When is enough, enough

[Pete]

With age creeping up daily on me, and just reading Walter P's comment about hanging up boating at 81, I have a question/poll?

Discounting sudden onset health problems, at what age do members exit the Hatteras ownership experience by choice?

[Bill Allen]

65 and the worse thing I ever did could kick myself in the butt.

[BobWaz]

I am 66 now. Hope to keep it going as long as I can. However, my wife is older than me and has a harder time in helping out in docking, etc. Perhaps the writing is on the wall but just don't want to see it.

[Pete]

BTW, I am coming up quickly on 75. I am in the middle of replacing 5 Lifeline 8D batteries, single handed. Old have been removed and one new is installed to maintain 12 volts, just in case, as I take advantage of all the space available to do other maintenance. I have definitely found that as the muscle decreases, more creative engineering thinking is required.

I also deal with a personality trait called perfectionism. Makes it hard to subcontract work. I have taken a few steps down this road, hiring out boat washing, bottom painting, and exterior detailing.

[Bob Bradley]

To paraphrase my friends in the NRA, "when they pry my cold dead fingers from around the wheel."

[Passages]

It more a matter of your personal fitness than age.

That said, 80 plus or minus seems to be the number where most leave the captaining to others.

[Passages]

BTW, I am coming up quickly on 75. I am in the middle of replacing 5 Lifeline 8D batteries, single handed..

WHAT?

You sir are my hero.

[jim rosenthal]

I've planned for the next owner of Blue Note in my estate planning. I have no intent to sell her, ever. I decided long ago that the idea of watching someone else drive her away was more than I could bear, so I've made my mind up that when my boat and I part company, it will be when I die. Which hopefully will be a long time from now.

[rjwilliams]

BTW, I am coming up quickly on 75. I am in the middle of replacing 5 Lifeline 8D batteries, single handed. Old have been removed and one new is installed to maintain 12 volts, just in case, as I take advantage of all the space available to do other maintenance. I have definitely found that as the muscle decreases, more creative engineering thinking is required.

I also deal with a personality trait called perfectionism. Makes it hard to subcontract work. I have taken a few steps down this road, hiring out boat washing, bottom painting, and exterior detailing.

I have that same boat and in my boats configuration I have to lift the 8 D's over the 8K generator. I am now 76 and found out 12 years ago though creative engineering that a good young deckhand and $50 really worked well.

[Pete]

I have that same boat and in my boats configuration I have to lift the 8 D's over the 8K generator. I am now 76 and found out 12 years ago though creative engineering that a good young deckhand and $50 really worked well.

Next time I will be sure to be on the outlook for a young deckhand that can swap out 5 Lifeline 160 pound batteries from the dock to the boat back deck, down the lazarette ladder through the engine room door, over any obstacles, into battery boxes in an engine room with 4 foot of headroom, single handedly. All while reversing the route for the 5 spent ones.

Meanwhile, the engineered approach worked just fine again, safely.