Captain Roger ... I see that you are putting on a Cape Horn windvane self
steerer.

I am toying with a windvane. I found one on the net .. or in a mag and then
on the net.

It is a Voyager Windvane.. here is the web site connect:
http://www.voyagerwindvanes.com/Voyager/index.aspx

Could you take a look. Post what your opinion is. Or send me a direct
mail.

The reason I am drawn to the Voyager is because I have a tiller.

Thanks,,


I feel bad for S&L. And their boat the FP. I must say I've learned much
reading all the postings. I knew that area of Florida can be tough, but
didn't know the half of it; I guess. If I ever sail there, and I don't
have any plans to, I will set a very defensive course. I'd rather be out in
deep water then stuck on a reef. I don't think there are any reefs in New
England. Am I wrong? Mostly, in Maine, I sail in deep water. Then there
are big rocks. Hit the rock, sink in deep water. Yikes.

I hope the FP gets back on its feet. Time will tell.

The sweat equity is interesting. I plan on my spring refit to start in a
couple of weeks. That is if the weather isn't horrible. Just sanding the
bottom will take two days. At 8 hours a day x $100 per hour = $1600. That
is the rate for that crooked marina they are at.

What Skip ought to do is hire a whole bunch of illegals. The marina will go
nuts. But, once the marina starts telling them they can't work and all;
call up Mr Politician. The marina will be told that the health department
is on its way for a complete look see. Let's face it, we Americans don't
matter anymore. It is the Mexicans who are the important ones.

Someone else here posted that a simple boat but a very seaworthy boat is the
way to go.

The story of the FP confirms that thinking.

How did they end up on the reef in the first place? Didn't they know they
were in shallow water?

The whole matter is one big confusion to me.


==================================

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I wouldn't want anyone thinking of buying a boat to read some of the posts
about the FP saga and get the idea that there actually is any such thing as
equity in a used boat. Maybe in the very narrow sense of being the amount
of principle paid down on a purchase loan but not in any way that you can
count on.

Sweat equity in particular evaporates just about as fast as its namesake.
These are simply the harsh facts of the boating life. The people advising
S&L to give up on the FP because of equity just don't have their eye on
the ball.

If I counted the hours I've spent on my boat at yard rates, I have about
fifty grand in a boat that was about half that out of pocket. I would be
lucky to get 18 K for her in this market. We'll be spending about four
thousand this spring to put a Cape Horn windvane and autopilot in her.
After that she'll be worth about eighteen five. It's grim. Raising kids is
pretty grim too, if you look at it that way. It isn't about the money.

FP is probably a quarter million dollar boat if S&L were to count their
sweat equity. If they had made it into Marathon and decided this wasn't
the life for them, they wouldn't have gotten that back. Most of this
effort went into making the FP just the way they wanted her. 95% of that
stuff is still there.

Except for a KISS generator and some other replaceable equipment items,
some sails and rigging (basically consumable items on a sailboat), the
only thing that she won't have after some topside cosmetic work is factory
original tabbing and rudder. That will diminish her value someday but
won't be a concern to S&L until they are ready for assisted living. That
lost value is the only thing, along with some innocence and self
confidence, that they left out on Content Keys.

There is that big salvage bill. That's what insurance is for.

Now, if this had happened on the delivery trip just after they bought the
boat, sure, it might be time to bail. The pay out for the totaled boat
would be close to the purchase price and they wouldn't have the
unrecoverable sweat equity in her yet. Just start over with another boat.

It would also be a different story if they were not capable of doing any
of the work themselves. In that case, they wouldn't be cut out for this
life anyway.

They signed up for adventure; not a beach condo. That's what adventure is,
the unexpected. A few more months of fiberglass work won't be much in the
grand scheme of things after they have twenty or thirty thousand miles
behind them.

--
Roger Long