One of the most real and interesting threads related to the process of boat shopping and buying. Thanks for the complete package and great thread.
So happy for you! What a journey. Thanks for sharing Ross. Loved reading your posts! If you can, share more photos, I'd love to see them.
Ross- Thanks for posting. It takes time, which is not always in surplus when you're underway. In June, I purchased a 48 Maritimo lying Marco Island, Florida. Due to work and other obligations, I was planning to pay a delivery captain to get the boat to Morehead City, NC. Thanks to encouragement from a boating pal, I began moving the boat last week with my younger brother and a friend as crew. Made it from Marco to Fort Pierce through the Okeechobee Waterway. Takeaways thus far: If possible, move your boat yourself. You'll learn a lot about the vessel and perhaps see some interesting scenery. For me, it was exposure to a part of Florida I had never seen.
It’s an experience for sure. 900 miles in a boat you know nothing about other than what a broker tells you. I would do it again but I would be a lot more critical of the boat. Good luck with your trip. Probably about the same distance.
I didn’t take many photos. Once I figured out that the PO or broker only loaded South FL maps on the plotter, I had AquaMaps running on my iPad and Navionics on my phone (camera). ‘thanks for the kind words guys. You guys are a great group.
So it’s been a little while since we got home with the boat and I tackled a couple small projects while in the water. We are now hauled for the winter and I was expecting some prop/shaft carnage, but everything looks good. The stbd side that was a little tight in the cutlass seems fine out of the water. Both turn easily and props do not have any visual damage or scuff marks. What I did find was a loose prop on the stbd side. About a 1/16” of play fore and aft and about the same rotationally. I’m going to guess that this could cause a small vibration. So you guys were right about pulling the props in the water. The diver evidently didn’t get the prop seated and tightened properly. I will put a dial indicator on the shafts but they seem to fine. Struts and rudders look fine. I’ll have the yard check the props just because I know I found the bottom a couple times after having them done in FL.
A loose prop may chatter and distort the key ways in the prop and on the shaft, Look these over carefully. If the wheels are off and you may have touched bottom (or other things), I do recommend sending them to the shop for a scan. It would suck if you splashed next spring and still had a vibration. Have the props lapped back on to the shaft by somebody that really knows how to do it.. Oh yes, mic the whole shaft.
While the boat is on the hard and the props are off, you should get the end of shafts magnafluxed to check for cracks since you put some hours on a poorly installed wheel. since loosing a wheel on the Exuma Bank a few years ago, and spending 3 days searching before finding it in 25’ of water… I consider it a must on a new to me boat. Oh and after returning to Miami on one engine, it turned out the other shaft was cracked as well
Thanks guys. I’m fortunate that the yard I’m in for the winter is sort of the go-to for props and shafts in this area. They have a machine shop dedicated to props and shafts, so getting it all checked out properly shouldn’t be difficult.