Recent content by Blissboat

Can TFers recomend a surveyor in the Miami area for a pre-purchase survey? The vessel is an 18 year old fiberglass single inboard diesel priced at $100K.

Responding to the OP, Muirgen: That's a creepy story. I don't blame you at all for elevating to DefCon 1, and am so glad that the incident ended without conflict. I do wonder about something not mentioned in your account: was Muirgen monitoring VHF channel 16? If so, did either vessel attempt...

Congrats on your salty-looking Finn 8, Rod, and good luck with all projects. Such a handsome boat.

Welcome sailors, home from the sea. What a great trip!

As Red Green used to say, "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."

That's annoying, but not too surprising. Did the charter company staff try steering you to a different boat in their fleet? That has happened to me with other bareboat charter operators, who for various reasons were unable to rent me the boat they had advertised and that I inquired about, but...

Welcome aboard the TF, Tjome! You have good taste in boats, as the GB classics are beautiful and well-built. Unfortunately, they tend to age poorly unless scrupulously maintained. The common pain points are decks, windows, fuel tanks and electrical systems. Keeping up with the brightwork is a...

Maybe the OP meant to say "Lexington Market," as the Reading Terminal (which is amazing) is in downtown Philadelphia. Happy mistake, though, as now I know about the Lexington Market, which I'd been ignorant of before. So thanks! As to significant changes in B'more, I suspect the other post was...

Fair point, but anchoring in rough conditions is admittedly infrequent (I hope!) and that's the sort of situation where I and every other sensible mariner is being cautious and alert. No, I am thinking more about the routine situations like docking or locking through in a canal, where you're...

Thanks, Nick. Yep, a lot of boats out there are beautifully designed and in some cases well-built, but come with a long list of serious projects that need doing on Day 1. Every boat is a compromise, but with a job that is full-time +, that's one compromise I am unprepared to make, which helps...

Hmm. I have heard of that but have never seen it done. So is the engine trimmed-up when you start it and flush it? That way all the salt water in the cooling loop would be displaced by fresh, and you could finish with an exterior rinse.

Thanks, RT: All sound points. My outboard engines have always done best when they get rinsed and flushed after each use. That's best done out of the water, but my plan for this next boat is to keep it in a salt-water wet slip, which would make fresh-water flushing problematic.

Ditto on all points. I would only add that, when coming alongside in a tight space where it's hard to place a spring line correctly, it's a nice option to be able to reach over and get a short breast line across and snugly secured to a midship cleat. With that, you can move forward and aft and...

As to the first point, I agree and am open to that possibility. As to the second, it depends. Assuming neutral or favorable wind and current, and ample room to maneuver, yes. Add in any complicating factors, though, and I'm likely to put the rudders to work as well as the props. Another...

A cockpit station makes perfect sense, and if I find a boat with the feature already installed, I'd be all over it. I may have sounded tepid about the idea because adding an outside station, even just for engine and rudder controls, could be expensive. Recently I flew to Miami to look at a...