First Shopping Trip

So many boats, so many places, so much to consider.

What did we want?  What could we afford?  Do we buy 'THE BOAT' now, or an 'in-betweeny' first, and the big boat later?  Could the 'in-betweeny' be 'THE BOAT'?  We have much to learn, and much to consider.

First off, our long term goal is to liveaboard after retirement, cruise the waterways, and over winter somewhere warm.  We've spent most of the last two summers on our 27' pontoon boat - a huge livingroom on the water.  Comfy, spacious, breezy, cool, wet, storage galore, limited privacy, limited security...  While we had originally planned to do the Trent-Severn Canal on The Kayak Chaser, and we could still make it work, we believe a V-hull would make it more comfortable.  Drier, at least.  We're a few years away from retirement yet, our youngest, Pete, has 2.5 years left of highschool, and we won't sell the house and move on board until he's done.

We want solid walls, where we can hang things, hide things, stay warm,  stay dry, secure things, and feel comfortable locking up and walking away for the day, and maybe occasionally yell at each other without everyone on the dock turning around to look - a V-hull.

We want to keep our BBQ, outdoor cooking - Skipper cooks - set up.  I generally cooked breakfast and side dishes on our butane single burner stove, but he who is always hungry, looked after the grill.  After 25 years of "what were you planning for supper?", that BBQ really sells the boating/retirement experience.  The BBQ on The Kayak Chaser was simple and easy.  Lock up Gilligan, unzip a panel of the camper top, set the BBQ on the rail and light it. Keeping it simple is key.

We want space to store our bikes that will be easy to manage getting them on and off the boat.  One of our bikes was stolen last year, and two were damaged when locked up at the harbour office.

We can accommodate the BBQ and bike situation with a wide swim platform with railing.

We want a big bed.  A sleeping area that doesn't require one of us climbing over the other to get in/out, with windows for fresh air and a cool breeze, long enough that his feet don't hang over the edge, and wide enough for all my stuff (lap top/dvd player/books/kleenex/water/etc) beside me. We don't want our berth to be a dinette.  No dual purpose sleeping situation - he wants coffee at 4am and I want to stay up til 12am - the table is the table, not a bed, or we'll kill each other.

A space for Pete.  Someplace to sleep and store all his crap.  Someplace he won't be in the way.  Someplace his crap won't drive me crazy because it's always in the way.  Pete's crap - 14' kayak, camping gear, hammock, clothes, lap top, books, ukelele, guitar...  Pete's a lot of fun, but he takes up a lot of space, and he's not very tidy.  3 years for Pete- and then what?  Space that will need to remain useful, or just add to the fuel bill.

Eventually, we want a large solar arch, solar system, electric motor, with a dinghy hanging above the swim platform.  Add-ons we can manage, but not necessary for the in-betweeny.

He wants heat and AC.  I want a bathroom that keeps the toilet paper dry while showering.

After scouring the internet for days, we chose Orillia as the base for our first boat shopping trip.

I had to see this boat, up close and personal.  Either buy it, or get it out of my head.

1989 Thundercraft 290 Magnum

Sitting at home, looking at pictures, this boat seemed to have it all.  Just a 29', but the layout was fantastic, and the price was great.  There was an aft cabin with a fold down table - a perfect little computer den/tv room for the future.  Bigger boats seemed almost awkward by comparison, with much bigger price tags. This was the one to beat.  We kept looking at other boats online, and kept comparing them to this delightful layout.

Real life was quite the let down.  I'm almost positive the pics were at least 5 years old.  The boat was much degraded by comparison.  Galley storage had been removed, stove was behind the sink, and limited storage behind that.  Unmanageable for my 5'1" frame.  The aft cabin was a step down, hunch over, squeeze in doorway.  But the real deal breaker was when the owner stood in front of the berth, Skipper stood in front of the aft cabin, and I was trapped between them in the galley.  It just wasn't wide enough for two people to pass each other.  This would be my life for the next 3 years, Skipper and Pete blocking me in at either end.  Nope.  No thank you.  I'll take The Kayak Chaser to Cuba before I'll buy that.

In total we saw 12 boats.

One 28' Bayliner really impressed us, as an in-betweeny.  The interior had been meticulously redone, with hardwood floors and every nook and cranny for storage cut out and lidded.  It was absolutely gorgeous and practical, and very affordable, with a walk through window on deck, and huge swim platform.  Unfortunately, the V-berth was too narrow for us.  We considered the aft cabin, which was wide enough, but the mattress was on the floor.  Climbing over each other and then getting off the floor?  We are too old for that.

Most of the boats were unremarkable. We probably could have made half of them work, but none of them felt quite right, and we just aren't in that much of a hurry.  Odd storage, odd shaped beds, dinettes that seat 3, sinks in the v-berth.  There are some really odd floor plans on boats.

And then there was this:

Chris-Craft 322 Amerosport

Skipper found this one online, and I really wasn't keen to see it.  The pics don't do it justice.

It's a 32', walk around deck, twin engines, huge, easy access engine compartment, windlass, 12' beam.  Raised captain/passenger seats on deck - I could see right over the edge of the front deck!  Compact kitchen with reasonable storage.  Nice sized bathroom with good storage.  Storage along the walls and in the window sills.  Comfy dinette with storage drawers built in.  Hanging lockers, huge under bed drawers, and wide window sill storage in the v-berth.  Heat and AC.  No aft cabin.  Instead of an aft cabin, there's a couch.

Amerosport Couch

A couch that folds up to reveal a comfortable single bed.  A couch that folds down to hide the Peter crap.  A couch that would be cozy and comfy someday when it's just the two of us.

Full storage under the couch seat, hidden storage behind the couch back, wall and window sill storage for every day stuff, top 'bunk' storage for over night.

This could be "THE BOAT".

So why didn't we buy this boat?  It's covered in mildew.  Dealer claims it was clean as a whistle when they wrapped it in the fall.  Worse in the bathroom, but absolutely everywhere.  The bathroom floor - shower space - is cracked.  I suppose they could be related.  Or not.  Radar arch has been removed.  And it's a little pricey.  For now we're planning to see it again in the spring, when it's uncovered and we can water test it.  I need to jump around on deck and make sure there's no rot or leaks.

Our next trip will take us toward Ottawa, where we'll check out a 37' Amerosport, along with a dozen or so other boats in the area.  We're trying to see different brands, so we have a better idea of the layouts, storage, and space when we look at pics online.  Gilligan's Perch is out there.  We just have to find it.