Please talk me out of this

[barato]

Re: Please talk me out of this

i'll be the first to say....hopefully never! growing up is the first step to growing old. or as i've heard it said, it's amazing how much "mature wisdom" is often the functional equivalent of just being too tired....!

if it makes you feel any better, i've been unable to sleep lately with the excitement of a Mexico trip in 3 weeks....staying up re-reading and prepping rods & gear.....and i'm only taking my portabote!

i wouldn't worry about leaving it in a slip....just add appropriate preventive fixes: sacrificial anodes on hull, and auto-on bilge pump plus solar panel to be sure you always have battery power to run it. plus locks on your cabin door...not sure about your marina security.

bad news on those tablets....they only come in suppository form.

what you're describing is known by the sail crowd as "gunkholing", and an Islander would be about perfect for it, IMHO.

 

[fshngho]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Ok Don in the interest of marrital bliss...AHEM...


stop, don't do it, its expensive, please stop, too much fun..

Tell the wife (SWMMBO) I tried again but alas, I failed in my attempt.:redface:

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Can you just rent a boat for a weekend or so????. If I bought one there with all the restrictiins I would leave in storage at the water site for the $150 not worth hauling around a lot for that price.

 

[paparoof]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Hey DR -

Did the seller ever respond to you? I'm gonna give him a call tomorrow and hopefully go crawl all over the Islander on Thursday.

 

[DonRamon]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Paparoof,

Oh goodiegoodiegoodie

No reply yet - so I'm not sure if he/she's away or something. That add on boatboss has one of those web-based response forms - maybe the owner is more a meeting-in-person type. I didn't want to rush you, but boy did I sit&wait for this message...

It is a good thing I won't be there in person - cos I'm afraid I would buy the darn thing even with a hole of a foot in it. Papa, thanks again & if you run into expenses - fair is fair so I want to settle them.

Besides all you know from your own experience, could you check if there is some sort of record keeping to this overhaul job for me to see, and if he's on the email?

Pugetsound,

"Can you just rent a boat for a weekend or so????. "

:redface: Ehh - have you met my wife by any chance? You guys have a lot in common - that is being common sense. Responding to this one normally results in me in an argumental hole in which I'll keep digging until I'll run out of steam & stare at the window..

I think you've raised a violation of the golden rules of budget-keeping:

~ If it flies, floats or sh*ts - rent it! ~

 

[paparoof]

Re: Please talk me out of this

And you might wanna at least consider this one:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/boa/1937067333.html

It's not quite 100%, but it's less than half the cost of the one near me and 1/3 of the way closer to you already! I'll give you 50 bucks for the electric downriggers to help offset the cost too....

 

[DonRamon]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Paparoof - yeah - a lot cheaper but doesn't quite have the appeal. It's just the classic look of the late 70s Islander which rocks.

On top of my post an hour or so ago to Papa - even more good news is flowing in! Having explored the berthing scene in Singapore - I couldn't help of feeling a little depressed about membership fees, waiting lists, berthing fees - it just didn't stop..

Now I will only say this ONCE.... I love my job..... ok, that's enough. I work on a large refinery which is located on an Island ~4 mi off the coast. The facility happens to have a launching slip for small craft outside the plant area. The marine dept have agreed for me to keep my boat here on the refinery, allow me to use the workshed, freshwater, towtruck etc. I can just walk out of the office, launch the boat & go! And plenty of gas around here too.......

Well - that pretty much made my day - things are moving the right way!

 

[paparoof]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Paparoof - yeah - a lot cheaper but doesn't quite have the appeal. It's just the classic look of the late 70s Islander which rocks.

I won't argue with you there. The side windows on the cabin of the '75 era Islanders have a sweet bad-*** look to them. I just love it.

I left a voicemail at the number in the ad this afternoon. I have an appointment Friday morning about 5 miles away from where this Islander is, so hopefully I can swing over there right after my appointment. If he'll allow me, I'll take a whole mess of pictures, zip 'em up and email you a download link.

Assuming he responds.... here's your caveat: I'm only gonna look at the boat and give you my personal opinions about it. You gotta decide on your own if you think my opinions have any value or not. The decision and risk are all yours. The price negotiations and payment details are all yours. The logistics of getting this thing from Minnesota to Singapore are all yours. You mentioned expenses - I'm not going to invest anything but a little of my own time, so I expect nothing from you in return. Unless you ever come to Minnesota, in which case I expect you to buy me a beer or two.

