Ahoy There! Das Boat ;)

[SEADANCE]

Hi Guys and Gals!!!Sea trialed Tukki Bird yesterday and we had a GREAT time and experience!!!Owner of the boat was wonderful, very detailed with us and took the time to go over every inch of the boat(kept all maintenance records, manuals)and if we missed anything the broker had our backs and pointed it all out. Nothing broke..doesn't that phrase sound nice? everything worked, engine started up beautifully. Sails are beautiful. She is a sweet sweet sweet good old solid boat and I love her.Beautiful weather, about 20 knot winds my hubby said. Hubby pushed me onto the helm for a good long time and I got her to heel quite a few times...I just about died, I have never sailed a 30' sailboat and it was just exhilirating! I had the biggest smile on my face. I will not lie when I said I had a hard time stearing her at first with the Genoa up and main sail but it was heaven! and I do need sailing lessons... soon!Thought about you guys out there and I have pictures.I'll post a few.Hubby is looking for someone to crew with him next weekend from Pensacola to Biloxi so he asked me to put the word out. We are waiting on survey. okay here come the picsB/Seadance

 

[Dragonfly6689]

Congratulation!!

Glad to hear everything is still going good. Thanks for sharing your story and pictures.Mark

 

[dvideohd]

Vivid

For little ones, there are VIVID memories soon to come. Some that should last a life time...Good job!!--jerry

 

[Brian D]

That is so cool...

I'm very happy for you guys. Looks like you are one step closer. Good luck, B!

 

[AXEL]

Very nice!

Congrads and best of luck to you! Thanks for sharing the great pics. I've got a bad case of cabin fever going on right now and every little bit helps. My boat (a C30) should go in next week, can't wait.

 

[Ross]

There are experienced instructors that will

cheerfully give lessons on your boat. Just look for one that will dazzle you with brillance rather than baffling you with B.S. Remember also some of these instructors are women and you may find a better fit that way.Congratulations on finding a new nice little house on the water that can go places.

 

[Rick Webb]

When You Going?

I could probably make it. Email me through this site.

 

[ChuckThomas]

there's a guy in pensacola

Seadance,There is a guy named Rick at www.ecsailing.com that will teach you on your boat. Great guy. Very good teacher.Good luck.

 

[BobW]

Way to go!

Borrowing a quote from one of the worst TV shows ever:'I love it when a plan comes together!'You're on your way!Cheers,Bobs/v X SAIL R 8

 

[Waffle]

Great!

you look like your in love with the boat and that is what it is all about. I am glad to hear there were not problems!

 

[Seattle Scott]

Tip of the day

Beautiful photos. So I'm looking at photo #1, and it looks like the jib fairlead ( the block between the winch and the sail) is too far forward, move it aft/back about 6 inches as a guess.PS, I should rename my boat "You're dragging a fender" since that seems to be a common greating when boat pass me.

 

[Tom23352]

Congrats from Gulfport

Looking forward to seeing you out on the Sound. We keep "Miss Jenna" our Hunter 310 at Point Cadet (until Gulfport small craft harbor is rebuilt). Where will you keep your boat?Tom

 

[sailaway78]

I can make it

Seadance,I see no reason I can't be volunteer crew. Think I had already offered. Let me know your schedule. Planning on inshore or offshore. Offshore would be a very nice trip, it the weather looks decent. I have done this several times, both in and out. Let me know.

 

[SEADANCE]

Storms Brewing*grr

There is a storm brewing. My husband did not mention this too me but he noticed that when the engine was on it just was not going fast enough maybe 2 knots tops. He asked the guy about this and fessed up that he did do service on the engine and that the only thing that needs fixing was the "throttle cable" (the engine was supposed to be put back together at this time with no problems by the way..sounds like this guy is either lazy or he knows there is an underlying problem and did not want to have a marine engine mechanic look at it)we suggested to hire a diver ($60)to go and clean the bottom of the boat and see how bad the prop had any barnacles and build up on it and maybe that would quit slowing her down. The owner got nervous and fessed up that yes he had not been cleaning the bottom of the boat every month like he said "thru the dealer" but has not touched the bottom of this boat in about a year. He came back and said I'll take $250 off her and you can get that done.Our last phone call was yes to that, call off the divers and just have her pulled and the hull power washed down, have a surveyor come out and go from there....we got the impression from the broker that the owner does not want to have that done. We are assuming that there is something he is not being totally honest about. I spoke with the surveyor yesterday and he told me if that boat had not been painted in about 2 years or more and has not had its bottom cleaned in over a year that there were without a doubt in his mind blistering. We are waiting to hear back from the broker today. I have a bad feeling the owner is going to "Walk". We did say, "Hey... look, if she is a great boat and no problems after the survey and its just a matter of the boat needing painting we won't take that off the price but if there is extensive damage say $3-4,000 because of blistering then yes we want it taken off the price of the boat." I don't think this is going to fly. We sat up last night about this and discussed this and just thought something is about to go bad.The survey needs to be done. If he says no then he has BS us and we will walk away. We still have back up boats that we have put 3 other offers yesterday in a higher bracket. Storms brewing I don't get a good feeling about this. I do know this much I am getting slowly discouraged.I'll let you know once I hear from him. I don't think we are getting cold feet because we left a nice "refundable" deposit down.I don't think we are being too demanding with wanting a survey done or are we??? I do know I have one thing going for me. He has to get that boat out of there by June 1st(my birthday) so would that put any pressure on him?The contract expires tomorrow but we left a good deposit down. During Sea Trial, The broker (and I like him I am just beginning to think the owner is not all he is cracked up to be with us or the broker)told me that after we countered and had the contract drawn that the people we swiped it from came back and offered $10,500 for it and the broker told me that this guy wanted to strip her down and the broker was like no..its under contract ..offer accepted.I want this family to get the boat..to enjoy it. Would they be counting on this other guy..or does he even exist??

