portager
Senior Member
Bet ya thought I'd never pull the trigger. Well I finally did it. For those who don't know, I've been dreaming of getting a trailerable cruising boat for over 40 years, which is why my username is Portager on this and many other forums. I finally purchased a 2000 Nimble Wanderer motorsailer named Osprey last Wednesday 3/15/17. I choose the Nimble Wanderer because it is legally trailerable and it was very affordable, which left money in the budget to cover deferred maintenance (refinish the bright work, bottom paint, ...), make some upgrades like adding bow and stern thrusters (to minimize docking stress and simplify single handed operation), repair the trailer and buy a comfortable and capable tow vehicle to haul her on our adventures.
We purchased a 2017 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali, which has more than adequate towing capacity, because I heard boats grow when you put them in water and the 3500 HD will tow the boat we might upgrade to if Osprey turns out to be too small. Also the 2017 has a more powerful engine, front collision warning, lane departure alert and I can get an integrated trailering camera package. This package consists of a blind stop camera in each side mirror and a wireless camera for the rear of the trailer that display on the navigation screen when you use the blinker or reverse.
So far the repairs to the trailer are complete! It has all new disk brake assemblies, 6 new tires, 2 new spares and all new LED lights. Everything has been checked out and is 100% operable.
On Friday we are scheduled to pull Osprey out of the water and load her onto the trailer. Then a yet to be selected boat transport service will haul her the 2,600 miles from Florida to her new home in Southern California. Then we'll get the registration done before taking her to a boatyard for repairs and upgrades.
We purchased a 2017 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali, which has more than adequate towing capacity, because I heard boats grow when you put them in water and the 3500 HD will tow the boat we might upgrade to if Osprey turns out to be too small. Also the 2017 has a more powerful engine, front collision warning, lane departure alert and I can get an integrated trailering camera package. This package consists of a blind stop camera in each side mirror and a wireless camera for the rear of the trailer that display on the navigation screen when you use the blinker or reverse.
So far the repairs to the trailer are complete! It has all new disk brake assemblies, 6 new tires, 2 new spares and all new LED lights. Everything has been checked out and is 100% operable.
On Friday we are scheduled to pull Osprey out of the water and load her onto the trailer. Then a yet to be selected boat transport service will haul her the 2,600 miles from Florida to her new home in Southern California. Then we'll get the registration done before taking her to a boatyard for repairs and upgrades.
