"Eisboch" wrote in message
Oh .... I forgot some ....

Also had a 29' Phoenix that ...............

You forgot.... FORGOT about a 29' Phoenix???

Day-um!

;-)

Steve P.

"Steve P" wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
Oh .... I forgot some ....

Also had a 29' Phoenix that ...............

You forgot.... FORGOT about a 29' Phoenix???

Day-um!

;-)

Steve P.


The story behind the Phoenix has a bunch of twists and turns.

My father-in-law was a long time boater and had an old '72 Uniflite which he
loved to go flounder fishing in and to check his lobster traps. Over the
years the boat started having multiple problems that he kept band-aiding.
He was an old school mechanic type and despite many attempts by me to
convince him to convert the MoPar 318 engines over to electronic ignition,
he would have no part of new-fangled devices like that. He was perfectly
content to nurse the engines along, constantly seen standing in the engine
compartment with his dwell meter, adjusting or replacing the old fashioned
points and condenser ignition system. Even the voltage regulators were the
old style spring relays that he was constantly messing with. I remember one
day I visited him on his boat and he was proudly describing how he finally
got the port engine to charge again and I happened to notice that the
alternator was glowing red hot.

He was a half way decent shade tree mechanic but a really terrible
electrician. As some of the wiring and connections started to fail, his
band-aid fixes really started to get scary. He was also getting older - mid
70's and was getting more and more forgetful. As time went on, the boat
broke down more often than not and he'd need to be towed in or return on one
engine. Everyone in the family were getting more nervous about him and his
boat. The final straw was one day when I agreed to go out with him to help
haul his traps. He fired up the engines and while he went back in the
cockpit area to release the lines, I noticed smoke rising out of the gauge
console behind the helm. I shut everything down and we spent the next two
hours replacing fried wiring.

Meanwhile, I had just purchased the Navigator from a local dealer. The
dealer had recently taken the Phoenix in as a trade-in and it was in a slip
near my boat. I kept looking at it, noticing how clean and well maintained
it was. It also had just been repowered with twin Mercruiser 350's and the
transmissions had both been rebuilt. I called the dealer one day to ask
about it and he told me where the keys were hidden and told me to take it
out for a test ride. Although it was a rough day, sea state wise, I did and
was immediately impressed.

Long story a bit shorter .... I ended up buying the Phoenix and handed the
keys to my father-in-law as a surprise. Knowing that his boating days were
numbered, I told him that I'd retain the title, register and insure it, but
he could use it and consider it his boat until his boating days were over.
At first he was all excited, but a week later handed the keys back because
the Phoenix did not have a lower station like the Uniflite. Turns out, he
just couldn't give up his old tub and much of his boating enjoyment was
keeping it running. He got the hint though and had the Uniflite re-powered
and professionally upgraded wiring-wise to get the family off his back.

So, my son used the Phoenix for a couple of years until he went into the
Navy. I "sold" it to my brother who enjoyed it for several seasons, often
going out cod fishing 32 miles offshore along side me when I had the Egg
Harbor. He eventually tired of boating and sold it to the current owners
who still use it regularly out of Scituate. It is a very impressive boat
in terms of handling, performance and taking rough seas. Shuda kept it.

Eisboch

"HK" wrote in message
. ..


Here's a suggestion. If they buy it, help them find a reliable licensed
delivery captain who is a decent teacher and urge them to accompany him on
the trip. By the time they get the boat to home port, they'll know how to
handle her.


The broker has suggested exactly that to the potential buyer and is making
the arrangements in the event of a sale.

I thought about it and advised the broker that I would have no interest in
delivering it.

Eisboch

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"Steve P" wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
Oh .... I forgot some ....

Also had a 29' Phoenix that ...............

You forgot.... FORGOT about a 29' Phoenix???

Day-um!

;-)

Steve P.


The story behind the Phoenix has a bunch of twists and turns.


That's a great story. Thanks for sharing.

My father in law, who unfortunately is not doing to well at the moment,
always enjoyed building highly detailed plastic scale models in his
retirement. Military models, automobile models, aircraft, trains,
spacecraft... you name it.

He enjoyed the building process but I don't think he ever finished a single
one. This almost discouraged me from buying them for him as gifts but the
after I thought about it I realized if it's his hobby who am I to tell him
how to enjoy it?

Steve P.