Moving a sailboat on the Severn River

[thomcat]

Hi all, I am buying a Catalina 27 that is currently located on the Severn River (the north fork of Chase Creek) near Annapolis. According to the current owner, the engine does not start and I need to get it from its current anchorage to a short-term slip nearby ASAP after this coming Friday. I am unfamiliar with the immediate area (I stick to Herring Bay and farther south) and was wondering if someone would have some locally-informed advice on the most cost effective way to move it. Do you think there is any way that I could get by without having someone tow me? If not, any thoughts on the best place to call for a tow? I dearly appreciate any info!

[marcjsmith]

Sail it off the mooring. Get it close to the new slip drop the hook and then give tow boat us a call.

You bringing it down to deale?

Have you tried starting the engine? On a calm day. A dink with a small outboard could get you nestled in the slip.

[shimari]

Presuming you want the engine looked at before heading south to Herring Bay, you've about 4 miles to Back Creek. Give Bert Jabins, Port Annapolis, etc. a call for a temporary slip.

Predict wind has winds on Friday from the North (shifting to NW) 6-13 kts from noon until sundown. That should make it an easy sail to Back Creek. Depending on your skill level, you could bring her into Jabins' long floating dock. Jabins can tow you to a slip for (I think) $100 if you make prior arrangements. Or as others have said drop your hook or heave to at the entrance to Back Creek and call for a tow.

Saturday the winds are still from the North ~8kts. So Saturday may work for you as well.

The difficult part of this is finding a decent diesel mechanic who can look at your engine in a reasonable amount of time.

Good luck!

[LouK]

He’s right, finding a mechanic could well be the hardest part of the equation. I’d give Diversified Marine a call, they’re located at Bert Jabins, as well.

[thomcat]

Thanks for the advice all around! I think I'll sail it down the Severn to Back Creek and call for a tow into a transient slip.

Marc, I would like to bring it to Deale eventually, but I'm thinking that I will keep this first sail short until I check out the situation with the motor a bit. I won't have a chance to try the motor until the day that I come to take the boat away, so I'm keeping my expectations extremely low I thought about borrowing an outboard, but there's no bracket.

Shimari, thank you for the wind predictions! Sounds like near perfect conditions for the situation. I hadn't looked at Bert Jabins before now and they have pretty fair transient rates, so I may give them a call tomorrow.

Lou I've heard other people say good things about Diversified Marine so I'll keep their number nearby. Like I said above, my expectations for the motor are low, so I'm confident that I'll need a mechanic to look at it sooner or later.

[stormalong]

Be sure to join Boat/US so your towing is covered. Tow boats are expensive.

[apoc]

I can 2nd diversified marine, they have done work for me in the past.

[shimari]

Originally Posted by stormalong

Be sure to join Boat/US so your towing is covered. Tow boats are expensive.

BoatUS has an exclusion on pre-existing conditions. I'll guess that Seatow does as well.

[marcjsmith]

If you decide to bring down to deale Before you work on the engine let me know. I could possibly meet you outside the breakwater and help with the last 1/4 mile.

What kind of engine and what problems are you experiencing

[thomcat]

Thanks for the offer Marc, that's very kind of you! It is a Universal M-18 with ~530 hrs on the tachometer. Not sure of the problems yet, the current owner just says that it won't start and that the 12v system on the boat isn't working. I'm hoping it is a relatively simple issue that the current owner didn't bother to diagnose (perhaps relating to the problem with the electrical) since they bought a new boat before they had a chance to maintenance this one. As I said before though, I'm keeping my expectations low.

[Scrimshaw4]

Just because the engine has low hours doesn't mean it's repairable / rebuildable. If you haul at Jabins I'd recommend calling Chris Oliver, 410-263-3302. He's just around the corner from Jabins and is a really great engine mechanic. Also you have to have boat tow insurance at least 24 hrs in advance. Get the premium level to get the best tow program. Buy it NOW so you don't raise too much suspicion. Make sure that Jabins can accommodate you. They are busier than ever right now launching. JMHO

[Nekton73]

Tie a motorized dingy to the side and use that as propulsion... assuming you have one or know someone who does. You'll need someone in the dinghy to operate the motor while you steer. Communication is key, but not that difficult.

[marcjsmith]

Get the 12v system functional. Or use one of those jump boxes to help trouble shoot. Could be simple dead/old batteries. Bad fuel, air in the system or could be more sinister and catastrophic as scrim mentions.

Goes without saying, the more troubleshooting and digging into the system you can do on your own. Will save you boat bucks.

Engine and 12v systems, are not “dark arts” don’t let it make your nervous.


Good luck with the move...