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For kicks, I recently made a list of the various boats I've owned over the
past 12 years or so and a few selective "ratings" of the group. While
making the list, each boat conjured up memories of specific experiences with
each.

Here's the list, by size, and not chronological. All except the first were
operated in salt water (oceans).

---------------------------------------

12' Sears aluminum - with 5.5 hp Johnson
14' Lund aluminum - 20 hp Evinrude
16' Boston Whaler Dauntless CC - 115 hp Mercury
17' Sailfish CC - 70 hp Evinrude
18' Robolo - 130 hp Mercury
20' Regal w/Cuddy - 4 cylinder Mercruiser I/0
20' Scout Sportsfish - 200 hp Yamaha 4 stroke
26' Century Express Cruiser - 350 Mercruiser clone I/0
28' Uniflite "Mega" - twin 318 inboards
36' Grand Banks aft cabin trawler - single, 120 hp Ford Lehman diesel
37' Egg Harbor Sportsyacht - twin 420 hp Cat diesels
52' Navigator Pilothouse - twin 370 hp Volvo diesels.

Most stable small fishing boat?

17' Sailfish. An amazingly stable boat.

Worst boat?

Century. Not that Century built bad boats, but this one should have been
buried years before I bought it.
(Note: this was one of the "original" Centurys ... an '82 ... not one of
the newer Yamaha/Centurys)

Fastest?

Close call between the Boston Whaler Dauntless and the Robolo, with the
Whaler having a slight edge.

Best "hard core" fishing boat?

Eisboch Jr.'s favorite .... the Egg Harbor

Most comfortable for long distance cruising or "hanging"?

Navigator, hands down.

Best all around boat for cruising, hanging, .... all things considered,
including economy of operation"

Grand Banks ... also the most demanding in terms of acquiring boat handling
skills.

Eisboch

On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 05:21:44 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

28' Uniflite "Mega" - twin 318 inboards

I'm surprised you didn't rate this one higher.

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 05:21:44 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

28' Uniflite "Mega" - twin 318 inboards

I'm surprised you didn't rate this one higher.

Great boat, although as you approach 30', I prefer diesels.
This one was an '87 (I think .... or was it an '85? ... can't remember).

Oh .... I forgot some ....

Also had a 29' Phoenix that was (and still is) an outstanding boat in terms
of ride, performance and overall quality. Side by side it looks almost
identical to a similarly sized Bert. A couple still have it in Scituate
and are enjoying it. It was (is) also a great fishing boat.

The others:

Walker Bay 8' with sail kit
Hobie kayak.

Eisboch

On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 08:21:08 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

28' Uniflite "Mega" - twin 318 inboards

I'm surprised you didn't rate this one higher.

Great boat, although as you approach 30', I prefer diesels.
This one was an '87 (I think .... or was it an '85? ... can't remember).

There's something about the lines of this boat that just please me for
some reason - I can't quite put my finger on why I really like them.

Also had a 29' Phoenix that was (and still is) an outstanding boat in terms
of ride, performance and overall quality. Side by side it looks almost
identical to a similarly sized Bert. A couple still have it in Scituate
and are enjoying it. It was (is) also a great fishing boat.

I almost bought one about that size a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, the survey didn't come out well at all - it would have
taken me years to restore it back to decent condition.

I'm still looking around - thinking Topaz again. Also Rampage and I
ran across a Blackwatch the other day.

I hate not having a larger boat. :)

How'd things work out with the Navigator?

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 08:21:08 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

28' Uniflite "Mega" - twin 318 inboards
I'm surprised you didn't rate this one higher.
Great boat, although as you approach 30', I prefer diesels.
This one was an '87 (I think .... or was it an '85? ... can't remember).

There's something about the lines of this boat that just please me for
some reason - I can't quite put my finger on why I really like them.

Also had a 29' Phoenix that was (and still is) an outstanding boat in terms
of ride, performance and overall quality. Side by side it looks almost
identical to a similarly sized Bert. A couple still have it in Scituate
and are enjoying it. It was (is) also a great fishing boat.

I almost bought one about that size a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, the survey didn't come out well at all - it would have
taken me years to restore it back to decent condition.

I'm still looking around - thinking Topaz again. Also Rampage and I
ran across a Blackwatch the other day.

I hate not having a larger boat. :)

How'd things work out with the Navigator?

Perfect boat for a guy like you:

http://www.maritimesales.com/TAM10.htm

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...

I hate not having a larger boat. :)

How'd things work out with the Navigator?

An official, written offer is expected this week or next. I like dealing
with people like them. They were up front and asked for a "verbal" that we
would accept which we gave to the broker. They want it and are going
through the financing and insuring process. The buyer has little or no
boating experience, so the insurance issue is a bit of a sticky-wicket, but
it should work out.

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...

I hate not having a larger boat. :)

How'd things work out with the Navigator?

An official, written offer is expected this week or next. I like dealing
with people like them. They were up front and asked for a "verbal" that we
would accept which we gave to the broker. They want it and are going
through the financing and insuring process. The buyer has little or no
boating experience, so the insurance issue is a bit of a sticky-wicket, but
it should work out.

Eisboch

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.

On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 09:27:20 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
.. .

I hate not having a larger boat. :)

How'd things work out with the Navigator?

An official, written offer is expected this week or next. I like dealing
with people like them. They were up front and asked for a "verbal" that we
would accept which we gave to the broker. They want it and are going
through the financing and insuring process. The buyer has little or no
boating experience, so the insurance issue is a bit of a sticky-wicket, but
it should work out.

WHOO HOO!!

So - what's next on the list of possible purchases?

Bigger GB?

I might suggest the same as Harry - tell them to rent a decent Captain
for instructional purposes and have them make the trip up to
Champlain.

I can recommend a company who has some pretty competant Captains with
large boat experience if you want.

On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 05:21:44 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

Best all around boat for cruising, hanging, .... all things considered,
including economy of operation"

Grand Banks ... also the most demanding in terms of acquiring boat handling
skills.

Twin engines would solve that, with some decrease in economy of
course, offset by increased reliability/redundancy. There's no
question that our 49 would be more economical with a single engine but
for the type of long distance cruising we do, and the ability to
maneuver confidently in close quarters, I'd be very reluctant to give
up the twins.

"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.