boats i have known

Sunday, June 22, Red Wing, 10:30

It is gonna be a hot one today!  Even more windy than yesterday, so another day to hunker down in the air conditioning.  I know I have mentioned a few times how difficult it is to dock a boat.  For all my boat owner brothers and sisters, can I get an “amen!”  For those of you who have not docked a boat, here are some of the complicating issues:

The first issue is that with a car, you turn the steering wheel and the front tires turn for you.  You follow the tires essentially, to where you are going.  With a boat, the steering wheel turns the prop or the rudder and the boat pushes you to where you are going.  This makes a big difference in how the boat handles.  Another issue is that for a car, wind doesn’t really affect parking, but for a boat the wind definitely has an impact.  The taller the boat, the more the wind will affect the docking of the boat. 

This just happened. At least when I crash my boat it isn't a "mega." Matty, I assume this is your fault...

Boats aren’t cheap, so banging them into docks, other boats, the shoreline has an inherent risk to it.  Also, the cost of repairs is pretty high.  Willie Nelson high.  Boat stands for “Bring On Another Thousand,” or they are a hole in the water you throw money into.  

This got me thinking about the boats we have owned previously.  Our last boat, the HalfBass, was a 20-foot deck boat with a 90-horse outboard motor.  We put it in Houser Lake in May and pulled it out in September.  A fun, economical and reliable boat. 

Trying to find a picture of the HalfBass, but it is usually a bunch of people in the water.

My neighbor John brought it last year when we were looking at this one.  (That's John on the right side of the picture.) (He looks grumpy, but that's how you know he's happy.) The HalfBass was pretty straightforward to operate and dock, and many are the times we pulled into the dock after a few beers with no problem.  Also, my slip was right next to another neighbor, Ben.  We both admitted to bouncing off of each other’s boat from time to time when docking (thanks, Starburst!!).  Helps to get lined up properly, just like putting.

The HalfBass was roomy with plenty of room to lay down. Or lie down. Whatever.

Before the HalfBass we had the USS PBR, a 30-foot cruiser.  With the USS PBR, Julie and I used to put it in on Houser Lake on Friday afternoon, and we’d spend all weekend on the lake and pull it out on Sunday afternoon.  Before the USS PBR we had horses – it must be important to have expensive hobbies, I guess.

The USS PBR with Vi, Julie and BaconBits. I'm driving.

The first boat we owned was an 18-foot Cobia runabout.  I taught both kids how to waterski, we tubed all the time, it was a fun little boat.  We lived on base at MCAS Cherry Point, and all summer long we’d put it in at a little boat ramp on Tucker Creek, about 3 miles from the house.  One day I went to get the boat while Julie and the kids packed lunch and got all the boat gear ready.

Julie, Deb and Biscuit. Just chillin', yo.

I pulled up and we got everything loaded, went to the boat ramp, put the boat in, and headed off to the Neuse River.  We did some tubing, Jed and Christie and sometimes Catfish, our dog, would all take turns.  We took a break for lunch, turned off the motor, broke out the sammiches and suddenly, Christie’s cat, Hush Puppy, crawled out from somewhere!  She must have climbed into the boat when we were getting loaded up at the house, and then found a spot to hide while we were moving.  She was NOT HAPPY.

Christie and Catfish were happy to see her, though. We went back to the dock more slowly than normal and managed to get Hush Puppy into the truck without another escape attempt.  I remember Jed went to a youth group outing once by the Outer Banks, and he was the only kid who was able to waterski.  I would gladly post a picture of the Cobia, but that happened before cell phone cameras and I don't have anything accessible to me. I'm vintage.

Blessings to all ya’ll!