Maiden Voyage From Hell

[Freebird]

I took possession of my '74 58 Triple Cabin last Tuesday and set out from New Port Richey on a shakedown cruise with a buddy I purchased my 41 Double Cabin from. Things were going great, and we were crusing at 16-17mph at 2,100rpm at around 10PM in what I thought was familiar water offshore of Sarasota. I was watching my GPS and noticed our speed starting to climb to 18.5mph. Yee ha, we're cruisin' now! Then there was the dreaded sound of fiberglass into sand, and everything came to a grinding halt. All the fridge contents ended up on the galley floor, but luckily we only lost a gallon of orange juice and the beer bottles stayed intact.

After using my full vocabulary of curse words, I radioed Sea Tow to tell them we were hard aground. After giving my position, he informed me there were new shoals after last years storms that had caught more than a few folks by surprise. The good news was we were at extreme low tide, so we should be free around 7AM. I checked the bilge and everything appeared okay. So it was a case of hurry up and wait. We were rocking back and forth on the keel, so sleep was not an option. Not that I would have been able to sleep anyway. I watched the depth until we reached the point I could power off. That was around 5AM. I was able to free her up, and we went inside via Big Sarasota Pass and took the ICW to Venice as the sun came up.

We stopped to grab some breakfast, and headed toward our destination of Cabbage Key. Once back outside, I throttled up to 2,100 and was elated not to feel any vibration after the grounding. We were just north of Boca Grande when I heard my starboard engine losing speed. I immediately pulled the throttles back and killed the engine. We were only a few miles from Gasparilla Marina, so I decided to limp in on the port and check things out. Ten minutes later, the port engine stumbled and died. I had been foolish enough to trust a fuel gauge on a new boat, and didn't top off the tanks before setting out. The seller had assured me the tanks were half full, 425 gallons. We were out of fuel. The generator was also dry, so we couldn't drop the dingy via the electric davit.

I radioed Tow Boat US who brought us 20 gallons of fuel which I dumped into the port engine tank. I filled the filters, hit the starter, and she fired right up. I sent the Tow Boat guy on his way with $250 of my favorite dollars and proceeded to head south. Ten minutes later, we were dead in the water. My Racors were full of crap, and I had no more on board (another stupid move on my part). I had Tow Boat return, and they towed me to Gasparilla Marina and left with $300 more of my favorite dollars.

The marina was closed at that point, so we had to wait til morning to buy new filters. While waiting, I checked the starboard engine which showed no oil on the stick, but plenty in the sump. The port was still full. An inspection the next morning revealed a blown oil line which took another day to have made up and replaced.

During this time, my buddy, who is in his 70's, showed me a large gash in his leg which he said had started out as a bug bite of some sort a couple of days earlier. I suggested he go to a doctor the next morning, which he did. He called my cell from the doctor's office and said he had been advised to return home and seek immediate medical attention, possibly hospitalization. He had apparently been bitten by one of Florida's nasty critters, and his leg was about to rot off. They had just installed the new oil line, so I told him to meet me on the fuel dock and we would head back to Tampa for a flight back to Knoxville, TN.

After fueling, I backed off the dock only to find I had no forward gear on my starboard. After making a wide circle back to the dock, I called the service folks who came to check the problem. Their diagnosis: I had burned up the clutches in the Allison tranny by running on one engine and then being towed. Once again, I emptied my arsenal of curse words especially after being told it would take 3-4 weeks to have the work done! That was not an option, so I left out on my port engine while idleing my starboard to prevent any further damage. The starboard engine was smoking heavily at anything above idle, something it had never done before. I wrote this off to having sucked the bottom of the tank dry.

We made it into Venice just as a storm hit, and planned a dinner stop a the Crow's Nest. As we headed in, I tried the starboard shift again, and viola, it worked! There was no dock space to be had, so we headed back outside. After circling back through my own wake, I noticed I was leaving an oil slick that would make any camel jockey proud. I decided to test the transmission by throttling up. I also wanted to leave that oil slick behind! She came up on plane, and the starboard quit smoking. After a few minutes, I stopped the engines and found low oil on the starboard again. At that point, I switched off the bilge pumps, and headed to Marina Jack on the port engine where we spent the night.

The next morning I had a fellow come down and offer his opinion on what was going on with the starboard. He offered several gloomy theories as to what was happening, and suggested I not run the engine until I had it checked. I had free dockage at the seller's dock, so I locked down the starboard shaft and headed toward Pass a Grill to offload my buddy to catch a flight out of Tampa.

I pulled into the first little marina in the inlet and was met by three teen-age employees who had great difficulty in handling a bow line. Once we were tied, my buddy got off the boat. I was just explaining to one of the marina kids from the stern that I need to set a spring line to help me off the dock as I was running on one engine. About that time, the young girl threw off my bow line! I screamed NO!!!!! They all ran and grabbed ahold of the line, but the tide was going out at about 3 knots, and the wind was at 15, so you know who won that battle! I was tied hard and fast at the stern with the engine switched off. All I could do was cringe as the current carried me back into a piling which made toothpicks out of my teak platform! Once again, I used all my curse words and even rembered a few I had forgotten earlier.

After documenting the accident with management and law enforcement, I set out for New Port Richey. Once outside, I noticed I had lost all my 12 volt electronics on the bridge. I knew they were powered by a battery on the bridge that was kept up by a charger. (The old Hatt is still 32v dc) I hadn't been running the genny because of a small coolant leak, and the battery was dead. No big deal, I'll fire the genny and go on my merry way. I throttle back, and drop down into the pilothouse. I hit the switch, nothing. I go down and pop the hatch. Meanwhile, a storm is coming in and I'm sitting sideways in five footers. I see a large gauge black wire all by its lonesome. Then I see an empty terminal wrapped in electrical tape. I insert the wire, hit the starter at the genny, and she fires right up. I'm searching for something to crimp this terminal back on, the boat is rocking and rolling, glass is breaking in the overhead cabinets, (Cincinnati Bengal mugs, no big loss) and I hear a huge crash from the upper salon. I make my way up and find the sationary plate of one of the two sliding glass doors has shattered into a million pieces! Meanwhile, I can't find anything to crimp the terminal with, and I know I can't risk running the generator without it being securely attached to a battery. So I take another 12 volt battery used to operate the vaccuflush heads, and carry it up to the bridge and connect my GPS.

I'm fighting the wheel with only the port engine with quartering seas coming into my port stern. Needless to say, it was a long night. Thankfully, I find my way into the private channel where the seller lives behind Anclote Key, and my maiden voyage comes to an end at about 12:30AM. I get her tied up, connect the shorepower, and head for the shower. I'm all soaped up, and everything goes black. You guessed it, the breaker on shore has tripped, and I don't have the heart to wake the seller to reset it. So I pop the hatches in the forward bunk, and sweat my way to morning.

I got everything on the boat squared away as best I could, and headed back to Tennessee. I had told my wife of my adventures, so she was waiting on me when I got home with a big hug, a cold drink, and a copy of the movie "Captain Ron" for my viewing pleasure. Is it any wonder I love boating so much.

[Passages]

Ummmm...

Please tell me you got the new boat for a really REALLY good price!

[doc g]

Hey, ya know it would have been alot worse if you had been on your "new" Bayliner!!!!...........Pat

[Freebird]

Ummmm...

Please tell me you got the new boat for a really REALLY good price!


As a matter of fact, I did. It's a great boat that has been sitting a lot. To date I have removed approximately 200 yards of electrical tape, 100 feet of wire that was connected to nothing, and removed 1,000 lbs. of unidentifiable crap. My boot stripe now sits a full three inches higher than when I purchased her! I'm looking forward to getting her back into shape. After taking possession, I patted her on the bulkhead and told her I was sorry she had been put into such a state, and that everything would be okay.

[SKYCHENEY]

I'm sorry to hear of your problems, but I'm sure you'll get it all straightened out and then you'll be able to enjoy her. These kinds of things happen when you take your first voyage. They just aren't usually this extensive.

FWIW, if I were you, I'd get rid of all that 12v battery stuff and return the systems to their original design. I have nothing but a 32v system and a few step down transformers. It works great. I know others will disagree, but it's hard to beat the original Hatt engineering.

[Freebird]

Hey, ya know it would have been alot worse if you had been on your "new" Bayliner!!!!...........Pat


Yeah, I suppose you're right. But a Bayliner is just as good as any Hatteras for sitting dead in the water! But all things being equal, I feel much more at ease drifting out to sea in my Hatt!

[jim rosenthal]

This just sounds like a typical day out on the water....am I missing something? :D

Seriously, hope you get all this straightened out and have better days with the boat. The 58TC is a great boat and beautiful too, things will get better. Explain to the boat you are her friend, not like the last owner, and you will do right by her. And, with any luck, she will do right by you.

[Freebird]

I'm sorry to hear of your problems, but I'm sure you'll get it all straightened out and then you'll be able to enjoy her. These kinds of things happen when you take your first voyage. They just aren't usually this extensive.

FWIW, if I were you, I'd get rid of all that 12v battery stuff and return the systems to their original design. I have nothing but a 32v system and a few step down transformers. It works great. I know others will disagree, but it's hard to beat the original Hatt engineering.

