Near the end.

[All U Get]

Hi all,

We have begun to clean out our boat and will put it on the market soon. Having to deal with my wife in assessing the value and importance of items aboard that we might need or find useful, has been an exercise in futility. We discuss these issues, make a plan for packing, then if I’m busy she’ll sneak some of ”last on the list stuff” into one of the totes.

We also have a plan if there is no interest, that we would cruise south again next fall. So some totes have been marked with masking tape to leave in a storage unit near the marina so they can be brought back aboard for our use. Again we are struggling because this is another tier of decisions that have to be made. On several occasions I have had to stop packing and explain which totes get the tape. Needless to say there has been competition between logi vs emotions and it’s not going well. We should have done a pre-nuptial when we bought this boat.

 

[sailme88]

You do have an affinity for interesting posts....

 

[shemandr]

Cleaning out our 356 for sale was a painful process - even without the bickering about what to save. A lot of it went to our attic and on to the next boat. But when I moved to FL all that had to go anyway. Three years later I'm still looking for stuff I thought I have.
So your sale took me by surprise. Maybe I missed some posts. What's next?

 

[DougM]

I just went through that last fall. It was easier because I didn’t have a wife to consult…
Since I did not plan to get another boat, a lot of good stuff went with the boat, spare parts,etc. The new owner got a lot of extras out of the deal that he probably would have had to purchase otherwise. Still, I ended up with a plethora of things that were too good to let go that are now taking up space in my garage.

 

[stickinthemud57]

Since we bought our boat it has been the opposite problem - what stays on the boat. A few blankets, some flatware, sure. Big antique drip-type coffeemaker, no.

My wife, like many other women, I suppose, likes to accumulate and hold onto stuff, her rationale being that "one of the kids will need it" despite their notable lack of interest for any of our old stuff. I suspect it has more to do with the security associated with possessions on hand and the aforementioned emotional attachment.

 

[capta]

When we moved off Skipping Stone she rose about 5", yet there are still all the spares, like starter motors for both engines, winch rebuild kits, anchors, shackles galore, etc. All heavy gear.
Then there's the, "Now what the heck am I going to do with all the sh*t we took off the boat?" There's going to be a big marine yard sale soon.

 

[Richard19068]

We also have a plan if there is no interest, that we would cruise south again next fall.

Well. I hope you don't have any interest but I think you might be able to control that by asking an excessive price.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Since we bought our boat it has been the opposite problem - what stays on the boat. A few blankets, some flatware, sure. Big antique drip-type coffeemaker, no.

My wife, like many other women, I suppose, likes to accumulate and hold onto stuff, her rationale being that "one of the kids will need it" despite their notable lack of interest for any of our old stuff. I suspect it has more to do with the security associated with possessions on hand and the aforementioned emotional attachment.

Three words: Swedish death cleaning.

 

[stickinthemud57]

Ah yes, döstädning in the original tongue.

It was easier to keep things simple when I lived in an apartment (or my studio). Fast forward 30 years and I have a house with a 3-car garage, 2 boats (plan to sell one soon) an accumulation of tools from my general contracting days, an accumulation of furniture from my now-departed parents, a garden shed full of machines and spares, and a reluctance to let things go because "you never know..."

Being 64, we do plan to be around a while. That said, I definitely don't want my kids to have to deal with all this stuff, so the time will come to pare down to the bare essentials.

 

[SFS]

I was different for us when we sold. It was clear that we weren't getting another boat anytime soon, so everything stayed on the boat, except our clothing and personal items (tools, binoculars, fishing gear, foul weather gear, and the inflatable kayak).

ETA: The one thing I didn't keep that I have had a use for since: one of the 3 handheld radios.

 

[All U Get]

Just sorted the paper chart books from the east coast and paced the DR plotter on top of the pile. I’m taking the Explorer charts for the Bahamas because someone might open them and point to where he has been. Do people wallpaper their dens with old charts? Sextant, wet/dry bulb, halogen bulbs, radio phone instructions, how to use Loran. Maybe I can open a store and call it Eggs. I’ll open the shop next to Bacons.

