"Dad, boats sure are fun."

That is what my son said to me this afternoon! *We came up this weekend to reduce the # of items on our to do list. *We got the new salon stereo (ipod compatible) installed, new water pump, installed the new horn, got the nav lights and anchor light working properly,as well as getting our new Rogue WIFI system set up with our Kyrocera router that can work with either external WIFI or our AT&T USB modem, and a few other small items. *Tomorrow we hope to tear out the old countertops and old stove so the granite folks can do their thing ASAP. *We also launched our dingy and my son wanted to go for a ride this afternoon. *So- off we went around Harrison Bay for a while in our little Avon RIB enjoying the pretty late fall day and each other's company. *It was about half way through that ride that he turned around and told me, "Dad, boats sure are fun." *I had to agree with him. *It makes me so tremendously grateful to be in a position in life where we can spend time with our children on board before they are too old to want to hang out with mom and dad. *Hopefully it continues to prove to be a good platform teaching them family teamwork, enjoying life, and showing them how much God has given us in the beauty of each day.


This old trawler is WAY older and more work than any other boat I've ever owned but it sure has been fun to fix her up with the family (especially my son- wife and daughter decided 28 degrees at night was too cold so they stayed home to get their nails done and have a girls weekend), and what a nice sense of satisfaction in getting projects done. *The best part though- working with my son on her one on one-a great way to spend time with my little 8 year old boy!!


Anyway- thought I'd share a short video of our dinghy ride around the area this afternoon:

Right you are Tony.* Enjoy it.* My sons who are late 40s now tell me that their fondest childhood memories were when we kept a boat at the Morehead City, NC Yacht Basin.* They fished, cruised, and hung around the marina.* We had an 8' pram with a 3 hp engine.* They took it all around and out into the marshes.* We spent alot of time there.* When we had a trawler on Chickamauga Lake, I bought a 17' Boston Whaler for them to ski and run around in.* One of my sons still has the Whaler for his 2 sons*as well as a*26' Boston Whaler.* Looks as if it is repeating.

There is no doubt that I am closer to my sons and grand children because of boating.* Now, between Lou and*me we have 4 grand children.* We flew them to meet us in the Abacos this year.* They always want to know where the next trip will be.* We are looking at getting them up to the Chesapeake next summer.

Enjoy your time.* You are doing it right.
**

Don, we either need to get me to downtown to say hi or you up to Island Cove to say hi soon! Maybe a sunny afternoon raft up if the weather is nice. Hope you got my PM earlier this week about this past Friday night. If you come up to Island Cove though you will have to bring your rose colored glasses and put them on before getting near our Monk- she is not done yet and not as sharp looking as your Sabre (I LOVE Sabres!!!).

Our kids have grown up boating since the oldest was 6 months old....they love anchoring out and playing in the water as much as we do. At 4 my son was teaching the 10-12 year olds on the dock how to kayak and was beating them in races. But no doubt about it- I am cherishing this stage in life with my family!!!!

By the way Tony, a big part of your son's enjoyment of boating is getting to spend some great time with his dad.* Boating is just the mechanism.* It is almost a trick, but it works.* Of course, he enjoys the boating; but a weeknd with his dad all to himself is priceless.* Our "trick" now that they are getting older, is to let them do as much on their own as we can .* They enjoy getting out from under adults, and we get to still be around and see them having a good time.* We have just upgraded our dinghy because they were getting too large to get the 4 in the old one.

In 1970 I bought a run about that we towed and used most spring/summer weeks ends.* Because of that 5 of 7 of our children, 29 to 39 years old, have run about/ski boats.* Each summer most of our grandchildren, 20 of them, come to visit/stay with us on the boat to enjoy water activities.* During the summer we usually have*1 or 2*run about, two dinks, Jet Ski and kayaks tied/moored to the Eagle. The Eagle does not leave the dock much but we use the water toys daily. The Eagle is sort of used as a mother ship. **********

My (now 28 year old) son got so hooked on matters nautical from growing up with boats that he has made the water his profession running tugs and barges in NY Harbor as well up and down the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. He says: "What testosterone filled young guy wouldn't like playing with a couple of thousand horsepower, wrapped in steel and cushioned in rubber". "His" current "toy":



But you also have to watch out for getting the kids too hooked. Before you know it they will be spending their adult years shelling out "boat dollars" on their own toys and won't have enough left over to buy you your turbo charged wheelchair.



