Bit the bullet

Hey all, we did it and now we have to bring it home.
After a few more months of serc hing we have found our ride, a passagemaker with twin 120's and in the best condition I could have asked for. Now I have a 1600 mile ride to get her home. I have my hands full just listing all the projects and I have 23 days before I set out on this journey. I hope to post our progress often just to help someone find us if we float away. Ill be asking all the defever owners for help before its all said and done. The boat is all ready primarily, but I have to load all safety equip as it was all removed before we got it. We will be offshore as much as possible to avoid the ditch. Now is when that hull is going to shine in the wind and waves. That was one of our most important requirements, seaworthy hull. I know they all are supposed to be coastal cruisers but the defever, as ya'll know, can take it. So I'll be questioning all about the fine defever vessel we have been blessed with.

Mike

Congratulations! You have chosen one of my all time favourite boats.

Take care of her and she will you. Please keep us posted on your journey. Have a safe trip!

Sounds like you are preparing well for the home delivery voyage. I`m no fan of the delivery voyage being the shakedown familiarization cruise, that way lies danger.

Congrats

Please be safe

From what location to what location

consider some inside or close in days to start

looking forward to the pics and stories of the adventure

Which Defever did you get?

dimer2 said:

Congratulations! You have chosen one of my all time favourite boats.

Take care of her and she will you. Please keep us posted on your journey. Have a safe trip!

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Will do and will be posting the places we stop so if anyone has a.free.moment while we're there can maybe meet and have some new friends.

:<)

BruceK said:

Sounds like you are preparing well for the home delivery voyage. I`m no fan of the delivery voyage being the shakedown familiarization cruise, that way lies danger.

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I agree not the best idea I ever had but I have got my dream boat and with god and 5000.00 worth of fuel we'll float our way home. I am spendimg a week getting to know the girl before the."Trip". We will be in and out of the ditch I'm sure, kinda like a safer zone for any bad weather. I will be on here asking a thousand questions.
Mike

40' passage maker 1974

Wataworld said:

Which Defever did you get?

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She is clean and the survey is like a new boat. We have looked everywhere and waited for that right one and we found it. I have.always thought that the passage maker was the best looking and functioning of the boat in our price range. I'll let ya know if my thinking has changed after a.week on her.
Mike

reissue said:

She is clean and the survey is like a new boat. We have looked everywhere and waited for that right one and we found it. I have.always thought that the passage maker was the best looking and functioning of the boat in our price range. I'll let ya know if my thinking has changed after a.week on her.
Mike

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Are you saying "Passage Maker" is the model of Defever?

For those of us not familiar, what's length, beam, draught, layout, etc.?

-Chris

Dream boat

ranger42c said:

Are you saying "Passage Maker" is the model of Defever?

For those of us not familiar, what's length, beam, draught, layout, etc.?

-Chris

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Shes a 1974 40 ft Defever PassageMaker with twin 120 Lehmans. Conventional layout, v berth forward, raised salon and galley, queen master. 13-8ft beam that draws 4ft. Only thing on the survey that wasn't exc was the microwave oven. The previous owner was a true Defever lover and took amazing care of the vessel. Im giddy as a school girl, my wife is speechless, and my 6 sons all want to borrow it.
Mike

Congratulations on the new Defever -- she sounds like a honey!! If you bought it on the East coast and are going to bring it over into the Gulf and then over to Houston, lots of good assistance available on the Forum on how to do that with the least amount of pain.

reissue said:

Im giddy as a school girl, my wife is speechless, and my 6 sons all want to borrow it.
Mike

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Golly, Mike, that sounds like a terrific boat. Those early '70s-vintage PMs are handsome vessels and seem to have good bones. Its unclear from your posts where you plan to travel on your homeward journey, but if you pause in Jacksonville (FL), lemme know. Meanwhile, safe traveling.

Bringing her back to Houston/Galveston? Just did that trip from Lauderdale to Galveston, then to Rockport. Let me know if you need any help.

Be sure to go through Nola and hit all the wonderful locks! It's a blast!!! ?

