Selling the Boat The Final Post

Todays post is officially the last post for this blog, and its not at all how I envisioned wrapping up the project, or the blog.  On October 27, 2015, my best friend -- a man Id known for over 35 years -- passed away unexpectedly.

Ten years ago, Greg set out on a journey to build a cabin cruiser, and I eagerly agreed to go along for the ride.  We worked on the boat consistently for about three years before life got in the way.  Over the next two years or so, we worked on the boat a couple of times.  We havent worked on the boat for about five years, but we frequently talked about getting back to it.. someday.  Now, Greg is gone.  While I have the expertise to finish the boat, I do not have the heart.  After discussing things with Gregs widow, we have agreed that the best approach is to put the boat up for sale.  If you are interested in purchasing the boat, please read on...

For Sale are the following items, which are being sold as a kit.  We are not interested in selling items separately.

-GT23 cabin cruiser kit, partially assembled.  Hull is constructed.  Stringers are in.  Frame pieces are in from the stern to approximately 2/3 of the way to the bow.  Bottom is coated with skid-resistant, graphite-infused epoxy.  Rubber skid plate is installed on the bottom so that you can intentionally beach the boat without damaging the paint.  Remainder of the kit is intact and accounted for to the best of my knowledge.  Transom has an extra 1/2" plywood panel, designed to accommodate high-output motors.

-GT23 cabin cruiser plans.

-Aluminum bracket for mounting the motor to the transom.  The bracket is NOT currently mounted to the boat.

-Evinrude 150HP V6 outboard motor with 4 blade propeller.  The motor is currently on a custom-built rolling stand.  The motor has not been started in a little over a year, but it started last time I checked.

-28.5 ft Trail Star Tracker trailer, with custom brackets designed specifically to carry the GT23.

-1 new roll of bi-axial fiberglass, 4 wide.

-Approximately 2 gallons of Epoxy Resin.

-1 gallon of slow Epoxy Hardener.

-1/2 quart of medium Epoxy Hardener

-Several extras, including several disposable sanding and fiberglass respirators, Full West 407 Low Density Fairing Filler, 1lb Phenolic, 6 oz Fumed Silica, two bags chopped glass, 1 lb milled glass fibers, 1/2 bag graphite powder, 3 lbs wood flour, 4 rolls biaxial fiberglass tape (6" wide), box of leftover fiberglass pieces and parts that are still usable, disposable rubber gloves, tongue depressors for stirring, and additional books on building stitch and glue boats.

-Please note that I will use a small amount of the extras as I repair a canoe that Greg and I built in 2003.  As such, the Epoxy and extras may be slightly less than listed above, depending on how much material is required for the repair job.

-Price is $4000 firm.  The boat kit alone goes for over $7500.  Motor is worth $2000.  Trailer is worth $2000.  If you are interested in purchasing this boat, please check out the forums at www.bateau.com.

In the pictures below, you will notice a relief cut at the halfway point.  The relief cut is there because the boat was slightly too wide.  Greg put the relief cut in to ensure that the boat can be towed in all 50 states without a wide load permit.

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How it all began A quick sidenote

Dave, doing what he does best
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Ive been asked quite a few times "What made Greg decide to build a houseboat, and what kind of massochist are you for volunteering to help?" This picture may help explain it. We love the water. Greg, our friend Darin, and I have been water rats since we earned our canoeing merit badge in Boy Scouts together, over 20 years ago. For over a decade, weve had at least one annual trip where the the three of us and another friend, Sonny, go on an extended canoeing or whitewater kayaking trip. Others have come and gone, but the "core four" of us are always on these trips. So love for the water is one of the driving forces behind building this boat.

Greg is a Mechanical Engineer, and loves to design and build things. Hes been that way for as long as Ive known him. Ive always liked building things too, but Ive never had quite the knack that Greg has for complex projects. Once I can conceptualize the basic process of a task, I can frequently find ways to improve or streamline an existing process, but Greg is the visionary. (Im great at reverse engineering.) So Gregs desire to design/ build and my desire to see the inner workings (how does this work, and how can I make it work better?) is the other major driving force.

And of course theres the friendship factor... hanging out with a friend, drinking a few beers. But Ive already covered that aspect in another post.

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For Clarification

I want to clarify things a bit. From my perspective, theres no tension between Greg and me on this project. We have the same vision for this boat... a high-quality watercraft that we built with our own hands. I know that this is ultimately his baby and Im basically playing "Gilligan" to his "Skipper." Hes a mechanical engineer and has done tons of research every step along the way. Hes got a more developed vision than I do, and more knowledge and insight about how to achieve that vision.

