Mike Watt docks at The B-Side

Mike Watt’s latest model of The Boat, his legendary Econo-Touring van, might be taking its final voyage during the “El Mar Cura Todo” tour that kicked off yesterday.

It’s 14 years old with 251,000 miles on the odometer and 23 tours to its credit.

“My Boats all live on. Parts of her will go into the next Boat: probably the bench seat, the safe, things like that,” the legendary punk bassist from the Minutemen said during a telephone interview from his home in San Pedro, Calif. “She’ll never really die, but she’s getting long in the tooth.”

So this is likely The Boat’s final visit to Spokane when Watt and the Second Men return Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. to The B-Side, 230 W. Riverside. Belt of Vapor – whose own B-Side band contest prize van came with 287,000 miles clocked on it – opens the show. There is a $6 cover.

From a look at Watt’s homepage ( www.hootpage.com), it’s obvious The Boat is filled with memories from the road, both physically and figuratively.

Which items will make it to the dash of the next Boat?

A magazine article on John Coltrane.

“Someone gave that to me. I love it. It’s very insightful,” Watt said.

Various works by Charles Bukowski.

“Beats are very inspirational people to have on the road. They’re not into the same ol’ same ol’. They let the freak flag fly,” Watt said.

A big wooden spoon somebody carved.

“You never know when that might come in handy,” Watt said.

And a bottle of the good stuff.

“Of course, we got the Chile sauce to make sure the chow has flavor. No burn, no learn,” said Watt, who helped pioneer Econo-Touring, or self-supported touring that doesn’t rely on label support.

Watt is hitting the road to tour-support his latest and arguably most inspired album yet, “The Secondman’s Middle Stand.”

It’s a concept piece loosely based on Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy.” More specifically, it’s about the punk-rock pioneer’s toil with a nearly life threatening burst abscess in his perineum (in the pelvis area), which was brought on by an illness that left Watt with a fever for 38 days in 2000.

Released in late August, “Middle Stand” sees Watt recording in a trio of bass, organ and drums and singing his salty vocals about hell, healing and “Pluckin’, Pedalin’ and Paddlin’.”

“Usually guys have this huge crisis and they want to act like 20-year-olds or something,” 46-year-old Watt said. “I think maybe because of my work, playing bass, I leap-frogged all that and went back to 9, just bicycling, kayaking and playing my bass.”

Watt is finishing what will be the first new album since the 1970s by Iggy Pop and the Stooges, the unit he was recruited to tour with this summer.

Also, look out for an album from his Wild Rattz project, with members of The Stooges, Mudhoney and Sonic Youth. It’s been sitting on the shelf since 1998 because of label changes, Watt said.