set it up for Catfishing in the Santee Lakes here in South Carolina.

Great job with it. She looks great!