Houston Detour-Trip Delayed

As some of you know, our boating plan has recently taken a detour; a detour through Houston,TX to be exact!
Just as we were about to start shopping for a boat, Rodney had to have neck surgery to remove a benign tumor located inside his spinal column. The complexity of this procedure carried us to Houston, TX. After nineteen days in Houston and a slow but progressive recovery period at home, we hope to soon be back on track with our plans.
On July 1st, prior to the Sept. surgery, Rodney and his friend Richard traveled to the Tampa, FL area to look at two Mainship 390s listed by two different brokers. After much note taking, picture taking and scrutiny, the two boats came out pretty much equal. We would have made an offer on one of these boats had the surgery not been on our schedule. There was just no way that we could be involved in both the boat deal and the medical procedure. Our only choice was to put the boat deal on hold until the medical situation was dealt with.

*F-N-B( For Non Boaters) This boat buying procedure is much like a real estate deal. Once you have found a suitable boat, you sign a contract and put up earnest money. The sale is contingent upon the boat passing a survey. The survey is a detailed inspection by a professional yacht surveyor. The survey last a full day with the buyer present. The surveyor inspects the boat systems and the hull out of the water. Next an under power inspection called a "Sea Trial" is performed. After the survey, the buyer and seller agree on any repairs or price adjustments, then the closing.

March 11, 2007

CHOOSING A BOAT NAME



Let me explain the name we chose for our future boat. Early on in the process we realized that nothing about boating was cheap. As a friend once said, "If it flies or floats you should rent it." When it came to flying that's exactly what I did. However, renting a boat for several years was not an option so we knew that we would be making a purchase. We came to the conclusion that we would purchase the boat, enjoy it, then sell it. The difference in the purchase price and the selling price would be the cost of having fun. We knew that nothing about this venture could be looked at as an investment. It could only be considered play money or "Play-Dough".

March 8, 2007

This is the Mainship 390, which is the boat we will be shopping for. It is in the trawler category. It is powered by a single diesel engine and cruises at approximately 10 MPH.





The upper helm provides a nice view with lots of seating. The boat can be operated from here or the lower helm inside the salon.




This shows the sofa in the salon with a rear door opening to the aft deck.





This is the salon area which houses the galley, sitting area, and lower helm.






This is the master stateroom with a queen berth. There is also a guest stateroom with twin berths.

March 7, 2007

As many of you know, about four years ago we became interested in the world of cruising. To be more specific our interest was in cruising the inland rivers, Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. After four years of studying, attending seminars, and several boat shows we are closer to the beginning of this excursion.
This blog is created as a convenience to you, our family and friends. It will allow you to check on the progress of our journey at your leisure. Rather than cluttering your email with so many messages and pictures, we will post those here for you to look over as you desire.
The frequency of our blog entries will be a direct reflection of the activities as we get closer and are making preparations for this journey. Bear with us as we learn to publish this blog. As our entries become more frequent their quality should hopefully improve.