Looks like I need to change my username...

[CLB]

Not with Detroit’s engines.

I read that as being a V8 from Detroit, rather than a Detroit diesel.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Well, we got back without getting wet and she did not miss a beat. Perfect seas in the Solent today, but a few things to do before we set off home.

I picked up an electronic flare before leaving Port Solent today. Hadn’t time to install the dock fenders on the pontoon yesterday however. Left a bit late this morning, but didn’t worry as the weather was only going to improve.

Got to the broker, finished the last bits of paperwork and grabbed a trolley for all the bits and provisions from the car. Got to the boat, shore power was unplugged and some more things (tonneau, infills, flares etc) had appeared inside the boat. I guess the owner had one last little run out for an hour on the meter, and why not.

Sun shining, so (new) covers removed and carefully folded into the coffin (they say aft cabin but this is 25 feet, do you remember what that looks like) except for Bimini. The missus has dark skin you see, and she doesn’t like it getting any darker. This pasty Surrey-ite sees this as a potential minor bone of contention going forward.

Removed all sized docklines and replaced with spare loose lines, way too fat for the cleats. A bit of coaching for the missus on lines and mooring given that we have a lock to negotiate later. Hung fenders all round. Then the serious stuff begins. Quick checklist, all ok. Now let’s plot a route back in safe deep water. Oh this is not my familiar Garmin, but fortunately the owner had left the manual so all was relatively simple after breaking the man code of not reading instructions and blindly pressing everything.

I know we are at last ready to go but let’s radio the fuel dock as I don’t trust fuel gauges and this boat is still unknown and showing half. Hang on a sec, where’s the bloody radio! Check inventory list, sure enough no radio listed. Went and bought an ICOM handheld. All good now. Let’s get some juice! Was told I didn’t need to radio... well I will definitely need it later and I wouldn’t put to sea without one, so no sweat.

So, as mentioned, it has been a while since i had used a boat like this. We were being blown on the dock, but she came away with no issue. Turned the bow into wind and hit neutral to see how she would react. Quite calmly for her small stature vs uneven weight and windage. Kind of happy, so off to the fuel dock with mucho trepidation about splintering fibreglass sounds. Shouldn’t have worried, pointed her at about a 40 degree angle port side on, about 2 feet away from the dock coasting in neutral, loads of port steering followed by a touch of astern and we were in 2 inches off the pontoon. Got off and tied two ropes. This is waaay too easy... hmmm, wait for the lock back home.

So off we plod at 6 knots for what seems forever, Vesselview showing all good things, oops, stop staring at that, mind the ferry! We hit the Solent and frankly, there was hardly any difference in sea conditions to the river. Out of the 6 knots limit, I hit the handle to unload 300 of Detroit’s finest ponies, shortly followed by bow down trim and yessssss, this thing is flying across the water really nicely.

Thinking about the just shy of £200 that I had just converted into unleaded at a stupid marina exchange rate, I pulled back the hammer to about 3000 revs. Still 30mph+ on the Vesselview and plotter, so that’ll do. Nice and comfy for my complete rookie missus. Seemed the right time to ask “are you glad we bought it dear”. Affirmative! Yeeehahahahaha.

I pointed at a lot of pretty stuff ashore, explained some of the things in the water to her, and we had a lovely journey. Hit the SBC at Pompey, plodded back home towards Port Solent lock. Will the missus remember the way to tie a line from the bow to the dock? I didn’t want to give her a long reach on her first time, so angled the bow towards the dock, and once she had got a line on, planned a small shot of astern and lock would get me close to shore the other end. It all kinda worked, except she did not get a turn and eight so I could not go astern for fear of pulling her over the side. A lady from the boat ahead offered the line from the lock, but these stupid cleats on the boat are so small that the line was a pig for her to tie off. Anyway, we did that, and all was good after that. Just the home dock to negotiate in the goldfish bowl of experienced boaty neighbours homes to go.

Now you know I mentioned that I had not installed the dock fenders? Well, I would be blown on, and didn’t really fancy putting a large scratch down the starboard side from the corner of the wooden pontoon, so decided to come in astern 45 degrees, tie off stern and wait for the bow to drop in... just as the wind died. Hohum, can I be bothered to get back on and tickle her forward, or do I manhandle the bow from midships? You guessed it.. grunt groan.

