Looking For Ideas - May Give Up

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Rslifkin: you know, thinking about the northern thing a minute... it’s only about 4 months that are kind of unworkable up there. December through March. The rest are workable. I’d say all of rainy season in south Florida is unworkable. So it would be a matter of finding a lesser known spot that would accept my boat and let me work on it for a reasonable fee and of course I would need the RV there to be able to work on it.

I'd almost be tempted to say look at the place where I am, if the Great Lakes are an option. There's plenty of good options a bit further south, I'm sure, but up here things are pretty cheap compared to the East Coast. And they do offer indoor storage, so the only issue for winter work is cold, not snow or rain. Plus, they put in a few RV spots on some of the extra land at the marina this year (no idea what they charge for one), so you'd be easily walking distance from the RV to the boat to work on it.



The one challenge here, or most other places this far north would be dealing with the beam of a cat. Not a lot of slips over 20 feet wide in the area, although that can probably be figured out. The travellifts here max out at 16 feet, I'm not sure if anyone nearby has a wider one or if hauling something like your boat would involve a crane. Staying out of the Great Lakes will make the beam easier to deal with, but you'll probably end up somewhere in the Virginia / North Carolina area to keep costs down. Any further up the East Coast will likely start to get expensive.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I'd almost be tempted to say look at the place where I am, if the Great Lakes are an option. There's plenty of good options a bit further south, I'm sure, but up here things are pretty cheap compared to the East Coast. And they do offer indoor storage, so the only issue for winter work is cold, not snow or rain. Plus, they put in a few RV spots on some of the extra land at the marina this year (no idea what they charge for one), so you'd be easily walking distance from the RV to the boat to work on it.



The one challenge here, or most other places this far north would be dealing with the beam of a cat. Not a lot of slips over 20 feet wide in the area, although that can probably be figured out. The travellifts here max out at 16 feet, I'm not sure if anyone nearby has a wider one or if hauling something like your boat would involve a crane. Staying out of the Great Lakes will make the beam easier to deal with, but you'll probably end up somewhere in the Virginia / North Carolina area to keep costs down. Any further up the East Coast will likely start to get expensive.

Interesting. I actually almost built the boat on the Erie Canal. There was an old abandon shop for rent. It was epoxy time still. Building the hull. It was like $15,000 a winter to heat the place. So I went south.

Now, the materials are temperature independent mostly and it can be done in the water. No problem.

I’ll PM you. Fresh water and being away from hurricanes is a HUGE plus.

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by Chotu

These are good thoughts, Wolfie. I have always had sort of bad luck with things so luckily, I’ve learned to just press on. I’m just getting tired is all. I’m losing the will to fight. At least to fight this fight. Other fights are very easy in comparison.

Believe it or not, one of my aspirations that I’ve been putting off for all these boatbuilding years is to go over your way for a year or two. Maybe stay. I’m a dual citizen, but American born. I planned to sail back over there, but maybe a caravan or motorcycle tour or even just renting a place has its merits.

Asia is also high on the list since I’ve never been. I’d like to actually see all these places for an extended period of time and all my life thought boating was my key to it. Plus I rather enjoy traveling with my hone and all belongings. Now, I’m questioning that original plan.

I have to say, accepting the financial loss of selling this boat (not to mention the time loss) is a heavy weight. Something not easy to get over.

selling at loss, cutting your losses... this is a hard call to make. as you clearly know, resources come in different shapes. money, time, being both necessary resources, yet time being the one of which we cannot make more.

and yes, there are those couples fitting vans out and visiting europe. i crossed france, switzerland and parts of italy by motorcycle, a group of us, camping along the way (back in my young-n-free days); and geez, talk about fun! the swiss alps especially!

and yes, double nationality is that huge plus that makes it all the easier.

if you do make the trip, whether you sail over or fly, do let me know. i just sold my place in normandy and am transitioning... to bolthole and boat, normally in that order... fingers crossed i can start making some real progress. it hasn't been easy.

and yes, it is curious how CF friendships do sometimes materialise. i've been very fortunate to have met a few CFers and am very happy with the friendships i've gained.

whatever you decide to do Chotu, do keep us in the loop. you definitely have community here.


wolfie

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Chotu

These are good thoughts, Wolfie. I have always had sort of bad luck with things so luckily, I’ve learned to just press on. I’m just getting tired is all. I’m losing the will to fight. At least to fight this fight. Other fights are very easy in comparison.

Believe it or not, one of my aspirations that I’ve been putting off for all these boatbuilding years is to go over your way for a year or two. Maybe stay. I’m a dual citizen, but American born. I planned to sail back over there, but maybe a caravan or motorcycle tour or even just renting a place has its merits.

