I thought I would take a few moments to clear up and respond to some of the comments made on this thread.
The risk of
posting details about your
project on a forum is that the critics and naysayers come out of the woodwork to criticize what you are doing. Knowing this, I decided to start the thread anyway for several reasons. For one, I knew that there would be some tasks that I would need
advice on and there is no sense reinventing the
wheel. Inputs and
advice from (experienced) others may be a big time saver for me. Second, setting aside the critics for a moment it was my belief that the camaraderie is likely to generate new friends and acquaintances for me that I otherwise would not have an opportunity to meet. This has already happened from other
Columbia 45 owners. Thirdly, the forum has led to contacts with others that are experts in various fields of boat construction and boat
repairs. By
posting my questions and occasional difficulties along the way, I am hoping to get advice and responses from others that will save me time and perform the tasks in a more professional manner.
My response to the critics and naysayers is to ignore them and move on with my
project. In some cases it is obvious they have not read the whole thread and are simply taking pot shots as a result of only reading one post or two.
To clear up any misinterpretations in my previous postings as well as defend my decisions up to this point, I will address some of the more egregious comments. Here are a few.....
"my 2 cents would be to pay a couple hundred bucks for a rigger to inspect the rig. It would be a shame to install a new
engine and generator only to have the rig fail and you lose the
mast."
I don't know how someone in
Guatemala knows that it would only cost a couple hundred bucks to have the
rigging inspected in
Portland,
Oregon. I am still waiting for him to provide me the name and
phone number of the rigger and I will be very happy to call on him when I am ready for the
inspection.
Secondly, the
mast was re-stepped and new
rigging installed not long ago, so I don't expect the rigging to fail especially if I
motor the boat down the coast.
"My 2 cents. Pay to have the boat moved south and pay to have it stored
on the hard. You can work up a quote here. get a couple and compare. Boat Hauling Rates"
I probably spent 30 - 40 man hours researching the option of having it hauled. This includes the various complications of the height of the boat above the limits of various states, pilot cars, and the complications involved with the boat yards at both ends in disassembling the masts and reassembling them as well as the re-rigging.
Some of the haulers could not answer questions and there was always a caveat that unforeseen costs would be on me. There was also an issue about getting the boat out of the existing marina due to a very steep grade and sharp turn. Only some types of trailers could do the job and only one hauler knew anything about the limitations getting access to the highway.
I had to make the tough choice and it is still not cast in concrete. My choice was to attempt to get the boat
seaworthy in it's present location and
motor it down the coast to Long Beach. If that doesn't work, I always can exercise the option to have it hauled by truck.
"A
Columbia 45 is not really a desirable boat and after its all said and done you might get 30 cents on the dollar when you sell."
First of all, I doubt the poster has ever owned a C45, sailed on a C45, or knows anyone that has. I spent hundreds of hours researching different boats and had made a decision to
purchase the best value I could find in a low cost boat that would serve my sailing, cruising, and
fishing needs.
The fact that I would need to do a lot of work on the chosen boat was a given. The most credible
reviews I looked at were from present and former owners of C45's. As it turns out there are quite a few. For example...
https://www.sailnet.com/threads/is-t...-worthy.70171/.
I have since had long conversations with Jim from SV NWTrader as well as two other C45 owners. As best as I can tell, the skeptics have never owned or sailed on a C45.
Lastly, I have never bought anything based up the resale value (except maybe my home). I make purchases based upon what I want for my needs and what the ultimate cost will be and whether I want it bad enough to pay that amount. Selling something doesn't even enter my mind. I don't consider it a transient event.
As far as this boat goes, the attraction was a solid sturdy
hull and nearly everything on it was brand new (albeit not completely installed). I reasoned that the sweat equity I put into it will more than make up the difference in
price between this outcome and
purchasing a 'ready to go' boat with the same
equipment.
As far as the 30 cents on the dollar at resale, I don't even think about It, but don't know how someone that does not know the inventory of the equipment on the boat, nor the
purchase price can make such a claim. It really doesn't matter. If I get the enjoyment I expect from the boat over the time I own it, it doesn't matter what the resale value is.
Same is true about my vehicles, former airplanes, helicopter, test equipment, machine shop equipment, etc. If I looked at these purchases as investments for resale I probably would not buy anything.
" You should have done your homework before
purchasing the boat as to the cost of what it might need."
In fact I did as much
research prior to the purchase as I could but obviously fell short in some areas. There were some surprises!
The cost and complexity of
shipping by truck,
Throughout Multnomah County (Portland) no one can work on their own boat in a boatyard. County wide restriction. Nice for the
boatyards though
,
Restrictions on
living aboard while working on your boat while in the marina (add motel costs),
Difficulty in finding local help (even unskilled) for a reasonable price,
Unforeseen complications in the
refit such as a new
exhaust system with some unexpected restrictions,
Some existing installations that need to be redesigned and done differently.
Yes, there were unexpected surprises, but in reading throughout the
boating forums it seems to go with the territory. If I were perfect I would have the
money to buy a super-yacht and not care what anyone else thinks.
I don't see any of these obstacles to be catastrophic.
So let's put it into perspective. I pay about $200/month for the boat to sit in a slip in a nice marina that is well guarded and protected. Has restrooms and showers. The marina owner would like to have his boat yard do all the work but knows I cannot afford that and allows you to work on your boats in the slip.
I am in no panic to get the boat completed. It would be nice to get it
seaworthy and ready to sail/motor by Spring. The
weather will be nicer for the trip at that time anyway.
The slip in Long Beach (Wilmington) is about $650/month and I am not having to pay for it until I arrive.
I plan to tackle each obstacle as they come and hopefully be ready in Spring. I also have an old sea dog (my age) at the marina that keeps an eye on my boat and calls me periodically. We might even do some sailing together in the future.
As far as abandoning the project.... NOT! I have experienced far greater challenges and odds and have overcome them in the past. I think the SBA gave me odds of 50,000:! of not succeeding when I started my business. Past that hurdle with flying colors.
The complete tear-down and
overhaul of the helicopter took several months and was a success. I am not worried about this project, nor the skeptics and critics opinions.
https://i.imgur.com/y6muhia.jpg
https://imgur.com/OXi371N
https://imgur.com/TwC9vUH