It's Back!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.

I was just at McDonald's yesterday (no I don't go everyday... rarely in fact). But when I ordered a milkshake yesterday they told me their milkshake machine was broken. So my milkshake desire not slaked (I love that word) I drove back through today and this is what I saw:

If you don't know about my addiction to love for obssession with the McRib, it's pretty serious. I've written about it before. Apparently I'm not alone.

I forgot all about the milkshake.

Today's Trawler

46' 1986 PT Sundeck Trawler
(Source: yachtworld.com)

I was looking at this 46-footer today trying to see the major differences (besides overall length) between this and a 50-footer.

It seems like you might get a lot for those four feet, but I guess it also depends on the layout of the boat.

The Bella Blue is a nice looking trawler but the salon seems a little small. Probably because it has an aft deck (which is something Coll said she wants). The master stateroom also seems a little on the small side, but it might be because there are three staterooms (an aft master and foreword and starboard guest staterooms). I've seen some of the larger trawlers with three staterooms and three heads. This one only has two heads, but two heads are better than one. ;) (I couldn't resist... but somehow using it in this sense makes more sense than the typical usage.)

The galley looks decent especially considering the size of the salon. At least it has a larger fridge and not one of those dorm-sized deals.

Specs
Builder: PT
Designer: John Norek

Dimensions
LOA: 46 ft 4 in
Beam: 15 ft 9 in
Maximum Draft: 3 ft 8 in

Engines
Engine Brand: Ford Leman
Engine Model: Turbo
Cruising Speed: 18 mph
Maximum Speed: 23 mph
Engine Hours: 1344

Dimensions
Displacement: 25,000

Engines
Total Power: 270

Tanks
Fuel: 600
Fresh Water: 200
Holding: 40

The Bella Blue is currently located In League City, Texas, and is selling for $126,900.

Today's Trawler

50' Custom Steel Pilothouse Trawler
(Source: yachtworld.com)

I came across this unusual custom trawler today. It looks quite different than most of the trawler's that I've been looking at (at which I've been looking?). It looks vaguely military and it's definitely not a vessel I'd put on my list, but it seems to have a pretty spacious interior.

I can't tell if the cutout designs along the boatdeck on top are supposed to be sharks, orcas or dolphins. They're very shark looking. The motif is carried throughout the interior woodwork, too. There's some nice tile work in the galley and there are three staterooms and three heads.

Very different. But I guess there are as many types of boats as there are boaters.

Specs
Builder: Custom
Designer: Bruce Roberts Hull Plans

Dimensions
LOA: 50 ft 0 in
Beam: 15 ft 4 in
LWL: 41 ft 8 in
Maximum Draft: 4 ft 6 in

Engines
Engine Brand: Mitsubishi
Engine Model: CM6-55TI
Engine Hours: 460

Dimensions
Ballast: 1,400
Displacement: est. 60,000

Engines
Total Power: 200

Tanks
Fuel: approx. 600
Fresh Water: approx. 310
Holding: yes

This 2001 vessel is selling now for $119,750.

I Lit Up Her Life

Colleen went out of town for the weekend, so it gave me a chance to tackle a project I've had on the back burner (no pun intended...pun to be explained upon further reading).

We have one of the tiniest kitchens in the world (seriously I've seen news articles on tiny European apartments with larger kitchens), which might lead one to believe that it would be easy to illuminate. But you'd be wrong. There is plent of really harsh light right above the sink (see below) but the cabinets block the light from the stovetop where it is needed more. I bought a small battery powered light a few years ago that mounted under the cabinet, but it really didn't work very well.

Several weeks ago I picked up a couple of small fluorescent lights to mount beneath the cabinets I just hadn't had a chance to mount them since buying them. Wiring them was pretty easy, I just tapped into the receptacles on each side of the sink, wired up the lights and mounted them beneath the cabinets. I am so pleased with the results!

There is plenty of light now for cooking. And I like that the light is not right in your face. This will definitely be my new favorite morning light.

This is what it now looks like with the over sink and the under cabinet lights on. Pretty cool, huh? Colleen doesn't know I mounted them. She'll get home tomorrow while I'm at school. I hope she likes them.

Today's Trawler

1972 50' Grand Banks Trawler

(Source: yachtworld.com)

I came across this gorgeous boat searching yachtworld.com today. She looks to have lots of livable space with a decent galley and full-size refrigerator.

The listing says she surveyed in "above average condition" two years ago. The photos look like this two-owner boat was very well maintained. She has a wooden hull (that's something else I need to study on--which hull is the best, wood, steel, fiberglass).

The master stateroom looks very roomy and the master head has a tub. There are two more staterooms and two additional heads aboard.

Specs
Builder: Grand Banks
Designer: American Marine

Dimensions
LOA: 50'
Beam: 15'5"
Maximum Draft: 5'6" (a little deeper than I'd like)
Displacement: 60,000

Engines
Engine Brand: Caterpillar
Engine(s) HP: 210
Engine Model: 3160
Cruising Speed: 8
Maximum Speed: 10
Engine Hours: 2111

Tanks
Fresh Water Tanks: 600
Fuel Tanks: 1200
Holding Tanks: 140

The topper? She's named Beaufort. Beaufort, N.C. (pronounced Bo-fert), is one Colleen's favorite coastal towns, as opposed to Beaufort, S.C. (pronounced Byou-fert), to which I don't think either one of us has ever been.

She's selling now for $129,000.

Ready to set sail

M-V Wild Blue a Selene 53 Ocean Trawler in Icy Strait, SE Alaska, June 2008
(Source:mvwildblue.blogspot.com)

"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to
gather wood, divide the work and give orders.
Instead, teach them to yearn for
the vast and endless sea."
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I've been yearning lately. Ever since Coll brought up how much she would like to retire and live on a houseboat. Not a houseboat like Tom Hank's character in "Sleepless in Seattle." More like a renovated shrimp trawler, or a custom-built liveaboard trawler, like the Wild Blue pictured above. And not that we're anywhere close to retiring. But it is a dream to work toward.

I've been looking at lots of boats, and there appear to be lots of boats out there. I'm not sure if it's always like this or it's just a symptom of this economy, but there seem to be a lot of great boats available at reasonable prices.

I'm thinking we'll need a vessel between 45 and 50 feet LOA (length overall) to live aboard comfortably. It should also have a beam (width) between 14 and 16 feet--to fit into most berths--and somewhere around 4 feet of draft (depth of the keel below the water's surface). It should have at least two staterooms so we can accommodate periodic guests. I'm still studying on engines (gas vs. diesel, one vs. two). I think I'd like it to have a flying bridge, but I'm not sure if it will make the boat too tall to travel certain places. Above all the vessel must be seaworthy and capable of not only sailing along the coast but cruising to the Caribbean--I so want to cruise to Puerto Rico.

I'm already making travel plans for this future boat. We knew we want to cruise the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway along the East Coast, but did you know there's also a Gulf Intracoastal Waterway? There is also The Great Loop (or Great Circle Route) that incorporates the Atlantic and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways along with a cruise through the Great Lakes and journey through the country's interior down the down the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Rivers and the Tennessee-Tombigbee (Tenn-Tom) Waterway to Mobile, Ala.

I can't wait to take this journey. Who knows when that will begin or what the vessel will look like, but we do know what we'll name the boat:

The Caliente Colleen

Anchors Aweigh!!