Thanks for keeping the Island Economy going for us! I drop $1500 over a week at 3 different marine/trailer places and I feel sick to my stomach but you are shopping like the Kardashians.
The build keeps on getting better and better. We really do have world class suspension seat and boat builders, not to mention pot pullers and downrigger manufactures. Can you book me for the sea trial in 2035? That will be about when I can afford to upgrade!
Thanks for your kind words.
We are so far from the Kardashians in every way I nearly nose snorted my cup of tea when I read your post.
We buy and drive used cars, have saved our money, and live a reasonable and quiet life in a modest home.
I was widowed in my early 40's and then was lucky again in love and now have an additional 22 years of happiness and adventure this time around and stil counting. I like to say I have been satisfying married women for over 40 years. My current wife looks at me when I say that and says"Define Satisfy."
I doubt we will have a second boat so we wanted to get something that worked for us from the get go. Growing up around boats back east I had a pretty goed idea how much boats cost, as did my wife ,and as we expected, this is not an inexpensive undertaking.
Building a well outfitted sensible boat is a lot harder than it seems. I am glad we never built a house the details and decsions would have driven me crazy.
It is the little things that you have to think about that take up so much time. Today it came to me that I want to have the LED stern light (it will be mounted on the radar mast on the cabin roof ) wired in such a way that we can switch it on as part of the running lights and still be able to turn it on indepenedent of the running lights so that it can do double duty as an anchor light.
I try to visualize being in the boat and reaching for stuff, or going through scenarios where we need things we didn't plan to bring along and figureout what things that would have solved our problem.
This is how we set up our motorcycles - visualization of tasks and what we need with us to accomplish those tasks. Our motorcycle travel has engrained in us minimalist strategic packing. If one plans for potential problems you can create lists of what you really need to bring along.
It has become clear that we will need to buy a small zodiac type boat so that when we need to stern tie so we won't have to swim to shore. Hopefully, there will be a boat show in 2022 and we can find something there on sale.
I am glad you are enjoying the build.
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