This is my first experience with 32v, and I had wondered about the use of step down transformers. I'm not too wild about having all the extra weight and upkeep of separate 12 volt batteries on board. Where can I find the step-down transformers? Also, you may know the answer to this one, I found a positive and negative battery terminal which were taped off behind the helm when I laid it down. It appears there is a factory installed battery tray there. Do you know what this is? Thanks for your response.

[Freebird]

This just sounds like a typical day out on the water....am I missing something? :D

Seriously, hope you get all this straightened out and have better days with the boat. The 58TC is a great boat and beautiful too, things will get better. Explain to the boat you are her friend, not like the last owner, and you will do right by her. And, with any luck, she will do right by you.


Per the reply to a previous thread, I have apologized to my boat for her previous owners who should be set out to sea in a 22 foot pontoon boat in 100 foot depths with a 75 foot ski rope attached to a concrete block anchor!

[SKYCHENEY]

If you don't have them, call Hatteras and get the original wiring diagrams. I doubt there were ever any batteries except in the vented engine room space.

Step down transformers can be had at just about any good marine store. I bought one from Boatfix.com the last time I needed it. Usually the Newmar brand is most prevalent.

[Freebird]

If you don't have them, call Hatteras and get the original wiring diagrams. I doubt there were ever any batteries except in the vented engine room space.

Step down transformers can be had at just about any good marine store. I bought one from Boatfix.com the last time I needed it. Usually the Newmar brand is most prevalent.


Thanks for the info. I do seem to have all the original wiring diagrams, but I didn't have time to go over all of them. I will check into the transformers. Once they are installed, I'll make you or anyone else out there a heck of a deal on a half dozen 12 volt chargers!

[Angela]

Explain to the boat you are her friend, not like the last owner, and you will do right by her. And, with any luck, she will do right by you.

Well put, Jim, and how true that is. I went through sort of a similar period of time (no, I didn't have the story we've just read above!) when I took possession of my 58MY where I kept screaming, "My boat hates me! She hates me!" and Ed kept telling me that she was just testing me to see whether I was worthy of her. And then, out of the blue, she started to come around and now she loves me!

Ang

[Genesis]

Boats are like that and it doesn't help when they're new to you and you're not attuned to how things SHOULD be.

The wise man learns this stuff in close on a new larger (and any Hatt qualifies) boat before heading off into the yonder, preferrably spending a couple of WEEKS aboard before going any significant distance.

If not, well, you will learn these things learn the other way grasshopper..... :D

[Boss Lady]

My hell trip looks like summer vacation compared to this one. Motored a project boat from Georgetown, Great Exuma to North Carolina. Lots of excitement but not compared to this. Good luck, and believe me there will be more excitement along the way. Boat : definition: Break Out Another Thousand.

[Angela]

Boat : definition: Break Out Another Thousand.

While I used to find that definition to be pretty accurate, since "moving up" in size, it's more like: Break Out Another Ten-thousand

Ang

[Freebird]

Boats are like that and it doesn't help when they're new to you and you're not attuned to how things SHOULD be.

The wise man learns this stuff in close on a new larger (and any Hatt qualifies) boat before heading off into the yonder, preferrably spending a couple of WEEKS aboard before going any significant distance.

If not, well, you will learn these things learn the other way grasshopper..... :D


Thanks for the insight oh wise one of the Hatt, but that's weedhopper to you pal! Make that Mr. weedhopper!

[Freebird]

My hell trip looks like summer vacation compared to this one. Motored a project boat from Georgetown, Great Exuma to North Carolina. Lots of excitement but not compared to this. Good luck, and believe me there will be more excitement along the way. Boat : definition: Break Out Another Thousand.


Hey, like they say, ship happens! I'll get her squared away. I've tried to make myself feel better about the expense involved in running myself out of fuel (still can't believe I did that, I'm no rookie, I just got excited to play with my new toy) I would have spent more than that on fuel if I weren't sitting in a marina for two days! How's that for boating logic?

[Genesis]

Heh, I did it on the way home. Not quite as dramatic, but close.

Here's the story....

Bought Gigabite in Ft. Lauderdale and spent about 2 weeks straightening out all the "stuff" noted in the survey. Stuffing boxes needed attention, alarm panels were all screwed up, dozens of smaller items, getting to know where everything is and how it all works, lots of crawling around, bought a full set of charts between Ft. Lauderdale and Home, had two GPSs on board (a working Loran that can read in Lat/Long + a handheld), etc.

After all this I'm pretty confident we're ready to go.

Came out of Ft. Lauderdale headed for Marathon and then up the west coast. Because I'm not familiar with the Hawk Channel I decide we're going to run outside.

New boat to me (Gigabite), so I had no good handle on fuel burn. Figured we'd stop at Marathon if there was any chance of not making Marco Island, otherwise we would fuel there.

Ok, so we go through at Marathon. I send the buddy that I had brought with me as a "boat hand" to pull the fuel lids and tell me what we had (mistake #1 - not checking it myself.) He comes back up the ladder saying "3/4ths in both tanks." We were at idle, fully settled in the water, no slosh issues here.....

Ok, that's cool. We can easily make Marco Island. I'm quite impressed with what the new girl (to me) consumes; indeed, I'm downright giddy with the apparent decent consumption (mistake #2 - believing something is better than it should be!) We go through.

About 50nm out from Marco I note that the house side electrical system's voltage is low - and dropping. Not good. 30nm out I lose the house electrical; we are obviously not charging on that side and the battery is dead. For unknown reasons the AC charger is not working either! Oh, and its about 6:00 and will be dark soon (how much fun is it to run with no lights?!) I figure no problem - we'll be in within an hour and I can figure out what's up overnight and fix it; I've got a good bearing on the inlet and my handheld and compass are fine, plus the paper charts. The pucker factor is getting a bit higher, but still - no real problem.

We're motoring along about 2-3 miles out of the inlet approaching Marco Island, with the inlet clearly visible and the port engine sputters and dies. I immediately back down the starboard engine to 1000 RPM to keep from overloading it, then sent my boat-bud down to look at the fuel gauges - he shouts up "BOTH ON EMPTY!"

Oh oh.

So I decide to make the remaining 2-3 miles to the inlet on the other engine. Once safely inside the inlet, I instruct my buddy to go down to the cockpit and throw the fuel manifolds over to select STARBOARD for both engines. He disappears, and 30 seconds later the STARBOARD engine dies! Of course he threw the valves all right - the WRONG WAY!

Now we've got a real problem. I've got a running generator and ONE good battery bank (generator/engine start starboard), but that generator won't be running for very long! If I kill the starboard battery trying to re-prime I'm totally screwed, given that I have no idea why we have no AC charger output - getting the generator running again may not help me!

I toss the anchor, safely inside Marco Harbor, and TURN OFF the genset.

I then use the parallel relay to get enough power to call TowBoat/US (unlimited towing policy which I've had for many years and not yet needed!) and request fuel. They ask how much - I tell them "as much as you can get in the towboat please; we're in the harbor."

They bring it about 2 hours later; 30 gallons in 5 gallon Jerry Cans. We pour it in the STARBOARD tank. Now, with a secure generator fuel supply, I attempt to re-prime and start the Starboard engine.

No dice. The "fuel out" condition sucked SOMETHING into the starboard side's fuel system - it won't pull fuel. It pulls a very nice vacuum on the system, but no liquid. Damn.

We call the TowBoat people back and tell them we need a tow in as we can't get the starboard engine up and are not about to kill our only good battery and perhaps the parallel relay playing games attempting to parallel-start into a dead bank. They comply - a couple of hours later. Its now about 10:30; they tow us to a local marina where we tie up for the night.

In the AM I find that the starboard positive alternator lead was loose and burned completely through, which is why we had no charge. The AC charger had a fuse fail due to vibration, which is why IT didn't pick up the load. The fuel situation? Best as I can figure my "boat buddy" read the gauge wrong..... I've no other explanation as on 3/4 of both tanks we certainly had enough fuel to make Marathon to Marco Island.....

The fuel restriction was cleared with a vacuum tank and $300 later (I wasn't about to argue with the mechanic who owned the vaccum tank as we did not have one nor a vacuum source!) we were back underway......

[Paul45c]

Gee, you guys gotta be more careful! OK, OK, I'm glad I'm out of range of any thrown tools!

It doesn't have to be your delivery ride home or shakedown to have the trip from hell. We've all been there at one time or another, of course. I had a pretty memorable trip to Key West from Hillsborough Inlet a couple of years ago where I thought it couldn't have gotten much worse. From surprise microsqualls to all kinds of little (and BIG) problems with the boat. After coming home to my familiar dock on day 6, tired, sweaty and rung-out, I almost hung a for-sale sign on the boat right then and there. And that's after I'd really been through the boat for over a year and several trips. In fact, that's even more demoralizing because you feel you've been prudent and checked over just about everything! And it still lays a big turd on you.

But, then you can have 3 nice trips in a row without a single niggly fault and you wonder if life can get any better. That's boating.

All we can really do is deal with probs as soon as we see them, and always travel with good tools and lots of spares of the common items that can ruin your day. Roll the dice and hope mother ocean and mother Hatteras treat us gently. Oh, and enjoy your beer looking at that nice sunset or a fishbox full of dolphin!

[Traveler 45C]

I must be one of those extremely lucky people. Being a novice boater and not even knowing how to start a diesel when I bought Traveler, I made the 80 mile trip from Panama City to Pensacola through the Gulf without incedent. This was my first big trip in any boat.

