Time required to debug a new boat
I've been putting my timetable together for boat purchase and departure on a
circumnavigation. I've been advised by some people that I have great
respect for, to budget one to two years to wring out a boat before
departing. I have to admit I was a bit surprised that so many owners take
possession of a new boat, and then to have to fix problems, mostly with
navigation and electronics, for several months. I know these aren't cars,
but buying a production boat from a known builder, and integrating a package
of electronics from the top names in the business seems like it shouldn't be
that hard? On the other hand, with so many innovations in the marine
electronics world, and thinking about the number of "bugs" I need to take
care of on my own "very simple" boat, I guess it does make sense. Anyway,
if list members can confirm that it would be unrealistic to take possession
of a boat, and head out right away, that would be helpful in my planning.
Thanks,
Scott Bulger
Knot@Work, 31' Camano
Email: scottebulger@comcast.net
At 06:59 PM 12/27/04 -0800, you wrote:
I've been putting my timetable together for boat purchase and departure on a
circumnavigation. I've been advised by some people that I have great
respect for, to budget one to two years to wring out a boat before
departing. I have to admit I was a bit surprised that so many owners take
You have 2 choices. Leave the minute you get your hands on it and have
everything aboard, or procrastinate until your old age settles in.
A good middle ground would be about a year. In your case, I would go to
Alaska for the Summer, that's still US territory. In the fall you can
return to Seattle and fix everything. By late spring you should be ready
for another foray someplace, Southern Calif. would be good spot. When you
get there you can fix whatever doesn't work. If you head out for Hawaii,
when you get there you can fix the new stuff that you have found or doesn't
work. From Hawaii there is no way back. You are now on your own, but at
least you are still in the US. Remember, everything else is NOT US
territory. Depending on how much confidence you have in the situation, you
could head for French Polynesia or New Zealand.
I know you think that Mexico is closer to the US than Hawaii, but that is
just an illusion, unless you are talking about Ensenada, from which you can
get a return ticket. The rest of Central America is one gigantic
aggravation if you want to fix anything quickly or cheaply. Frankly, I
would just stick to the US, Canada and Alaska until you are bored and/or
READY. At which time you will leave regardless. After all if you are doing
this for fun, there is no sense getting in a hurry.
By the way, did I mention that brand new boats are trouble. If I gave you a
realistic list based on real experiences, you would never go to sea, never
go a cruising, never enjoy the tropics, never see the Southern Cross from
your own boat, never pick up flying fish from the deck. Never isn't worth a
da...
So, quit thinking of excuses and get with the program. Repeat after me... I
love to cruise, I love to cruise,,,,,
A thousand repetitions should be about right.
Mike
Capt. Mike Maurice
Tualatin(Portland), Oregon
Yea, that's unrealistic.Sorry to say so, but I purchased one new boat and
probably never will again. It was amazing how many things didn't work from
the factory. Some issues were caused by the local assembly guys who put it
together after it arrived on the truck. The Raytheon chartplotter didn't
work, and when they opened it up it was wet and full of mold inside. Now how
did THAT happen on a brand new piece of equipment? Took the bastards three
tries over three months to fix it... actually they finally replaced it with
another "new" one.
You have to find the problems before you can start to have them fixed. Sorry
to say, most folks doing warranty work aren't quite as fast as they were at
selling it to you. It'll take time to make the repairs / replacements. I
would say 6 months would be enough, especially if you were working the boat
hard locally to find those bugs. You might could do it in three. Two years
sounds excessive.
Keith
__
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Bulger" scottebulger@comcast.net
Anyway,
if list members can confirm that it would be unrealistic to take
possession
of a boat, and head out right away, that would be helpful in my planning.
Another facet of debugging a boat is touched upon by Keith, below. After the
requisite number of break-in hours, pushing the engine "hard" can develop
oil leaks and other problems that might not otherwise appear. At least,
that is what I found
with my used boat. The previous owner had never exceeded 7.5 knots. In
attempting to beat a line of thunderstorms forecast for late afternoon, I
ran the boat at 8.5 knots, and surfed the boat on the backs of following
seas to 9 and 10 knots. The valve cover gasket sprang two leaks which
required 1 quart every 2 hours until I got home, just before the storms hit.
Ron Rogers
Willard 40 AIRBORNE
Departing Annapolis Wednesday December 29th bound for New Bern, NC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith" kemmons@houston.rr.com
| I would say 6 months would be enough, especially if you were working the
boat
| hard locally to find those bugs. You might could do it in three. Two years
| sounds excessive.