Sad Day

[crazycarl]

The new owners of my 15' sailboat picked her up today.  It was a weird feeling watching the boat I sailed for 16 years disappear down the road behind someone elses truck.  I bought her from a family in Niagra Falls, NY in the spring of 2005.  She was advertized as a Hullmaster 16, but after seeing her I offered the owner an extra $100 if she was an inch over 15'.  Sailing her for over 25 years, he took exception to that, but I paid him no more than our agreed price.  My good friend and I brought her home and I sailed her that summer and fall on our little 330 acre lake.  The following year I ordered a new main sail from FX, and set about removing everything on her.  I built a wheeled cradle and turned her upside down to sand, fair, and paint her bottom.  Then I righted her and using the cradle I sanded and sprayed her topsides.  Even the mast and spreaders received a coat of paint.  While waiting for the new sail, I went about making mahogany trim for her bow, cabin top, and cockpit.  Next was new lights, running rigging, onboard battery charger, and moving the battery to the bow with 6ga. marine wiring running in pvc pipe to the transom to power a 30 foot pound trolling motor.  In less than a year she was transformed from a mustard color hull with dull topsides, and a sail that was too large, to a bright yellow hull with gleaming white topsides and a new properly sized main.  We trailered her everywhere and always received compliments on our "cute little boat".  I lost count on how many people I introduced to their first sail on her.  This was the boat I taught our eldest grandson to sail on.

It was sometime during the third year of sailing I named her long summer daze.  Long Summer Days is one of my favorite Moody Blues songs, and after a day of sweltering heat, little to no wind, and sitting in her for hours, the named seemed appropriate.

It was sad to see something I spent so much time enjoying, leaving for good.  The only other time I felt like this, and I felt much worse, was the day I sold my motorcyle.



 

[Seachelle]

Carl, oh my goodness, she is such a beautiful boat! You did some incredible work!!! Wow!!! I totally understand how it feels on having to part ways...whenever I look at a picture of the boat I grew up sailing on, I feel tears well into my eyes! I am sure that the folks who purchased your Long Summer Daze are going to enjoy sailing her so much!!!

[Renae]

Gorgeous, but if it's not going to be used, it has to go.  The car has to get in somehow.

[crazycarl]

Gorgeous, but if it's not going to be used, it has to go.  The car has to get in somehow.

She was sailed more than all of the 5 boats I've owned put together.  She was also the only boat garage kept her entire life with us. (3 car garage ?)
I thought about keeping her on a lift, but our dock isn't big enough for 3 sailboats and a kayak, so it had to go.

Tomorrow I'll bring the Compac to the house and start cleaning her up.  I ordered a new 6" buffer and a variety of pads to make her deck and cockpit shine again.  If the weather permits, the outside teak will get a sanding and cetoling.  The $ from the sale will go towards new sails.

[alsantini]

I have never believed in the two best days in a boat's life being the day you buy it and the day you sell it.  I loved and sailed the daylights out of my Precision 21.  Had her for 13 years.  She spent summers on Lake Geneva, or Pistakee Lake (part of the Chain of Lakes in northern Illinois.  Only reason why I sold her was to begin taking a boat and trailer sailing in FL over the winter.  The P-21 would take around 2 hours to launch or retrieve and I could not step the mast by myself so it was time....  But a friend saw her on Lake Mendota in Wisconsin last summer and talked to the owner.  Same guy I sold her to.  She still looks good and gets plenty of sail time.  Makes me happy....  I felt like you did as someone else towed her away.  I watched until she was out of sight.  A sad day indeed.  But having the Com Pac Eclipse made it all OK....  Hang in there.  How does the new "big" boat sail?  Sail On  Al

[Bob23]

Al, I couldn't agree more. Before my Seapearl 21 was trailered away from me for the very last time, the new owner saw how emotional this was for me, and said "I'll just let you two have few moments together". It was a very moving and sad time.

She was not good in heavy winds and after 2 capsizes, I wanted a boat with ballast and voila! My 23 just sort of magically appeared! It's been 15 years now and I can't imagine parting with my 23 but I'm sure the time will come.

Bob23

[Cpy23ecl]

She was sailed more than all of the 5 boats I've owned put together.

My experience has also been the larger the boat the less it gets used.  My wife and I had more fun and more use from the first sailboat (Bayfield 25) we bought than any of the larger ones that followed over the years.

