AARON'S ANNOUNCEMENT..... I'VE FOUND 'HER' ! LONG STORY!!
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 7:37 am
well gang, here is the deal. i've been tossing around this decision for nearly a month, and i've finally found.....THE ONE. i could not say anything until i knew my final offer was accepted by the sellers as i did not want to jinx any thing. late yesterday, i made the decision to purchase ..... a 1982 TROJAN F-36 TRI CABIN SPECIAL EDITION. that's right, the guy that loves this design the most is finally going to become a tri cabin owner. my good friend and confidant through out this whole ordeal has been paul foster, a.k.a PROWLERFISH. literally, almost every day for the past few weeks he has been calling for up dates and offering advise. i cannot thank him enough for his time and listening ear as i've bended it for so long. here is how the story unfolds. just prior to the sale of my f-32, my partner phil came across two tri cabins for sale in kent island, md. thinking that i could knock out two things with one trip, i made appointments to see both one warm september afternoon--the 24th. my first visit was to look at a 1985 tri cabin. that was the 'disaster boat' from a previous post. discouraged, i treked the 6 miles to meet up with the other brokerage. the broker and i had a great conversation, she listened to my punch list of what i was looking for, then informed me that the boat in question (a 1982 tri cabin) was not at her marina, but a marina in middle river. she asked if i knew where that was. (middle river that is) thinking that this was too wierd, i said, my marina is in middle river, which one were we talking about? she said, long beach marina. astonished, i said, it is approx 2.5 miles up river from where i am at parkside. i said that i would drop by the marina later that day and phone her if any interest was sparked by looking at her on the outside. i drove home, nervous with anticipation. the fact that this boat was so close was too good to be true. it could not be possible for that as i was sure i kept a look out for tri cabins whenever phil and i went out on a cruise. later that afternoon i road tripped to long beach marina, and there, at the end of the pier, near a 't' head, was a tri cabin, typical of the 1981/82/83 era, off white hull with burgandy accents and burgandy canvas. i looked her over. immediately i heard the 'mermaids siren call'.... guys, i CANNOT describe it, but i knew, some how, she was THE ONE. i called the broker and asked if i could board her. ''permission granted'' she said. i walked the decks. i touched the fiberglass superstructure looking for bubbles and delamination. i tapped the decks and pulled on the railings.... hmm, solid i thought, but she could use a good scrub down. the canvas looked good and the helm windows tight. weather stripping looked intact. i opened the helm station canvas and saw that the bridge seats were in great shape, no mold, no rot, no anything. the helm seat looked new (it has a drop down seat so you can stand in the 'well'). the instrument panel looked okay, could use some updating and there was evidence of paint chipping off the wiper motors... okay, cosmetic and i can deal with that. bridge deck, solid, no soft spots. i opened up the door and went into the cabin..... carpet is deep red, looks better in person than in the pictures.... i sniffed the cabin air.... hmmm.... non smokers, and no stench of mildew or mold or holding tank, interior was clean, no bugs or cobwebs and it looked cared for. opened the engine room hatch..... hmmmm 'new' engines, bilge clean, very clean to be exact, and NEW BUCK ALGONQUIN SEACOCKS. racor filters for the engines and genset on the bulkhead..... the engine compartment is lighted and it smelled clean.... i know, but that's important. starting forward i made my way aft through the entire cabin..... teak accents and the galley looked clean too..... i felt comfortable... REALLY comfortable in the salon and engine room. i sat there for a brief moment, and called kellie....''draw up some paper work and fax it to me. i also want to have phil come down and look her over.'' (even though this would be 'my' baby, it is important to have one's spouse/partner/first mate's comfort level accounted for... right? am i over thinking this? i called phil and in about 20 minutes he came down to the marina. he has seen some really nasty things out there brokerage wise in the last year so he was expecting the absolute worst especially with what i had just gone through that day with a much 'newer' tri cabin. he walked on, walked around the decks and marveled at the deck width (not the most surefooted is he) and the sturdiness of the railings. he entered the cabin and just stood there, not saying a thing. for two solid minutes he just stood there, silent, looking around. immediately he went over to the sofa in the salon and sat down. not saying a thing, just taking the entire scene in. he got up and walked through the entire boat. silent. sat back down on the sofa....''i feel safe on here. i feel comfortable. i like the surroundings and i know maccabee will feel safe too....'' he looked at me and said, ''do you really think it's goofy i feel comfortable on here? we've looked at other boats for over a year and not one has had this kind of impact on me. what about you?" i said that i have a feeling that i've found THE ONE. we closed her up and immediately drove over to my mechanics shop near edwards boat yard. my mechanic, john stump at bluewater marine services was there closing up and i said, "JOHN, i think i've found the one. (i was so excited i could hardly talk) what's your schedule like for a survey/sea trial on the 8th of october?" he looked at his schedule and said it was clear. i told him to reserve that day for a survey/sea trial. he said that if this boat has made me this excited, then he was mildly amused and pleased. after all, i've been looking around for quite some time.