I guess I didn't really know what I was getting into and I don't know what I would have done if I had problems like that happen.

Just head North, I guess...

I learned a few lessons on this Forum though. I would never attempt that now. I realize how lucky I was. And if I had known then what I know now about Traveler's issues...

[34Hatt]

Well that's a good story and every story can teach us all something. And to think I was pissed because on my last 9 day Vacation my New Fresh water pump died and my 15 hp outboard had a coil take a crap this makes me :D now!

Rregister it sound like you have the right attitude to fix her up, glad she has a GOOD OWNER now, it is sad what some owners do to a good boat.
Best of Luck
Dan

[Freebird]

I must be one of those extremely lucky people. Being a novice boater and not even knowing how to start a diesel when I bought Traveler, I made the 80 mile trip from Panama City to Pensacola through the Gulf without incedent. This was my first big trip in any boat.

I guess I didn't really know what I was getting into and I don't know what I would have done if I had problems like that happen.

Just head North, I guess...

I learned a few lessons on this Forum though. I would never attempt that now. I realize how lucky I was. And if I had known then what I know now about Traveler's issues...

I have always heard that God watches over idiots (not implying you are one). I guess I'm smart enough about boats that God forgot about me! Just kidding, things could have been a lot worse. Can't blame the new boat for running aground or running out of fuel (except for that damn gauge on top of the tank in the bilge which will be replaced with a sending unit and a remote). All in all, I feel pretty lucky, and I think my new boat will be a real joy when I get her back to where she needs to be.

[Freebird]

Well all good story and every story can teach us all something. And to think I was pissed because on my last 9 day Vacation my New Fresh water pump died and my 15 hp outboard had a coil take a crap this makes me :D now!

Rregister it sound like you have the right attitude to fix her up, glad she has a GOOD OWNER now, it is said what some owners do to a good boat.
Best of Luck
Dan

When I saw what the previous owners had done to this boat, I just shook my head in disbelief. Maintenance issues aside, 90% of the beatiful woodwork in this boat has been covered with Wal-Mart wallpaper, white padded vinyl, and the most hideous red velvet trim on the headboard and all wood trim in the master stateroom. I had the opportunity to spend the night aboard her before sea trials the next day. I spent the night peeling back little sections of this crap which revealed the unmolested wood behind. I suppose the bright side to that is the wood had been well protected behind all this covering. The seller didn't know what he had under all that junk until after we consumated our deal. I spent the first day ripping crap out of the boat, filling his garbage cans with "shades of the past". There is still plenty to do yet, but the end result is well worth the effort. Luckily, everything is in good shape topside. I've lined up someone to buff her out, and the bottom is in excellent shape having been painted last year. The seller did have a diver come out and scrape the bottom once a month, and he changed the oil every 100 hours. Outside of that, I can't tell he kept up with anything else. I suppose if you are going to perform one phase of maintenance, oil is the best one to choose.

[Pascal]

so, let me get this straight... you take a new to you old boat that had been sitting around for a while on a shakedown cruise at night, in less than familiar waters and somewhat iffy weather conditions, without being sure of how much fuel you have, with no spare filters ? oh boy... I think your wife was nice comparing you to Capt'n Ron, this is more like Caddyshack ! :-)

had you checked the oil level in your trannies ? if it drops too low, they might get in reverse but not in forward gear. if level is low, it may take a while for pressure to build up resulting in no or delayed forward. I doubt you can burn the clutches if the shaft spins while being towed. a bearing, maybe but the clutch ???

how old were your charts ? in areas affected by recent hurricane, consulting the latest notice to mariners for missing markers and shoaling is a must.

no oil on the stick but plenty in the sump ? If the dipstick is dry, then you dont' have plenty left in the sump... did you check the oil level after your first run to see how much oil it burns? if you're dumping that much oil in the bilge, it must be easy to find the source...

not sure if it's fair to blame the dock hands for misunderstanding yoru instructions, if that's what the documenting of the accident with management and LE was about, it's the skippers duty to control the boat. I think that wiht a little slack, the bow could have been controled by using the stern line as a spring line and placing the dockside engine in reverse or the off side engine in forward. not ideal, but at least you would have controled the bow. most importantly, the first line you pass ashore shoudl ALWAYS be your spring line . ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS even on 2 engines, even in calm conditions. the springline gives you control of the boat, a bow or stern line can only take control away from you. not the dockhands fault if they were given the wrong line first...

you need to clean up the electrical system, converters or 12v batteries each have their pros and cons. I prefer having a 12v battery to run the electronics and whatever can't be run on 32v... I used to have a battery and charger, now upgraded to a large 12v inverter bank with inverter/charger. that powers my electronics, oil change pump, followmetv and shower sumps. simple. i have a small 12v auxiliary panel in the stbd ER and simple wiring to both helms and the other devices.

the maiden trip on my 53 when i bought it was a 70 miles run from miami to islamorada, daytime, good weather, on a boat that had been succesfully sea trialed and surveyed. I had plenty of tools, spare filters and my very first stop was to top of the tanks. I woudl have never run it outside in the ocean on that first trip or at night. It was followed by a number of short trips to get used to the boat and make sure all the systems were in order.

[wshelton]

That has got to be one of the funniest story I've read in some time. All kidding aside welcome to boating.

[Gale Force]

Quite a story. Just curious about your buddy. What bit him and is he OK?

[Freebird]

so, let me get this straight... you take a new to you old boat that had been sitting around for a while on a shakedown cruise at night, in less than familiar waters and somewhat iffy weather conditions, without being sure of how much fuel you have, with no spare filters ? oh boy... I think your wife was nice comparing you to Capt'n Ron, this is more like Caddyshack ! :-)

had you checked the oil level in your trannies ? if it drops too low, they might get in reverse but not in forward gear. if level is low, it may take a while for pressure to build up resulting in no or delayed forward. I doubt you can burn the clutches if the shaft spins while being towed. a bearing, maybe but the clutch ???

how old were your charts ? in areas affected by recent hurricane, consulting the latest notice to mariners for missing markers and shoaling is a must.

no oil on the stick but plenty in the sump ? If the dipstick is dry, then you dont' have plenty left in the sump... did you check the oil level after your first run to see how much oil it burns? if you're dumping that much oil in the bilge, it must be easy to find the source...

not sure if it's fair to blame the dock hands for misunderstanding yoru instructions, if that's what the documenting of the accident with management and LE was about, it's the skippers duty to control the boat. I think that wiht a little slack, the bow could have been controled by using the stern line as a spring line and placing the dockside engine in reverse or the off side engine in forward. not ideal, but at least you would have controled the bow. most importantly, the first line you pass ashore shoudl ALWAYS be your spring line . ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS even on 2 engines, even in calm conditions. the springline gives you control of the boat, a bow or stern line can only take control away from you. not the dockhands fault if they were given the wrong line first...

you need to clean up the electrical system, converters or 12v batteries each have their pros and cons. I prefer having a 12v battery to run the electronics and whatever can't be run on 32v... I used to have a battery and charger, now upgraded to a large 12v inverter bank with inverter/charger. that powers my electronics, oil change pump, followmetv and shower sumps. simple. i have a small 12v auxiliary panel in the stbd ER and simple wiring to both helms and the other devices.

the maiden trip on my 53 when i bought it was a 70 miles run from miami to islamorada, daytime, good weather, on a boat that had been succesfully sea trialed and surveyed. I had plenty of tools, spare filters and my very first stop was to top of the tanks. I woudl have never run it outside in the ocean on that first trip or at night. It was followed by a number of short trips to get used to the boat and make sure all the systems were in order.

Wow, who pissed in your Wheaties! You seem to be a little on the harsh side in passing judgement with no more information than you were given. Could it be that your head is a little too big for your Hatt? Just kidding (sort of). First, to set your mind at ease, we had plenty of daylite when when left and intended to overnight in Sarasota which is where we went aground at around 10PM, barely dark. The weather was not iffy, and was not a factor. The original plan was to top off the tanks at a cut-rate marina on the Anclote River before departing, but they were closed when we headed out around 3:30PM. I was comfortable with the gauge reading based on the seller's assurance of fuel on board to get us to Sarasota. I have spent a lot of time in the Sarasota area, and was comfortable with running at night there. I was relying on my own knowledge of the area along with info from my new Garmin GPS plotter. Unfortunately, these new shoals were not shown. Had the tide not been at its lowest point, we would have never touched bottom. The engines and transmissions had just been serviced, and I checked the levels in both before leaving. As a matter of fact, I found both engines to be overfilled to the tune of one gallon each. I removed this overage which came in handy later. I'm not sure what your definition of "sump" is, but mine is the sealed area of the bilge which keeps any oil leaks from the engines and transmissions out of the area serviced by the bilge pumps. This keeps you from pumping leaked oil into the water. Hence my statement, there was plenty of oil in the sump, but none showing on the stick. As for a "misunderstanding of my instructions" concerning the marina fiasco, no instructions were given to cast off lines. I suppose when this little girl saw my buddy get off the boat, she assumed I was ready to leave and took it upon herself to release the bow line, which since you are obviously such a stickler, was actually attached to the cleat ahead of the center cleat. I was in the rear cockpit of the boat retrieving a line to set up for a spring. In case you forgot, I was operating on only the port engine, and was tied up on the port side headed into the current. The engine wasn't even running at the point she released the line. Were you a teenage dock worker in your younger years? This accident had nothing to do with me giving the dockhand the "wrong" line first. It was the result of improper training for the dockhands, and a case of tying the dock to the boat instead of the boat to the dock. I'm happy for you that your maiden voyage was handled with such forethought and finesse and went so well. Running less than a mile offshore in the Gulf hardly constitutes ocean running in my book. But you and I are obviously not on the same page or even reading from the same book for that matter.

