The Bartender line of boats are a well known fixture to many people along the coastal waterfronts of the Pacific Northwest, and it's not uncommon for someone to approach you at a ramp or dock to ask, "Is that one of the Calkins boats?". Of course they are referring to George Calkins, a highly respected boat designer and builder who originally developed these craft in the late 1950's at his Calkins Craft Boat Company in what is now Lincoln City, Oregon. Calkins, who died in 2008 at the age of 97, is credited with building over 1,000 wooden boats in his lifetime. They were of many styles and designs, but none are more well known and respected than the Bartenders.
The Bartender evolved from Calkins' work building the wooden dories that fishermen launched through the surf at nearby Cape Kiwanda. Calkins felt that he could improve on the traditional double-ended dory design by combining it with a planing V-bottom to make a boat that would go fast, and yet keep the dory's excellent seakeeping abilities. In particular, his design maintained a hull that was well balanced with the engine placed near the center of buoyancy, a double-ended stern that lifts to following waves, and a dory flare that results in tremendous reserve buoyancy. His many years of previous practical experience paid off with the first Bartender design at a length of 22'. Plans were later added for a 19', 26', and 29-foot model (additional designs have been added since then - for more information for the Bartender line of boats see http://bartenderboats.com/).
The 26' cruising hull came about in 1962 when Calkins collaborated with another designer to fill a market niche and produce a boat with a greater cruising long-range capacity and yet not sacrifice the proven Bartender characteristics. The cruising hull varies from the original 26' sport model by having a full 8-1/2' beam (which still makes it easily trailerable), several inches of deeper freeboard, and a larger fuel capacity. The original cruising hull plans were revised and updated in 1993 and 2002.
The ultimate result of Calkins' effort in designing the Bartender is a boat with a reputation for safe, rough-water abilities. This reputation was proven by its use by the U.S. Coast Guard as a surf rescue craft in the 1960's, the Australian lifesaving service, the Alaskan oil industry, and scores of commercial and sport fishermen. The reputation is underscored by an often told story that appeared in a 1981 article in National Fisherman. According to the story, Calkins and his wife had been out fishing in a 22' Bartender and were trying to get back across the bar at Depoe Bay, Oregon, when the ocean became extremely rough. The bar at this port has a very narrow rocky entrance and is spanned by the Hwy 101 bridge where people often gather to watch the boats come and go. On this particular day, Calkins' mother-in-law was watching along with a number of other anxious tourists and Coast Guardsmen. When an angry woman in the crowd asked the Coast Guardsman why they weren't doing something to help this poor man, he replied, "Hell, lady, he's got a better boat than we do!"
The Bartender evolved from Calkins' work building the wooden dories that fishermen launched through the surf at nearby Cape Kiwanda. Calkins felt that he could improve on the traditional double-ended dory design by combining it with a planing V-bottom to make a boat that would go fast, and yet keep the dory's excellent seakeeping abilities. In particular, his design maintained a hull that was well balanced with the engine placed near the center of buoyancy, a double-ended stern that lifts to following waves, and a dory flare that results in tremendous reserve buoyancy. His many years of previous practical experience paid off with the first Bartender design at a length of 22'. Plans were later added for a 19', 26', and 29-foot model (additional designs have been added since then - for more information for the Bartender line of boats see http://bartenderboats.com/).
The 26' cruising hull came about in 1962 when Calkins collaborated with another designer to fill a market niche and produce a boat with a greater cruising long-range capacity and yet not sacrifice the proven Bartender characteristics. The cruising hull varies from the original 26' sport model by having a full 8-1/2' beam (which still makes it easily trailerable), several inches of deeper freeboard, and a larger fuel capacity. The original cruising hull plans were revised and updated in 1993 and 2002.
The ultimate result of Calkins' effort in designing the Bartender is a boat with a reputation for safe, rough-water abilities. This reputation was proven by its use by the U.S. Coast Guard as a surf rescue craft in the 1960's, the Australian lifesaving service, the Alaskan oil industry, and scores of commercial and sport fishermen. The reputation is underscored by an often told story that appeared in a 1981 article in National Fisherman. According to the story, Calkins and his wife had been out fishing in a 22' Bartender and were trying to get back across the bar at Depoe Bay, Oregon, when the ocean became extremely rough. The bar at this port has a very narrow rocky entrance and is spanned by the Hwy 101 bridge where people often gather to watch the boats come and go. On this particular day, Calkins' mother-in-law was watching along with a number of other anxious tourists and Coast Guardsmen. When an angry woman in the crowd asked the Coast Guardsman why they weren't doing something to help this poor man, he replied, "Hell, lady, he's got a better boat than we do!"