Re: Man vs. Boat (season 1).
Okay gang, grab a cup of coffee.... Long-ish post/gut spilling to follow:
For the past several months, I have been struggling with whether this boat is right for me and my family... I originally "backed into" this boat because I had an interest in maybe restoring an old wooden chris craft or century. Most of the wooden boats were out of price range and skill set (both acquisition price and restore costs). When I saw this figerglass boat, it caught my eye (it was made the year I was born which I thought was neat) and I also thought it would be a way for me to have a classic runabout with a less involved restore than a wooden boat. I miscalculated on several fronts. Due to shipping costs to get the boat here, having to re-power with a new drive-line, etc..., I will blow my budget out of the water to get this to half-way to completion and for what... A boat that I am really not sure is right for me. Why is that?
1. As you guys have seen from the fishing pictures on my thread, I am really a fisherman at heart. I love being on the water, but being on the water with a fishing rod in my hand is what it is all about for me. So, even if I push this boat to completion, I will still be yearning for a fishing rig and probably wouldn't be using this boat much. I would just be diving right into my next project (a fishing boat) and I have a 15K invested in a boat worth a fraction of that, which I rarely use.
2. The lake where my parents live (which is 8 miles away from house) is where we do the lion's share of our boating. We are there just about every weekend in the summer. That lake has a 18 foot, 90 h.p. limit. So, I wouldn't even be able to use "My" boat on "our" lake. My kids love going to the see my folks, and it is a great place for them to hang out (fishing pier, fridge full of juice boxes and popsicles and grandparents to spoil them, etc...). To use my boat, we would have to go to a random lake with no facilities and I would miss out on these times with my folks that are important to me and my family.
3. The only thing my boat would be used for is "going super fast" (which my kids hate, by the way) or cruising or skiing. We already have access to a ski-boat and pontoon and my pops (being the good fella that he is) always has those gassed up for us. So, this boat would be somewhat redundant and not useable/legal on our home water. The only boat they don't have is a true fishing boat (you see where this is gong).
4. The costs of restoring this boat (both direct and indirect) are taking a huge toll on me, my family, my career and my health (both physical and mental). I simply don't have a good set up at the house to work on a glass boat - especially a somewhat larger one. I have tried it and I just don't feel good about causing a toxic plume of fiberglass dust in an area where my kids (and the neighbors kids) play all day. Everything I own (including my car, my garage, etc...) is either stained with polyester resin or reaks of it. Further, the commute to the shop and everything else this involves has dominated my life to the point where other very important things are taking a back seat (faith, family, career, marriage, etc..) and that is not acceptable (i.e. the cost-benefit analysis is really starting to get lopsided in light of some of the above). Plus, I went to the doctor this week and was told I have several "nodules" on my thyroid, which they are going to have to monitor every 6 months. Not cancer and not life threatening, but "something to monitor." Does that have anything to do with playing in acetone, MEK, poly resin and fiberglass for the past year - probably not! - But, it made me rethink my health and not taking health risks that I don't have to (especially with 4 kids).
5. I am not sure the I/O set-up is right for me. As mentioned above, I really don't have a need for a "go fast" (large displacement) boat. The install and maintenance on an I/O from alignment tools, to bellows, to gimbal bearings to transom assemblies is both expensive and somewhat over my head. I think an I/O is a great set-up for somewhat that is very mechanically inclined, has worked on car engines in the past and can do their own service rather easily (or someone who can afford to dry stack their boat and pay someone else to do all this). For me, I think an outboard is the way to go. Plus, I want to use my boat in the back bays on the coast (salt water) for fishing and play and I don't want to rust out my cooling and exhaust parts of my driveline.
So, where do I go from here? I think I am going to move on to a smaller, more manageable fishing rig (probably a metal one - shock and awe, I know) ahead of this one in the rotation. I am going to sell my trailer, driveline, fiberglass supplies, etc... I am going to ask my friend if I can just shrinkwrap my boat and maybe "mothball" on the back of his property. I may come back to it in 6 months, maybe a year, maybe 10 years, maybe never... Or, it may go to another good home (I doubt anyone would want it in its current shape) or to the fill.
Once I liquidate some of my current stuff, I will start looking for another project boat. I am not going anywhere as iboats (and the people here) have become a very welcome and important addition to my life. I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the encouragement, wisdom and know-how that you guys have shared with me. I have enjoyed talking with many of you on the phone, and I know that I will probably meet several of you in person one day. However, I think Man V. Boat - Season 1 is drawing to a close, and I look forward to the next chapter of life and boating with my good friends on this forum.
Thank you, my friends.
PMC
