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Old 07-10-2012, 01:39 PM   #21
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First post ever from a wannabe here! My husband and I are probably a decade from retirement, but we have a home on the ICW in Swansboro NC and see trawlers go by daily, and sigh...

We have taken our first step by signing up for a trawler school for 4 days next spring. Next step is to win the lottery. And reading reading reading! -SB
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Old 07-10-2012, 01:42 PM   #22
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Welcome NC, Good luck.
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Old 07-10-2012, 01:56 PM   #23
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I started out in canoes and moved onto Jboats and trihulls.Then fishing boats up to 18ft.Next I switched over to water sport boats to 20 feet and threw in a few pontoons that stretched to 24 feet.Have I mentioned that I hate pontoons lately?I got my experience from friends and their parents.When I build my big boat next year,I will take the USCG Aux course or PS course that has already been mentioned in this thread.
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Old 07-10-2012, 03:31 PM   #24
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While everyone's situation is different, there is no law that says one must wait until retiring before getting into cruising. In fact, my wife and I are major proponents of doing what one really wants to do as soon as one can afford to do it. We know too many people who put off doing things, be it travel, getting a boat, whatever, because they wanted to wait until they were completely ready. And when that day came, either health or other reasons prevented them from doing it.

So our philosophy is if doing something we really want to do isn't going to force us to live in a box under the freeway, we'll do it. So floatplane flying, narrowboating in the UK, getting first a trailer fishing boat and then 14 years ago adding the old Grand Banks are all things we started doing as early as we possibly could do them.

I have a number of years to go before I can retire. But if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, we will have done all these cool things we so much wanted to do.

You don't want to put yourself in financial jeopardy. But I think waiting until "the time is right" can be just as detrimental. Maybe get a smaller boat to start with if you've not had much or any experience on the water. And the trawler school is a great idea, too. And try a USCG Auxiliary or Power Squadron course if you haven't already.
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Old 07-10-2012, 03:39 PM   #25
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Welcome, NC. You have come to the right place.

By the way, I love Swansboro. I have had two friends that had places on Queens Creek. Another friend I think still has a place at Shell Rock Landing. We used to fish that area down around Bogue and Bear Inlets. Had a few scares in Bogue Inlet.
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Old 07-10-2012, 07:01 PM   #26
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Welcome khalil! Great to have you here. There are many great things to learn here, in a trawler school and right in your own back yard. I always look out for deals on little outboards or little runabouts that will fit on my boat. Even when I don't have the money to....let's say rebuild a transmission or buy all my wiring...I can still tinker with a $100 outboard to get working for a skiff that I will be pulling or hauling on my cabin. Look at it this way, every time you work on something you familiarize yourself with another item in your cruising collection. Good luck
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Old 07-10-2012, 07:29 PM   #27
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Welcome khalil,
Forum responses to khalil, presenting a blank page, are quite different to someone with pre formed ideas.
On top of the excellent pointers, I`d say keep in mind owning a boat presents a pastime,a pleasure,a hobby,a way of life,and a level of devotion and responsibility. It will happily claim any unused money, and time. Above all,it is entirely worthwhile. Hasten slowly,learn, get to crew regularly on a boat or boats,do some study courses;these things plus just being exposed to the boating world, absorbing information almost by osmosis (there`s a subject to learn about before you buy!) should get you safely along the path toward boat owning. BruceK
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Old 07-11-2012, 12:22 PM   #28
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I'm in the "don't know anything" and "taking it in steps" club. My wife and I took a weekend course out of Anacortes in April. We are chartering with a captain aboard in August. And going out on friends' boats when we can. And hope to charter in future without a captain if all goes well. Really appreciating the community to learn from here.
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Old 07-11-2012, 12:44 PM   #29
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Greetings,
Mr./Ms.? K. Welcome aboard! You're in the right "club". Read, research and ask away...
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Old 07-11-2012, 01:22 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by khalil View Post
Everyone is offering so much VALUABLE advice.

This is a wonderful forum...

If you are in the Everett area, let me know and/or drop by.
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Old 07-16-2012, 11:38 AM   #31
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I am so glad someone has asked this question. We have just learned about the America's Great Loop and are enchanted with the idea of a retirement cruise around the US. We both have no experience really with boats of any kind. The husband took some rides with friends 'back in the day' but I wouldn't say he is experienced.

But, so much to learn!! All your recommendations are wonderful! Going to print out the replies and give it to the husband for his reading pleasure. Lots to do and learn!!

Planning to go to a Trawler Festival to get more familiar with everything as well.
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Old 07-16-2012, 11:58 AM   #32
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who?

Confused as to whom we are referring to? Looks like three newbies on the thread?