At the same time, hes not autocratic. When I have an idea or disagree with his approach, I tell him whats on my mind and he listens. Sometimes we implement my thoughts, others we dont. When we went into this project, we knew wed occasionally disagree. Since its ultimately his boat, Ive got no problems with doing what he wants and to his satisfaction. We really are doing this as a team; were simply using the fact that its his boat as the tiebreaker.

My frustration is merely that weve been stuck in the sanding and fairing stage for over seven months. Part of this is the pursuit of perfection, and part of this is because were both family men who can only devote a few hours per week to this project. In the end, please dont think that my previous post was designed to imply that Im frustrated with Greg, because thats not true. Mainly Im illustrating, with my own personal experience, that building such a large boat carries its share of challenges and frustrations.

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Broken Mast Support

Boys Trip 2006 001
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Take a little too much wind, add a makeshift watercraft, and throw in a couple of inexperienced sailors... what do you get? A recipe for a disastrously humorous adventure.

Our next malfunction was a broken mast support. The mast support consisted of a wooden dowel, a couple of turnbuckles for adjustibility, and more hose clamps and bolts to hold the supports in place.

One particularly strong gust of wind ripped the turnbuckle from the dowel. We repaired the break with glue, but ended up going with another mast support made from a tree branch, lashed in place with ropes and ratchet straps.

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fishing

Put the electric Minkota motor on the bow using as couple of leftover pieces of ply bolted through the gunwales.  Worked like a charm.  We fished for about 3 hours with Chris and Krista and only caught a handful of bass and pickerel (one perch), but the boat had plenty of room.  The electric on the front is akin to front wheel drive.  The boat will go where the motor is pointed. 

Its funny how the kayakers react to this boat, easily the largest on the lake today.  It leaves a normal wake, but they feel it is like a tsunami.  I always try to minimize the impact on the novices.  Boat ramp etiquette does not exist on the local lake.  We wait our turn, and move quickly out of the way so the next folks can use the ramp, but the message seems lost on some.  Too bad.

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Warm candle massage Terapi pijat

Dvd Terapi pijat

Anda pasti sudah sering mendengar terapi pijat. Atau, Anda sendiri mungkin telah mencobanya, baik memijat diri sendiri ataupun dengan bantuan terapis. Pijat telah lama diyakini bermanfaat bagi kesehatan. Anda bisa menikmati manfaat pijat mulai dari meredakan stres hingga mempercepat waktu pemulihan setelah sakit. 

Dengan kehidupan serba sibuk dan tekanan yang harus dihadapi setiap harinya, tentunya Anda perlu cara untuk meredakan stres. Terapi pijat bisa menjadi pilihan Anda. 

Berdasarkan studi ilimiah,terapi pijat bisa meningkatkan fungsi sistem kekebalan tubuh, mengurangi tingkat stres, dan mempersingkat jangka waktu dirawat akibat penyakit tertentu

Segala kesibukan kita bisa menegangkan fisik dan mental. Karena itu, membiarkan tubuh tenang dan rileks menjadi kebutuhan yang sangat penting. Terapi pijat, bisa membantu kita untuk rileks. Pijat bisa membuat mental kita tenang, serta mendorong lahirnya pikiran-pikiran kreatif. 

Anda ingin menghilangkan rasa sakit dengan cara alami? Terapi pijat merupakan jawabannya. Anda tidak perlu menggunkan obat-obatan pereda rasa sakit. Pijat bisa menyegarkan dan meremajakan pikiran. Selain itu, juga memperbaiki persendian dan meningkatkan aliran darah dan nutrisi ke otot-otot dan jaringan lainnya.

Ada banyak jenis pijat seperti pijat reflexi, sport massage atau pijat khusus untuk para olahragawan.

Berikut adalah salah satu dari jenis pijat, yaitu pijat lilin yang akan membuat badan Anda hangat dan nyaman.

Paket dvd

Rp 50.000.-

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new coat of paint

I could not stand the look of the latex house paint.  It just did not have the gloss that makes a first class job stand out, and it was very subject to abrasion.  So, today I stripped off the latex and repainted with Hi-Gloss White enamel by Benjamin Moore.  Using a roller, and tipping of with a nice brush yielded an excellent finish that I am sure will give this boat the attention it deserves.  Some wet sanding with 600 grit should yield a first class finish. 

One more coat to go with the varnish, and finishing the interior with a coat of the Kirbys battleship grey should give me a finish that is easy to sweep out or wash off.  Also need to finish sealing the seats. 

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