Wanted For Free: Need help moving sailboat in pdx

[tsanni]

I desperately need help moving recently purchased 22' Santana up river on the Columbia in Portland, OR around end of January. I have never sailed, am not feeling secure about current motor situation, obviously need some consulting. Could pay small amount, really need somebody qualified and knowledgeable since I most definitely am not.

[Doug Brown]

Hi - my advice to you is to buy or rent a trailer and drive it up there.

The Columbia River can really be bad on a good day, in the winter you are begging for major trouble.

I took a 300-ft container ship up river a couple of times and it is a major, slow process. In a 22-ft Santana with a dodgy engine, you are talking multiple days to get up river in freezing conditions with no stove or toilet if everything goes right, which probably is not going to happen!!!!

Think trailer, think safe.

Best of luck.

[Jim Cate]

Not familiar with the area, so could someone post the approximate distance involved? I got the idea from a different post that it was pretty short.

Jim

PS for tsanni, you might want to borrow someone's 4-8 hp outboard for the trip. Relying upon a small electric thruster is a bit dodgy. Lots of folks with such motors, and it isn't a big ask. If I were around the area I'd lend you one, but it's a long way from Oz!

[tsanni]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Not familiar with the area, so could someone post the approximate distance involved? I got the idea from a different post that it was pretty short.

Jim

PS for tsanni, you might want to borrow someone's 4-8 hp outboard for the trip. Relying upon a small electric thruster is a bit dodgy. Lots of folks with such motors, and it isn't a big ask. If I were around the area I'd lend you one, but it's a long way from Oz!

Thanks for your response. Yes the distance is very small indeed. Not sure about exact distance, but it would involve going up river at most 70 small city blocks, whatever that turns out to be. The response I've received has been wonderful. I've had so much interest and concern from people in this community I've had a full time job just keeping up with reading them all and getting back to each one. It's been heartwarming for me, although I haven't been a surprise. My observation of the sailing community is what piqued my desire to become a part of it in the first place. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, my father has been living aboard various vessels for a very long time and has been located in Mazatlan for a very long time. Unfortunately he's not available to me up here in the PNW so I'm on my own up here, but as I'm finding out, I'm not really on my own at all. If all goes according to my rough plan, at some point when I get some experience and perhaps a partner, I'll be able to upgrade and join him down there. Thanks again for your interest. Based on my scrambling to manage responding to what I've received for this one issue, I'm so impressed by how you and Ann are able to respond to so many people. It seems that whatever thread I've been on you two are there advising those of us in need of helo. I've been very impressed by it.

[category4jay]

Oh boy. Never sailed and not secure about current motor situation. How far upriver? What town? There are many locks to be dealt with not to mention extremely dangerous currents and winter conditions. Need more info.

[tsanni]

Originally Posted by category4jay

Oh boy. Never sailed and not secure about current motor situation. How far upriver? What town? There are many locks to be dealt with not to mention extremely dangerous currents and winter conditions. Need more info.

I'm in Portland Oregon on the Columbia river. I've got a very short distance to go but I'm leaning towards having it just towed up river by a bigger boat, seems like the safest way to do it

[newhaul]

From what marina to what marina?

[tsanni]

Originally Posted by newhaul

From what marina to what marina?

Right now it's docked at a houseboat just west of the expo center on the Columbia. I haven't finalized which exact marina I'll be at but I'm aiming g for the area between bridgeton rd. And n.e. 33'ish, there are at least a dozen little marinas along there and it's the area I really prefer to be in. I'll be trying to finalize that this week.

[tsanni]

Originally Posted by Doug Brown

Hi - my advice to you is to buy or rent a trailer and drive it up there.

The Columbia River can really be bad on a good day, in the winter you are begging for major trouble.

I took a 300-ft container ship up river a couple of times and it is a major, slow process. In a 22-ft Santana with a dodgy engine, you are talking multiple days to get up river in freezing conditions with no stove or toilet if everything goes right, which probably is not going to happen!!!!