[Freebird]

That has got to be one of the funniest story I've read in some time. All kidding aside welcome to boating.


Thanks for the reply. I'll have to admit, after so many things went wrong, it really did become funny. I laughed out loud when I found that battery terminal wrapped in electrical tape that serviced the generator. It had never been crimped! Oh well, what can I say. It'll all work out in the end, and I'll have a good story for my 3 year old when he starts boating.

[Freebird]

Quite a story. Just curious about your buddy. What bit him and is he OK?

I haven't had a chance to talk to him in a couple of days, but so far he has avoided hospitilization. I'm not sure if anyone has isolated the type of critter that bit him, but he was doing fine on Monday. Thanks for asking.

[SKYCHENEY]

In all the time that I have visited and posted on this forum, I have never seen the participants get "nasty" towards each other. I hope the previous exchange is not a prelude to further degradation.

I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding and I probably shouldn't have even commented, in hindsight.

[Freebird]

In all the time that I have visited and posted on this forum, I have never seen the participants get "nasty" towards each other. I hope the previous exchange is not a prelude to further degradation.

I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding and I probably shouldn't have even commented, in hindsight.

SKYCHENEY,

Sorry if I offended you in any way, but I view this forum as a tool to offer helpful insight to those who share a common love for boating in general, and Hatteras yachts in particular. I couldn't let PASCAL'S snyde remarks go without a response.

[Norm Mayer]

RREGISTER,
While Pascal's remarks should be heeded as he is definitely a guru when it comes to most anything related to boating, I must say, he must have been having a bad day. He is normally one of the most helpful guys on this site and will help anyone with a problem. He is truly a knowledgeable and standup guy. Even your best friend, wife, etc. is entitled to a bad day!

[Freebird]

RREGISTER,
While Pascal's remarks should be heeded as he is definitely a guru when it comes to most anything related to boating, I must say, he must have been having a bad day. He is normally one of the most helpful guys on this site and will help anyone with a problem. He is truly a knowledgeable and standup guy. Even your best friend, wife, etc. is entitled to a bad day!


Hey, everybody's entitled to a bad day. I had mine last week and tried to make the best of it by laughing it off, sharing it with my fellow Hatt owners, and keeping a good attitude. No hard feelings here.

[Pascal]

i'm not having a bad day, and I'm sorry if my reply sounded a bit harsh, the first paragraph, the thing about caddyshack, was meant tongue in cheek ...

i just had the feeling that you were taking this a little lightly, which is fine i guess... if anythign i applaud your honesty about this episode...

[SKYCHENEY]

SKYCHENEY,

Sorry if I offended you in any way, but I view this forum as a tool to offer helpful insight to those who share a common love for boating in general, and Hatteras yachts in particular. I couldn't let PASCAL'S snyde remarks go without a response.

No offence taken here. I just felt like things were getting a little "tense". It was really none of my business. Like I said, I should have just left it alone. I love all of the great discussion here and I know that all of you with experiences like these can help the rest of us learn more about our boats and the situations that we may find ourselves in someday. Thanks.

[Gunsmoke]

After reading this thread, and all the problems you overcame, including man eating flies, I'm wondering how much I REALLY hate golf. Great story, and thanks for sharing. Glad it worked out for you, and I hope your bud's OK.

[ADaily3224]

What an outstanding boating story, you should submit it to your favorite boating magazine. I'll be waiting for chapter II. I'm happy to hear you survived, and with a good sense of humor. Best of luck.

Tony D

[Paul45c]

What an outstanding boating story, you should submit it to your favorite boating magazine. I'll be waiting for chapter II. I'm happy to hear you survived, and with a good sense of humor. Best of luck.

Tony D

If I might be so bold, the perfect "Chapter II" might be what, if anything, you could possibly have done differently that could have resulted in a happier ending. Several of us have gotten excited about the prospect of taking ownership of a great new (for us) Hatt that we can't wait to bring home. Carl, who's REALLY well known in this forum, had quite a time bringing his new prize home years ago. If that's the case, there are sure to be horror stories no one has had the courage to share.

I guess I have to start by saying I copped out by having the boat delivered rom Miami to Hillsborough Inlet for me. BUT, I gave her a loving washdown shortly thereafter!!!

[Freebird]

i'm not having a bad day, and I'm sorry if my reply sounded a bit harsh, the first paragraph, the thing about caddyshack, was meant tongue in cheek ...

i just had the feeling that you were taking this a little lightly, which is fine i guess... if anythign i applaud your honesty about this episode...


Hey Pascal,

I don't want to turn this into a ping-pong match, but I want to take one more shot at you! First, your reference to "Caddyshack" lost me. As best I remember, that movie was about a golf ball eating gopher. I don't remember anything about boats in that movie. What got my goat was your holyer than thou attitude about my maiden voyage, especially your assertion that I was to blame for the marina blunder that cost me a swim platform. You also felt it necessary to question my judgement as to the timing and route of this first trip. Safety is my primary concern whenever I head out. To that end, the first thing I purchased for this boat was an 80lb anchor, 20 feet of chain, and 150 feet of rode to replace the 25lb fluke that I found dangling under the pulpit when I surveyed the boat. Regardless of what happened to the boat, my route would have me less than one mile offshore in no more than 25ft averge depth. Worse case scenario, I drop anchor and holler for help. I freely admitted in my story that trusting a gauge on a new boat and the seller's claim of fuel onboard was a dumb thing to do, as was not having additional filters on board. That was something I had planned to rectify at my first marina stop. Unfortunately, the need arose 30 minutes too early! I'm not much on ego as evidenced by the fact I chose to share this little fiasco with all you good people. Hey, it was dark when I beached my boat, and dark when I got her free, nobody had to know! I could have taken the weenie route and followed the ICW on my first trip out, but that wouldn't have told me what I need to know about this boat. I'll be taking this boat to Tennessee in a couple of weeks which will involve venturing quite a distance offshore. If something is going to screw up, I want it to happen close in. I own a business (www.southernsecuritysafes.com, sorry for that shameless plug) and I work for a living. I don't have two weeks to dilly-dally around on the ICW to see if everything is okay. I had run her hard for four hours straight making laps around Anclote Key when I sea trialed her a couple of days earlier. Other than making the seller a nervous wreck, everything checked out fine. I had spent the morning with his shop-vac drying out the sumps which were full of oil and water. Then I scrubbed them good with bilge cleaner so I could see what I had when the sea trial ended. I had also contacted Dietroit Diesel to get fuel burn figures for the 12-71's. There was a "Boating" test article in the Hatteras archives for a 53ED with 8-92's that I used to make a chart for comparative purposes. Granted this was sort of an apple and orange comparison, but the burn figures were pretty close. I made a chart and recorded speeds in 100rpm increments with my handheld GPS. The boat didn't have one! The lower rpm figures yielded almost identical speeds and fuel burn to those shown on the test article, and the top speed of 21mph was within 3mph of the lighter 53ED. Pretty impressive I thought. Unfortunately, the tabs weren't working, and I couldn't find a happy spot to run between 1700 and 2450, the top end rpm (which is 150 too high, currently adding an inch to the props). I did fix the tabs later and was able to find a comfortable 16-17 mph at 2100, the rpm Detroit told me to cruise with this package. I chose not to have a "professional" survey done on this boat for two reasons. Number one, I'm no novice, and I didn't see any glaring defects in the hull or drivetrain. Second, there was no more negotiation to be had in the price regardless of what a survey revealed. I was into the boat at a price that I would still be ahead of the game even if I had to major both engines and fix a laundry list of little things. The money I was guaranteed to spend on a survey would be better put to use to fix potential problems rather than just to identify them. As I mentioned earlier, this is my first and largest diesel powered boat, but it's not the first or largest diesel boat that I have operated. Having grown up in the Knoxville, TN area, Sea Ray was king. I've owned 10 of them myself, and I was given opportunities to pilot boats that belonged the the CEO of Sea Ray which as you may have guessed were big ole' boats with big ole' engines. Sea Ray kept their factory boats at the same marina where I kept mine, so we got to be pretty good buds. I've owned over 30 boats in my lifetime, and while the majority of my boating has been done on the Tennessee River, I've done my share of boating in Florida. I've lived in Palm Beach Gardens and Venice for about a year, and kept a boat at what was then Gulfwind Marina in Sarasota. Bottom line is, I'll put my boating skills up against anybody's (is that my own horn I hear blowing?). As for me taking all this lightly, safety aside, boating should be taken lightly. It's supposed to be fun, so lighten up dude! In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "that's all I have to say about that"!

[Freebird]

After reading this thread, and all the problems you overcame, including man eating flies, I'm wondering how much I REALLY hate golf. Great story, and thanks for sharing. Glad it worked out for you, and I hope your bud's OK.


Thanks for the reply. Forget golf, stick with boating. My buddy is okay, and I'm looking forward to a less eventful trip back home to Tennessee.

