MYTraveler
Guru
I am confused -- is the boat in San Diego and you are in Seattle? Are you refering to the cost of having the boat shipped to Seattle? Have you considered taking her on her own bottom?
Contract Signed / New Build Underway
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I am confused -- is the boat in San Diego and you are in Seattle? Are you refering to the cost of having the boat shipped to Seattle? Have you considered taking her on her own bottom?
His big boat is in San Diego. The dinghy he wants is in Seattle.
dw8928
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Wouldn't it just be easier to buy a dinghy in San Diego,
and fit it out where the mother vessel is kept..? 
Wouldn't it just be easier to buy a dinghy in San Diego,
Yes, but the dinghy he fell in love with is built in Seattle.
Hence, his present quandry.
Wouldn't it just be easier to buy a dinghy in San Diego,
Sorry for the confusion, the Gig Harbor boats are built in Seattle and our boat is in SD. The model we liked is the 10' Navigator with all custom wood inside similar to the blue hull on their website. Only way to do this is to have the Gig shipped in a custom built wood crate. The boat (w/o motor) will cost around $3,500 and shipping / off load from truck will cost about $2,750. Thought about flying up to Seattle, renting a small truck and driving it home but that would still cost more than its worth and take about three days.
Going to look at the Caribe again next week. Major disappointment.��
- Joined
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- 10,104
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- Now boatless - sold 6/2018
- Vessel Make
- Had a Clipper (CHB) 34
Good move. It's ok to fall in love with your boat, but never fall in love with a dinghy. That's just asking for trouble. This is a time for head over-ruling heart I think.
dw8928
Senior Member
And why should this be different than any other time with a boat? lol
A lot depends on how much you use your dinghy. We use ours a lot and so willing to go through a lot to get them. We spent the day playing around in our RIB's yesterday in the Abacos.
April Update
I’m flying back from the east coast today and have some time to write about the boat and get everyone caught up.
As if we were not having enough fun with the dingy we finally decided it was time to drive to Dana Point and meet with Jeddy (our interior decorator) about the ottomans. Travel to DP is not easy and it has to take place during the week (he is closed on weekends) resulting in a fight against traffic on some of the most congested highways in the USA. We made the decision to visit on Thursday so I had Mary pick me up at work at 10:30am after morning rush hour traffic and planned to return by 1:00pm way before the evening rush. Thankfully traffic was light and we had plenty of time with Jeddy.
Between my measurements, a paper templet of one corner radius and a cushion from the boat to match the leather we covered everything in plenty of time to visit our favorite “Surf Taco” shop down the street for lunch. Sailor Blue was big hit at the restaurant receiving lots of attention from the servers as she enjoyed part of Mary’s grilled Tilapia. SB just turned eight months and weighs about 6lbs (yes, Mary is over feeding her). While SB is a hand full and will not leave Mary’s side for a minute I know she was god sent for us both.
It didn’t take Jeddy long to call with a price ($725 each) which at first I thought was high until I realized we paid $400 each back in 2005 for the same style and size ottoman. As I mentioned previously we like this approach of furnishing a boat since they offer us a larger sofa, two tables when we flip over the teak finished lids and additional storage inside. In the rare occasion we needed a little more room we designed the salon so that one ottoman can be moved forward and stored in front of the washer/dryer cabinet starboard side of the steps leading up to the PH.
The other one remains aft at the sofa adjacent to the small section that forms the small “L” shape. This allows about seven feet of the sofa to remain open to the salon. If all goes to plan we should have them on the boat within three weeks.
The only other commissioning item we accomplished was adding a cover over the windlass (not sure how I missed that when we were doing all the canvas).
Despite the winds and higher than normal seas this winter we have enjoyed a lot time aboard and cruising the bay. Sailor Blue has decided she likes her meals cooked on the Bar-B-Q so when we go home it takes her a couple of days to accept old fashion inside kitchen gas grilled taste. I must admit there is something special about cooking outside on the boat with the little gas grill which makes food taste a little better or possibly its just being on the boat.