Fred

[Renae]

My experience has also been the larger the boat the less it gets used.  My wife and I had more fun and more use from the first sailboat (Bayfield 25) we bought than any of the larger ones that followed over the years.

Fred

I'm looking for the sweet spot in that math.  For me, I think it will still be 30 ft, as I am quite tall, and overnighting would likely increase my use dramatically.  I agree in principle though.  Too much larger than that is a luxury for someone who can afford to outsource basic upkeep.

[JBC]

That Hullmaster "16" is a very good looking boat. I just had to chime in (no longer active on this site because I'm out of boats these days--daze). But I am a once in a while lurk-e-loo, and this caught my attention. I also don't subscribe to the "two happiest days" spin. But I will add that once or twice in my sailing days I was sad to see a boat leave, not because I had sailed it all that much and become attached, but because I realized I could not fix it up to my satisfaction (simply lacking the skills). Heck, at almost 80, I need fixing' more than most of the old boats I often acquired to try and work on and sail. Still, several projects were within my skill set and I thoroughly enjoyed sailing them for several years, before I realized they needed more attention than I could possibly give them. So, off they went, hopefully in more accomplished hands. The real sad day is when it becomes apparent that sailing is no longer really a good idea with aging bones. The nice thing about many boats, though, is that they still have them and, in the right hands, can see their lives renewed.
Jett

[kickingbug1]

 never  felt bad about selling my four previous 4 sailboats and five fishing boats (made money on all of them) but i would sure like to have that 37 chevy p/u i had 30 or so years ago

[brackish]

I'm looking for the sweet spot in that math.  For me, I think it will still be 30 ft, as I am quite tall, and overnighting would likely increase my use dramatically.  I agree in principle though.  Too much larger than that is a luxury for someone who can afford to outsource basic upkeep.

I think the sweet spot has a lot to do with the specific time in life.  I've owned four sailboats and the one that got the most use was a Columbia 24 Challenger that was owned in the early seventies when I was just married, a very active sailor, had many friends that were active sailors and was young enough to do the required maintenance without any stress.  These days, difficult to even find anyone to sail with me, and you're right, the lack of standing headroom will definitely be a factor as you age, particularly for overnighting. That is where I am now.  Don't want the maintenance and expense of a larger boat, but, at seventy-five am having trouble with the lack of standing headroom.

[crazycarl]

My ultimate "forever" boat is a Flicka and there is a very nice one for sale near me.  Standing headroom, private head, inboard diesel, the abilitiy to trailer it anywhere.  However their asking price of $34,500 is a bit much.  Maybe someday I'll find one with a reasonable price tag.  Until then, our 19 will serve me well. 

[Bob23]

Also my favorite boat Carl! Just before the damndemic closed everything down, I found a really nice one in Marion, MA. Rebuilt Yanmar, Triad trailer, new sails... for under 20k. I'd planned to drive back up the following weekend to hear the diesel run and that week travel was shut down, so I never made it back up. I assume it's gone now.
Bob23

[Mas]

My ultimate "forever" boat is a Flicka and there is a very nice one for sale near me.  Standing headroom, private head, inboard diesel, the abilitiy to trailer it anywhere.  However their asking price of $34,500 is a bit much.  Maybe someday I'll find one with a reasonable price tag.  Until then, our 19 will serve me well.

Well I had a Flicka lined up for Bob to see a few years ago but timing wasn't the best for him and so hooked up a fellow, and soon good friend, who now has that Flicka on our 'Pacific Seacraft' dock at Regent. I know this is a hot used market, heck a hot new market, and have looked at many Flickas over the years but the one down near you Carl is about as good as they are gunna get! Ya used to have 3 boats, maybe just slip this one in on your lovely wife? Triad trailers, also just down the road, can hook ya up with a nice trailer, though that little boat can take you anywhere in the world with a water route.

Hope all is well. Interlude just came out of the water at Regent and they just fired up the snow guns at Wintergreen to get them ready to give us a White Christmas.

I also was very sad to see both our first 16 and my motorcycle go away in the same year. Feel your pain. We are spending the first half of May on Ocracoke, maybe we can hook up again! Crazy idea huh!

[crazycarl]

Joanie made a comment about selling the Seidelman and
Compac and buying the Flicka.  It's very tempting, but I'm not ready to spend large sums until the house, garden shed, landscaping, and furnishings are is finished.