This is a “Real” beachcombing boat!
14 ft. aluminum, 25 hp motor with guard, oars, ropes & chains. I think he has a log peavey as well. Dress for work is always the same, sweat pants, rubber boots, gloves, jacket & lifejacket, top that all off with a sun hat.
So, you wanna be a “Beachcomber”, maybe hang with the gang for coffee at Molly’s Reach after a hard days work?
If you grew up watching the TV show then you fully understand where people are coming from when they say that they would like to be a beachcomber. LOL
You’ll be in your boat for probably 5 hours a day and those days are determined by the weather & winds. The hours you work are determined by the tides. No real productivity to be had unless it’s high tide. That’s the only time you can get the monsters off the beach.
- Find the Logs.
- Tow them home.
- Tie them up somewhere.
- Find a buyer.
- Deliver the logs by water.
- Have the logs scaled by an authorized person.
- Sell the logs.
- Wait for payment.
WAIT A MINUTE. It’s not that easy, once you find the logs you have to take them somewhere to tie up. Hell, it’s hard enough to tie up a fishing boat somewhere. Some of the towns out here have 25 year waiting lists for dock moorage.
After you have a buyer you have to get the logs delivered & NO you may not transport to buyer by land, the Tree Police will have you stopped in no time.
After you have paid the Province of BC for your logs based on the scaling rates you may sell your logs to a licensed buyer at the rates they want to pay. I am lead to believe that most Log Salvage Operators sell they’re logs every 3 months.
There are many, many more rules than what I have outlined above.
To top it all off, you must have an annual criminal record check done by RCMP to make sure you are a good guy. The annual fee for a licence is $250
You can supplement your income with other less controlled salvage items like, old floats, kayaks that drifted away from some dock, things like life jackets that fall out of fishing boats etc.
Happy Beachcombing!
Mike