On the maintenance front we haven’t had a lot to do (one benefit of a new boat) except changing the transmission fluid at 25 hours and getting ready for the first oil change this month. I have been chasing a small fresh water leak the past month which has proven a little challenging to fix but I don’t mind as it helps me become more familiar with the boat and ER. The first time we noticed the leak it was in the forward bilge in the OSR. After drying it out we traced it to the aft A/C unit and a metal “T” connection. I called Scott and reported “leak fixed”, just needed to loosen up the clamp and slide the hose over the connection for a better fit and retighten the clamp.
The following week we returned to the boat and a dry bilge. A day or so later I checked the bilge and found about 1-2 ounces of water in the second bilge just forward of the engine. It took a while but I diagnosed it to be another “T” fitting coming off the OSR shower drain. I check the connection and they appeared solid so I tighten the clamps then checked the bilge the following morning. Still a little water, dang it. I took off the “T” fitting and checked the welds which looked good before drying everything out and reconnecting the hoses. Another test resulted in a smaller leak. Once again I removed the “T” fitting and visited our local marine supply store only to find out they didn’t carry the size we needed. The technician suggested a two part mix sealant and I thought why not. After mixing up a little and applying it I carefully installed the three hoses before things dried and went to sleep feeling good.
The next morning after a quick shower I checked the bilge and it was dry “yes” then I checked the lines and sure enough a small amount of water had accumulated at the fitting. Dang it, I knew I didn’t wait the full 15 hours for a cure and the temperature in the bilge was not above 65 degrees but I thought this would work. I called Scott and told him about our adventures and he immediately said he would have the yard send us a new fitting. Not to give up I removed the “T” fitting one more time and added a little more sealant just prior to leaving the boat for a week. When we return I will reassemble and try the shower again, hopefully this time we will not see a leak. In case you were thinking the leak could be coming from the shower drain and running down the outside of the hose I did use a paper towel to check about 18” of hose leading up toward the drain and it was dry. I’m convinced it has to be a pin size hole in the weldment.
Chasing this small leak reconfirmed a few other important decisions we made with this boat. The first was to select a boat with a true ER door. The fact that I could spend time chasing this leak in the ER without having to lift the PH or Saloon floors was great for Mary and SB. No disturbing them or risk that SB would fall into the ER was comforting. The second aspect of the ER I really like are all the removable floor boards. After owning boats with an ER designed with a molded, solid floor which looks great but offer little access and a nightmare when chasing a leak makes me really appreciate the H38E design. As long as we keep the non-slip removal panels clean the ER remains bright and accessible. I would never build another boat without removable floor panels.
The only other issue we have experienced with the boat is the A/C in the salon. After running great for two months we are getting a High Pressure Fault reading and need to call Freezer Bob out to take a look. It’s interesting that the unit we don’t often use is the one that has given us a few issues while the unit in the OSR unit works perfectly. This is great example of “keeping things simple” and recognizing that any system can break or cause issues I find it interesting that an A/C unit (likely the most complex piece of equipment on the boat) has been the biggest issue. Not having to deal with two engines, stabilizers or a generator actually feels good. While there are times stabilizers would be nice at times, we have managed OK so far and adjusting fine.
Another example of “keeping things simple” is during the evening when the temperature drops but remains above 50 degrees and we use one West Marine electric heater instead of the A/C Reverse Cycle Heat system. While we appreciate the reverse cycle heater when temperatures really drop we usually only turn it on in the morning to heat up the salon for a couple of hours before turning it off and use the little West Marine heater.
The more time we spend aboard and use the boat the more we reconfirm we got it right. Now if I could just figure out the “dingy” decision we could start cruising around the marina at “5 O’clock Somewhere” time and enjoy a cool or hot beverage.
MOD EDIT: Paragraphs added by the Grammar Fairy.
I’m flying back from the east coast today and have some time to write about the boat and get everyone caught up.
As if we were not having enough fun with the dingy we finally decided it was time to drive to Dana Point and meet with Jeddy (our interior decorator) about the ottomans. Travel to DP is not easy and it has to take place during the week (he is closed on weekends) resulting in a fight against traffic on some of the most congested highways in the USA. We made the decision to visit on Thursday so I had Mary pick me up at work at 10:30am after morning rush hour traffic and planned to return by 1:00pm way before the evening rush. Thankfully traffic was light and we had plenty of time with Jeddy.