Ok we are in. But this boat was on a much smaller pontoon until this afternoon and has custom lines. This pontoon is 3 metres longer, and has bigger spaces between its cleats. After a lot of head scratching, untying well embedded knots, trying to find lines to do bow, stern and springs to hold position on stupid little boat cleats, she is roughly parallel to the dock and hopefully will not drift away if the weather gods fart. Now, let’s do the canvas, plastic, zips and poppers jigsaw puzzle called “the covers” and have a coffee and a smoke.

Cut a grisly story short, an hour and a half after getting home, it is all done but boat not washed down. We have one car still at the other marina and need both tomorrow, so the boat is not getting washed till tomorrow. Two and a half hours tired driving later, we are back, hungry and sitting in front of a Tesco dirty micro meal. An extra hour in the gym tomorrow for the missus!

So what does all that tell you? Well hopefully that we had a fun day as we love the little boat. But more importantly, it should tell you that I have no pics yet as it is very dark here

Lovely write-up - congrats on the new boat, and incident-free first passage home.

 

[EmptyPontoon]

Hi everyone.

Sorry I have been a bit busy with unexpected guests at the house (penalty for living at the seaside) and haven’t been paying attention. Thank you for the comments, and to help answer the quiz which seems to have kicked off in my absence, it is not a Sealine sadly. However, in the true spirit of buying on condition, I think we got lucky to get the opportunity to own this little boat, especially as I missed her whilst overseas at the beginning of May.

She is a Maxum 2500 SCR running a 350Mag and B3 leg. She has a weight of invoices to suggest that there has been some care (read 000s of £) lavished on her recently. New covers, new engine, all sorts of things and is serviced / antifouled / polished ready to use. Sure we still have a few things to resolve, and in the few moments I have not been looking after visitors, I have made a start.

I won’t weigh down those folks on disadvantaged networks with a whole bunch of pictures, but here is one of her on her new berth to give some idea of what a 2002 ‘starter’ boat condition can look like when covered in salt from an outing! And she looks even better around the oily bits.

I hear from my daughter that the Sun daily comic suggests that we are in for a good UK summer, so she will most definitely get some significant hours put on her if that is the case. With the current forecast, we will have an outing on Wednesday if not before and hopefully she will behave just like last Wednesday

Safe and happy times to all.

 

[markc]

Excellent! she looks in really great condition.have an amazing season!

 

[EmptyPontoon]

Excellent! she looks in really great condition.have an amazing season!

Thank you Mark. You too.

She is a lot less costly and much smaller than most boats owned on here, but is ideal for us to run around the cruising grounds of the Solent heading west to Torquay with the odd overnighter, which is basically our use for this season.

Frustratingly, I am out of the country for 10 days from Friday. Will be champing at the bit to get home even more than usual this time.

 

[maverickofpoole]

Lovely looking boat so well done to you + I hope your daughter is correct on the weather front and you do get plenty of good times on the water

 

[EmptyPontoon]

Lovely looking boat so well done to you + I hope your daughter is correct on the weather front and you do get plenty of good times on the water

Thanks Maverick. Yes, really looking forward to a chance to use her after so much time without a boat. Was hoping to get out with the missus on Wednesday but she has some nail appointments right in the middle of the day. I need to get out and pump bilges of lot of water from cleaning over the last few days. Guess I will be doing more of those little jobs. Fixed a hatch stay and cleaned and conditioned the cockpit upholstery today.

I may be either cleaning or replacing cabin carpets tomorrow - the current carpets need re-fixing in a few spots before cleaning, but if I can find something new I can save the cleaning stage and avoid getting dampness in the cabin.

Here’s hoping we all get that elusive good UK weather my daughter has read about. It should be great from Friday onwards for a week or so as I am out of the country - always happens - dammit !

 

[burgundyben]

For your carpets, Hawke House are only down the road from you in Gosport.

 

[EmptyPontoon]

For your carpets, Hawke House are only down the road from you in Gosport.

Thank you Ben, that is helpful. I have had a look at their website and they may well have what I need.

It should a small job, maybe not needing a complete recarpet but just the lowest galley section. This has suffered a bit with the majority of the footfall. The carpet widths offered are very suitable for that sort of patching in.