Welcome all!
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Old 07-16-2012, 12:53 PM   #33
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Greetings,
Ms. 1o'6. When you give your husband the replies, sit him down in his favorite chair, pour him a cocktail, maybe put on some soft tunes..... put a paper bag over his head, put one of his feet in a bucket of warm kerosene, pour a large pitcher of cold water into his crotch, take all the money out of his wallet, and ask him to name all the presidents and their running mates since George W and tell him unless he answers within 60 seconds you're going to invite your mother to stay with you for 3 months. THEN allow him to read the replies but inside the paper bag with a flashlight.
Something similar to this was MY worst day on the water but I wouldn't change any of it at all.
Welcome aboard everyone.
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Old 07-16-2012, 01:42 PM   #34
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A dose of reality for the folks on this thread new to boating and asking about it (I'm not sure how many there are, either Blue Heron).......

So you buy your boat and begin your boating dream. In addition to the wonderful scenery-- unless you boat east of the Mississippi (excluding Maine) or south of the latitude comprising Oregon's southern border where there isn't any -- and wildlife and beautiful sunsets and lazy days on the moorings, there is also this experience which my wife and I just got to enjoy this past weekend.

It's called "Time To Change Out The Aft Toilet to Holding Tank Plumbing."

It involves figuring out how to cut out and remove twenty feet of old hose and PVC without spilling any of the "contents" onto what you don't want to spill it on. You get to grunt and sweat and curse as you try to remove hose that's glommed onto hose fittings with a death grip like you wouldn't believe. (Helpful Hint-- a heat gun makes this problem go away.)

You get to fish around in the bilge for the tiny screw that you dropped or the screwdriver that rolled away from you and lodged in the most inaccessible spot under the water tanks.

You get to contort yourself into a far, dark corner of the lazarette being careful not to step on or get caught in the steering cables. It involves removing and figuring out where to put a heavy mattress and drawers and bed platform panels.

It involves some amazing smells.

Then you get to snake the old plumbing sections out which virtually guarantees that at least one of the plastic bags you so carefully taped over all the cut ends will snag on a sharp shard of fiberglass or a splinter and dump its contents onto you as well as the boat.

Then you get to clean and disinfect all the parts of the boat you've exposed with bleach and stuff. (Helpful Hint-- marry a person who likes doing this sort of thing so you won't have to.)

You get to fabricate new piping and hose support panels for the improved plumbing configuration you've come up with. This involves buying and shaping the right wood and mixing up CPES to seal it with and then painting and then screwing on the panels which of course mount in the far recesses of the dark, cramped lazarette.

There is a reward to all this, which is installing the new PVC and hose and having it all come together like you wanted it to. But the reward doesn't come until the end, before which you will have asked yourself several times why the hell the goddamned boat was making you do this in the first place.

Then you get to put back all the crap you had to move to do the project, some of which you've forgotten how you maneuvered out to begin with.

Like the question "how did B-29 pilots take a dump on twelve-hour bombing missions to Japan in WWII?" this is an aspect of boating nobody will ever tell you about in forums when they are bombarding you with advice on what boat to buy for your dream cruise and what route to take and where to stop for lunch.

So I thought I would. (I also know about the B-29 pilots but I won't go into that here.)

Now you can hire this kind of work out if you want to. At yard labor rates that are at or approaching $100 an hour, this 1.5 to 2 day job will set you back about $2,000 when you add in materials, environmental disposal fees, and all the other creative things yards come up with to charge you for these days. Maybe even more depending on the yard.

So while the ratio of maintenance to enjoyment with a boat is not as bad as it is for a helicopter where they say for every hour in the air it has to spend a week in maintenance, or a Jaguar E-Type which has a 1:1 ratio for driving hours vs maintenance hours, a boat is nevertheless an item that is in an "I'm breaking" mode 24/7/365. Which means one way or the other you have to keep fixing it. Or preventing it from breaking even more.

Not trying to discourage you from getting into boating--- we all did it here and most of us feel the upside makes the downside well worth putting up with. But you should get into it realizing full well that it's not all dolphins riding your bow wave and pretty sunsets.
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Old 07-16-2012, 01:54 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marin View Post
A dose of reality for the folks on this thread new to boating and asking about it (I'm not sure how many there are, either Blue Heron).......

So you buy your boat and begin your boating dream. In addition to the wonderful scenery-- unless you boat east of the Mississippi (excluding Maine) or south of the latitude comprising Oregon's southern border where there isn't any -- and wildlife and beautiful sunsets and lazy days on the moorings, there is also this experience which my wife and I just got to enjoy this past weekend.

It's called "Time To Change Out The Aft Toilet to Holding Tank Plumbing."