Between my measurements, a paper templet of one corner radius and a cushion from the boat to match the leather we covered everything in plenty of time to visit our favorite “Surf Taco” shop down the street for lunch. Sailor Blue was big hit at the restaurant receiving lots of attention from the servers as she enjoyed part of Mary’s grilled Tilapia. SB just turned eight months and weighs about 6lbs (yes, Mary is over feeding her). While SB is a hand full and will not leave Mary’s side for a minute I know she was god sent for us both.
It didn’t take Jeddy long to call with a price ($725 each) which at first I thought was high until I realized we paid $400 each back in 2005 for the same style and size ottoman. As I mentioned previously we like this approach of furnishing a boat since they offer us a larger sofa, two tables when we flip over the teak finished lids and additional storage inside. In the rare occasion we needed a little more room we designed the salon so that one ottoman can be moved forward and stored in front of the washer/dryer cabinet starboard side of the steps leading up to the PH.
The other one remains aft at the sofa adjacent to the small section that forms the small “L” shape. This allows about seven feet of the sofa to remain open to the salon. If all goes to plan we should have them on the boat within three weeks.
The only other commissioning item we accomplished was adding a cover over the windlass (not sure how I missed that when we were doing all the canvas).
Despite the winds and higher than normal seas this winter we have enjoyed a lot time aboard and cruising the bay. Sailor Blue has decided she likes her meals cooked on the Bar-B-Q so when we go home it takes her a couple of days to accept old fashion inside kitchen gas grilled taste. I must admit there is something special about cooking outside on the boat with the little gas grill which makes food taste a little better or possibly its just being on the boat.
On the maintenance front we haven’t had a lot to do (one benefit of a new boat) except changing the transmission fluid at 25 hours and getting ready for the first oil change this month. I have been chasing a small fresh water leak the past month which has proven a little challenging to fix but I don’t mind as it helps me become more familiar with the boat and ER. The first time we noticed the leak it was in the forward bilge in the OSR. After drying it out we traced it to the aft A/C unit and a metal “T” connection. I called Scott and reported “leak fixed”, just needed to loosen up the clamp and slide the hose over the connection for a better fit and retighten the clamp.
The following week we returned to the boat and a dry bilge. A day or so later I checked the bilge and found about 1-2 ounces of water in the second bilge just forward of the engine. It took a while but I diagnosed it to be another “T” fitting coming off the OSR shower drain. I check the connection and they appeared solid so I tighten the clamps then checked the bilge the following morning. Still a little water, dang it. I took off the “T” fitting and checked the welds which looked good before drying everything out and reconnecting the hoses. Another test resulted in a smaller leak. Once again I removed the “T” fitting and visited our local marine supply store only to find out they didn’t carry the size we needed. The technician suggested a two part mix sealant and I thought why not. After mixing up a little and applying it I carefully installed the three hoses before things dried and went to sleep feeling good.
The next morning after a quick shower I checked the bilge and it was dry “yes” then I checked the lines and sure enough a small amount of water had accumulated at the fitting. Dang it, I knew I didn’t wait the full 15 hours for a cure and the temperature in the bilge was not above 65 degrees but I thought this would work. I called Scott and told him about our adventures and he immediately said he would have the yard send us a new fitting. Not to give up I removed the “T” fitting one more time and added a little more sealant just prior to leaving the boat for a week. When we return I will reassemble and try the shower again, hopefully this time we will not see a leak. In case you were thinking the leak could be coming from the shower drain and running down the outside of the hose I did use a paper towel to check about 18” of hose leading up toward the drain and it was dry. I’m convinced it has to be a pin size hole in the weldment.
Chasing this small leak reconfirmed a few other important decisions we made with this boat. The first was to select a boat with a true ER door. The fact that I could spend time chasing this leak in the ER without having to lift the PH or Saloon floors was great for Mary and SB. No disturbing them or risk that SB would fall into the ER was comforting. The second aspect of the ER I really like are all the removable floor boards. After owning boats with an ER designed with a molded, solid floor which looks great but offer little access and a nightmare when chasing a leak makes me really appreciate the H38E design. As long as we keep the non-slip removal panels clean the ER remains bright and accessible. I would never build another boat without removable floor panels.