Don't think of this as a delivery trip. It's cruising an area distant from you and because of location of the boat you only have to go one way. Under different circumstances seeing these areas would require you covering twice the miles.

To get caught up in the aspect of getting the boat home and fail to take advantage of the sites and ports along the way is a sad thought to me. I even advise people if they don't have the time to take it slow and enjoy then do it in multiple trips, flying home in between.

Between now and reaching home you have so much enjoyment of the Defever awaiting. The goal isn't delivering it home. The goal is cruising all that wonderful area along the way.

Enjoy and congratulations

Sounds like a good find, and with Lehmans too, for which you get parts easily, from American Diesel. Some pics when time permits, would be welcome.

Good choice... Get it on... Cruise carefully... Picts please! - Art

Yep

jwnall said:

Congratulations on the new Defever -- she sounds like a honey!! If you bought it on the East coast and are going to bring it over into the Gulf and then over to Houston, lots of good assistance available on the Forum on how to do that with the least amount of pain.

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I'll be picking brains and asking alot of questions. It will be like having a few dozen mates on board

itinerary

Blissboat said:

Golly, Mike, that sounds like a terrific boat. Those early '70s-vintage PMs are handsome vessels and seem to have good bones. Its unclear from your posts where you plan to travel on your homeward journey, but if you pause in Jacksonville (FL), lemme know. Meanwhile, safe traveling.

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We are starting to layout the initial route but looking for anchorage and supplies is difficult. We are estimating 70 to 80 miles a day but there is the Murphy law so we will play that by ear. Im sure Jacksonville will be a stop and we will hollar

Will do

cardude01 said:

Bringing her back to Houston/Galveston? Just did that trip from Lauderdale to Galveston, then to Rockport. Let me know if you need any help.

Be sure to go through Nola and hit all the wonderful locks! It's a blast!!! ?

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We had started the process on a boat in NOLA and went over to do a survey. While we were there we rode down to the ICW on it as a sea trial. We.went through 3 different locks and experienced a little of that fun. This time we are hoping to go outside and miss all that fun.
Mike

Correct

BandB said:

Don't think of this as a delivery trip. It's cruising an area distant from you and because of location of the boat you only have to go one way. Under different circumstances seeing these areas would require you covering twice the miles.

To get caught up in the aspect of getting the boat home and fail to take advantage of the sites and ports along the way is a sad thought to me. I even advise people if they don't have the time to take it slow and enjoy then do it in multiple trips, flying home in between.

Between now and reaching home you have so much enjoyment of the Defever awaiting. The goal isn't delivering it home. The goal is cruising all that wonderful area along the way.

Enjoy and congratulations

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We are starting with myself and a mate and when we reach Miami my wife is flying in to finish out the ride so all things will slow when she comes aboard. We will be more into seeing than.traveling . Your correct in that missing all the sights would be a waste so we will stop and smell the sights
Mike

will do

BruceK said:

Sounds like a good find, and with Lehmans too, for which you get parts easily, from American Diesel. Some pics when time permits, would be welcome.

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We will be posting as we stop for the night when we have the capabilities. This is going to be like a national geographic production with out the expensive equipment.
Mike

reissue said:

We are starting to layout the initial route but looking for anchorage and supplies is difficult. We are estimating 70 to 80 miles a day but there is the Murphy law so we will play that by ear. Im sure Jacksonville will be a stop and we will hollar

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A couple of tools I've found very helpful in planning something like that, in addition to any planning software you might have with your charting. First is Active Captain. Second may be surprising but it's Trip Advisor. Also if you just google "Attractions Beaufort SC" or any other city in that same way you'll not only see the Trip Advisor but also other tourist information. Those two would give me a quick indication of marinas and anchorages and then what I might do there dependent on my time. You may only have time to see one attraction. For example, if I was visiting Beaufort SC, I'd have to see the Hunting Island Lighthouse as I can never pass a lighthouse by. If I just had a couple of hours to get a feel for the town, I might take Janet's Walking Tour or a carriage ride. There is something worth seeing at any place you might possibly stop.