It involves figuring out how to cut out and remove twenty feet of old hose and PVC without spilling any of the "contents" onto what you don't want to spill it on. You get to grunt and sweat and curse as you try to remove hose that's glommed onto hose fittings with a death grip like you wouldn't believe. (Helpful Hint-- a heat gun makes this problem go away.)

You get to fish around in the bilge for the tiny screw that you dropped or the screwdriver that rolled away from you and lodged in the most inaccessible spot under the water tanks.

You get to contort yourself into a far, dark corner of the lazarette being careful not to step on or get caught in the steering cables. It involves removing and figuring out where to put a heavy mattress and drawers and bed platform panels.

It involves some amazing smells.

Then you get to snake the old plumbing sections out which virtually guarantees that at least one of the plastic bags you so carefully taped over all the cut ends will snag on a sharp shard of fiberglass or a splinter and dump its contents onto you as well as the boat.

Then you get to clean and disinfect all the parts of the boat you've exposed with bleach and stuff. (Helpful Hint-- marry a person who likes doing this sort of thing so you won't have to.)

You get to fabricate new piping and hose support panels for the improved plumbing configuration you've come up with. This involves buying and shaping the right wood and mixing up CPES to seal it with and then painting and then screwing on the panels which of course mount in the far recesses of the dark, cramped lazarette.

There is a reward to all this, which is installing the new PVC and hose and having it all come together like you wanted it to. But the reward doesn't come until the end, before which you will have asked yourself several times why the hell the goddamned boat was making you do this in the first place.

Then you get to put back all the crap you had to move to do the project, some of which you've forgotten how you maneuvered out to begin with.

Like the question "how did B-29 pilots take a dump on twelve-hour bombing missions to Japan in WWII?" this is an aspect of boating nobody will ever tell you about in forums when they are bombarding you with advice on what boat to buy for your dream cruise and what route to take and where to stop for lunch.

So I thought I would. (I also know about the B-29 pilots but I won't go into that here.)

Now you can hire this kind of work out if you want to. At yard labor rates that are at or approaching $100 an hour, this 1.5 to 2 day job will set you back about $2,000 when you add in materials, environmental disposal fees, and all the other creative things yards come up with to charge you for these days. Maybe even more depending on the yard.

So while the ratio of maintenance to enjoyment with a boat is not as bad as it is for a helicopter where they say for every hour in the air it has to spend a week in maintenance, or a Jaguar E-Type which has a 1:1 ratio for driving hours vs maintenance hours, a boat is nevertheless an item that is in an "I'm breaking" mode 24/7/365. Which means one way or the other you have to keep fixing it. Or preventing it from breaking even more.

Not trying to discourage you from getting into boating--- we all did it here and most of us feel the upside makes the downside well worth putting up with. But you should get into it realizing full well that it's not all dolphins riding your bow wave and pretty sunsets.

Bitter boater,are we?

you have the damnedest luck like me.
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Old 07-16-2012, 02:13 PM   #36
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Wow-Marin-sounds like a pretty typical Boater's Day!

All that not withstanding, once done, when you take off, anchor just inside Deception Pass, spend the next night in Friday Harbor, and then anchor out at Sucia Island, that day or so redoing the head is still better than any day in my office!
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Old 07-16-2012, 02:28 PM   #37
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Bitter boater,are we?

you have the damnedest luck like me.

No, just a job we've been putting off for too long.
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Old 07-16-2012, 02:29 PM   #38
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Greetings,
I just ask myself how much is this one sunrise/set worth? It's worth infinitely more than any toilet line, busted fan belt replacement in a 140F engine room or a bent prop shaft.
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Old 07-16-2012, 03:24 PM   #39
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Welcome to the $100 hamburger club. though with the cost of fuel these days its probably closer to $175!!!!

Marin has a great point. Unless boating is going to become a major part of your life, perhaps a trawler isn't the best way to spend your money. It would be far cheaper to take the missus out to a nice waterfront resort for a week 4-5 times a year than owning the boat will be. More comfortable too, and you won't have to repair the toilet, pull the anchor, check the engine/trans, worry about it when it rains/blows/freezes, haulouts every two yrs to do bottom job/zincs, repairing canvas, treating wood, running out of water, running aground, crab trap lines in the prop, and those are just the minor things that you should expect to happen. Haven't even delved into the realm of what-ifs!
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Old 07-16-2012, 03:50 PM   #40
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Greetings,
To all the new folks on this thread. If you would like to get into boating, by all means pursue your dreams. Rent some boats, join a yacht club, take a bunch of courses, read a lot, talk to as many boaters and get on as many boats as possible. I've found education, preparation and ultimately shopping for and purchasing "the" boat is 99% of the fun. Using your boat on the water is the other 150%!!!!!!
Yup, boating involves everything Mr. Marin mentioned and more for sure but like I mentioned, for me it's those sunrise type moments that are priceless...
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