The only other issue we have experienced with the boat is the A/C in the salon. After running great for two months we are getting a High Pressure Fault reading and need to call Freezer Bob out to take a look. It’s interesting that the unit we don’t often use is the one that has given us a few issues while the unit in the OSR unit works perfectly. This is great example of “keeping things simple” and recognizing that any system can break or cause issues I find it interesting that an A/C unit (likely the most complex piece of equipment on the boat) has been the biggest issue. Not having to deal with two engines, stabilizers or a generator actually feels good. While there are times stabilizers would be nice at times, we have managed OK so far and adjusting fine.
Another example of “keeping things simple” is during the evening when the temperature drops but remains above 50 degrees and we use one West Marine electric heater instead of the A/C Reverse Cycle Heat system. While we appreciate the reverse cycle heater when temperatures really drop we usually only turn it on in the morning to heat up the salon for a couple of hours before turning it off and use the little West Marine heater.
The more time we spend aboard and use the boat the more we reconfirm we got it right. Now if I could just figure out the “dingy” decision we could start cruising around the marina at “5 O’clock Somewhere” time and enjoy a cool or hot beverage.
MOD EDIT: Paragraphs added by the Grammar Fairy.
Last edited by a moderator:
Gig Harbor Dingy
Well after a few weeks working plan B we received an email from Gig Harbor advising they found another shipping company who could deliver the boat to SD for an acceptable price. So today we signed up for another newbsemi custom dingy which should be fun to follow. More to follow soon.....
Well after a few weeks working plan B we received an email from Gig Harbor advising they found another shipping company who could deliver the boat to SD for an acceptable price. So today we signed up for another newbsemi custom dingy which should be fun to follow. More to follow soon.....
Ahhhh...paragraph breaks are really good...if you actually want folk to read the post, that is...just sayin'...
Looks to me that the extremely long post # 761 with no real paragraph breaks was written on a word or email page first and then copied over to the post.
When doing so, I've found it necessary to hit edit and manually implant the paragraph breaks.
dhays
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Not to be picky but... the Gig Harbor Boat Works are built in, wait for it, Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor is much closer to Tacoma than Seattle.
As you may have seen from other threads, I took deliver of a 10' GH Navigator last month. Due to truly lousy weather here, I have only had a chance to sail it twice, row it twice, and use my Torqueedo motor on it once. So far, I have been exceedingly happy.
Some caveats... The boat is a great toy. I love it. I admit however that it is not as practical a tender as my RIB. It isn't as stable obviously, which I got used to very quickly as it is similar to the sailing dinghy that I learned to sail in right in Gig Harbor. I have only had two people in the boat so far. Three would work out just fine. The alternate rowing position works great with another person sitting in the stern.
I had them put on Weaver clips on the dinghy (with a reinforced shear) so the dinghy will sit on the SeaWise davits on my swim step. That has worked out really well. I have yet to hoist it up to my boat deck as I am still trying to figure out a chock system that will work for both the RIB and the GH Navigator and that I like. It will probably be the removable Weaver Chocks.
I have yet to tow to the dinghy, so have no idea how well that works.
With the Torqeedo motor, it moves along nice at about 4 knots with a 10 nm range on a full charge. Push it to 4.3 knots and the range drops to about 7 nm. Drop it down to 3.8 knots and the range increases to about 14 nm. Considering the light weight, no gas, quiet, no maintenance etc of the Torqeedo, I am really happy I kept it when I sold the RIB that I had with my sailboat.
Good golly David! You must be "eyes-on" GPS reading to actually get difference between 4 and 3.8 knots. .2 knots difference means on the 4 knots compared to 3.8 you'd gain an extra nautical mile. - in five whole hrs. You are a patient man my friend. Little bow wind, stern wind, or choppy water would alter the whole parameter. And, OMG, don't run into much of an opposing current. You might not arrive.
Hope you don't mind... Can't help but to find this all kind of amusing!
