| This is not a simple story (as you can tell) but I don't
want it to be. My goal is to reach those people that have dreamed the dream, felt the
urge, and can identify with me. If you are not one of those people, fine. Pick and choose
what you want to read of all this and I hope you find the information you are looking for.
For everyone else, it all began one dark and rainy night…..
In early 1997 after having returned
from Wales, gotten married, and settled once again in the Tampa Bay Florida area. I
started feeling the urge to realize my boating dream. So being the computer geek that I am
I went first to the Internet, the source of all human knowledge.
Man, was I frustrated!
There were 3 basic types of boating
websites:
These god-awful websites that were
plastered with every form of advertising possible that were only hawking their products.
It was like a carnival gone crazy and I was stuck in their nightmare.
Then there were the magazine
sites. Even more obnoxious than their printed counter-parts. Lots of gloss, inundated with
ads, and sprinkled with an occasional resource, fact, or other usable tidbit. (Cruising World is a notable exception. It has many
useful and humorous articles. Tom Neale is a real hoot and knowledgable.)
Then the home grown home pages
most of which only contained links to the three basic sites heretofore mentioned.
Nice for home made but not terrible informative.
So, having nothing else to do at the
time (yeah, right) I decided to put my 12 years of computer experience and my growing
interest in the Internet together and develop a bating website. But a boater's website
like no other, one filled with information, you know the good stuff. Information that
people like me can really use. Then throw in boat ads, marine flea market ads, etc., all
free of course.
During the year I have been
fulfilling that goal, several other benefits have come to pass. I have gotten to know some
really nice people, learned how much I didn't know about boating, and I discovered
sailing.
One more mention about the website
thing, my website is the largest resource for boaters on the Internet. It has more
companies, more categories, more ads, and more knowledge stuff than any other website on
the Internet. We have almost 500 individuals coming to the site each any every day now and
it is growing 20% per month.
Back to discovering sailing:
When I decided to resurrect my boat
dream I knew one thing for sure, I wanted to cruise. Cruise the beautiful waters of
Florida, the Keys, and eventually the Caribbean that I had visited so many times while in
the Navy. While in the Navy I had become addicted to those warm waters, mild winters, and
never ending sun. Real beaches of soft, white sand being lapped by warm ocean waters was
entirely too much for take in the first time my senses encountered it.
Having grown up in northeast Ohio, I
rarely saw 80 degrees during the summer and seldom before August. Then in October the sun
went away, the temperature dropped, and hell froze over until April. April and May were
spent being drenched in cold rain and complaining about not being able to get outside
where all little boys (and grown men) belong.
The first time I experienced sun and
warm weather when my mind screamed it should be snowing, I knew I was in heaven. Actually
it was Puerto Rico, but that was as close to heaven as I had yet been. It was wonderful
and I knew I needed it, my body craved it, and my life would change once again.
Back to the sailing thing….
As I began to get a feel for what it
would take to purchase, outfit, and cruise aboard a power boat, I began to see how money
runs amok in this business. It was completely unthinkable to buy something new. I was very
partial to trawlers and you wanna talk expensive, go price any new trawler.
So I began looking for a good used
trawler, something dependable, economical, and something that needed a little work. I
wanted to invest sometime and effort into my boat to make it feel more like mine,
ownership I guess. One thing kept coming up though, price. Even the least expensive ones
that need some work were more than I wanted to pay. You see I have this thing about not
want to have a loan on my boat, some money in my pocket, and to not be a slave to
economics (i.e. banks, credit cards, job). It did not take long for me to realize it was
the twin diesel engines and drives that made them expensive.
Takes away a trawlers engines,
transmissions, shafts, and props, what do you have? A sailboat without sails. So
"Duh!" why not look at sailboats? Brain surgeon time.
Well, another shock, sailboaters can
have a real attitude and be snobby as hell as a group. Seldom have I met an individual
sailboat person that was anything other than helpful and pleasant. Although about half of
those have a bit of an attitude problem called, condescending. But as a group they tend to
be closed, snobby, and a little aloof. Then again, I tend to be a little stupid,
obnoxious, judgmental, and painfully inquisitive.
So as I gradually accepted the fact
that a sailboat may be the right way for me to go, I began to absorb all the information I
could find. I became a sponge, soaking up facts, details, and opinions. I surfed the net,
read magazines. and read books. Slowly I began to form a plan, a 26' - 32' solidly built
sailboat laid out for semi-comfortable cruising. No racer, no lightweight, and nothing
expensive. There is a huge variance in prices when it comes to sailboats, I needed/wanted
something on the lower end.
The "want" I had to work
on whatever boat I bought now took on a whole new life. It had grown into a full fledged
need to make a major contribution to the boat. A "project boat" ! Yup, you heard
me right, a project boat.
Growing up, one of the things my dad
shared with me was his ability to build or repair almost anything. It is funny, I don't
ever remember him actually giving me a lesson but every time I work with my hands now
flashes come back to me of watching him and learning how to do something. Thanks Dad!
While expanding the website I met up
with Captain Joel Jenison from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He is a colorful character that
deals in nothing but project boats. Buying, selling, fixing up, salvaging, and generally
about anything else that you can think of when it comes to boating. He deals in power
boat, sailboats, and some unidentifiable stuff as well.
As I got to know Joel more I felt
there was a good fit for inclusion on my website. "Project Boats" now occupies a
prominent position. During this time I came to appreciate the project boat concept and how
it can reach many boaters in different ways.
There are many would-be boaters out
there that look at the prices of new boats and immediately take up tennis or train
spotting. Then there are those that have a little money (or decent credit) but end up
getting less boat then what they originally wanted, again due to price. Then there are
those people like me who love to work with their hands and want to maximize their
enjoyment of their boat out of the water as well as in the water.
I am a die hard project boat fan now
but within reason. There are some things to live by when it comes to project boats:
#1 - Define what you are going to do
with the boat, where you are going to go, and how long you will be spending on it at any
one time. Then write it down on paper (or in your computer and print it out). Share it
with other boater and non-boater friends, their knowledge and opinions will help you
clarify what you are looking for.
#2 - Don't spend all your money
buying the boat. Use 1/2 of your available money for the boat, the other half (or more
likely, more) will be spent going into your boat later as you fix it up.
#3 - Be patient, don't buy the first
boat you see. Look around get a feel for the market. Revise your written goal as you see
what is available.
#4 - Be reasonable and logical. You
may not want to or be able to fix up everything on some extreme projects. Never get into a
major overhaul on a diesel unless you know it up front BEFORE you buy and you have
estimates on how much it will cost.
#5 - Have fun, enjoy the process.
You don't want to lose track of the fact boating should be fun and enjoyable. The whole
process can be such if you chill out a little.
All that being said, you may want to
learn how I went about my adventure….. |