In some cases you might find yourself taking a long, hard day of travel followed by a relaxing day somewhere. Other times several shorter travel days and always time in the afternoon to explore.

Someone mentioned above I think, but when we started cruising, we became early birds. We had read many blogs and books and learned the many values of an early start. Suddenly we were pushing away from docks at sunrise.

Salute

Art said:

Good choice... Get it on... Cruise carefully... Picts please! - Art

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Thats pretty much the.way I plan so everyone look out for the defever was the crazy coon-ass driving. ?

About to depart

Hey all, this post has been in limbo due to so many excuses it would make debt collector blush.
First the storm that decided to skirt the east coast, great weather here in little river. Dams breaking, piers that are true floating (everywhere) highest tides since the dinosours, and rain. Being from SE Texas where rain is measured in buckets this was a turd floater (cherished expression). The rich ran and the poor hunkered, little blow 35kts so really nice as storms go.
Now Im ready to go all planned, packed and pulling at the reins and ch16 sounds like a punk rock channel with boats dodging everything imaginable in the AICW. All bridge clearances are null due to freakish tides and runoff. So I sit here waiting, listening to dozens of various distress calls some funny (just a chuckle) to, passing of lives. Waiting till last Thursday when the bug fly up the old stovepipe and I'm gone.
Last minute checks, all ok but I decide to polish the tanks due to sitting for 3 weeks settling in all kinds of temp. changes. I rest my head on one shaft coupling and kinda lay there for 10 minutes while the pumps do their work. I looked directly across to the other engine coupling and see something off. Its back about 3.5 inches from port engine. Not something you see everyday, so with a butterfly in my bowels I found that the coupling up against the drive has spit out 3 inches of my shaft. Stop laughing it aint funny. I could have noticed this before the storm so to have something to do but no, my crippled up self laid in the hole for two days and rebuilt the strbrd drive as far as can be in the water.
Tomorrow is the test, a quick 30 mile cruise at 8 knts. should do it. I have a ton of pic and will post them as soon a I regain use of my hands. I just didn't want this tread to peter out without an update.
See ya'll down in Galveston someday, but is has been and continues being well worth it especially when my wife who has never seen the boat except in pics. sees her for that first time. That my friend is a rush.


See ya soon
Mike

You've got some cajones! Hope your props survive the debris field. Please keep us posted. Best of luck to you!!

well...how you be?

reissue said:

I looked directly across to the other engine coupling and see something off. Its back about 3.5 inches from port engine. Not something you see everyday, so with a butterfly in my bowels I found that the coupling up against the drive has spit out 3 inches of my shaft. Stop laughing it aint funny.

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Not funny at all, and sure am glad that you caught it, Mike. My own experience with that is that things go OK while you are in forward gear, but when you suddenly have to throw it in reverse and give it full power, then the shaft can come out completely!

You might wonder what such a scenario would be? Well, how about this war story. Coming down to Elizabeth City, call for a bridge opening, attendant says "come on, Cap" and proceed toward the bridge. Getting closer, then attendant calls and says "something wrong, cap, the bridge won't open. Sheer off." Throw engine in reverse, full power, shaft comes out. Interesting times.

jwnall said:

Not funny at all, and sure and glad that you caught it, Mike. My own experience with that is that things go OK while you are in forward gear, but when you suddenly have to throw it in reverse and give it full power, then the shaft can come out completely!

You might wonder what such a scenario would be? Well, how about this war story. Coming down to Elizabeth City, call for a bridge opening, attendant says "come on, Cap" and proceed toward the bridge. Getting closer, then attendant calls and says "something wrong, cap, the bridge won't open. Sheer off." Throw engine in reverse, full power, shaft comes out. Interesting times.

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Exactly what happened to me in GICW at Black Bayou Pontoon Bridge. Cable came back up and was forced to go full reverse in a hurry. Surprisingly went from 4 knots forward to about one knot astern in 40 ft. Yahoo!!!