Outfitting Guppy

Now that I had two sailboats and one less than enthusiastic wife, I needed a plan.

But first, a note about my wife's enthusiasm for boating.  She has none. Ambivalence would be a step up.  She is not a water person.  Probably because she can't swim in water over her head.  But on the positive side, she has never tried to discourage my love of boating.  She just prefers that I do it without her as much as possible.

Back to the plan.

1. Sell Seanility for a fair price that would cover my investment
2. Outfit Guppy for cruising

I listed Seanility on Craigslist locally as well as in all of the locations that had a big O'Day Mariner following. I posted an ad on the Mariner Class Association website and the Yahoo Mariner group.

I covered her with a tarp and waited for the offers to come rolling in.

I decided to swap outboards on the two boats.  I had purchased a lightly used 2001 Mercury 4 stroke 4 hp engine for the Mariner and I liked how it ran. Quiet, smokeless and fuel efficient.  The 6 hp Yamaha that came on the Sanibel was a 2 stroke.  It started on the first pull but it needed a new impeller.

My friend, Don and I took her out to Lake Norman for her maiden voyage. It probably took us more than an hour to step her mast, launch her and  get the sails up.  Our wives joined us for a few hours and we had a pleasant sail in light winds, using the bright red drifter to move her along.

After the girls left, we beached Guppy on a small island, built a fire on the beach and spent the night aboard.  We had shared enough beers that sleep came easily.

On our return to the ramp the next morning, Guppy was slow and unresponsive, even under power.  When we pulled her out of the water, we discovered that we had taken on probably 30 gallons of water.

I posted a message on the Yahoo Sanibel forum and the consensus of option was that the centerboard pivot bolt was leaking.  I sealed it with 3M 5200 silicone adhesive and hoped for the best.  Then to be on the safe side, I installed an automatic bilge pump under the starboard quarter berth

I replaced the 12 volt battery and added a 120 volt weather-proof outlet in the cockpit that I hardwired to a power strip in the cabin.That permitted me to plug in a trickle charger for the battery and any other 120 volt appliance while at the dock.  I also added a cigarette lighter style 12 volt receptacle so I could charge my cell phone and GPS from the battery. A new porta-potti fit nicely under the companionway.

I installed a VHF marine radio to the compression post in the cabin and since I would never be far from shore,  I felt comfortable with mounting a 6 db 3' ss antenna on the stern rail.

The trailer got a new spare on a galvanized rim as well as new wheel bearings, a winch and lights.

Guppy was coming along nicely, but I hadn't had any serious inquiries about Seanility.