[Freebird]

If I might be so bold, the perfect "Chapter II" might be what, if anything, you could possibly have done differently that could have resulted in a happier ending. Several of us have gotten excited about the prospect of taking ownership of a great new (for us) Hatt that we can't wait to bring home. Carl, who's REALLY well known in this forum, had quite a time bringing his new prize home years ago. If that's the case, there are sure to be horror stories no one has had the courage to share.

I guess I have to start by saying I copped out by having the boat delivered rom Miami to Hillsborough Inlet for me. BUT, I gave her a loving washdown shortly thereafter!!!


What could I have done differently to result in a happier ending? Top off the fuel tanks, send the state of Florida a bill for plowing down that shoal, and dousing my buddy with 5 gallons of Industrial Strength Off before he left Tennessee!

[Freebird]

What an outstanding boating story, you should submit it to your favorite boating magazine. I'll be waiting for chapter II. I'm happy to hear you survived, and with a good sense of humor. Best of luck.

Tony D


Chapter II will follow at the end of my trip back to Tennessee. Hopefully I won't have some red-neck bass molester shoot at me while going up the Tenn-Tom, and things will be a little less eventful on the trip home. Thanks for the reply.

[Pascal]

might be Caddyshack 2... funny scene where R.dangerfield charges in a boat thru a mooring and marina... from your post, I thought you had a sense of humor, maybe I misread it.

I'm glad you tool all the precaution you describe but your first post gave the impression that you took the boat out in iffy conditions with little preparation... agian, sorry if i misread it... first trip ending at night, storm coming, stranded in 5 footers, out of fuel, running flat out on a shoal, loose battery cables, no filters, dead batteries, oil leaks...

one of the good things about such honnest mishap reports is that we can all learn something from them, and discussing them or offering advice, otherwise, what's the point ?

i don't want to get into a play by play discussion, but tings like "I was just explaining to one of the marina kids from the stern that I need to set a spring line to help me off the dock as I was running on one engine. About that time, the young girl threw off my bow line!" really sound like miscomunication... you're mentioning getting off the dock and she untie the line. you even mention not having a spring line set... I dont' know what's wrong with the saying that a spring line is the first line that should be set ?

anyway, I wish you good luck with your trip, hope you've experienced the next 10 years of incident in this shake down cruise.

[Freebird]

might be Caddyshack 2... funny scene where R.dangerfield charges in a boat thru a mooring and marina... from your post, I thought you had a sense of humor, maybe I misread it.

I'm glad you tool all the precaution you describe but your first post gave the impression that you took the boat out in iffy conditions with little preparation... agian, sorry if i misread it... first trip ending at night, storm coming, stranded in 5 footers, out of fuel, running flat out on a shoal, loose battery cables, no filters, dead batteries, oil leaks...

one of the good things about such honnest mishap reports is that we can all learn something from them, and discussing them or offering advice, otherwise, what's the point ?

i don't want to get into a play by play discussion, but tings like "I was just explaining to one of the marina kids from the stern that I need to set a spring line to help me off the dock as I was running on one engine. About that time, the young girl threw off my bow line!" really sound like miscomunication... you're mentioning getting off the dock and she untie the line. you even mention not having a spring line set... I dont' know what's wrong with the saying that a spring line is the first line that should be set ?

anyway, I wish you good luck with your trip, hope you've experienced the next 10 years of incident in this shake down cruise.

Hey,

No hard feelings here. Just to clarify, the girl who untied the bow line was 50 feet away from the other kid I was talking to about a spring line. She was not part of that conversation, and could not possibly have heard us talking. For whatever reason, she took it upon herself to untie the line. Thanks for your reply and the good luck wish. I have a feeling I'll need it!

[Sparky1]

I had never actually taken the time to read Randy's account of his first trip in his 58 footer. Looks like Paul45c summed things up pretty well. Maybe I'll see if I can look at more of his attempts to cause problems for this forum.

[neosin]

It's no fun until you have thrown a rod across your engine room... And never heard it happen... Until you try to restart the engine and .... nothing. YAY i said. Something new. 2 new cool looking hatches on the top of the salon, and about 35k later we was back in action. I don't really get hard times on the water as i normally cruse Galveston bay or the GICW and you know the water can get really bad on the icw, you might even see a wave here or there, hell sometimes you might even get a splash if a tug passes just right. lol My boat is really just a black hole for money... But it's fun and i love it. And cruising the GICW on a 1972 44TC is a ton of fun. http://www.1320u.com/members/neosin/7244tc.asp


This just sounds like a typical day out on the water....am I missing something? :D

Seriously, hope you get all this straightened out and have better days with the boat. The 58TC is a great boat and beautiful too, things will get better. Explain to the boat you are her friend, not like the last owner, and you will do right by her. And, with any luck, she will do right by you.

[Freeebird]

Gosh, I was just sitting here thinking about certain things that have come up over the past day or so like how some members don't post so much any more. Pascal gave me a great idea in the Sand Bar about such things, and I had totally forgotten this one was originally posted in the tech section when there was no Sand Bar.

It's rather nostalgic to look back and see the beginnings of new friendships and new rivals. I didn't have any friends or rivals during this time as I was the new guy and had never participated on an Internet forum at that time. Who would have thought my sharing this little story would have lead to so many great times with new friends simply because I wasn't afraid to poke a little fun at myself. Funny how things work out sometimes huh? :)

[ppat324]

Aw shucks Gome.... ws

[Silverado6x6]

Gosh, I was just sitting here thinking about certain things that have come up over the past day or so like how some members don't post so much any more. Pascal gave me a great idea in the Sand Bar about such things, and I had totally forgotten this one was originally posted in the tech section when there was no Sand Bar.

It's rather nostalgic to look back and see the beginnings of new friendships and new rivals. I didn't have any friends or rivals during this time as I was the new guy and had never participated on an Internet forum at that time. Who would have thought my sharing this little story would have lead to so many great times with new friends simply because I wasn't afraid to poke a little fun at myself. Funny how things work out sometimes huh? :)


You know Sparky I just had a bit of nostalgia myself and thought I should drop back in here and say hello, saw your post and I'm hoping things are looking brighter for you. Haven't sold Freebird yet have you? From what little I see here and it looks dated you found it was just a cracked liner, again here is the best for you.
I browsed a little bit going back a few weeks and man its so weird to hear all those tragic sinkings from overloaded canopies! Did everybody think snow was some sort of alien entity? What they would not do a "shovel ready job"?

Geejus, I live in Alaska and we have boats in places that get 80' (feet) of snow! Gotta be a mass insurance scam I think....

I'm in my off season mode, all I do is watch TV and work on my motorcycles, still can't ride yet until the secondary roads clear up but we are getting there, an unusual early spring seems to be happening up here.

[Freeebird]

Hey Silverado, long time no see. Yeah, it's too bad the first mechanic I had never got around to doing much more than making excuses about having to build an A-frame to lift my starboard as to remove the oil pan when that wasn't even necessary. Back then, it would have been a matter of pulling that one liner and piston and popping back in another one, and I would have been done. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20 and all that good stuff.

[Silverado6x6]

So did you get her running? I have not gone through the forums looking at everyone's little adventures yet.

[Freeebird]

Nope, the last mechanic sang a nice song as well, but he disappeared along with my oil pan and twelve hundred of my favorite dollars. I'll be headed down to Chattanooga next Friday to pick up my TWIC card, and then I'll be filing a suit in small claims court in the next county over where my boat is.

I sure am looking forward to my next, twin engine'd maiden voyage in the old gal, and with any luck at all, that will take place sometime this summer.

[Silverado6x6]

He took the OIL PAN? fer cryin out loud, I know its a 12v71 but what was he thinking, sell it on Ebay?

I gave up years ago trying to find and hire a decent diesel mechanic, I have so many responsibilities where I work with keeping the whole place running and in the last year being the top driver I'm hard pressed to still be the mechanic, but I have too, if anything with the down turn its easier to manage with less trucks on the road. But I have found one thing that seems to work for other people, if you want some hard working people that will finish the job you might as well just bring in a whole family of foreigners.

We have a whole lot of Russians here in Alaska, well technically they are from the Ukraine, but they build homes, they buy our concrete and pay cash every time and when the other contractors lose out and leave town these folks are building a church for their families, I know I delivered the concrete to it and they band together.

If I were to have any of them asking for work I would probably find out they won't let me down.

[bobk]

Randy,

You must have heard of a diesel mechanic that goes by the name Diesel Don. He's not too far from you and very good and reliable. Not cheap, but I'd recommend him if you want to get the boat up and running. PM me if you want contact info.

Bob
Chateau de Mer
lying Marathon (where it doesn't snow)

[Freeebird]

He says he has no intention of keeping the pan, but for whatever reason he can't seem to bring it back. I can't do anything in terms of hiring someone else until he does unless I want to buy another pan. I'll stop by the boat on the way to the courthouse and see if it's there. If not, maybe I should stop by the sheriff's office and report it stolen. Why the hell do these guys take on jobs they won't finish?

One thing's for sure, I'll spread the word about this guy up and down the river. If I have anything to say about it, he won't be pulling his crap on anybody else.

[Freeebird]

Randy,

You must have heard of a diesel mechanic that goes by the name Diesel Don. He's not too far from you and very good and reliable. Not cheap, but I'd recommend him if you want to get the boat up and running. PM me if you want contact info.

