tdschafer
Well-Known Member
So, I posted a thread a few months ago stating I was considering getting out of boating for a while. Basically, over the last 3 years I think we used the boat about 10 times as a family, sleeping on it once. Over that time my mother passed after being ill all summer & my mother in law passed mid-summer this year which clearly affected our use. Overall too many things have gotten in the way & we are starting to focus on getting a second home in FL to escape these lousy NY winters. So, I popped the boat up on FB marketplace & after a couple of inquiries ended up selling it to a gent from Connecticut.
This process took a bit of patience. After making the trip down & inspecting the boat, we negotiated a price. Derek, the buyer, then proceeded to try & get his survey scheduled. It took 2 weeks for the surveyor (Derek had used him for 2 previous boats that failed) to set a date on a Wednesday, which he ended up canceling the night before the survey due to a family matter. It was rescheduled for the following Wednesday, which was canceled again due to weather & rescheduled for the following Wednesday. I guessed the surveyor only worked on Wednesdays! Haha!
The third time was the charm & the boat passed with flying colors. The buyer was understandably eager to get the boat home a month after placing his deposit. Being from Connecticut, he was unfamiliar with the south shore waters of Long Island so I offered to drive the boat over to the Peconic Bay that Saturday, via the Shinnecock Canal due to less than favorable conditions on the ocean that day. This meant we were traversing the dreaded Moriches Bay with the non-existant intercoastal channel. This was not a big issue as I consulted with the local Sea Tow captain & was confident I could get through without incident as I have in the past.
Well.....that was proven wrong, although it had nothing to do with the skinny water! Just as I passed the Moriches Inlet & was heading up the east cut in 14+ feet of water, there was a sudden, severe, vibration eminating from the starboard motor. After reversing a few times hoping it was something on the prop that could be cleared, we ended up getting towed to a local marina for a short haul which showed no visible damage or any entanglement on the prop. After a 4 hour tow to my home marina our day on the water ended. Turns out a bolt or 2 came out of the shaft/transmisson coupler. My mechanic replaced the bolts on both sides & Derek & I did the test run this past Thursday. All was good & he ended up running the boat back to his home port in the Connecticut River on Friday with a boat captain friend of his!
So, for the first time in 35 years I am boatless!! I doubt that I will be boatless forever but, my next boat is more likely going to be a day boat on a lift behind a condo in Florida!! I will still be on this forum as I always enjoy reading about boats & will be offering advice where I have something of value to give. Also, please give a warm CSR welcome to @EmbreeD87 , which is Derek's new CSR handle. Until next time, tdschafer out!
This process took a bit of patience. After making the trip down & inspecting the boat, we negotiated a price. Derek, the buyer, then proceeded to try & get his survey scheduled. It took 2 weeks for the surveyor (Derek had used him for 2 previous boats that failed) to set a date on a Wednesday, which he ended up canceling the night before the survey due to a family matter. It was rescheduled for the following Wednesday, which was canceled again due to weather & rescheduled for the following Wednesday. I guessed the surveyor only worked on Wednesdays! Haha!
The third time was the charm & the boat passed with flying colors. The buyer was understandably eager to get the boat home a month after placing his deposit. Being from Connecticut, he was unfamiliar with the south shore waters of Long Island so I offered to drive the boat over to the Peconic Bay that Saturday, via the Shinnecock Canal due to less than favorable conditions on the ocean that day. This meant we were traversing the dreaded Moriches Bay with the non-existant intercoastal channel. This was not a big issue as I consulted with the local Sea Tow captain & was confident I could get through without incident as I have in the past.
Well.....that was proven wrong, although it had nothing to do with the skinny water! Just as I passed the Moriches Inlet & was heading up the east cut in 14+ feet of water, there was a sudden, severe, vibration eminating from the starboard motor. After reversing a few times hoping it was something on the prop that could be cleared, we ended up getting towed to a local marina for a short haul which showed no visible damage or any entanglement on the prop. After a 4 hour tow to my home marina our day on the water ended. Turns out a bolt or 2 came out of the shaft/transmisson coupler. My mechanic replaced the bolts on both sides & Derek & I did the test run this past Thursday. All was good & he ended up running the boat back to his home port in the Connecticut River on Friday with a boat captain friend of his!
So, for the first time in 35 years I am boatless!! I doubt that I will be boatless forever but, my next boat is more likely going to be a day boat on a lift behind a condo in Florida!! I will still be on this forum as I always enjoy reading about boats & will be offering advice where I have something of value to give. Also, please give a warm CSR welcome to @EmbreeD87 , which is Derek's new CSR handle. Until next time, tdschafer out!