fast forward to last friday, warm, sunny, and calm--perfect weather! we began the survey at 0845. john and john went through every system on that boat. no stone was unturned. about an hour into the survey in the water, the current owners and my broker showed up. the travel lift at the marina was down, but had made alternate plans with edwards boat yard as a just in case. i'm glad i did. at haul out, he found a solid hull with no blisters (trojans rarely have hull blisters). (and yes, that 'pan flute' underwater exhaust is a sight to see) engines were solid but showed signs of lack of use this season (current owners are working on their new maxim, but always kept the tri cabin clean and tidy) sea trial went well, with the current owner at the wheel. he looked at me and smiled and said, ''here, give her a try''. i cannot even begin to describe the thrill i felt when i took the wheel. responsive. solid. sea worthy. very TROJAN. she turned on a dime and cruised comfortably at 16mph. post sea trial john did more inspections on the electrical and decks. he was transparent in everything with the owner hanging on every word. that's the way i wanted it. nothing to hide, and john could ask him questions as to the care etc..... john looked at me and without anyone else around said, ''aaron, you trusted your gut. you thought this was a good boat, and indeed she is. a very good decision on your part. GO FOR IT.'' i asked the owners if they felt comfortable knowing that she would go to a good home, that someone would love her and take care of her and that she will never be neglected. the wife of the owner came over to me, grabbed my hand, and said, ''i know she will be loved. she's been our baby for the last 5 years, and we feel comfortable turning her over to you.''
hopefully, if all goes according to plan, i will close on the deal on the 23rd or 24th.
finally, i will become A TRI CABIN OWNER. i'm so excited guys. hell, dad is just orbital with glee. he's just STOKED to make the trek up from fairfax to look her over. and to you paul. thank you thank you thank you for being there every step of the way. i cannot express how great it was to just talk to you during this entire venture. somehow, in your gut, with all the tri cabin ads i sent you, you too felt good about this one.
in due time she will be named:
E N T E R P R I S E ''hailing frequencies open''
aaron, soon to be a tri cabin owner.
fast forward to last friday, warm, sunny, and calm--perfect weather! we began the survey at 0845. john and john went through every system on that boat. no stone was unturned. about an hour into the survey in the water, the current owners and my broker showed up. the travel lift at the marina was down, but had made alternate plans with edwards boat yard as a just in case. i'm glad i did. at haul out, he found a solid hull with no blisters (trojans rarely have hull blisters). (and yes, that 'pan flute' underwater exhaust is a sight to see) engines were solid but showed signs of lack of use this season (current owners are working on their new maxim, but always kept the tri cabin clean and tidy) sea trial went well, with the current owner at the wheel. he looked at me and smiled and said, ''here, give her a try''. i cannot even begin to describe the thrill i felt when i took the wheel. responsive. solid. sea worthy. very TROJAN. she turned on a dime and cruised comfortably at 16mph. post sea trial john did more inspections on the electrical and decks. he was transparent in everything with the owner hanging on every word. that's the way i wanted it. nothing to hide, and john could ask him questions as to the care etc..... john looked at me and without anyone else around said, ''aaron, you trusted your gut. you thought this was a good boat, and indeed she is. a very good decision on your part. GO FOR IT.'' i asked the owners if they felt comfortable knowing that she would go to a good home, that someone would love her and take care of her and that she will never be neglected. the wife of the owner came over to me, grabbed my hand, and said, ''i know she will be loved. she's been our baby for the last 5 years, and we feel comfortable turning her over to you.''
hopefully, if all goes according to plan, i will close on the deal on the 23rd or 24th.
finally, i will become A TRI CABIN OWNER. i'm so excited guys. hell, dad is just orbital with glee. he's just STOKED to make the trek up from fairfax to look her over. and to you paul. thank you thank you thank you for being there every step of the way. i cannot express how great it was to just talk to you during this entire venture. somehow, in your gut, with all the tri cabin ads i sent you, you too felt good about this one.
in due time she will be named:
E N T E R P R I S E ''hailing frequencies open''
aaron, soon to be a tri cabin owner.