 

[sailaway78]

Boat Speed

Seadance, if you consider the boat speed satisfactory when sailing, at least five or six knots, and way too slow when motoring, it isn't a bottom problem. I do not believe that blisters will slow a boat down this much. Current could do it, but would be the same with sails up. Could be a lot of barnacles on the prop, which I can tell you from personal experience, will basically stop a boat. This is going to be something with the engine, or drive train. Does the boat have a tach, so you can tell what it is doing. Do you get a lot of exhause smoke. To tell the truth I would question a surveyor who suggested that blisters could slow the boat down that much. I would think that enough bottom growth to slow it down to that speed, would be visible in that clear water around Pcola. But again, if it sails well, but does not motor well, it isn't the bottom of the boat that is the problem.

 

[Rick Webb]

Keep the Faith

Selling a boat can be just as emotional as buying one. He may not really want to sell but must because of health. financial, maritial or whatever reasons. Your boats out there waiting for you. Just like men you let a few go before you find the one you want to keep.

 

[Shippy]

Absolutely Survey

You are well within your rights as teh buyer to pull the boat and do a survey. It is at your expense but your right. I agree that if she sails well but motors porrly, it ain't growth or blisters! Prop, alignment, injectors, fouled prop etc are my first suspects. If the seller is refusing to let you pull her and find out what is going on, time to ask for ytour money back and walk away. Sail boats are for getting outside, relaxing and having fun and family time.....not pain, worry and financial disgust because you felt pressured into a decision. there are tons of boats out there for sail, if this isn't the right one, another will be.

 

[Waffle]

RE:Storms Brewing

Seadance, That is why I made the statement about the boat age. From the pictures the boat didn't look cared for enough to match the gae of the vessel. It one thing to buy a boat that wasn't care for that less than ten years of; but it is another to buy a boat tjhat wasn't care for that 30 years old. I think this might end up being a bit of a project boat. That is GREAT if you are retired like Ross. If you want to buy a boat to sail you might want a boat that has been better cared for.It the owner spend money on new cushions what makes you think they spend money on maintenance. Me, I would run away! Sorry, but that is my opinion. The boat is a little under powered too. I think you would like an 1980s boat much better unless you find a cream puff out there. Tartan, Sabre, C&C and some others are classic boat that can past the test of time. The owners of these types of boats tend to take better care of them. Keep in mine there are exceptions to the rule. I have taken the best care I can for my old Hunter and my new Catalina.Keep us in the loop and listen when we makes sense.Waf

 

[Waffle]

RE: Absolutely Survey

I agree with Shippy BUT it is your dime no matter what they find. If you think there is a problem you might want to cut your loses!

 

[AXEL]

Check for blisters

You always want to short haul and survey a boat that's in the water. If you don't your leaving yourself open for a load of problems that will come back and bite you long after the sale is final. Have the surveyor check the hull for excessive moisture, a sure sign of blisters brewing. Check the integrity of the rudder, a very common problem is rudders cracking and soaking up water. I would have to say that I would walk away from any sale where the previous owner would not agree to a short haul and survey. You are well with in your rights as the buyer. About boat speed under power. My C30 was losing boat speed consistently every season for several years. It was most evident in rough weather with the bow into the wind. I would get slowed down to 1 & 2 knots. What I found to be the problem was an accumulation of bottom paint on the prop. The prop was actually cavitating, losing its edge or cut in the water. After cleaning and re-dressing the prop I gained all my boat speed back under power. Your problem could be a simple as others have mentioned cleaning the bottom and prop. If possible let us know what the engines RPM's were while under power at top speed. Good luck!