Boat moving in spring, hire captain to train me or for the whole trip?

[Bob Quinn]

Our new to us 53 is in winter storage on Lake Michigan up in Onekama Michigan about an hour south of Traverse city (by car). We will have to wait until all the ice flows are done in the spring to bring her up and around and back down to the Lake St. Clair or Port Huron area (Lower Lake Huron)

The original thought was to hire a captain for the trip. It's about a 4 or 5 day trip the best I can figure.

Another thought is that the boat will probably be in the water, possibly well before all the ice is done moving, but that I am not sure of. Anyways, if there is a couple weeks or a month of the boat being in the water before we can make the move, perhaps I should hire a captain from the area to help me learn how to handle the boat and then make the run ourselves.

Would anyone like to weigh in on this? I am a lifelong boater, can do pretty good with a single screw boat, just nothing over 26' until now.

Thanks in advance!

[Jims43DC]

We went from a 22 foot blow boat to a 43DCFB, I was really apprehensive about running the boat, we have a stern in slip with no option. about 50 foot wide fairway. I hired a Captain for about an hour that watched as I took her out into the lake and back to the slip 3 or 4 times. I then played with the boat all summer 2020 on nice days and midweek low crowds, this past summer I was pretty confident and took a canal trip or two. Everyone learns differently you alone know how your doing. Twin screw is fairly easy. I have run equipment my whole life, and it has always been solo on the job training. I soloed while getting my airplane pilots license after 4 hours of duel, yet I was more scared running the boat, difference being I was 16 starting flying and 65 starting with a bigger boat.
So my .02 cents is if you feel good after local operations with your 53 footer no reason you couldn't handle it.

[madhatter1]

Recommend hiring a captain to run it with you. The education you will get in one trip is worth it. Plus when/if something goes wrong the experienced captain will have knowledge on what it is, how to fix, or how to limp if unfixable.

I ran from Marathon to Fort Myers and then back home with gen not running. Stinking hot and no AC. Wife was not happy. Back home when mechanic went down to look after 5 seconds says try it now. Fired right up. Was a breaker button tripped that had no indicator on it. He pushed it in to check it and that reset it.

[Freeebird]

How much is your insurance deductible and how much will your insurance increase as a new owner if you crash the boat?

At a minimum you should hire someone to get you to your home port while giving you some on the job training. Often times I am requested to spend another day or two with a new owner to get them used to getting in and out of their slip and various other areas they intend to dock.

[Sadey]

Plus he’ll eat leftovers.

[Bob Quinn]

Recommend hiring a captain to run it with you. The education you will get in one trip is worth it. Plus when/if something goes wrong the experienced captain will have knowledge on what it is, how to fix, or how to limp if unfixable.

I ran from Marathon to Fort Myers and then back home with gen not running. Stinking hot and no AC. Wife was not happy. Back home when mechanic went down to look after 5 seconds says try it now. Fired right up. Was a breaker button tripped that had no indicator on it. He pushed it in to check it and that reset it.

Good point, it had crossed my mind that if I had an issue I would be left "in a void of knowledge" without someone along that knows these boats.

[Bob Quinn]

How much is your insurance deductible and how much will your insurance increase as a new owner if you crash the boat?

At a minimum you should hire someone to get you to your home port while giving you some on the job training. Often times I am requested to spend another day or two with a new owner to get them used to getting in and out of their slip and various other areas they intend to dock.

Good point Randy, PM me if you can with what it would cost to have you come up. There are several Captains names I have been given in the area that I'm sure could help, but I'm sure none of them have the experience with the Hatteras's that you do. If I had issues along the way with systems I would be sitting there wondering how to fix things while drifting toward the rocks LOL. Probably not much fun at that point!
Any thoughts on what time of year the ice clears up here?
Thanks,
Bob

[Pascal]

26 to 53, single has to twin screw is a big jump. Get a few hours of basic instruction before the trip and use a captain for the delivery. It’s not just the driving, but the systems, troubleshooting, maintenance etc.

You ll get over the “oh s... this is big” pretty quickly. When I bought my 53 back almost 20 years ago I was moving up from a 37 express. After the first docking I realized the 53 was easier to handle.

The key is realize that you muscle a 53 into a dock like you would a smaller boat... you have to bring it into a position where it can be tied or where you can pass a spring line and use it.

Finally you have the fact that the boat has been sitting all winter and regardless of surveys etc. you need to be able to handle an issue even “just” an engine sucking air or a control cable coming loose or a bilge alarm distracting you.

Not worth taking a chance.

[carolinacoast]

Compare the cost of the captain to your deductible. then add value of 'peace of mind'. If you are still comfortable with your decision, then enjoy the trip and the learning curve.

[Chasemmc]

Capt Randy moved my 56' from Staurt to Chatanooga. I had zero experience in boating. At the end of the trip, with Randy teaching I could safely handle the boat. Still had and have a lot learn, but it's based on a great foundation. Glad I was not 'penny wise & pound foolish'