New Boat!!! Yes, I must share :)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

It’s been a long time coming, but I finally took the plunge and bought a boat. I settled on a previously owned Four Winns 328 Vista, which is a 35 foot cruiser. In this thread from last year I’d indicated that I was considering Sea Ray, Cruisers Yachts, and Regal. Four Winns wasn’t even on my radar. However, after months of further investigation into these brands, and having surveys done on two different boats, Four Winns quickly rose to the surface.

The boat has the following: fore- and aft-cabin staterooms, 5.7 GSi 280 engines with duoprops, Kohler 5kw generator, stand-up head with shower area, Vacuflush toilet, AC/Heat in cabin, 2-burner cooktop, microwave oven, refrigerator/freezer, camper enclosures, cockpit cover, deck sunpads, fire extinguisher system, trim tabs, hour meters, TV/DVD combo, stereo with CD player, depth sounder, GPS, Radar, VHF radio, two CO detectors, two smoke detectors, ice maker in cockpit, remote spotlight, helm stereo remote, tank level indicators, transom hot/cold shower, Windlass, tons of storage, and 12 person capacity rating.

I appreciate all the advice from the folks in the previous thread. I’ve already taken the USPS safety course and have my certification. My boat is USCG certified and I am in the process of taking the BoatBoy on-the-water Marine Training course.

This has been a long, grueling, and unexpectedly expensive process, but it’s over, thank goodness, and I can finally get out on the water and enjoy the boat for the two months remaining in the season. I just received a call that my new boat name has been affixed to the back of the boat, so if any of you boaters in the South Jersey/Chesapeake Bay area see a boat with the name “Insane Desire” in red and orange lettering on the back stop by and say hello.

Here are links to pictures (pic1, pic2, pic3) of my boat just before being placed in the water for the sea trial.

I’ll be headed to the marina after work tonight. Woo-hoo!

2

Now all you need is the deck covered in girls wearing skimpy bikinis and you’re set.

Oh, and a bar. Got to be refreshed, you know. I’m surprised they didn’t make that clear in the training course. :wink:

3

Heh. I think I’ll have to settle for the skimpily bikini’d girls in my daydreams. As for the wet bar, yep, the boat has one in the entertainment area of the cockpit, directly above the ice maker.

On another fun note I’m also having an iPod adapter installed into the entertainment system.

And to any boaters out there, my boat came with 5 BC only fire extinguishers. I’m replacing them with ABCs per USCG recommendations. So if anyone needs never-used BCs let me know. FYI - they’re white, not red.

4

I was thinkin’ “Four Winns, hey, aren’t those really nice?” And then I opened your pic.

She’s a beauty and I sure hope it isn’t that PB in pic 1 that’ll be pulling her. :slight_smile:

5

I have a canoe…

I feel shame.

Oh, nice boat! Larger than most of the bodies of water around these parts.

6

Congratulations! :slight_smile:

You now have a hole in the water into which you must throw money. At least that’s how my dad described it; he was in the Navy.

7

Heheh…no, I just parked the PB as close to the dock as possible to keep it out of the way of the trailer. The boat looked HUGE when it was on the trailer and I was afraid it’d slide off while the guys were moving it. I didn’t want to lose a boat and a car in a single incident. :slight_smile:

8

If you only knew how right your dad was. :eek:

9

I’m looking at the pics of your boat, and trying to imagine the income it takes to own and maintain it on a sensibly-small fraction of your budget. A lot more than I make, that’s for sure.

What’s the remote spotlight for?

Was the red frame hoist to lift the boat off the delivering truck and on to your trailer?

10

Congratulations! My dad has a 42’ Regal and my family has enjoyed the heck out of it for years. And good decision to buy used; the depreciation on new boats is sickening.

I think you need a third CO detector. You should have one out in the open and one in each cabin.

Egg-crate foam padding cut to size will really improve the beds if you’ll be sleeping aboard.

If your canvas tops get wet, don’t take them off until they’re dry, or put them back on to dry. Otherwise, the canvas may shrink and it will be much harder, maybe impossible, to button the boat up.