Asia is also high on the list since I’ve never been. I’d like to actually see all these places for an extended period of time and all my life thought boating was my key to it. Plus I rather enjoy traveling with my home and all belongings. Now, I’m questioning that original plan.

I really looked into the RV thing for world travel but there are these emissions stickers in the EU and the system is a mess for bringing a vehicle there. Basically all RVs that I’d bring are diesel. They cannot be driven in many places at all and you need to pay all these stickers for different areas to drive around the continent. Seems like my diesel based RV would be unwelcome in Europe even though the size of it wouldn’t be much of an issue. It’s quite small for USA standards

I’m going to just put it all out there too. My relationship is good, loving, but my girlfriend suffers from worsening depression. We were supposed to go see California for her this summer, but her depression is so bad (and hasn’t responded to any treatments) that she decided to cancel the California part since she cannot enjoy it. Opting instead for a restful summer in the mountains. We are spending this vacation time just relaxing and thinking. This thread is part of my thinking and process.

I have to say, accepting the financial loss of selling this boat (not to mention the time loss) is a heavy weight. Something not easy to get over.

Chotu.. what I see from where I sit is you are just another victim of the 'Possessions Trap'..
All a person really needs to travel is a bag of clothes, a passport and some money..
Sell the boat, sell your RV, store your 'Must Keeps' then jump on a plane to Europe, buy a camper van and hit the road picking up anything you feel is needed as you go.. the sense of liberty is great once you realise you don't own things, they own you..
Been there myself a coupla times..
No more weights holding you down in one place giving you reasons why you can't do anything except despair.
I know this goes against the grain of 'The American Way', but hell, doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result ain't working so what's to lose apart from the 'Strings'.

Oh.. I forgot... and a Covid Passport..

[wolfgal]

oh dear, i just saw what you wrote about your girlfriend.

not easy... and i think you are right about the seeking out low stress, nature-related conditions/activities together.

i find that reconnecting with nature (for me, the best is on the water but a walk in the woods/mountains as well) is very powerful, keeps the world from caving in on me.

the two of you have been through a lot for sure though. it is a good time to reflect on it all and seek out the essentials.

wolfie

[Sand crab]

I had heard about a DIY marina near Green Cove Springs. Maybe you could move the boat there. Still hot but might be the right place.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been gone a while after some health issues to take a break from boats mentally.

I’ve realized a few things.

I’m in need of a break from working on boats. I’d sure love to go sailing and cruising again, but I have a lot of hours to go before that can happen. Also, RV travel has been pretty nice. I was able to have similar feelings out here to those boats provide. Cooler temperatures, fresh clean air, peace and quiet, safety and security.

So I’m contemplating the unthinkable. Selling my boat.

I will never, ever be able to afford a high performance catamaran at the level of the one I built. That’s the tricky part. I’m looking to work on some business ideas if I do sell, so there is a slim chance I could make enough to just buy one... BUT... the construction of production boats isn’t as high quality and most have double layers inside the hull. As in, the interior is made of layers you can’t get to that mold grows behind. I have a lot of problems with boat mold after decades of living aboard. So I’m not even sure I could buy a production boat in the future even if I could afford one as high quality as the one I built because of mold issues. Yes, all boats have mold. It’s the “boat smell”

The only other thing I can think of is just mothballing the boat and then hiring people to help build it. I suppose that could even be done starting now, but I ran into yet ANOTHER problem. The marina I asked to stay at to do heavy construction on the boat has changed. It’s not allowing you to even run tools outside on your boat anymore. Not even a buffer on a production gel coat boat.

They just came out with this new rental agreement that prohibits you from working on your boat, says it’s not their fault if the marina damages your boat, it is your fault if you damage anything at the marina, you need comprehensive insurance coverage and proof of it, that random strangers may wander onto the dock and board your boat, stealing things, , etc etc. it’s certifiably insane. There no way I can sign the agreement. The agreement also locks you in to the marina for a year at a time.

So on top of all this, I don’t have anywhere to work on my boat or store either at this time.

What should I do?
I just feel so utterly defeated on this topic.

I continue to realize that throughout life I have chosen to go for the "exotic" traveling. What never sank in is how many amazing places and things there are to visit right here in the USA. Now I'm so old it's hard physically to get out and do them as I should have when younger.
So I have no problem with your thought of RV'ing myself. If you are aging, you can see a ton more than you will at 5 knots and weather window delays...

[Franziska]

Sorry to read about your troubles!

Regarding storage and working on the boat.
Not sure if you could do what I did in Germany and later in the Netherlands.

Find an industrial harbour and walk the businesses which have docking space and ask for possible storage of the boat.

