Update: Got our new boat! 2005 Cheoy Lee

Agreed, but I do want to point out that the reference to lines / ropes was me simply saying that's where I was alerted to her being of limited experience but not mocking her.

Caltexflanc, you've been here long enough to understand that we have people from all levels of experience and from all area's of the world, some without a command of English and some just learning the ropes (pun intended) where it comes to boating. It's up to us to help bring them along. Some new member do waste our time. They're usually gone pretty fast, probably because they get bored or get their single question answered and don't want to also contribute. Then there are the trolls who come on here to promote their products. They get dealt with harshly and are gone amazingly fast thanks to the Admins. Then there are those who come on to show off that they know it all. Boy do they tend to get put in place fast.

Okey-dokey. Now that we've got the wrinkles worked out, back to the questions at hand. When I was taking my power squadron course one of our instructors was a WWII vet who commanded a destroyer for the RCN. His comment regarding ropes was there were only 3 ropes on a boat. The bell rope, the bucket rope and some obscure rope on the top of a square rigged sailing vessel. The rest were lines, hawsers, cables and a bunch I can't remember. So rope works for me.
As far as a survey and sea trial, you'll probably have to trust your surveyor but be aware of smells, vibrations, squeaks and rattles.

Lili429

I just PM'd you and off the top of my head, I know you could dock at Salty Sams Marina, as I have taken 100'+ in there before while transiting. In terms of Marine Insurance, I would recommend talking to King Street Agency in Charleston. They were my carriers when I was based out of there, and they were fantastic, easy to work with, and very knowledgeable.

Lili429,

Just Pm'd you my guys contact info. He will be able to get you a personalized quote quickly and tailor it to your new investment.

Thanks,
Jordan

Great looking boat! It's a long journey from contract to sleeping on it. Enjoy it!

And by the way, when you are on the boat, you are considered the Admiral!!

Take a look at the city of Ft. Myers Yacht Basin as a place to keep the boat. Also look at Active Captain to look over pretty much all the marinas in that area.

As far as insurance goes, call Tom Hanshaw (941) 360-6777 in Sarasota. He got insurance for a fleet of charter boats I work with from time to time at a very good rate.

And if you looking for a captain, please PM me and I'd be happy to pass along my resume for your consideration.

I happen to agree with Old Phart. She did state that she wouldn't post new thread when she should just continue with an existing one. I also think people here don't want to see her jump in without checking the water first. I've seen people do few cruises, and think they wanted a boat. After a season or less, it gets abandoned at some pier because they didnt know what they were getting into. Some people try to learn navigation and decide its too much for them. Then you get to all the work required to keep it up and going, or money to get the work done, and their plans fall apart. You may misconstrue their help as chasing people off, but it is meant as a reality check. Operating a large boat is a huge responsibility. No one here knows her in person, no one knows how she or her hubby will react when the feces hits the fan. Most old salts will try to make sure they are ready for the worst, so they can sit back and enjoy the good. The thing is, old salts don't sugar coat anything. They tell it straight up like it is, no warning, just like it is when you can't see land and the high water alarm goes off. Or just like when you are cruising along and an engine lets go. Or a trans. Or a propshaft comes loose. What you consider running a newbie off is people trying to make sure they are ready for the worst case scenario.

Here is a situation I saw once. Kid I went to school with, his parents won the lottery. Their idea was, lets buy a boat and hit the Bahamas. Dad worked on a fishing boat in his younger years, he knows what he is doing. Within 5 nm of Galveston, the high water alarm went off. They panicked, damaged the tender launching it, but evacuated the boat. The tender ends up sinking. By that time, it was a couple miles from the boat. The 16 year old I went to school with was the only survivor. They tried to swim back to the boat (it never sank), the mom and the 2 daughters weren't doing very good so the dad sends the son on and goes back for mom and the girls. Never saw them again. Had they not panicked, there wouldn't have been an issue. I am very sure that no one here wants the op or her family to go through that. The warnings may be on the extreme side, but if you are ready for big stuff, the little stuff won't get out of hand.

Good advice Mr. Texan:
The sea is unforgiving and gives no slack to a newbie.
To start with a big boat because you won a price is a bit unusual but can certainly be done with the right talent, the right attitude and the right teacher.

(I had been boating 20 years before I took on a similar size boat, easy does it)

As in many trades and hobbies in life, you only get good at it after having done it for a long time.
A benchmark I have heard many times is 10,000 hours, it applies to carpenters, bus drivers, surgeons, whatever.

In the meantime, be careful and think of the two buckets: One in each hand: one bucket is full and is called luck, the other bucket is empty and is called experience. Sooner or later the luck bucket will be empty and the experience bucket will be full. Don't do too many stupid things in the beginning so both buckets are empty at the same time...

This thread has been merged with an existing thread and edited for continuity.

Welcome to YF Lili. We try to avoid duplicate threads because we get penalized by search engines. Let's get back to talking about your new boat...

Lili, that sure is a beautiful boat! Can you pose some pics of the interior? I'd love to see what the accommodations look like! Maybe a couple you took while on the boat topside too?

Email sent. But you will need to reply to me so I can send you my resume. I can't seem to attach it to an email sent via the forum. Thanks.

I sent you an email and a PM. And so far no replies. Did you get either?