Good golly David! You must be "eyes-on" GPS reading to actually get difference between 4 and 3.8 knots. .2 knots difference means on the 4 knots compared to 3.8 you'd gain an extra nautical mile. - in five whole hrs. You are a patient man my friend. Little bow wind, stern wind, or choppy water would alter the whole parameter. And, OMG, don't run into much of an opposing current. You might not arrive.
Hope you don't mind... Can't help but to find this all kind of amusing!
Dave is in a precision profession.
Nomad Willy
Guru
Ahhhh...paragraph breaks are really good...if you actually want folk to read the post, that is...just sayin'...
Go easy on him Peter. I used-ta do dat tooo. Marin PM'ed me about it and I've been mostly good about it since. I was grateful for the help from Marin. I hope 4061 is as grateful as I was.
There was about 5 paragraphs in his post.
The fact that you posted for all to see is good as a number of others can probably benefit from it too.
Phyrcooler
Senior Member
This is a timely update to this thread - as I have been looking for a sailing/rowing dinghy. One I have been considering is the GH Navigator. I have a new gentleman on my dock that has an older GH 8 or 9 footer... but he does not speak positively of the sailing rig. So I am looking at alternative opinions. I'm buying as a toy - for rowing (exercise) and sailing (FUN). I have an aluminum RIB that I will keep.
I also have been looking at the PT Watercraft PT11. It is a beautiful boat, and has a GREAT sailing rig. I just can't bring myself to write a check for over 5K for a boat I have to build. I love that it is nesting - as I can store it in several different locations on my boat, as well as single-handedly get it set up for a row or sail.
The GH Navigator has the option of building with Kevlar which shaves several pounds off the craft. Which would make it easier to manage it I went that way.
Trying to decide which route to take. And talk myself out of being so frugal and just pull the trigger.
I also have been looking at the PT Watercraft PT11. It is a beautiful boat, and has a GREAT sailing rig. I just can't bring myself to write a check for over 5K for a boat I have to build. I love that it is nesting - as I can store it in several different locations on my boat, as well as single-handedly get it set up for a row or sail.
The GH Navigator has the option of building with Kevlar which shaves several pounds off the craft. Which would make it easier to manage it I went that way.
Trying to decide which route to take. And talk myself out of being so frugal and just pull the trigger.
SR400DB
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While I do not have a sailing rig. I do have a kevlar GH dinghy that I use with a electric motor. I am very happy with the boat. Light, easy to handle and looks great.
dhays
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Good golly David! You must be "eyes-on" GPS reading to actually get difference between 4 and 3.8 knots. .2 knots difference means on the 4 knots compared to 3.8 you'd gain an extra nautical mile. - in five whole hrs. You are a patient man my friend. Little bow wind, stern wind, or choppy water would alter the whole parameter. And, OMG, don't run into much of an opposing current. You might not arrive.
Hope you don't mind... Can't help but to find this all kind of amusing!
Lol, yeah. I was basing that simply on the GPS readout on the motor. So like anything, YMMV.
dhays
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I was also looking at the PT11. Nice little boat. Having to build it myself was a killer. I am simply too busy. For almost the same price, I was able to buy a completely finished boat from GHBW.
Keep in mind that I have only sailed the Navigator twice now. So far, I am very happy with the rig. It is simple, yet adjustable. I grew up with sailing dinghies and feel good about this one.
I do have one complaint, the little bow sprit works great, but it is just begging to lose the SS hardware overboard when attaching it. I have lost one SS washer so far and know that I will lose more.
FWIW, GHBW will build a nesting version of their boats. I know of one woman who has one and loves it. She had it built to go on their sailboat. She is in her late 70s I believe. I considered a nesting version but decided against it.
The PT11 has the nicest nesting system I have seen. Pretty impressive. In the end, I decided that I wanted to be able to put the dinghy on my SeaWise davits as well on the boat deck. Nesting wasn't going to work well for that.
paragraphs
Yes, this was written on a computer using word then cut and pasted to TF in a hurry.
Ahhhh...paragraph breaks are really good...if you actually want folk to read the post, that is...just sayin'...
Yes, this was written on a computer using word then cut and pasted to TF in a hurry.