Bob
Chateau de Mer
lying Marathon (where it doesn't snow)Bob, thank you very much for the input, but I have spoken to Diesel Don on more than one occasion. I've never heard anything bad about him, but he just doesn't seem to have an interest unless he can clear enough from my job to buy himself a new car.

Seriously, his lead in quote to rebuild a 12V71N was $48K PLUS expenses. We spoke again after that, and he asked me to send him an email. I complied, but he never responded. Sorry, but I just don't do business that way.

[spindrift]

Freebird:

A member of my club (who just turned 70) has been a mechanic forever taking care of lot a members' boats (many of them hatts). Send me a PM and I will put you in touch with him. He works with a younger fellow and may be interested in the rebuild. The cost involved is going to be a function of if you want a total or just a top end rebuild.

FYI a buddy of mine just had a 12-92 rebuilt in Ft. Lauderdale. A complete documented job that cost 34K. This should give you a base line.

Spin

[Freeebird]

Thanks Spin, I'll be in touch.

Seems like this story will never end. My brother and I met with an attorney on Monday after going to the courthouse to get things addressed with my mom's estate. I won't go into details, but it's a huge mess. There is a very good chance that we won't get a penny as all her property was tied up in a judgment we didn't know about. We think there was an insurance policy in effect, but mom had been scammed by some guy and he may well be the beneficiary. I'm meeting with a sheriff's investigator to address this and other issues regarding this "gentleman" having found a copy of a letter she had written to him.

As if that weren't enough, looks like I'll be losing half my assets with the announcement my wife doesn't want to retain her title. I've been on this roller coaster for three years now, but I think this will be the last downhill section. Man, if only I could have seen a few years into the future when I bought this boat. I had plenty of money to do what needed to be done when I bought it, but it was just one disaster after another. With all this new crap, I'm back to square one. I guess I'll just have to get this new mechanic (DD certified) I've run across to check out the bottom end for any signs of corrosion. If there are none, I'll just have him fog it good and reinstall my pan. If there is corrosion, then I'll be out of small claims court and into something more involved. I guess I'd better pop over to the thread about Pascal's engine and concede the race... for now.

Yes, a lot of this is off-topic, but if I can't take my own thread off-topic, I'm just SOL.

[Craig]

If you don't have them, call Hatteras and get the original wiring diagrams. I doubt there were ever any batteries except in the vented engine room space.

Step down transformers can be had at just about any good marine store. I bought one from Boatfix.com the last time I needed it. Usually the Newmar brand is most prevalent.

Are you speaking of converters, to lower voltage from 32 to 12 or 24v? It seems the 32 volt lamps are a problem, or expensive. Has anyone tried using 24v lamps sourced off 3 of the 8 volt batteries? As for electronics, doesn't most of the newer stuff accept 12 to 40 for power input?

I have been playing around with designing a circuit to lower 32v to 12 or 24 volts, a whole lot cheaper than purchasing a converter.

[stormchaser]

Wow...I'm so sorry to hear all this. Losing a parent is tough...combined with a pending divorce...yuck. If there is anything I can do...just say the word. If you are ever in the Annapolis area, lets get together for beers and a boat ride.

[Freeebird]

Thanks stormy, same offer applies if you ever find yourself in the Knoxville, TN area. I'll still let you buy though, and you may have to chip in for fuel. :D

[stormchaser]

My business is down over 50% from peak thanks to this stupid economy...maybe we can find enough in the couches to buy a few gallons. haha! Thankfully I've got full tanks right now...well full minus whatever I burned getting from the fuel dock back to the slip and running her in the slip a few times over the winter. But I'll happily share my keg (have a kegerator onboard where the ice maker used to be).

[Freeebird]

Hell, I'd be happy to be doing 50% of what I was a few years ago. My industry has changed so much in the past 3-4 years that I have to acknowledge my business will never be the same as it once was regardless of what happens to the economy. That's why I have so much free time to spend on these forums. Keeps me from going insane in between customers and phone calls which are few and far between.

I've always been able to roll with the changes and reinvent myself, but I'm not going to be able to do that this time. Not unless I want to move to a higher population area and give it another shot there, but that means leaving the location where I've been for over 27 years. It's a catch 22 for sure.

I sure could use that beer right now. :(

[stormchaser]

Wish you were closer man... I have a 1/4 keg of Sierra Nevada Big Foot Ale (9% alc) ready to help drown sorrows... http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ernaehrung/food-smiley-004.gif

[34Hatt]

Wish you were closer man... I have a 1/4 keg of Sierra Nevada Big Foot Ale (9% alc) ready to help drown sorrows... http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ernaehrung/food-smiley-004.gif

Now there's a Man that knows what to put in a Kegerator :D

Not like the Other guy with Miller Light :(

For some reason I am thirsty and seem to want a Beer ;)

[stormchaser]

Miller Lite?! YUCK! Not even if the keg was free...

[SportFishCruising]

Wish you were closer man... I have a 1/4 keg of Sierra Nevada Big Foot Ale (9% alc) ready to help drown sorrows... http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ernaehrung/food-smiley-004.gif
Only a 1/4 eh... guess I'll stay up here in Canada until you refill it! I have more sorrows than a 1/4 tanks worth.... lol.

[Freeebird]

I'm not a beer snob by any stretch, but Miller Lite, even when free and cold, is something I would pass on... unless it was REALLY hot outside and I was REALLY thirsty. :D

Hey, all of this is Hatteras related. I've just shown what can happen when you buy a big Hatt that needs work, and your whole world goes to heck in a handbasket before you can get it done.

[Traveler 45C]

Hey, all of this is Hatteras related. I've just shown what can happen when you buy a big Hatt that needs work, and your whole world goes to heck in a handbasket before you can get it done.

I certainly can relate to that, can't I my friend?

Hang in there. It gets better.

[Craig]

Hey Randy, I may be in Knoxville this week end, if you going to be there, heck, I'll spring for a couple of beers. That's if you don't mind me drinking coke or pepsi, I rarely drink, and it ain't purty when I do.

Note: I will drink shine if it is the really good stuff. LOL

[Freeebird]

Sounds good Craig. We'll get together and have a Coke and a smile. After that, we'll twist the lid on some shine and teach the world to sing.

[ThirdHatt]

Miller Lite?! YUCK! Not even if the keg was free...


Hey now, when I said that I elected to put Miller Lite in the kegerator for the trip home I never said it was set in stone forever, it's just what I chose at that time. I also plainly stated that I am no beer connoisseur. That ale that you have in your kegerator sounds like it would give you that bloated-full feeling after 2-3 beers. No thank you but I respect your choice, to each his own. Although I don't get into the dark or heavy brews, I do enjoy a few of the flavorful brews produced by a local microbrewery that is owned by an old high school buddy that you possibly may have heard of: Abita Beer. They make a brew called "AndyGator" that is about 6% alcohol yet it's not dark or heavy. YUM!

No matter what your preference is, in my neck of the woods NOBODY turns down a free, cold beer. If you do, like it or not you would be labeled as a beer snob and considered rude. Everyone has their personal favorites, but come on guys free beer is free beer!

I find it funny that many of those who say they hate Miller Lite are drinkers of Budweiser or even worse Coors products. It's like the old Ford vs. Chevy argument. It's stupid because they're both good trucks, just different and the choice is merely a personal preference. Remember, that's the beauty of a kegerator: if you don't like the current brew just get something different next time. No big deal.

Boats and beer just go together. They symbolize relaxation. While everyone has certain boats and beers that they may prefer, IMO it's all good with any cold beer on any boat. Life is GOOD! :)

[34Hatt]

No matter what your preference is, in my neck of the woods NOBODY turns down a free, cold beer. If you do, like it or not you would be labeled as a beer snob and considered rude. Everyone has their personal favorites, but come on guys free beer is free beer!

:)

Well why do you think we meant you :) I said the other guy;)

Well I have passed on beer offer because of the brand!
Yes I am a Beer Snob have said that for many years now.
At the boat show I would love to have a cold beer if they sold any! See how I think.

I just say Thank you very much but I will pass thanks anyway!
Is that still rude?
I feel would you eat something you don't like if someone offered it to you. Many people don't like seafood and will even pass on shrimp I feel the same way about my beer yup true sign of a Beer Snob :D

[ThirdHatt]

Well why do you think we meant you :) I said the other guy;)

Well I have passed on beer offer because of the brand!
Yes I am a Beer Snob have said that for many years now.
At the boat show I would love to have a cold beer if they sold any! See how I think.

I just say Thank you very much but I will pass thanks anyway!
Is that still rude?
I feel would you eat something you don't like if someone offered it to you. Many people don't like seafood and will even pass on shrimp I feel the same way about my beer yup true sign of a Beer Snob :D


Oh, I don't know, maybe because I am the only other guy that's recently talked about a kegerator on board, (at least from what I remember) and I did say that I loaded it up with Miller Lite. Just call it a lucky guess that I knew that I was the "other guy". ;)

Since you admit to being a beer snob, it's okay. That is the first step to recovery, admitting that you have a problem! Just joking of course. Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall that you and your lovely bride were partaking in many Pina Colada's at the last FLIBS so apparently you do take your beer quite seriously. Honestly, I admire you for that and only wish that I had more of a taste (and stomach) for the finer brews. I guess my taste buds have not matured to that point just yet, but I am willing and able to learn.

