Thread: Boats - That hole in the water to throw $$$ into

Used a canoe several times to trace the Lewis & Clark route starting in Montana on the Missouri River; and then continue on to Florida or Louisiana. Always in a 17 or 16 footer from Old Town, Mad River, or Coleman. It was a great way to get some exercise.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

No Pics,was long before even computors,I spent two yrs Building a solid Mahogany Hydroplane, (12ft long)Fitted a 90 HP merc stripped of the case and made it an inbourd,was fantastic.
Took it to anderson Res,launched it.it sat to low in the water,back to the shop,sealed off all the dead space in the Bow,bored holes thru the hull.
Filled the the voids with 4 gals of two part expanding foam,Plugged the holes and waited,Mine was a briliant solution
Split the entire boat in half pulled the engine, hauled it to the dump.

I was renting in a 4plex. Built a 7 foot hydroplane in the basement. The 4x8 sheet of plywood that the bottom was formed from fit easily down the stairs. I didn't think about the thickness of the actual boat in removing it. I barely got it out! A freind built one at the same time and finished his first. I had a motor and he didn't so we took his for a test. Nice but my motor didn't have enough ooomph. I still have it today and use it on my 14 ft car topper. I moved before I finished it and brought it to my fathers shed. He then ran it over with the back tires of his tractor. When I complained his answer was that we were now even with me running over his apple tree!

i built a hydroplane in my teens from plans in popular mechanics. when you turned the motor the front end of the boat dipped and caught in the water. it was not much fun. my bil has a 38 ft egg harbor thing he keeps in wareham ma. we went out on it last year and i was totally bored. blah blah blah. give me a sunfish on a windy lake any day.

For almost whole my life i've been living and working either by or at sea; i have a sort of a love/hate relationship with the sea. When my kids were little i had a small 15ft fishing boat with 20 hp and we used to go fishing every now and then. I also did teach my kids some simple basics on boat handling, navigations, seamanship and how to behave with other boats when at sea. As they grew older they soon find new interests so i sold the boat.

Every now and then i think that there is no power in the world that would make me step on a small boat or even ship without a real good reason when not at work after spending so many days/weeks, sometimes months at sea, away from my family. Around the Baltic Sea mostly but few times at North Sea as well.

Howevers, there will be a day when i get myself a kayak or small rowing boat, definitely without engine. Would be nice to row around and observe the nature, without disturbing anybody or without engines or anything making noise. Listen to the birds and waves and silence.
I've so many pics i've taken through years; here's few i found with quick search:

I reread my post and didn't mean to imply that my father ran over my boat on purpose! But then again I didn't mean to run over his apple tree!

My 14 ft cartopper is about the perfect boat for me. It is a narrow 14 ft boat but wider than an canoe. Very easy to drift fish from. I have 3 sets of oarlocks on it so I can row from many positions. I can use the motor to zip across the lake if i want to though and i don't have to use the landing like the people in line in front of me.

Tim

Originally Posted by 32t

I was renting in a 4plex. Built a 7 foot hydroplane in the basement. The 4x8 sheet of plywood that the bottom was formed from fit easily down the stairs. I didn't think about the thickness of the actual boat in removing it. I barely got it out! A freind built one at the same time and finished his first. I had a motor and he didn't so we took his for a test. Nice but my motor didn't have enough ooomph. I still have it today and use it on my 14 ft car topper. I moved before I finished it and brought it to my fathers shed. He then ran it over with the back tires of his tractor. When I complained his answer was that we were now even with me running over his apple tree!

Daughter and son-in-laws 24' Tige on Lake Cumberland.



My other daughter and i, .... notice how the locks of my hair seem to just float on the breeze.

When it comes to those expensive holes in the water, I'm a bit of a minimalist.

Almost a decade ago this thread was first posted, the wife and I have been chasing the dream,, #BoatLife #DockLife #LakeLife hehehe

The First Boat:
1982 Bayliner Capri 1950

First day I saw her



The Second Boat:

In 2016 we bought a 2000 Maxum 2400 SCR, we moved over to a Slip in Hope Idaho on the East side of Lake Pend Orielle, the Dock life was much friendlier..
We met several other boating enthusiasts, a couple from Canada that totally and instantly made us feel welcome..
The wife asked if we could keep the slip our boat was sitting in, the drive is 29 miles from the house, but since we were spending most time on that side of the lake. I said I would rather Drive the 29 miles in the car than run the 15 miles across the lake on Boat Gas.. hehehe
The Mid-cabin cruiser aka Pocket Cruiser seemed to be perfect for us, after the first time we spent 2 nights on the lake we both woke up saying the same thing "We need a bigger boat"








We sold the Maxum at the end of the season October 2021

During the rest of the next year we shopped for the next boat, we wanted to go way larger into the 32-36 foot range..
After learning quite a bit, like there are no slips, and that we would need a special permit to move the boat from our place to the marina and back each year.
We lowered our sights and found a 2005 Bayliner Cierra 285 SB
We bought her at the end of Oct 2022 barely got her under cover as the snow began to fall for the winter..

I have always thought I was pretty OCD when it came to taking care of our boats, the previous owner on this one took that to a whole new level..
Never saw a used boat in this condition before, there is so little to do right now as we get ready for "Splash Day" around May 1st
The biggest difference is in the Lower bunk, this one has a true Queen-sized mattress under there, which makes overnight trips much more comfortable.

Sticking with our name Theme
1st Boat: Bada Boom Bada Bing "The Binger"
2nd Boat: Bada Bing Bada Boom "The Boomer"
3rd Boat: Mambo Italiano "Mambo"







Doing small changes to storage areas, and perhaps some Entertainment tech upgrades, I added a TV to the lower bunk already, looking at adding an invertor next..

One more month of waiting

My current ball and chain. A Bruce Roberts designed aft cockpit fiberglass sloop, 45' LOA, 13'6" beam, not sure of draft but over 6', long keel, built 1978. Very roomy below. I can't even reach the skylight to open or close it without a couple of sticks. Very comfortable, powerful rig, sails like a freight train, feels like sitting in your living room. Diesel is 1976 built Westerbeke/Perkins 4-107 that was a pull from another boat. No generator yet but I have a 7.5kw Onan in need of only very minor work that I bought for $100 and will be installing under the cockpit some day. I don't have better pics cause can't really get a good pic unless the boat is out of the slip and out of the crowded marina, but if the boat is out of the slip, then obviously I am on the boat and STILL can't get a pic of the whole boat. Anyway, these are from the trip from where it was when I bought it, to where it is now.

Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

My current ball and chain. A Bruce Roberts designed aft cockpit fiberglass sloop, 45' LOA, 13'6" beam, not sure of draft but over 6', long keel, built 1978. Very roomy below. I can't even reach the skylight to open or close it without a couple of sticks. Very comfortable, powerful rig, sails like a freight train, feels like sitting in your living room. Diesel is 1976 built Westerbeke/Perkins 4-107 that was a pull from another boat. No generator yet but I have a 7.5kw Onan in need of only very minor work that I bought for $100 and will be installing under the cockpit some day. I don't have better pics cause can't really get a good pic unless the boat is out of the slip and out of the crowded marina, but if the boat is out of the slip, then obviously I am on the boat and STILL can't get a pic of the whole boat. Anyway, these are from the trip from where it was when I bought it, to where it is now.

Always wanted a sailboat, it was a longtime dream of mine..

Somehow, I started with a powerboat (The wife pushed hard) and that was it, Cuddy to Pocket Cruiser, to Sport Cruiser, no turning back now

Nice boat you have there