Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

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bigralph
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Location: Memphis, TN

Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by bigralph »

So, I see several folks on here that are the ... ahem... proud owner of 2 boats. I have owned 2 boats since being a member of this forum and I am thoroughly disgusted and disheartened. Yes, I posted a whining post last year, so I am overdue.

I truly love Invictus, my 1991 F32, that apparently isn't actually a thing since my TRJ doesn't show it as a Fly bridge or as a 10 M, but we'll go with what my surveyor and USAA say it is ... a 1991 F32 Flybridge. I have got her running pretty well, figured out how to maneuver her on the Mississippi around Memphis and had a couple good outings, in 2 years. Yea, I think 2 good outings in 2 years is about right. Last year, after moving her here from Norfolk, I spent money and time fixing the broken important things. This year, I spent a ton of time on updating. I replaced the toilet and installed a 26 gallon holding tank. Put in a new Y valve as a PO had removed it. Have everything working in that system, except the macerator and can't use that in the MS anyway, so why bother?
Project 2 of 2015 was installing the lewmar Pro Series 700 windlass I purchased new when I bought the boat in Mar 2013. So, 2 years later, the windlass worked fine at the dock. the first time I went underway and was going to use it, I broke it. I pushed the button in the wrong direction, wrapped the anchor tight into the bow pulpit, about 6 chain lengths, tripped the circuit breaker and now the gypsy will not rotate in the clockwise direction, at all. This weekend, we watched fireworks by the new Bass Pro pyramid by me finggling the rode around the gypsy and dropping and retrieving by hand, essentially making it harder to anchor than the original design.

Meanwhile, I have owned a 2004 Sea Ray weekender cuddy cabin since 2007. Bought it with 85 hours on the engine and it now has about 125. I put it in the harbor about 3 weeks ago to check it from the move it made from Norfolk in October 2014. Yep, the batteries were dead as a door nail and the engine high temp alarm came on within 1/2 a mile from the marina. I checked the lower unit impeller and it looked brand new. In the process, I lost a bolt that is going to cost $6 and won't be here until Wednesday. Meanwhile, I still don't know why the engine overheated and am guessing that it is either the thermostat or there is some crap in the line. Either way, Memorial Day came and went and that boat is still inop.

I am an engineer and used to be an electrician, and I think those skills cloud my judgment a lot. I am frequently asked how long a project will take and we all laugh and say "2 hours" because generally 2 hours is 3 weeks. I travel all the time and honestly owning 2 boats means I work on 2 boats and never fish, swim, etc...

So, after whining, why? Why do we do this? Who has time to enjoy 2 boats? Who can afford to have pros maintain 2 boats? I couldn't imaging paying for the work I've done, besides there is no one in the area anyway.

Grr.

Any encouragement?
todd brinkerhoff
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by todd brinkerhoff »

If it makes you feel any better, I do all that work and only get to boat for 4 months in the cold state of New York. A majority of the time, the boat sits in shrink wrap.

I think people who are prefectionist or always have to have everything working perfectly tend to be stressed boaters. I have finally come to the conclusion that there will be broken and inoperable things on the boat, and not get too upset. This is a big change for me. I look around my marina and see the people with very imperfect boats are the ones actually using the boat, and tend to be the most happy. If I see a prestine boat, it usually sits at the dock with no owner in sight. Keep the motors running good, and safety gear updated, and go out and enjoy.

People will call the boating community crazy until they want to go for a ride. I guess we are, but it's in my blood, and I can't seem to give it up.

That probably didn't help your cause. Sorry!
1991 Trojan International 10.8 Meter Express hull# 003 - 454 Crusaders
1961 Century Raven 22 - Gray Marine 327

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Lou
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by Lou »

I use my Trojan for enjoyment & fishing. I use my Grady White for offshore fishing & fuel savings.