Actually as politely as you put your response declining the offer, it would not be considered rude. It's just that around here southern hospitality rules and we all like to offer others food and beverages to enjoy. While it may not necessarily be to your liking, sometimes people will accept just to be polite then toss it when nobody's looking!

[stormchaser]

OK, I take that back...you are right...freee beer is ALWAYS good beer, regardless of brand. But if I'm going to pony up my own hard earned cash...it will be of a high quality.
Oh, for SportFishCruising who said a 1/4 keg not being enough...keep in mind that those "full kegs" or more properly called barrels that bars use and most people get for parties are not actually full kegs...those are half-kegs...almost nobody actually uses full kegs anymore...they weigh way too much to move around easily. The typical sizes in the USA are 1/2 barrels between 14 and 16 gallons, 1/4 barrels between 7 and 8 gallons, and 1/6 barrels between 5 and 6 gallons.

[34Hatt]

Since you admit to being a beer snob, it's okay. That is the first step to recovery, admitting that you have a problem! Just joking of course. Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall that you and your lovely bride were partaking in many Pina Colada's at the last FLIBS so apparently you do take your beer quite seriously. Honestly, I admire you for that and only wish that I had more of a taste (and stomach) for the finer brews. I guess my taste buds have not matured to that point just yet, but I am willing and able to learn.




Your right I was drinking them do to what they were serving!
I would go for help but I just haven't found a Beer Snob recovery center yet :D
But Ill keep looking!



NOT....:)

[Freeebird]

Oh well, I see we're not in Kansas any more, but that's OK. Would you guys stop talking about beer on my thread! The least you could do would be to talk about Goose! LOL

[SportFishCruising]

Sorry Randy.... another beer comment. Thanks Stormy for the clarification of keg sizes, I thought your keg was only 1/4 full.... lol ... but 7-8 gallons at 9% sounds like it should take care of the world's sorrows. When can I come onboard to sample?

[Freeebird]

Well, according to the guy who recommend this "mechanic", my oil pan is back home on the boat. Of course he is taking this guy's word for it, so I guess I'll find out tomorrow. Should be a busy day as I'll make a run Chattanooga (Hixon) to pick up my TWIC, go by the boat to see what's what, then go to the Marion county courthouse to file suit against this moron.

I've got a call in to another mechanic and hope he will be able to meet me at the boat to check things out. If not, I'll just have to get him to do it ASAP. Small claims will handle up to $25K, and I don't have to specify an amount at this time. I don't need the extra drama in my life right now, but I'll be damned if I'll let this go without a fight.

Stay tuned.

[stormchaser]

Keep fighting the good fight, but for god's sake...in the mean time, get the work done and get her up and running... :)

[Freeebird]

Keep fighting the good fight, but for god's sake...in the mean time, get the work done and get her up and running... :)
That's the plan Stan, but I may have to just fog everything and put the pan back on given my questionable financial future at this point. Maybe I'll just give it to the wife in a settlement and let her fix it. :)

[stormchaser]

Sell the TC to me for $1.00...split the $1.00 with her...that'll sting her good... hahahahahaha

[administrator]

At the risk of further contributing to the hijack of Randy's thread...

A half keg fit perfectly in the old fridge in my storage room/wine cellar behind the wall of my new bar I just finished in the basement - so I opted for that instead of a kegerator.

[SportFishCruising]

I think we should all meet at Doug's and christen his new bar and discuss Hatteras's!!
(I don't really care what kinda beer he has, it looks like it will be cold enuff).

[stormchaser]

I 2nd the motion. I'm on my 2nd pint of Big Foot and feeling NO pain...so forgive if I "drunk post"...

[34Hatt]

Sweet!!!!!

Nice Job when the party????

[ThirdHatt]

Doug, that is fantastic! All you see from the bar side is the tap, very professional. What a great place to relax at home.

It looks very well stocked. That looks like Margarita mix in the fridge and I see the Crown and GOOSE at the bar. VERY NICE! Perfect for boating discussions.

[Bayside Bert54]

http://i45.tinypic.com/2nc2yoi.jpg

Here's a photo of the Bertram 28 taken during a fuel stop and overnight at Gloucester Mass on the maiden voyage from Hampton Bays NY to Portland ME. Weather the whole way. I had no idea what to expect because the biggest boat I owned before this was ... a Kayak!

Fortunately, I had a childhood friend who sails the world ... literally ... and prepped me on things like "toolkits, spares, liferafts and other emergency equipment ... and on and on" and then made the trip with me!

In the 4-6 foot seas we experienced for 1.5 days of the journey, we took water over the canopy many times and lots of the new navigation equipment, stereo etc. got wet and ruined. I learned how to bypass a wet ethernet hub to hook the radar directly to the MFD ... when I really really needed it. And to NEVER trust the Navionics technician who says ... It'll stay dry in here, don't worry!

Fortunately we had spent a good month getting the boat ready, clearing squawks etc. before departure. Still, we got lucky. It wasn't till a month later that I discovered one of the sea water pumps had not worked during the entire trip (shaft had sheared off probably over a year ago) ... still sufficient flow somehow to keep it from overheating in the mild May temperatures.

I'll never forget the trip!

[Freeebird]

Ummm, excuse me BB, but you're taking my thread off-topic. We're talking beer here, as in Hatteras beer. Maiden voyage Hatteras beer. Don't make me tell you twice.













:D

[Freeebird]

At the risk of further contributing to the hijack of Randy's thread...

A half keg fit perfectly in the old fridge in my storage room/wine cellar behind the wall of my new bar I just finished in the basement - so I opted for that instead of a kegerator.
Nice bar daddy. Thanks for the Goose, that was downright nice of you to stock the bar in anticipation of the Baptism.

[Freeebird]

Just an update on this never-ending saga. Went by the boat last Friday, and the oil pan was there. Despite the "mechanic" using the excuse of wanting to paint it before returning it, it had not been. I continued from there on to the courthouse where I filed a lawsuit in small claims court.

I took some video of the bottom end and can't see any evidence of corrosion, but I did manage to find a Detroit certified mechanic with 30 years experience who is going to the boat next Wednesday to check things out. This guy has tons of experience with 1271's and says he can do the rebuild once his current rebuild jobs are complete. Any of you ever hear of a guy by the name of Terry Hosmer? Seems lots of his experience with DD's was in Florida, but I can't remember the name of the outfit he said later became Florida Detroit Diesel.

Oh yeah, got the TWIC picked up while I was in Chattanooga, so I'm just about ready to submit the paperwork for my license. Maybe there will be a happy ending to this story in the next couple of months or so.

[dwaynec]

It would sure be great to have someone finally get that engine up and running. It makes maneuvering so much better!!!

[Passages]

Another Classic blast from the past.

[Jaxfishgyd]

Ah Randy.... the original devel dog

[Freeebird]

You spelled devil wrong...

OOPS!!!... wrong thread.

[wlharrisjr]

OK, I now feel better about my maiden voyage!

Bill

[Freeebird]

Glad I could help. :D

Hard to believe I have a 10 year anniversary of that trip coming up soon. Maybe I'll load up in the 41 and take a cruise on just the port engine, just for old times sake.

[Freeebird]

Well, this has been an interesting morning where memories are concerned. This thread got bumped based on yet another eventful maiden voyage by a new member, and it got me to thinking about my old friend who made this trip with me. I had lost contact with him but decided to call this morning. His wife answered his cell, and my fears were confirmed when she told me Warren had passed away on December 19, 2013. Strangely enough, that was the day after my divorce was final.

I hate that I lost touch with him and hadn't seen or talked to him since 2007, but life has been hectic these past few years. It was good catching up with Nancy, and she was very surprised to hear from me. She said she had thought of me often over the years and had dreamed about me just last night. We got caught up on the past 9 years or so and relived some times we had shared on the 41. She was glad to hear I still have it, and I'm going to get her out on it this summer. I'm sure it will bring back lots of good memories for both of us.

[capttonyf]

This is the first time I've ever read this thread. That's one hell of a story, wow! My question is this. How did you end up back at the sellers house? The boat was kept somewhere he didn't live, and then as part of the deal he offered you to stay behind his house on the way home? Just wondering, again, great story.

Tony

[Freeebird]

This is the first time I've ever read this thread. That's one hell of a story, wow! My question is this. How did you end up back at the sellers house? The boat was kept somewhere he didn't live, and then as part of the deal he offered you to stay behind his house on the way home? Just wondering, again, great story.

TonyTony, the seller lived in New Port Richey on a canal where he kept the boat behind his house. I wasn't planning on bringing the boat home until Labor Day but wanted to play with it down there some before making the trip. The deal was that the boat would stay there until that time.

He made good on that, but I ended up taking it to Riviera Dunes in Palmetto where the plan was to get it fixed, and then take it home. During that time, a barge hit the lock door at Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River and closed traffic for months. In short, it just wasn't meant for me to bring that Hatt back home!

About a year later, I ran into insurance problems with State Farm and had to run it to Tennessee on one engine. Yet another story and another thread. Like I said, it's been an interesting 10 years on the forum. :D

[jim rosenthal]

The understatement of the century, and it's only 2016. Stay tuned. Never a dull one with the Bird.

[Freeebird]

Well, another opportunity will be coming up week after next when I fly down to Clearwater for a little Gulf crossing cruise with Robby and Brenda who are headed back to Alabama for the summer. Should be a fun trip, but you never know. Stay tuned.

