....And Then Reality Hits

[scarlet]

So, almost exactly a month ago, I posted "for all you dreamers"... About how after many years of dreaming, we bought a 2011 Lagoon 450.. "dreams come true'.. right?

Well.. 4 weeks later, and reality hits. about a minute after taking possession of our boat (one which our very thorough surveyor declared in above average condition... ) The generator wouldn't start. It was 110 in the shade, and we had no air conditioning. We thought it was a bad charger for the generator battery.. we bought a replacement one. US, and our boat is wired Euro, and then we hired an electrician to MacGyver it to make it work. Electrician came yesterday, and.. it may still be a starter, but we have a bad inverter that needs to be fixed before he can test it... Did I say "fix it"? I should have said 'replace'... B-O-A-T

That was problem one.
Problem 2... The toilet in the master hull stopped working. I snaked it... detached the hose from the pump to the holding tank... clear... Took off the housing, and checked the Joker valve... it was fine... water is leaking out when the system is taken apart.. but when it's together and the electric pump is run, the water swirls but doesn't exit the system. So, before I started replacing pumps (seeing as though I'm a newby at this) I decided it might make sense to hire someone to take a look at it, and walk me through what I should check... guy said he would do it.... and never showed up.... So... that head is still out of commission..

So, on since I'm on the subject... One of the toilets in the guest gull is an electroscan unit. The previous owners showed me how to use it. (we haven't used it at all) However, I did run the system a couple of times Just to keep it moving. Well, It smelled really bad, so I used a marine toilet cleaner that the owner had left in the vanity next to the toilet. I poured some in... and left it in while we left the boat for a few weeks. When I got back to the boat.. I was checking the toilets, and ran that toilet.. and it had a failure. To make a long story short... the cleaner, they left there has ammonia in it, and after reading the user guide, found out that using anything with ammonia in it will seriously damage the unit.So.. I fried that toilet. Now, we only have one working toilet (knock wood)

Then, today I went to fire up the engines.. (not sailing today, but I've been gone for a few weeks, and thought that I should check all systems).. well... neither engine would start. grrrrrrr…

Then, when I went out to the boat (we live in Kansas, and our boat is in Delaware), I went with 2 dozen specific jobs to get taken care of (or at least start the ball rolling)… 4 days later, my list has expanded to 96 items that need attention!!! Now, granted most of them are tiny... cupboard door that needs balancing... nailholes that need to be filled... water leak that needs to be traced, and fixed.. etc... But there are a few medium to big projects on the list. and still.... wow

And for those of you who will pipe in and say things like, "maybe you can't handle having a boat".. or "didn't you know about how much maintenance there would be".... I knew full well what I was getting into. But, knowing, and preparing, is one thing... but to actually be in it is another.

I have several friends who have also taken this journey and are anywhere from 3 months to 4 years ahead of us, and in talks with them, they have all gone through this as well. 2 bought brand new boats, that had major issues from the start, and had problems getting warranty work done.. my other 2 friends bought used boats. (much older and needing work when they bought them.) I felt absolutely SURE that we bought a very good well maintained used boat, and it is... And still we are feeling discouraged... or perhaps overwhelmed is a better word.

I think the most surprising part of this has been how fast, and how FAR the fall is once you realize your dream. I was hoping to have at least a little honeymoon period to enjoy how far we've come... But.. nope. So,to those still following along in my story.. even when you've done all your homework... and prepared fully for ownership... you will still be completely shocked at how much can go wrong so fast....

Anyway... that's my sob story and I'm sticking to it!!! btw... I still absolutely love my "most beautiful boat in the entire world.... " And I would rather spend one day on the boat, with all the system failures.. than spending a day without her...