I may have done a bad thing

[tomsjeep]

Well, I was fooling around on eBay, last night and I may have done a bad thing.
Seems I suddenly found myself the high bidder on a boat. With 10 minutes to go, I'm thinking 'no way' this ain't going to happen. Surprise! The time ticked down, no one else jumped in like I was sure they would, and now...

Now I seem to be the owner of a lil' boat. A hole in the water. A place to sink my money. A boat.
Anyone know anything about boats?

Don't laugh. Seriously. Anyone know anything about boats?

This one isn't all that big.
Columbia 28 foot sailboat. Sleeps 6, shower, toilet, stove, etc. All the swell things.

The bonus to this one is the wooden interior (Columbia's were built with the hull around a wooden core)... so long as the hull is sound (I'm going to have it surveyed before I accept the boat) working on refurbishing it should be basic woodworking (which I can handle) and mild electrical (all 12 volt, which I can also handle). The mechanical workings may be a beast, as it has an inboard engine. We'll see what the survey says.

I was sitting down over lunch today and thinking to myself: "I own a yacht!" I'm thinking I may retire and just go sailing.

Yeah, I know, I'm nuts. But that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

[Gryphon]

My Dad just got an old Bayliner. Hes fixing it up, nearly done with the trailer.

Heres yer new pusher...I mean dealer....uhh, supplier!

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com

[carlobee]

well, on the other hand, i think owning a boat/yacht will be great.

[NOCHEEPGAS]

That seems like some serious "Fooling Around"! Can't offer much advice about a 28' sailboat living in the middler of the desert. The wind blows enough to power one though!
Good Luck

PS: Does the wife know yet? You may find out that the honeymoon is over...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18YUGwisyls

[Big Mike]

Had a 23 foot Rinker from 2007 on....Anything specifically?

[kingchip]

Those little pushers on a sailboat are not much to mess with. sure are handy when you come in to port. I'd love to do the true sailing thing. Powerboats are nice but to depend on the wind is the real deal. A friens of mine attended a sailing school, learned to navigate both the ols school way and with GPS and radar, and became a Captain. Now his vacations consist of flying to Florida, renting a sailer, and doing the Carib.

Stay out of Somali waters and you're good. Sounds like a blast.

[tomsjeep]

Had a 23 foot Rinker from 2007 on....Anything specifically?

Specific, no. Everything, yes.

I'm planning on getting a survey before accepting the boat. Columbia's were built with a wood core and fiberglass hull bolted in around it. If the core is mostly solid, it should be a great boat. If not, it qualifies as kindling, in which case, I have a back up boat lined up in a Westerly 25, also a potentially good live-aboard.
Wife? I've been single for a long, long time. Long enough to get set in my ways. The boat will be at least as compliant a mistress as my looney ex.

I'm not that many years away from retirement... so I figured I'd get my pilot's license, get the boat ship-shape and time retirement and "sailing away" together. Of course, life may have other plans, but it's a thought.

[tomsjeep]

Those little pushers on a sailboat are not much to mess with. sure are handy when you come in to port. I'd love to do the true sailing thing. Powerboats are nice but to depend on the wind is the real deal. A friens of mine attended a sailing school, learned to navigate both the ols school way and with GPS and radar, and became a Captain. Now his vacations consist of flying to Florida, renting a sailer, and doing the Carib.

Stay out of Somali waters and you're good. Sounds like a blast.

Chip, I don't think I'd be heading into Somali waters without something mounting a lot more firepower... now, if I can get my hands on an old Navy destroyer, I'll get all you guys together and we'll have a sailing/shooting party headed towards the east coast of Africa.

This particular boat mounts some serious sail, and apparently its class of boat wins a lot of races... it's a little more sleek than a lot of similar sized boats (Catalina for instance), it's also still small enough that it can be solo sailed (supposedly, since yours truly hasn't sailed outside the bathtub yet).

[rippin YJ]

I think you should get it outfitted and head south ... and keep going.

Just kidding... congrats on the new money pit.

[blackwater]

Tom . . . you said you haven't sailed outside the bathtub yet. Were you drinking when you did this?

Yes . . . You're CRAZY . . . LOL

I hope you enjoy the heck out of it. It sounds like a blast.