One big step forward, got a jolt of reality

smartbomb; sounds like a life long dream, is finally starting to really take shape, and begin it's "maiden voyage" for you. i'll be on stx 1-25-06, i'm anxious, excited, and the reallity of departing from the old, and soon to be obtaining the new is starting to set in. no worries:) happy new year, baja

Smartbomb,
Congratulations on the new boat-sounds very nice. Like we've all said before; its easy to dream about moving here, quite abit scarier to actually do it. Thats why there's often such a comraderie among the people who have actually taken that step.....
good luck.

I, too will be on-island 1/31. I envy you the beautiful boat, the project and the simplicity of life that it will afford. It is a jolt to begin packing and selling and making arrangements. I am one month from being there and have planned for three years. My reality check was selling my bobcat which was the primary piece for my business. Once it was gone, reality was right there staring back at me. Now, even though many important things are not nailed down, I seem to have no worries about it. I'm confident(based on research and first hand knowledge) that things will just be ok. I'm not the kind of guy to just hope for the best; I like to know what's going to happen, but for me it seems that this is what I will do and things will work out. Some may call it a leap of faith, but I belive that if it is meant for me, then all will be there waiting for me. If it's what you should do, then the pieces WILL fall into place and all will be right with the world.

Sadly, the boat deal fell through. We were so close to passing papers but the it just smelled bad. I went back through the paperwork I had received to date and realized how many inconsistencies there were, how much stress I had gone through, and how demanding the seller was for a quick, cash only sale I knew something was amiss.

And I was right - there were tons of liens against the boat that he conveniently forgot to tell me about, issues with the fuel tanks, and the list goes on and on.

Oh well - i guess I'm still on the prowl. It's funny, though - I had actually made some peace with the idea of moving to VI on the boat, but the boat itself turned out to be more anxiety provoking.

S- I know THAT feeling well. I've made peace with the idea of the move, selling my stuff, etc, but i've had all kinds of stupid things happen around it that are more frustrating than anything. I've made two deals with people to nanny my daughter while i'm there and my wife is working. Both have agreed, then fallen through. I'm 29 days from leaving and no damn babysitter still. I've got two or three different things like that which have been carefully arranged, agreed upon, then collapsed. Chin up mate... It'll all work out. :-]

Smartbomb,

I can certainly empathize with what you just went through. I, too, have been on a serious hunt for the right boat (for my cat and me!) for about a year and a half now. I've gone through a lot of candidates and have determined that for me, after a lot of in depth research, it's going to be the 58' Hatteras. Got close in August when I went to survey on a 58' Hatteras, but rejected the boat after survey. And now, it's harder than ever because I know these boats all too well which makes it tough to be a buyer, but I suppose that's not really a negative thing.

For me, living on a boat is the only way to go. I lived on a 33' Cruisers, Inc. express cruiser for over 2 years, after having sold my 4 bedroom house and everything in it - talk about down-sizing! And NO REGRETS. As small as that boat became, I loved every single minute of it, and since I sold her in October, I miss her dearly.

But, the hunt goes on.... I, too, anticipate a total refit which I think might take a year, but hopefully not that long. If the deal I'm working on now goes through, I'll probably be looking to make the voyage just after hurricane season is over later this year. It sounds like we may be on the same time table. If you're going to captain the boat down yourself, and we're on the same schedule, it would be nice (and more safe) to make the trip in tandem, if you're interested. I've not done that trip, personally, but I'll have a couple of captains aboard who have and that will make me feel MUCH better!

By the way, I hope what you're considering is not a wooden boat. I know there are a lot of nice ones in the New England area, but the toredo worms in the warm Carribean waters will eat it alive like termites. I was very close to buying a wooden trawler in New Jersey, but after talking with several people in the USVI who have or used to have wooden hulls, I decided it wasn't a financially wise decision.

Ang

Which island are you making the move to. I am sure finding a baby sitter will be the least of your worries once you get to the island. Most people in the island are big on in home baby sitting rather than childcare facilities. I will be relocating at the end of jan.2006,so do you already have a job lined up, which is what most including me would consider the most difficult of the process.

Baja, how did it work out. Did you get any additional apartment info. What about job leads. I will be relocating also at the end of Jan.I still don't have apt. or job lined up. Not having job lined up is the scariest for me.

Hi Ang: I appreciate your post. I actually hadn't thought about the wildlife in the water. I was considering a wooden boat, but after your post I will seriously reconsider that decision - thanks!

Actually, I'm seriously reconsidering purchasing a boat at all. I'm a general contractor and former boatbuilder by training, and I'm now considering the money I would have put into a refit would have almost completely paid for the materials to create a new boat built by my own hands. Granted I've never tackled something as large as what I was planning to purchase (54' Pacemaker Express Cruiser) but I have built smaller yachts from scratch. I really like the idea of knowing what lies under the decks.

I was going to take 3 months off to work on the boat anyway - why not build new? I'm looking at cold-molded plywood. Would certainly be a goal to work towards.

Well, maybe it's a good thing that the wooden Pacemaker wasn't meant to be, then. Last Spring, I was about to make an offer on a 65' custom trawler in New Jersey, but decided to want until after I had come back from St. Thomas. When I was on the island last May working the VICL boat show as a volunteer, I had the opportunity to talk with several charteryacht captains and owners. The information and advice I took away with me was of tremendous value. That's where I learned all about those little "water termites." When I came back home, I did more research on how to keep them out of the boat and at what cost, and decided that it just wasn't worth the money and the constant effort it would take to maintain a wooden boat in the warm Carribean waters.

I, too, like to know what's under my decks.:) With a Hatteras, I do know, which is why I settled in on Hatteras. Their hulls are bullet-proof. If I ran over a reef, I'd still have a sound hull, but probably not any running gear!

I'm curious - how long does it take to build a boat like that? You're right - refitting isn't cheap. By the time I will have finished my refit, I anticipate I'll have another $100,000 in the boat, beyond the purchase price, even though I'll be doing much of the work myself. But to me, it's worth it - living aboard is deeply embedded in my heart and soul.

Ang

Hi smartbomb,

Are you thinking of building your boat where you are now or once you get down here?

MsKinsey

I've built smaller boats (30 foot) using cold-molded epoxy construction. For an experienced person with a helper and the proper tools, a small team could take a good sized boat from scratch to completion in under 6 months. A larger team could do it in much less.

With the exception of the motor install and a carpenter's helper, I'll do all the work myself. I'd be shocked if I spent more than $60K on materials and equipment, including the motors. I know a guy at one of the big Penta dealerships in MA - he's hooked me up with good deals in the past. With projects like this - the majority of the cost is labor, and at $40/hr including overhead it adds up fast.

I'll definitely do the work up here. I will just have to find some place to do it. There's plenty of vacant industrial space on the other side of town. This is certainly not a backyard builder's project.