GH
Thanks to those who have posted about GH and other small tenders / sailing boats. We plan to use a 2.5HP OB and hope for speeds around 5 knots. This boat will be used 90% of the time cruising the marina with a cool beverage around 5 o'clock. �� will try out the oars for a little exercise but no sailing (at this time). Thanks
Thanks to those who have posted about GH and other small tenders / sailing boats. We plan to use a 2.5HP OB and hope for speeds around 5 knots. This boat will be used 90% of the time cruising the marina with a cool beverage around 5 o'clock. �� will try out the oars for a little exercise but no sailing (at this time). Thanks
Easter weekend in SD included the air races over the bay which we decided to cruise over see along with 300 plus other boaters. We decided not to anchor and watched a couple of planes make their runs as we motored along the edge of the anchored boats. Watching many boats roll from side to side just wasn't appealing to us. Instead we headed the opposite direction to our favorite anchoring spot only to see it occupied by two large dredging barge's (missed that notice). We don't like crowds so we figured best to head home and call it a day.
On way back we had a 60' Viking Sport Fish pass us up flying and only about 50' away. I told Mary to turn 45 degrees into the large swells. We rolled good and had a few things fall but nothing major. I was pissed and felt like tracking him down but decided to let it go.
Docking in the stiff breeze required more BT than I like to use but we did fine.
Tomorrow the seas are suppose to calm down and we plan a short 5 mile run outside up to Mission Bay for the day. We both really miss cruising outside in ocean where things are peaceful. That's about it for today. Life aboard the boat is good and layout is perfect for us. Lots of open space to move around. Very happy owners.
On way back we had a 60' Viking Sport Fish pass us up flying and only about 50' away. I told Mary to turn 45 degrees into the large swells. We rolled good and had a few things fall but nothing major. I was pissed and felt like tracking him down but decided to let it go.
Docking in the stiff breeze required more BT than I like to use but we did fine.
Tomorrow the seas are suppose to calm down and we plan a short 5 mile run outside up to Mission Bay for the day. We both really miss cruising outside in ocean where things are peaceful. That's about it for today. Life aboard the boat is good and layout is perfect for us. Lots of open space to move around. Very happy owners.
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I can highly recommend the 2.3hp Honda 4 stroke for this. It goes first pull virtually every time, is forgiving of old fuel (oil free), does not need flushing, as air-cooled, and IT's LIGHT..!
Also, you can do a trial start-up while still on the stern mounting board, (air cooled - just be careful with throttle setting as it has a centrifugal clutch), and before being transfered to the dink, so once on the water you just know it's gonna go.
But you probably know all about this one anyway, I suspect, knowing how you research everything so well. Still, if you have not actually owned one, it helps to hear from one who has. Perfectly powerful enough for your described use.
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Phyrcooler
Senior Member
I've intended on posting a note here since the end of January... but have been busy (just retired! Who knew you could retire and have no time?!) So, excuses aside - I thought I'd take a moment and finally comment about John's Helmsman 38 since the recent posting on this thread reminded me.
I attended the boat show in January along with one of my twin 8 Y.O. sons and spent a few minutes with John, met his lovely wife, and of course was introduced to Sailor Blue. John was obviously proud of his baby - and who better to represent a manufacturer than a happy owner? I introduced myself to John, and then since he had a couple other folks on board at that moment, I headed straight for the engine room. O.M.G. It is every bit the thing of beauty as I had envisioned. I was briefly overcome with ER Envy. Then I started poking around. Looking behind the outer beauty. You know... some sloppy glasswork. Poorly executed wiring. Paint overspray. Oil drips. Anything less than perfect. Nothing dammit. Nothing but wide open spaces surrounding the centerpiece work of art. Oh... and those battery banks are a thing of beauty as well. Well thought out equipment, and well executed installations. Sigh.
I decided to leave the temple and check out the rest of the boat. I love some nice wood joinery... and this boat has WOOD. Lots of it. In all the right places. Nicely crafted. Beautifully finished. And as I quickly discovered... the fit and finish of this craft is beautiful everywhere you look. At the risk of trying to sound like Boattest.com... I'll stop right there and say that I am not a surveyor, nor an old salt. But, I have seen a few boats in my day, and like most of you, I'll crawl around any boat they'll let me at the boat shows. I'm usually the guy you're tripping over in the cockpit because I've got my head and shoulders down in the lazarette. This company is scoring up there with what appears in my eyes to be some pretty quality construction and a damn fine looking trawler.
