Wannabees . . .

Hi all,
We're a couple of wannabe boat owners. I joined the forum a couple of years ago when we started kicking around the idea after our grandkids and their parents moved to Katy, TX and left us in Dallas. We spent a month drooling over the possibility of moving to Clear Lake, parking a 35-40 foot boat out the door, playing with grandkids in between trips, and possibly even a Great Loop. Work won, and we stalled.

Last summer, elderly parent care demanded attention, so I moved them from Louisiana to Pecan Grove, near the grandkids. DH is currently selling our Dallas home so we can live together again. He is a lifelong pilot - flies a B-95 Travel-Air, our son flies a Baron, and I have a bragging license. We spent last week-end looking at a 38' Chien Hwa at Seabrook. We've also looked at a 31' Lien Hwa in Rockport. DH was taken aback by how BIG the 38' seemed to him.

Wondering about recommendations for training in the Clear Lake area? Also wondering if we've "missed the boat" in timing. What's too old to start?

First of all, you are never "too old" to start. Might possibly be too disabled, but not just too old.

Second of all, every single one of us was a wannabee at some point. No one on the Forum came into life full blown with a trawler. Or, at least I don't think so anyway.

Welcome aboard.

Thanks John

Thanks for the welcome John .

Macp

macp-echo the "never too old" part. As to size, you have to figure out what size suits your needs. If you are only 2, the 31' might be fine. But if you are going to have grandkids aboard, the 38' provides a lot more room. We are at 58' and find that the two of us, and our daughter and a friend or two, the room is very nice to have. As to handling, once you and your husband get a bit of experience, you will find there is not much difference between 31 and 38'.

Good Luck!

Test run

THD

We are hoping to give this dream a trial run in the next few weeks by spending 3-5 days aboard a twin diesel with a training captain. Not sure yet about the size available, but will be between 31-40', so at least we will be in the ball park of experiencing our ability to handle such a boat.

We have thought of ourselves as younger than our years [don't we all?] for a long time . . . probably too long, and reality caught up last year with the caretaking of 89/90 year Mom and Dad. Made us realize, if we're gonna get over being wannabees, we'd better get with it!

Any members active along the Texas Gulf Coast?

Macp

Welcome! We started the adventure last year and have enjoyed every minute. We are at Waterford Harbor, come by sometime and have a look at our boat. It's a "different" kind of trawler.

Rafe

May want to re-label yourselves as "goingtobees" rather than "wannabees"...

wannabees are just that.....

macp,

You're never too old. Your family has a leg up on the learning curve with a couple of pilots. Many of the skills and knowledge are shared with aviation. Chart reading, navigation, weather, differential power, radar and low visibility ops, systems management, spatial orientation and multi-tasking to name a few.

If DH can handle a Travel-Air, a twin trawler should be no problem. Now that Baron-flying son of yours might need a few pointers from dear ol' Dad.

Welcome !

Welcome aboard


Sergio "Alemao" Sztancsa
Sent from my iPhone, using Trawler Forum

Macp, welcome aboard. Texas has a great cruising, but crappy swimming, coast. We moved our boat up to Beaumont as they have covered slips for half the price of Houston and let me make a mess on the dock while refinishing the interior of the boat. Plenty of Marinas all the way to Brownsville, not so many on the way to New Orleans. Take your time buying and be sure to visit some out of the way marinas for boats for sale by owner. There are a couple for sale up our way that I consider good deals and are not advertised at all except for a "for sale" sign. If you do get up our way and want a river cruise on an old lobster boat, holla.

Welcome to the forum! We have a 36 Kadey Krogen Manatee. Great boat for a couple with occasional guests. Check it out.

Welcome from a neighbor, I keep My Monk 36, Gumbo in Houma Louisiana just off the Intracoastal about 60 miles west of New Orleans. There is a nice municipal dock nearby. Quite a few Texas boats stop there.

Cat Daddy said:

Welcome! We started the adventure last year and have enjoyed every minute. We are at Waterford Harbor, come by sometime and have a look at our boat. It's a "different" kind of trawler.

Rafe

Click to expand...

Thanks for the invite - would love to take you up on it. Will follow up next time DH is in town . . . trying to sell our Dallas home is slowing us down.

MA of MACP

FlyWright said:

macp,

You're never too old. Your family has a leg up on the learning curve with a couple of pilots. Many of the skills and knowledge are shared with aviation. Chart reading, navigation, weather, differential power, radar and low visibility ops, systems management, spatial orientation and multi-tasking to name a few.

If DH can handle a Travel-Air, a twin trawler should be no problem. Now that Baron-flying son of yours might need a few pointers from dear ol' Dad.

Click to expand...

FlyWright,

I'm guessing by the name and your astute comments, you have a few hours logged in the air as well?

I'm pretty sure that a lot of the attraction for DH is his mastery of equipment and operations. I'm a Louisiana Cajun by birth, so water is in my DNA.

Baron-flying son has been picking Dad's brain about flying for years - in matters of substance, he listens; in matters of style, he usually takes a different route . But he's provided 3 amazing grandkids with another on the way, so all's good.

MA of MACP

Neighbors?

dimer2 said:

Macp, welcome aboard. Texas has a great cruising, but crappy swimming, coast. We moved our boat up to Beaumont as they have covered slips for half the price of Houston and let me make a mess on the dock while refinishing the interior of the boat. Plenty of Marinas all the way to Brownsville, not so many on the way to New Orleans. Take your time buying and be sure to visit some out of the way marinas for boats for sale by owner. There are a couple for sale up our way that I consider good deals and are not advertised at all except for a "for sale" sign. If you do get up our way and want a river cruise on an old lobster boat, holla.

Click to expand...

Dimer2,

Thanks for the tip on looking outside of the onsite listings. Would you be willing to pass on pictures with contact info of those possible good buys that you see?

I think we might be almost neighbors. We're in Pecan Grove.

A river cruise on an old lobster boat sounds great!

MA of MACP

Fellow Cajun

Steve said:

Welcome from a neighbor, I keep My Monk 36, Gumbo in Houma Louisiana just off the Intracoastal about 60 miles west of New Orleans. There is a nice municipal dock nearby. Quite a few Texas boats stop there.

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Steve,

I was born and raised in Morgan City/Berwick LA. My Cajun great-grandparents lived all their lives on Bayou Black. I have 39 first cousins, and many of them still live in Houma, Thibodeaux, Schriever, and Gonzales.

I moved my 90 y/o Dad and 89 y/o Mom to Texas when Mom just couldn't do it all by herself anymore. Mom was born and raised on a houseboat in Jeanerette.

I've enjoyed visiting your blog and also that of MVMoondance. I know the docks in Houma right at the foot of the hospital - I've stayed in the hospital hotel for many of Dad's surgeries over the years.

MA of MACP

Boat buying update



Soooo - Friday, DH submitted scanned check and contract on 1984 38' Chien Hwa, twin diesel to 20-something yacht broker [nice kid], who was in a meeting. Boat owners did not know about us, prospective buyers, and wanted the boat moved from the slip to the yacht office. As soon as the boat left the slip, another boat was moved into that slip.

Boat was supposed to come with the slip, but the right hand did not know what the left was doing. Meanwhile, another offer on the boat came in, both were submitted to the owners, and the other offer was accepted.

Bummer. DH had already lined up surveyor, haul out for hull examination [pretty sure I don't have the right lingo yet], I have hotel booked - we had our first week on a boat planned.

Did I already say bummer?

MA of MACP