I found Peggie’s book, signed copy, it’s packed for home. Leaving all the fix-it books (Diesel engines, electrical repairs, 12 volt lifestyle, solar for the future, cruising books of places seen from boats. Clothes for every occasion, three sets of fowl weather gear apiece, diving suits and gear from the PO’s. Most donated away. Neighboring young couple asked about our 28 v angle drill for winches, gone. With three young daughters all living on a 45 foot sailboat they don’t have much room for libraries.

We gave our broker their inventory sheet, then my wife gave him the additional list and corrected their grammar. Poor kid. We’re back to sorting and packing. The galley and sewing drawers are next, I will gladly leave the potato masher, best drawer lock ever. The little Mr. Coffee, the twelve bottle spice rack that you only use two bottles, pressure cooker, and lobster pot. Hmmm.

 

[stickinthemud57]

You have probably seen things like bar trays or the like lined with nautical charts under glass, bronze cleats for handles, rough stained wood frames. If you can find someone on Etsy who makes those perhaps they would be interested?

LOL on your idea for "Eggs". I'll come and open "Coffee" next door! Someone else can do "Hash Browns".

I have often thought it would be fun to open an Etsy shop with things made from other things. I like to do that. Among those are a lamp with an electric guitar for the upright and a snare drum for a shade, a guitar made from a bedpan, a reading lamp on a camera tripod, etc.

 

[CarlN]

My wife and I have a pact on an annual removal of junk from the boat. If we can't remember using it in the last year, out it goes. Exceptions are tools and spare parts. This takes the emotion out of it.The higher waterline is noticeable.

 

[SFS]

My wife and I have a pact on an annual removal of junk from the boat. If we can't remember using it in the last year, out it goes. Exceptions are tools and spare parts. This takes the emotion out of it.The higher waterline is noticeable.

We had a slightly different version: If something new was brought onto the boat, something else had to leave it.

 

[lehighsail]

Ah yes, döstädning in the original tongue.

It was easier to keep things simple when I lived in an apartment (or my studio). Fast forward 30 years and I have a house with a 3-car garage, 2 boats (plan to sell one soon) an accumulation of tools from my general contracting days, an accumulation of furniture from my now-departed parents, a garden shed full of machines and spares, and a reluctance to let things go because "you never know..."

Being 64, we do plan to be around a while. That said, I definitely don't want my kids to have to deal with all this stuff, so the time will come to pare down to the bare essentials.

Boohoo. Add two 10x20 storage units for 11 years on to that list and then we'll talk.
(You can subtract a boat but add my dinghy in the garage.)

 

[stickinthemud57]

Boohoo. Add two 10x20 storage units for 11 years on to that list and then we'll talk.
(You can subtract a boat but add my dinghy in the garage.)

 

[shemandr]

We had a slightly different version: If something new was brought onto the boat, something else had to leave it.

I tried that with wife's shoes. Retreated to the position of asking her to check if she already had that shoe in her closet - or under the bed or where ever else she would hide them.

 

[SFS]

I tried that with wife's shoes. Retreated to the position of asking her to check if she already had that shoe in her closet - or under the bed or where ever else she would hide them.

My heart sank when I saw the words "tried", "wifes" and "retreated" in close proximity, but I see that you are still breathing, so that's good.

Shoes were never a problem on the boat, because the secondary rule was don't bring anything on board that doesn't do at least two things. Shoes mostly don't meet that criteria, unless you have roaches.

I'm also lucky that my wife doesn't collect shoes, though that may be a problem over here. Japanese women mostly have small feet, so finding shoes to fit my wife will be tough.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

As a dealer with broken unusable gear/equipment, I had a place to put it near the road at my dealership. Once I placed a tank filled with used kitty litter at the road. Next morning that tank was gone. The next morning there was a note on the front door saying thanks for the surprise.