-- Edited by dwhatty on Monday 29th of November 2010 01:31:40 PM

I tell you, it pays to have a little helper! We've been up running wiring for some stuff and I wanted to remove the old copper propane line no longer in use from the cabinet under the new cooktop as the old line would be in the way for storage, etc. Problem was the only way to really cut it back and out of the way was via the deep recesses of the garbage can built into the galley. Try as I might, I simply could not reach the pipe to cut it. My son did not hesitate to volunteer to climb in and cut it out himself. So he hops in there with my headlamp and saw and gets the job done. SUCH a good little guy. I really am grateful that he enjoys working on the boat as much as I do and wants to help so much. We've been able to spend a lot of time together one on one working on stuff to get the boat ready for spring and the "women folk," i.e. my wife and princess AKA beautiful little daughter.

Here is a pic of my big guy with the offending line in hand after he cut it out.

Aw he looks like a sweetie.* The counter tops look super!

Perhaps this would be a more realistic goal compared to a big tugboat:

Hiya,
** Great to see the kids so interested and eager to help.* Mr. Woodsong.* I hope you meant to say he jumped in there with headlamp, saw and SAFETY GLASSES/GOGGLES.
Just sayin'.....never too young to learn it right and SAFE!!!!!

Thanks all.* Carl, yes, he may be available for hired help though we charge mileage to and from the jobsite.* I seriously could not have gotten this job, or some others we've accomplished, without his help. *I know many "trawler folk" turn their noses up at removing propane stoves for an electric cooktop so perhaps I am "corrupting" my son, but for our boat and our family and all things considered, I still think the cooktop we went with is the best for us. *I should measure it but I swear it seems like we have nearly double the counter space and with our small galley (our Monk 36 is a downsize from our previous boat), counter space is the most important thing in the galley, not what we cook on. *

RT- given how small this line was and how tiny the saw was, I felt ok with him doing it without goggles though I guess I could have grabbed a swim mask but then, knowing my son, he'd want a snorkel to go along with it! *



I always wanted a trawler but stayed away from older boats til now. *If I had not bought this little old boat I just keep thinking of all the missed time together my son and I would not have had and that would be a loss.

Boating with my son has*given me*some of the best times of my life.* I believe that learning to respect the*water and our boat*at a young age has*helped*make him the fine young man that he is today.*The kid's got more boating stories than most people twice his age.* When he asked for "keys", he didn't mean to the car.*He's a good kid.**

1* Getting ready to go out on San Fransisco Bay with the Lil' Sailor.
*** At this age he already knew which way to wrap a line around a winch (we made a game of learning stuff on the boat)
*
2** 11yrs old** driving a 42 ft sloop charging down Sir Francis Drake* Channel,* BVI

3** as a teenager, crewing for Dad during a race.

4** 23 yrs old** "sit back and relax Dad, I'll take over from here"
*****Proud to say he is probably a better sailor than I am now (well, maybe).


-- Edited by KJ on Tuesday 21st of December 2010 09:39:01 PM

*
Dads boats are fun until Dad tells them they have to clean, pay for the fuel and help with the maintenance cost.* Then they are not so much fun anymore.* My 3 sons use to come and take the run about/dink out with the friends and being it back empty, dirty and trash, so I told them to buy their one darn boat. The last straw was my youngest forgot to add oil to the gas and the engine had to be rebuild for 3 grand.


*
Now we have grandchildren that think grandpas boats are fun. **

My kids 27 to 33, keep reminding me that growing up boating has given them unforgetable experiences (mostly the good kind) that they cherish and their friends envy. They each try to get out on our boat with us as time will allow.
Keep at it. Boating is one of the few things you can do with your kids, no matter what their age, that will give both you and them such pure rewards.
All three have been boating since before they were born, so didn't miss any of life's stages.

My kids are 10 and 12 and they have been on boats since babies.* They are combfortable taking the helm on a 54' Trawler.* I still dont let them dock it, maybe in a few years.

I think I have said this before, but my 8 year old niece can bring her daddy's 36' sailboat into the slip better than some of his very experienced crew.* I think her dad helps her with the throttle but she steers it herself.* She loves it.