All paid for, I owe no one. Bragging rights I guess. As long as I'm on the water, who cares. Enjoy the view!
1972 - Trojan F31
1981 - Grady White Sailfish 25
1988 - Wellcraft 2800 Express
1966 - Chris Craft 36'
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aaronbocknek
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by aaronbocknek »

i was very much in your situation, sans the two boats, a few years ago. i had my beautiful tri cabin that just sat at the dock.........why? because i had a **&^%!!! partner who didn't contribute one iota to her. oh sure, when it came time to go for a short cruise, with narry a contribution to the fuel, he was great. he loved it. when it came time to wash her, stock the galley, or any number of things necessary for a boating couple to do, he was notably absent. ask ANYONE at the marina...........i love puttering around on her. doing this and doing that. i only wish i had the open check book some folks have to update her like i would want to do to treat a lady properly. if i could, over a winter, i'd take her to either rock hall or deltaville and tell them......"this is my list, you have the winter.......GO!!!" but i can't. not yet. HOWEVER......... last year someone very special just popped into my life. and you know what? HE LOVES THE BOAT. he organizes my chaos in the cabin and the galley and that's fine. brad and i had very full weekend days over memorial day, and not a full 'holiday' to say the least. so. he said, 'you know what? i have to work around the yard on monday, you have to fly. let's just make a sunday of it at the boat and enjoy........." and that's exactly what we did. i tinkered around with new perko hardware on the swim platform ladder and cabin door. he curled up on the bridge and read. he made a gourmet dinner with a fine wine and we just enjoyed ENTERPRISE. no. we did not leave the dock. not in that holiday nightmare in the channel. but our friends mike and natalia lent us their newly acquired hard bottom inflatable with helm and JET DRIVE to just go out and explore. (he's an IT geek, in his late 20's with not 1, but 4 slips at our marina. 1 for him, 1 for his baby brother, 1 for ''the water toys'', and 1, just in case..........ahhhh the idle millennials with money to burn) brad and i enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the marina and then set off for home. where two unspoiled dogs demanded immediate attention!! (when it came time to close up, he was tending to the bridge cushions, the isenglass and turned off dockside water.........i'm not used to having someone be proactive, but it's nice. it really is.)

so my friend.........whine and scream all you want. WE'VE BEEN THERE. some of us still are.....but, for all it's worth, all the PAIN IN THE TUSH THINGS......... you'd be lost with out it. you need this. you like this. and we are ALL HERE to support you.
enjoy.............
aaron, brad, maccabee and shakespear..........
1982 F-36 TRI CABIN ENTERPRISE
PARKSIDE MARINA IN MIDDLE RIVER, MD
aaronbocknek@gmail.com
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LandVF36
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by LandVF36 »

2? I'm proud of myself for getting down to 4.

My favorite of the four is the Trojan F36. I spoke to my father from the bridge the day he passed away. He wanted to be there, I wanted to be with him. It was only a few months earlier that we sat (under shrink wrap with sub zero temps in the middle of January) in the salon making a list of projects that she needed in the spring. Now, 8 seasons later, I'm re-doing the same projects that I started with like sanding and sealing the deck (wish I would have used 2 part paint), fixing hatch windows, sewing new canvas, working on the genny, new duck bills in the head, and of course its time for new electronics.

Sometimes I get frustrated when walking the dock, past the new machines and boaters with big budgets. I think about selling and moving on. Then I think about the work i've done, and the joy I get from not just the hours cruising, but also from keeping a 40+ yr old girl alive.

Its a special kind of crazy that we all have.
Current Fleet:
2000 Carver 450 Voyager
1991 Thompson 21' Carerra Cuddy
1994 Scout 15'
2005 Caribe LCX9 dingy
1981 16' Hobicat
Former Owner - 1973 Trojan F-36 "Light and Variable"
larryeddington
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by larryeddington »

I absolutely understand, f28 on trailer going to junk, about through stripping. Getting 2nd f28 ready to sell, last chore was had to put new flywheel with welded starter gear on it. Believe me you do not want to do that, especially on a v-drive. My tri cab is also fighting with me some, it I will keep. Until I get down to one much work to be done it seems and now cant get to the dock unless use a water taxi! Texoma will probably be up until July and it is still raining. So feel for you, Oh and I have not taken my fishing boat in a year. :shock:
Larry Eddington
1984 F-36 Tri Cabin "The Phoenix II"
1978 F-28 "The Phoenix"
Fish Master 2350 Bay Boat
9.5' Dink
rickalan35
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by rickalan35 »

As Todd simply stated, I guess we're crazy, but it's in my blood, and I can't seem to give it up. and he is probably correct. We simply can't justify the cost of boating when figured as a percentage of happy hours on the water. They're a poor investment. But when we factor in friends at the dock, all the winter plans we compose and the daydreaming we can do in a boring business meeting - the investment begins to make a little more sense. Plus these boats are in our blood.

