Accident confirms composite hull’s durability

There was a time when everyone sought out American-made products. They were built to last, and we trusted they would do so. That was in the day when products came with a warranty at no extra charge and before companies learned they could make millions selling warranties or by using them to generate repeat customers for the repair shop.

For today’s consumer, the challenge is figuring out when a warranty truly reflects a product’s quality rather than serving as just another sales gimmick. So when Roger told me there was a lifetime warranty on the hull of his new 20-foot Triumph, my response was somewhat muted. The hull, he explained, is made of a composite material that will take all kinds of abuse. But even as Roger talked about the durability tests Triumph Boats puts their products through, I remained doubtful.

Two years of fishing and an overnight adventure later, however, I can tell you firsthand the hull on that boat lives up to the company’s claims.

The real test started with the seemingly innocent phone call early in the week. “Hey Doug, it’s Roger. Are you up for fishing Friday night? I know this great spot, and we can throw out the green light. We’ll catch lots of fish.”

When Friday afternoon finally arrived, off to Roger’s house I went. After a quick stop by the market for some frozen anchovies, we were soon on our way to Callville Bay.

A 45-minute boat ride put us in the upper reaches of the Virgin Basin, where Roger and I spotted several small striper boils. They were short in duration and never larger than a few feet across, but they were boils nonetheless. For the next few hours, we trolled, casted lures and jigged off the bottom. Everything produced fish, but nothing larger than a pound or so. As usual, Roger out-fished me, but we both caught fish and had a good time doing it.

At about 10 p.m., age caught up to us and we decided it was time to head for the marina. The moon had yet to come up, so it was still fairly dark, but with both of us on the lookout, we confidently motored for home. Ahead, we saw what looked to be open water when all of a sudden, and seemingly out of nowhere, a line of dead trees and brush appeared directly in our path. Roger and I dropped behind the boat’s windshield to avoid flying debris and slapping tree limbs, and somehow Roger managed to kill and raise the motor before we felt and heard the hull hit what we knew to be a rocky shoreline.

Thankfully, the boat came to a sliding stop rather than an abrupt one, but we knew we were in for a long night. With the help of rangers from the National Park Service, we made it home early the next morning. As Roger made arrangements to have his boat pulled off the island, I feared the worst and fully expected the boat’s hull to be damaged beyond repair. But to my surprise, and despite having run aground on a rocky point covered with sharp gypsum beds, the composite hull withstood the abuse. Aside from a gouge on the keel and some scrapes underneath, the hull remained intact and seaworthy.

No doubt Roger will need to have some repair work done, but nothing like those he would face had the hull been made of fiberglass. It appears that Triumph Boats has a product that lives up to its billing.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.