[jim rosenthal]

Their boat must be running very well indeed to invite the Bird along. Look out.

[rsmith]

Oil line??? There are no oil lines on a 12/71n. The only oil line on mine is the one that goes to the pressure gauge and that has a restrictor on it. Did you have remote mounted filters?

[Boatsb]

Oil line??? There are no oil lines on a 12/71n. The only oil line on mine is the one that goes to the pressure gauge and that has a restrictor on it. Did you have remote mounted filters?

I believe he did. I have them too. I'm thinking of changing mine to a spin on kit from cummins for their 8.3 engines. I figure 8.3 vs 8v53 is close enough.

[Freeebird]

Oil line??? There are no oil lines on a 12/71n. The only oil line on mine is the one that goes to the pressure gauge and that has a restrictor on it. Did you have remote mounted filters?The oil line to the pressure gauge is in fact the one that ruptured, and it did not have remote filters. You would think (or at least I would) that such a rupture would do two things... show low oil pressure on the gauge, not let enough oil leak out to cause engine problems. I didn't know about the restrictor, but maybe that was part of the problem.

No doubt it was a freak deal, and I've often wondered where I would be today if not for that freakish trip.

[Boatsb]

The oil line to the pressure gauge is in fact the one that ruptured, and it did not have remote filters. You would think (or at least I would) that such a rupture would do two things... show low oil pressure on the gauge, not let enough oil leak out to cause engine problems. I didn't know about the restrictor, but maybe that was part of the problem.

No doubt it was a freak deal, and I've often wondered where I would be today if not for that freakish trip.

Are you sure the gauge worked?

I blew the pressure gauge line on a Trans and caught it quickly. Lost a half gallon of oil though what a mess.

[Freeebird]

Are you sure the gauge worked?

I blew the pressure gauge line on a Trans and caught it quickly. Lost a half gallon of oil though what a mess.

Of course I'm sure the gauge worked. Both gauges gave identical readings all the time while starting out on zero. I lost several gallons over a few hours running time. Both engines showed full when I left the dock, and I'd have to refer back to this same thread, but total running time would have been less than 10 hours.

Trust me, I was keeping an eye on the temp and pressure gauges the entire time. The PO had always run the boat at hull speed, and it had been setting a lot when I bought it. I guess it was a ticking time bomb that may never have exploded had I run it the same way. I don't think he had ever ran it over 1,300 RPM, and he was having heart problems when I told him we were going to run it for at least an hour at 2,100 as part of the sea trial. That's where I was running it when it started slowing down, but there was no defining moment that lead me to believe I had hurt anything. No changes in readings, no big bangs (or little ones), just the sound of the engines coming out of sync and the later realization I was out of fuel. Seems like just yesterday.

[Boatsb]

Sounds like a leak more than a blowout. Mine literally blew apart at the connector and withing seconds the pressure drop showed on the gauge.

Either way it sucks to wreck an engine.

[Passages]

I only pop into HOF once every few months and I have to admit I smiled to see one of my favorite threads bumped up.

Hey Freebird, Sparky or Freeebird - whatever you call yourself these daze - go to page one and see who made the first reply to your first foray into internet boating forums.

Happy 10 year anniversary you old fuster clucked Bird.

[Freeebird]

I only pop into HOF once every few months and I have to admit I smiled to see one of my favorite threads bumped up.

Hey Freebird, Sparky or Freeebird - whatever you call yourself these daze - go to page one and see who made the first reply to your first foray into internet boating forums.

Happy 10 year anniversary you old fuster clucked Bird.Well, you said you were gonna steal my PC term, but I didn't expect to see it here. :D

Actually, that wasn't my first post on here. Believe it or not, it was a tech question about the Crowell steering on my 41. Whodathunkit?

[Thelog]

With all of the many hours I've spent learning in the archives of this forum, I've never run into this thread. If you don't mind, I have a question. I am new to big boats, and have the Allison transmissions bolted to 8V71TI's. Recently I had a glob of diesel feces get stuck inside the intake to the Racor, which shut down the strbd engine. Since the filter was still clean, I couldn't tell at that time where the restriction was coming from, and limped home on one engine. During that time, I left the strbrd gear in neutral thinking less drag. What should I have done to the strbrd gear? What should be done in general when being towed, etc. And, why?

Thanks.

Vic.

[Freeebird]

You need to lock the shaft to keep it from turning, and it won't matter if it's in neutral or in gear. Reason being there is no oil being pumped to lubricate the clutches when the engine isn't running. You can free wheel it for a short distance, but it's not that difficult to lock down the shaft. I locked mine with a crescent wrench on a bolt at the output coupling, and the wrench locked against a stringer. You have to go slow though.

[Thelog]

Great info. Thanks!

[capttonyf]

Tony, the seller lived in New Port Richey on a canal where he kept the boat behind his house. I wasn't planning on bringing the boat home until Labor Day but wanted to play with it down there some before making the trip. The deal was that the boat would stay there until that time.

He made good on that, but I ended up taking it to Riviera Dunes in Palmetto where the plan was to get it fixed, and then take it home. During that time, a barge hit the lock door at Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River and closed traffic for months. In short, it just wasn't meant for me to bring that Hatt back home!

About a year later, I ran into insurance problems with State Farm and had to run it to Tennessee on one engine. Yet another story and another thread. Like I said, it's been an interesting 10 years on the forum. :D
Gotcha. Thanks for clearing that up.

Tony

[Boatsb]

Bird,

It's about 10 years since you wrecked an engine. That's a feat.


Just remember who was one of the first to trust you on their boat after the dreaded maiden voyage.

I'll drink to your good fortune.

[Freeebird]

Bird,

It's about 10 years since you wrecked an engine. That's a feat.


Just remember who was one of the first to trust you on their boat after the dreaded maiden voyage.

I'll drink to your good fortune.Well, there is that certain 55C that's still sitting in Clearwater, but I take no responsibility for that one as he was pre-screwed before I ever sat foot on the boat. Hopefully I'll be taking that one to Chicago this summer and finally bringing that maiden voyage to an end too. The parallels in that trip were almost uncanny, but at least nobody had to go to the hospital. :D

Maybe this June, when my actual 10 year HOF anniversary comes up, we'll get the gang together and pop the top on that bottle of Goose you gave me for the Gulf crossing from Clearwater to Panama City in the old one winger. It's a pretty small bottle, but it should be good for a fair number of shots, or getting the two of us fairly toasted. Maybe we should pick a spot and have a little HOF rendezvous to mark the occasion.

[Freeebird]

Went back and checked, and my official debut was 6/22/2006. My first post scored a whopping single reply.

http://www.samsmarine.com/forums/showthread.php?3614-Autopilot-For-Crowell-Steering

[Boatsb]

Based on the provisions I adjusted my purchase accordingly. Remember you also has Steve with you.

[rsmith]

The oil line to the pressure gauge is in fact the one that ruptured, and it did not have remote filters. You would think (or at least I would) that such a rupture would do two things... show low oil pressure on the gauge, not let enough oil leak out to cause engine problems. I didn't know about the restrictor, but maybe that was part of the problem.

No doubt it was a freak deal, and I've often wondered where I would be today if not for that freakish trip.

So how did you go from " she was waiting by the door with a drink in her hand and a copy of Capt Ron" to war of the Roses? Nevermind! 10 years of bad luck. I know the deal.Lol at least my Jimmy didn't get crushed by a tree.

[Freeebird]

So how did you go from " she was waiting by the door with a drink in her hand and a copy of Capt Ron" to war of the Roses? Nevermind! 10 years of bad luck. I know the deal.Lol at least my Jimmy didn't get crushed by a tree.

That's another story for another time... and a MUCH larger bottle of Goose! LOL It was one of those deals where you look back and wonder which part was real. Maybe we really should plan a little Bird roast in June. It's been a long time since I've seen a few of you Floriduh guys. Flying into Sanford or FLL is easy enough.

[Boatsb]

That's another story for another time... and a MUCH larger bottle of Goose! LOL It was one of those deals where you look back and wonder which part was real. Maybe we really should plan a little Bird roast in June. It's been a long time since I've seen a few of you Floriduh guys. Flying into Sanford or FLL is easy enough.

I have a spare room or two if you bring the boy. Your always welcome.

[Freeebird]

I have a spare room or two if you bring the boy. Your always welcome.

Thanks, Scott. We may very well be down there for Fathers Day which is June 19. Haven't decided yet if we'll spend it with dad, but we'll come knocking if we do. It's been a long time.

[jim rosenthal]

Are you sure the gauge worked?

I blew the pressure gauge line on a Trans and caught it quickly. Lost a half gallon of oil though what a mess.

This happened to me on my previous boat, a Striker 44. The Bourdon tube in the back of the OP gauge blew out and began filling the bridge console with hot 40wt oil. It was the drive oil pressure gauge so it was at 300 lbs or something like that. Wonderful. Huge mess. Took days to clean up and straighten things out.

[Boatsb]

Thanks, Scott. We may very well be down there for Fathers Day which is June 19. Haven't decided yet if we'll spend it with dad, but we'll come knocking if we do. It's been a long time.

We can get a few other members and have a get together.

[Freeebird]

Bumped just to make Mark feel better. :)

[Boatsb]

Just keep everyone out of the hospital.