The Maiden Voyage

First, I want to thank Michael and Terry of St Croix. Without their knowledge and experience on their boat this would never have happened.

Yesterday was beautiful here. I packed the boat on the roof rack of the Jeep and made a makeshift motor mount for the outboard on the front bumper.

I packed the seats, oars, and life jackets in the back seat.

I drove to South Carolina with many eyes staring at my contraption as I headed down the interstate highway.

I met my friend Ty and we headed to the Lake Wylie Yacht Club for the first launch of my new boat.

We immediately drew a crowd with people asking; what is it? Will it float? How much did I pay for it?

Very soon the boat took shape and we carried it to the water. Then I followed and mounted the motor and loaded the boat.

I was curious to see how long it would take to start the motor and it stared with one pull.

We spent the next 3 ½ hours cruising the lake, testing the motor range and generally having a blast. I couldn’t believe how well the boat handled and how fast it would go at full throttle.

We stopped at a marina for a few celebratory beers then headed back to the Yacht Club.

Disassembly and packing was as easy as the setup.

Overall I am very pleased with my purchase, no regrets here.

I was amazed too that I only burned maybe two quarts of gasoline for such a long time on the water. The motor is quiet, light, and powerful.

9 comments:

TerryC said...

Do they make you wear life jackets and other cumbersome things while you're out on the waterways?

Glad you're having fun with your new "fugly bote"!

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

No, not unless you are 13 or under. You just need all that safety stuff on board.

I have baboon butt this morning so throw cushions are a must. Those benches are hard!

Michael said...

Yeah, the old one we have has the black flotation foam on top of the bench seat, so its cushier, but it degrades over time in the sun, so they started putting it under the seat. We had to cover ours with "sunbrella" fabric to keep from getting black grit all over us from decaying foam.

You can get the little square flotation pads with straps on the side. They make good seat cushions, and double as flotation devices.

Glad the "maiden" voyage was a success, but I didn't hear any mention of maidens!

Jay said...

The Jeep looks very cool with everything strapped on. Very manly!

Catch any fish?

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

Well Michael, I am going to build a new bow cap and may attach some big busty carving like a Viking ship. That would be my maiden.

You did a great job covering the ugly. The seat cushion is a must.

Thanks Jay. I didn't fish. It does look manly.

Liv said...

wreg, you are the ultimate man's man. ain't no doubt.

Michael said...

You know, when you mentioned before that you were going to attach an extra wooden bumper to your bumper to hold the outboard, I imagined it was going in the back, like you had an outboard on your jeep, for deep water crossings.

Then I saw the picture of it on the front and thought, well that's interesting. But the more I think about it, the more it bugs me. I'm sure you've made sure its plenty secure, but suppose it wiggled loose on the highway. Running over that outboard would make a hell of a mess of your jeep.

If it fell off the back, the outboard might still be toast, and it might just make a hell of a mess of someone else's vehicle, but at least you wouldn't total your outboard and your jeep.

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

Michael it will go on the back. I had to do this at the last minute because Gigi wanted to use the pickup truck.

I plan to put in a 2 inch receiver hitch in the back with a motor mount. This will look better and work better.

Anonymous said...

I don't think there's anything you can't do if you put your mind to it. Sounds like a great way to spend the day!