In a nutshell - I was very impressed. We've all watched the detail and thought that John has put into spec'ing this vessel out... and it really works. I've previously commented on my belief in the KISS principle - and it is well executed. Kudos to John. Love that boat.
I don't know if John will put his into another show... but I hope he does. If any of you get a chance to go aboard his, or any other recent Helmsman boats... do so!
Going to check my lotto tickets tomorrow. In the meantime, I've called the detail guy to come and give my boat a nice compounding and polish. Trying to make up for this slightly guilty, unfaithful feeling I have.
I attended the boat show in January along with one of my twin 8 Y.O. sons and spent a few minutes with John, met his lovely wife, and of course was introduced to Sailor Blue. John was obviously proud of his baby - and who better to represent a manufacturer than a happy owner? I introduced myself to John, and then since he had a couple other folks on board at that moment, I headed straight for the engine room. O.M.G. It is every bit the thing of beauty as I had envisioned. I was briefly overcome with ER Envy. Then I started poking around. Looking behind the outer beauty. You know... some sloppy glasswork. Poorly executed wiring. Paint overspray. Oil drips. Anything less than perfect. Nothing dammit. Nothing but wide open spaces surrounding the centerpiece work of art. Oh... and those battery banks are a thing of beauty as well. Well thought out equipment, and well executed installations. Sigh.
I decided to leave the temple and check out the rest of the boat. I love some nice wood joinery... and this boat has WOOD. Lots of it. In all the right places. Nicely crafted. Beautifully finished. And as I quickly discovered... the fit and finish of this craft is beautiful everywhere you look. At the risk of trying to sound like Boattest.com... I'll stop right there and say that I am not a surveyor, nor an old salt. But, I have seen a few boats in my day, and like most of you, I'll crawl around any boat they'll let me at the boat shows. I'm usually the guy you're tripping over in the cockpit because I've got my head and shoulders down in the lazarette. This company is scoring up there with what appears in my eyes to be some pretty quality construction and a damn fine looking trawler.
In a nutshell - I was very impressed. We've all watched the detail and thought that John has put into spec'ing this vessel out... and it really works. I've previously commented on my belief in the KISS principle - and it is well executed. Kudos to John. Love that boat.
I don't know if John will put his into another show... but I hope he does. If any of you get a chance to go aboard his, or any other recent Helmsman boats... do so!
Going to check my lotto tickets tomorrow. In the meantime, I've called the detail guy to come and give my boat a nice compounding and polish. Trying to make up for this slightly guilty, unfaithful feeling I have.
Thanks
Thank you for this very complimentary post. Sorry we didn't have more time during the show to talk. The boat remains at Sunroad in case you are in the area and would like to revisit.
I've intended on posting a note here since the end of January... but have been busy (just retired! Who knew you could retire and have no time?!) So, excuses aside - I thought I'd take a moment and finally comment about John's Helmsman 38 since the recent posting on this thread reminded me.
I attended the boat show in January along with one of my twin 8 Y.O. sons and spent a few minutes with John, met his lovely wife, and of course was introduced to Sailor Blue. John was obviously proud of his baby - and who better to represent a manufacturer than a happy owner? I introduced myself to John, and then since he had a couple other folks on board at that moment, I headed straight for the engine room. O.M.G. It is every bit the thing of beauty as I had envisioned. I was briefly overcome with ER Envy. Then I started poking around. Looking behind the outer beauty. You know... some sloppy glasswork. Poorly executed wiring. Paint overspray. Oil drips. Anything less than perfect. Nothing dammit. Nothing but wide open spaces surrounding the centerpiece work of art. Oh... and those battery banks are a thing of beauty as well. Well thought out equipment, and well executed installations. Sigh.