My current "second" boat in an old friend and although I will sacrifice it for $10,000, it can hang around the family for as long as it wants to. It will make some lucky guy a great boat because like just all of you, I simply poured a ton of cash and loving hours into her for 14 years, before promptly buying another Trojan. Brain dead maybe, but I also love this new one so much.

I'll always fondly remember the 25' pontoon houseboat my wife and I bought at age 23. Boy did we have a lot of fun with her. I did so many incredibly dumb things on that little houseboat, it defies reality.

But I had a great laugh as I read the log that came with my recent purchase of the '94 11 meter express. The original owner wrote in 1996, "We just left Picton Marina and don't think we'll be coming back. Glanced off four boats on the way out and there are people now standing on shore taking photos of us and shaking their fists."

One great thing worth mentioning about Big Ralph is that he admits having made a mistake with that windlass.

Good luck to all of us. We'll probably all need it. Plus after what Aaron went through with his health recently, it proves we damn well deserve what enjoyment we do get. Ordinary people, we're not.

Cheers

Rick
Trojan 1994 370 Express, 502 Bluewaters
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aaronbocknek
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by aaronbocknek »

thanks for the plug rick. appreciate it. i think we are a unique bunch of folks we trojan owners. aside from the chris craft commander group, and the occasional hatteras owner, we are just obsessed with these ladies. maybe it's because they are an orphaned brand. maybe it's the timeless design and functionality of the 'classic' boat. or the forward thinking design of the internationals...........these boats have class. i can only imagine what ENTERPRISE would look like after a face lift and refit. brad, being fairly new to boating and boat ownership, remarks how 'comfy' the tri cabin is. we've gone on other vessels at the marina and at boat shows, and he still remarks at the nice wooden interior of 'our' tri cabin. yeah there are boats out there that are shiny and new, with drive by wire :shock: :shock: :shock: systems and the latest electronics, but, i will match my boat against any when it comes to a strong and sturdy hull. (although........we do love the carver c34!!) treat these vessels like a lady, and they will get you home. well, provided you don't run aground on the rocks.
1982 F-36 TRI CABIN ENTERPRISE
PARKSIDE MARINA IN MIDDLE RIVER, MD
aaronbocknek@gmail.com
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ready123
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by ready123 »

As a Canadian I need to own 2 boats..... One up North for the Summer and the other in Florida for the winters. Makes sense to me and works well, other than the recent weak Canadian $ to pay the US storage bills!
Michael
Rum is the reason Pirate's have never ruled the world
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1987 President 43' Twin Lehman 225SP Turbo
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1978 F32 Sedan twin 318 Chry SOLD
Safe Cove Marina, Port Charlotte, FL
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TADTOOMUCH
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by TADTOOMUCH »

I own my two boats the F32 and the Mercury inflatable because it is a hell of a lot cheaper than mental therapy. I don't know what therapists charge but I'm damn sure it would be more than the cost of my boat, winter storage, summer slip fees, and fuel combined per year. So that is how I justify it. Without the boat to help me relax, I'd be spending more on some shrink trying to calm me down.
Boat Name: A TAD TOO MUCH
Model: 1978 F-32 Sedan Cruiser
Engines: Twin Chry 360's 666 hrs original engines

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larryeddington
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by larryeddington »

It may be crazy but I find it stimulating and enjoyable (most of the time) bringing these and other things back to life. Most people just thing throwaway, unfortunately at times I not one of them. :D
Larry Eddington
1984 F-36 Tri Cabin "The Phoenix II"
1978 F-28 "The Phoenix"
Fish Master 2350 Bay Boat
9.5' Dink
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aaronbocknek
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Re: Why the &*!@ own 2 boats?

Post by aaronbocknek »

larryeddington wrote:It may be crazy but I find it stimulating and enjoyable (most of the time) bringing these and other things back to life. Most people just thing throwaway, unfortunately at times I not one of them. :D
here here larry. here here. :D :D :D :D
1982 F-36 TRI CABIN ENTERPRISE
PARKSIDE MARINA IN MIDDLE RIVER, MD
aaronbocknek@gmail.com
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