Mobile crane space access and the floor space for the boat within its reach is essential though.
Not sure if your boat can be lifted by crane though.
Still I had mine once lifted too by a huge dock crane, which almost laughed at me when it was asked to lift the little 35ft catamaran :-)

I did this twice and it turned out to be well below marina prices, had electricity and water and they even entrusted me with a key to their compound.

I could access the boat whenever I wanted to work on it, and they were happy that someone was on the premises in the off hours, as that added a bit of security without extra cost.

Do this in person rather than online or via phone, its easier to start talking that way.

Good luck!

[mickand]

Chotu, I've read and re-read this thread and my gut feeling tells me that you're really loathe to give up on your dream to finish the boat. Sure, you're having a moment of self doubt but I see sparks of enthusiasm in your writings.
My two cents would be to investigate the Virginia/Chesapeake area as both a spot for the boat project and a more pleasant area for your girlfriend's health to prosper.

[double u]

@"life on the other side":
we definitely have no regrets that we sold our last boat. After 3 rtw we had to get back to life ashore in 99 for the schooling of our lad. The plan since then had been to sail to "The South Seas" one more time, which we did in 2018. After a phantastic time & an unforgettable year in French Polynesia we thought that the best time "to get out" was, while the going was good. Cruising had changed (the number of boats on the "coconut milk-run" had exploded), we had changed (no more hand-over-hand climbing to the masthead for me at 64...).
Turns out the decision was perfect, as Covid came along & finished Pacific cruising anyway, maybe for ever (it certainly never will be like it was...)
Life now "back in the forest" is different, sometimes I think back to all the good times we had (today 40 years ago my lady joined me on my newly-launched, self-built Wharram in then Yugoslavia). We cycle together a lot, I do some more ambitious mountainbiking, we take short "holidays" (well, pensioners, after all) away from home, which seems all the present & continually changing Covid situation allows.
We are very happy to have sold the boat, at present a boat in the South Pacific is by far more of a liability than an asset.

[foufou]

I have read several places that ozone generators kill all mold. Apparently they can be rented somewhere. Might be worth checking out. Left onboard for a day or two the ozone will find its way to all nooks and crannies. It is reported to harm some rubber products given some time. All the best. F

[Clivevon]

Hi. Sorry to hear about your troubles. All I would say is that when the going gets tough, the tough get going - somewhere else where the going is easier. Nit sure if that helps, but..
The other one I like is that when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.. but not relevant in this case. Good luck anyway. I would suggest you sleep on any major decision, but if f it still feels right for you, then do it.

[Sailshabby]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Ok, these are interesting ideas. Trucking is out. 50ft LOA x 25ft beam. It’s not possible to move it from the water, BUT.. it operates just fine in 3ft of water (24” draft) and I’m a risk taker. So, if there is a small barely navigable stream or canal to a spot that’s far away from the ocean that I could put it on land... I’m very happy with that.

Even if the land was undeveloped. It can be lifted out be crane.

Then there is also the fact it can be pulled out by a standard hydraulic boat trailer at a boat ramp.

You could even pull it out with a pickup truck at a ramp given you used a flatbed trailer under it with some supports.

So there are tons of options in that department. Kind of wish I could find a private land owner on some water that I could set up a deal with.

I’d also be happy to just leave it when the snow flies and return to it when the weather is good. It only has about a year or 2 of work left. Which is really the sad part.

I should finish it EVEN IF I’m selling it but these external circumstances are killing me. Well, the boat is killing me too, as Wolfie was mentioning, but the external circumstances are just demoralizing.

If I do move forward with it, I’d need to hire a little help from someone to go quickly as well as keep me away from all these materials I’ve become so sensitive to.

As I’m sure many of us can attest, it’s not the first 90% of the project that’s depressing, it’s the last 5%.

Should you decide to pack it in, don’t look at it as a bad decision. It’s simply “a” decision. Yes, you’ve no doubt poured your heart and soul (and wallet!) into the boat, but again, if you’re like a lot of us, that 95% was actually kinda fulfilling. So take a little break, make an objective call, and don’t look back.

We’re with you!

[ArmyDaveNY]

I too am very sorry to hear of the latest setbacks. I empathize with you, having recently helped with a family member who had some health issues recently, as well as a friend who had a stroke. I wish you all the best.

I am still available to assist if you need help moving or working on your vessel. Also, please feel free to PM, call, or write, even if you just wish to bounce some ideas off of me or vent. I also have some experience with locations on the east coast as well as on the Great Lakes.

[double u]

& @life on the other side":
to master what June Knox-Mawer put so well:
to confine the memories to their own chamber, that they may leave only when I let them, & not any more suddenly & unbidden & slamming me into a corner.