All that said.... I'd LOVE to see this thing work out for you. If it does, you'd better post up every detail of your adventure for us. I think everyone on this board would love to watch this thing play out.

Regarding renting - the saying I remember is this: if you're gonna use a tool more than once a year, it's worth owning instead of renting. I think you can call a boat a tool. I count mine as fishing tackle.

 

[paparoof]

Re: Please talk me out of this

I just realized I'm not doing a very good job of talking you out of this.

Sorry.

:redface:

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Please talk me out of this

My only thought to you is with all the BIG ship traffic and distance on the open water to your destinations might be wise to try before you buy. OPPPPPS being ureasonable again. Good luck with your adventure Im sure your recruted help will give you a very honest review as to what they look at for you.

 

[DonRamon]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Paparoof - duly noted. But I suspect my wife will need some answers on how you talked me into this... I have never been to the US of A, except for a holiday on Hawaii, but I'll surely consider Minnesota when I do get around to visit. The chances are that my next job would be there, well, on the same rock at least - Houston, Texas should have some oil jobs if the economy (= oil price) picks up again. But then again - it could also be Northern Siberia. We finally got the polar cap to melt so that is good news for the pleasure boating community over there.

Pugetsound - you're right-on. I'm in a struggle today. I only see my spouse about 10 minutes per day - I'm on this gruesome 14hr nightshift schedule for weeks straight now and a couple more to go. She's going through some tough times as well having the 0 and 2 year old around. We're tired.. Now today she wasn't so thrilled anymore on the boat idea, with a raft of perfectly logical concerns. Renting, cost, etc. But I'm so hooked on the Islander (she even thinks it's pretty).. I can't have any spanners in the wheels right now, always 24 hours there for the her & family being work or at home and now I want my toy - sort of argument . But I know this sort of ping-pong is not going to make her feel any better.

She doesn't mean it bad, and she doesn't say no, I guess she's just afraid I'll be gone even more. I'll have to spend more time with her, and hopefully that boat does help us to get together a bit more.

By the way - shipping is coming in a lot lower than original quotes, there is still empty space on the container ships. So they'll allocate a 40ft for that Islander - which is 22ft. Meaning I've got 18ft spare room . Dare I think of buying another Starcraft at no extra shipping cost? I could easily sell it at a profit here, earning back some of the shipping cost. Are my pockets deep enough to risk, but have a chance of reducing the overall cost? I don't know yet.

 

[barato]

Re: Please talk me out of this

doesn't sound like any of us are being any help at discouraging you........

one point to make with wife might be that this is a pretty family friendly boat compared to any sort of open skiff....sounds like you are going to get a boat, and this one has a head, room for kids to nap, room for cooking, etc. not as good for pure fishing applications as an open boat, but the room and shade really work better for crew.

sounds like your life is a bit more adventurous than many of ours.......

 

[paparoof]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Well DR...

I left the guy another voice mail this morning and I'm sorry to say I've had no response from the seller. So I have not inspected your boat

Sorry man....

 

[elkhunter338]

Re: Please talk me out of this

It sounds like your situation is not good for owning a boat.
Buying a boat does not sound like a good thing in your case.
Consider family first and your desires should not come first.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Some things in life should go unsaid. I think most of us have at one time or another bought things that made no sense. I bet D R is makeing a bizillon $ working weeks steady on a oil rig. Some of our Gas money has to be going somewhere. lol A man works hard for his living deserves a few toys.

 

[DonRamon]

Re: Please talk me out of this

Timeline:

T minus 30 - denial:
What, no.. no this can't be true... haha.. there must be some sort of misunderstanding here... you're pulling my leg, right .. come'on now, stop the joking around.. show me the pictures of my boat!

T minus 25 - realisation:


T minus 20 - the black hole:
*

T minus 5 - recovery:
Emerging stronger and wiser. Better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all.

The trouble is, I wouldn't even want to be found dead in 80's fiberglass junk, even though that is available locally. Back to the drawing board. I want a boat and it's gotta be aluminium. Maybe not now but later. I don't know.

Wherever this may lead - all you guys have been great support, and it is surely a great experience being on the forum here. I'm back surfing craigslist...

Keep you posted

 

[paparoof]

Re: Please talk me out of this

See I was still holding out hope the guy's just on vacation or something and he's gonna call me tomorrow. Guess I'm still in the denial stage.