I decided to leave the temple and check out the rest of the boat. I love some nice wood joinery... and this boat has WOOD. Lots of it. In all the right places. Nicely crafted. Beautifully finished. And as I quickly discovered... the fit and finish of this craft is beautiful everywhere you look. At the risk of trying to sound like Boattest.com... I'll stop right there and say that I am not a surveyor, nor an old salt. But, I have seen a few boats in my day, and like most of you, I'll crawl around any boat they'll let me at the boat shows. I'm usually the guy you're tripping over in the cockpit because I've got my head and shoulders down in the lazarette. This company is scoring up there with what appears in my eyes to be some pretty quality construction and a damn fine looking trawler.
In a nutshell - I was very impressed. We've all watched the detail and thought that John has put into spec'ing this vessel out... and it really works. I've previously commented on my belief in the KISS principle - and it is well executed. Kudos to John. Love that boat.
I don't know if John will put his into another show... but I hope he does. If any of you get a chance to go aboard his, or any other recent Helmsman boats... do so!
Going to check my lotto tickets tomorrow. In the meantime, I've called the detail guy to come and give my boat a nice compounding and polish. Trying to make up for this slightly guilty, unfaithful feeling I have.
Thank you for this very complimentary post. Sorry we didn't have more time during the show to talk. The boat remains at Sunroad in case you are in the area and would like to revisit.
Today we received word from GIG that our boat will start production in 3-4 weeks. While there are many boats ahead of us but it is feasible they can work in a smaller boat along side a larger boat. Overall ECD is about 7-8 weeks followed by shipping to SD. If all goes as planned we should have the boat in time for the 4th of July weekend and dingy parade at the marina.
John
John
update
Mary and Sailor Blue just completed their third full week aboard since January while I split my work week between SD and Riverside (90 miles away). We both continue to be amazed how well this boat meets our needs. The open design, minimal steps, large salon/galley and PH feels larger than anything we owned prior despite having a shorter LOA.
As with any boat, balancing time aboard with walks along the bay, trips to stores, parks and occasional dinners at local restaurants are important to an enjoyable experience. All this helps us prepare for extended time aboard once I retire and we move the boat to the east coast and start the ICW.
This weekend included another round of high winds keeping us inside the bay so we decided to make a 10 mile run south to another marina which offers "dock and dinning". The run down was easy as we enjoyed being pushed by the stiff 10-15 knot breeze and wing waves. We decided to try out the flybridge for the first time together and it was great. Not sure SB cared for being that high up but Mary really enjoyed the large open area and views. Docking was fun and I'm thankful we were assigned a large slip with 16' beam. After a great lunch we headed back home in slightly stronger winds on the bow. We took some spray as we pushed through the 2' chop and occasionally 3' swells caused by traffic around the Coronado bridge. Cruising in these types of conditions reminds me of boating around Long Island, NY and prepares us for the ICW. The boat handled all this just fine. We are now back home in Riverside for a week then plan to visit the boat next weekend. Next week we may have some interesting news to share with everyone. Will keep you guessing for now.
John
Mary and Sailor Blue just completed their third full week aboard since January while I split my work week between SD and Riverside (90 miles away). We both continue to be amazed how well this boat meets our needs. The open design, minimal steps, large salon/galley and PH feels larger than anything we owned prior despite having a shorter LOA.
As with any boat, balancing time aboard with walks along the bay, trips to stores, parks and occasional dinners at local restaurants are important to an enjoyable experience. All this helps us prepare for extended time aboard once I retire and we move the boat to the east coast and start the ICW.
This weekend included another round of high winds keeping us inside the bay so we decided to make a 10 mile run south to another marina which offers "dock and dinning". The run down was easy as we enjoyed being pushed by the stiff 10-15 knot breeze and wing waves. We decided to try out the flybridge for the first time together and it was great. Not sure SB cared for being that high up but Mary really enjoyed the large open area and views. Docking was fun and I'm thankful we were assigned a large slip with 16' beam. After a great lunch we headed back home in slightly stronger winds on the bow. We took some spray as we pushed through the 2' chop and occasionally 3' swells caused by traffic around the Coronado bridge. Cruising in these types of conditions reminds me of boating around Long Island, NY and prepares us for the ICW. The boat handled all this just fine. We are now back home in Riverside for a week then plan to visit the boat next weekend. Next week we may have some interesting news to share with everyone. Will keep you guessing for now.
John