Think trailer, think safe.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the concern. I've had an outpouring of offers and suggestions, several of which involve a much larger more powerful boat towing me. It's really quite a short distance and I'm feeling so much better about things now. Two days ago it seemed like an impossibility and now it seems like an accomplish able challenge.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by tsanni

Right now it's docked at a houseboat just west of the expo center on the Columbia. I haven't finalized which exact marina I'll be at but I'm aiming g for the area between bridgeton rd. And n.e. 33'ish, there are at least a dozen little marinas along there and it's the area I really prefer to be in. I'll be trying to finalize that this week.

Ok sounds like less than 5 miles then more likely 3 miles.
What is your primary powerplant? (Motor )

[Geek_Guy]

My first thing if in your shoes would be to try to start the motor that you have. Then do that several times. Rev it up and see that it runs happily for 15-30 minutes. And that you were able to get it started most of those times. Put it in gear while still safely attached to the dock, and see if it will rev enough to push the boat, again for some 15-30 minutes.

Even if you get someone to help they will likely want to know if your equipment works first.

[tsanni]

Originally Posted by Geek_Guy

My first thing if in your shoes would be to try to start the motor that you have. Then do that several times. Rev it up and see that it runs happily for 15-30 minutes. And that you were able to get it started most of those times. Put it in gear while still safely attached to the dock, and see if it will rev enough to push the boat, again for some 15-30 minutes.

Even if you get someone to help they will likely want to know if your equipment works first.

I will definitely do the checks, but as far as I know everything works. Motor is pretty new (80 hours) just inappropriate for this boat is my understanding. I don't think the seller was being dishonest per se, I just think she knows about as much as I do about sailing and equipment involved as me, which is a big fat zero. I'm sure with lots a help I'll get it figured out and begin learning an indefinite amount of stuff.

[tsanni]

I hope this message reaches whoever it needs to get to. At the end of the above message, but the one rec'd through my email, there was an additional paragraph stating "there may also be other replies, but you will not receive any more notifications until you visit the forum again".

What exactly does that mean and what action do I need to take to prevent this from happening? I wasn't aware that I had ceased visiting the forum???

Can anyone advise please? Thank you. I've received so many helpful replies I would hate to lose this line of communication.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by tsanni

I hope this message reaches whoever it needs to get to. At the end of the above message, but the one rec'd through my email, there was an additional paragraph stating "there may also be other replies, but you will not receive any more notifications until you visit the forum again".

What exactly does that mean and what action do I need to take to prevent this from happening? I wasn't aware that I had ceased visiting the forum???

Can anyone advise please? Thank you. I've received so many helpful replies I would hate to lose this line of communication.

That just means you wont get notified about anymore posts in the tread till after you come back and.get caught up. Just helps sto ppl you from getting to many emails. By catching up you will now get notified about my reply.

[tsanni]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Ok sounds like less than 5 miles then more likely 3 miles.
What is your primary powerplant? (Motor )

I've got a motor I am not feeling confident about at all. I'm not accustomed to being so completely ignorant about something I've taken an interest to and it's a bit embarassing, but, hey, I'm doing it in large part for the learning experience. I had in length discussions with the seller about my hesitancy about the motor prior to purchasing. Rather than being dushinest, I believe she was just about as knowledgeable as me, which is to say not at all. My final decision to go ahead and buy anyway is that my preliminary research into the motor suggested it being worth the amount I was paying for it and that when I had sorted it all out I could simply sell or trade for what I actually need.

I don't know if you've ready my early posts prior to purchasing her when I was asking for advice ND got a weird feeling about the responses I was receiving. The motor is a Minn Kota vantage 80 thrust 24 volt with 80 hours on it. The boat is a 1971 22' santana. After months of trying to gain any sort of understanding is that this motor simply just isn't made for this type of boat, but rather more for something like a small aluminum fishing boat on a lake with no current. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. For me it explains the feeling I got was that responders weren't understanding why that motor would ever be hanging off that boat in the first case. But I could still be wrong and am continuing to find out as much as I can. I know definitely that I will be swapping out for an O/B, around 9.9 hp..

Originally Posted by Geek_Guy

My first thing if in your shoes would be to try to start the motor that you have. Then do that several times. Rev it up and see that it runs happily for 15-30 minutes. And that you were able to get it started most of those times. Put it in gear while still safely attached to the dock, and see if it will rev enough to push the boat, again for some 15-30 minutes.

Even if you get someone to help they will likely want to know if your equipment works first.