Stow extra rope (more than you think you need), plenty of life jackets, a good first aid kit, a good multi-tool or army knife, and a gallon of water for each person who’s usually aboard (e.g.: if you mostly cruise just you and your SO, then two.). Oars are sort of iffy at 38’. You may want them just to have them, but it’s hard to row a vessel that size. Trust me, I’ve been party to the attempt. :slight_smile:

Enjoy, and drive safe. It goes without saying that if you drink and boat Poseidon will skewer you on his triton.

Sunspace, the spot on the front is for travel at night; it functions as a head light.

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I’m jealous. Nothing like gliding along in silence, making your own wind. :cool:

12

The remote spotlight is to be able to view your surroundings while boating at night. The remote is at the helm, while the spotlight is at the bow.

The red frame is called a TravelLift. They’re absolutely humungous (the wheels alone come up to my chest) and are used to move large boats to and from the drop point at the dock. My marina has two TravelLifts; one on wheels (the one in the pics), and one on rails for larger yachts.

As far as trailering, my boat is too large for a personal trailer. At 35 feel long, with a 12 foot beam (width), and 12,000 lbs, the only way to move the boat over land is with a professional trailer designed to move large boats. It took four guys to get the boat out of the blocks and onto the trailer just so they could maneuver it beneath the Travellift. I should have taken a video of the process. It was amazing.

13

Based on my observations over the years, I’m pretty sure they come standard with all powercraft. (Sadly, I’ve always owned canoes, kayaks, and sailboats.) So you might want to find out what the original owners did with the ones that came with your boat.

14

Not that it matters, but I’m not sure the distinction you’re drawing between a “personal” trailer and a "professional " trailer. My dad trailers his boat on the trailer that he bought with it, which hauls up to 15,000 GVW. Well, he doesn’t, but the guys who put the boat in and take it out use Dad’s trailer to do it.

But if you’re not going to be hauling it much, you don’t need a trailer anyway. Generally, the bigger the boat, the less need for a trailer.

15

Thanks, Jodi. Yeah, I almost bought new. Even while going through the process of getting this boat I was still second-guessing myself and wondering if I’d made a mistake going used. Now that it’s all done, however, I’m glad I did. As you said I don’t have to worry about the depreciation hit, which is great, which translated into a great deal for me…not so wonderful for the seller.

You know? That’s a good idea. I have both of mine in the cabin, one in each stateroom area, but having another in the cockpit would give me an additional measure of safety. My current detectors are wired into the boat’s systems, but it couldn’t hurt to get a standalone. Thanks for the tip.

There’s a company I’m dealing with that manufactures inner-spring mattresses for boats. You just give them the make, model and year of your boat and they create a mattress that fits perfectly in your berth, either on top of the current cushions or as replacements. I have their contact information at home if you want it.

Gotcha.

There’s so much rope in the transom locker I know I’m in great shape there. In fact I think I have too much. I counted twelve separate ropes in various colors, widths and lengths, and this is with the boat already docked and using four dock lines. We have ten PFDs currently; four type 1s, four type 2s, and two type 4s, so we have that covered. First aid kit, check, tool kit, check.

LOL. I can’t imagine how oars would help in a boat my size, much less yours. :slight_smile:

Yes it does. :slight_smile:

16

Darn it! No wonder the seller gave me such a good deal on the boat. He held back on the…ahem…amenities. :wink:

17

Congrast. I only have a 17’ kayak here (though mine IS wood and hand made)
If it isn’t too much trouble, some interior pics would be appeciated.

Are those diesels or otto engines? How many gals / hour at standard cruising speed? What is standard cruising speed?

You going to sleep in it tonight? Have a 1st trip planned?

Brian

18

Lessee…just add the outriggers, tuna tubes, bait and live wells, and you’ll be fully outfitted.

:slight_smile:

Rysdad–owner or multiple boats and the source of many marina owners childrens’ tuition.

19

You should be proud. They say that the day you buy your boat is the 2nd happiest day of your life. :slight_smile:

20

I only have a paddle!

(I’m part of a company dragon boat team, and the company gave me a paddle to use…!)