Inspecting Our New Sailboat

After closing on the loan, we had an incredibly busy weekend and didn't get a chance to drive down to Riverside, NJ  until Sunday afternoon.  The broker was very specific that we had to physically see the boat before he could release the funds (and start the commissioning process).  So we followed the dealer's directions and fount it in the dock area.  We felt really small in the SUV driving among the boats (our boat, while a nice size, was NOT the largest by any means).

Then we climbed aboard and checked out the view.

Everything was still wrapped up or in boxes from the shipping process, and none of the mast or rigging was in place, so you could only see the basics.

So we opened the companionway and went below to explore.

 Main Salon (wide angle view).

(I'm required to point out that wide angle lenses can add pounds)

Companionway and galley.  The engine sits under the steps.

This is the guest stateroom

Navigation station and electrical panel.

We opened all the storage spaces we could find to see what we had room for...

...including some of the floor hatches.  I think this is the bilge.

The main stateroom...

 We checked out the diesel engine (not that I would know anything about it).

And of course... the most important room...

Looking aft from the main stateroom...

Then we locked it up...

...and climbed down and checked the undersides.

So now we wait.... and wait.  The next step is commissioning it.  The guys at the dealership need to unwrap and unbox it all, build the rig (the mast and wires that hold it up), rig all the lines, set up all the electronics, check out all the systems, paint the bottom with anti-fouling paint, add the lettering, and then do a complete detail job on her.  We're told to expect that we can start sailing in the 2nd half of May (hopefully in time for Memorial Day weekend).

Finally on the way out, we stopped and took two photos of a sister ship (another Catalina 315).  This one is well into it's commissioning process, and gives a better idea how it will look finished (though you can scroll down to see that from the Catalina photos in one of the previous posts).

So driving home, Vicky turns to me and asks "So, are you confident that you can handle this much sailboat"?

The answer is easy... "Hell No"!

Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming... as I was looking at each doohickey on board I was thinking is this something that can sink this thing?  It's a big jump from the Yacht(ette), which had positive flotation (you could fill it with water and it would stay afloat).  Having spent a weekend on board Forewind (a 35' Bristol) for ASA 103 doesn't really cut it.  I'm glad we have Capt. Gary's help during the first few days... and we definitely appreciate the ability to stay close to the dealer for the first few weekends.  But we're also looking forward to getting it home to Keyport and being able to walk a couple of doors down to street to catch a launch out to it and go sailing!

It's going to be a fun summer!

Our Ship Has Come In...

We received word this evening.  Our ship has come in!

It is currently on the hard at the other end of the marina in south jersey... still wrapped up from transport. We are taking some guests to LaGuardia Airport in the morning (and I'm taking some family portraits later tomorrow), so we'll have to wait until Sunday afternoon to go inspect it.

In the meantime, we have 3 photos from the dealer...

To give you a sense of scale, the draft is 4.5 ft (from the bottom of the water line to the bottom of the "wing" keel), so that should put the swim platform at the back right at eyeball height in this photo.

Looking down the companionway into the salon, with the galley at lower left, the 2nd state room door at lower right and the door to the head and main stateroom at top center.

The bow

I'll post some better photos on Sunday night.

We Own A Sailboat!

File this one under "The best laid plans..."

I had arranged to take off from work for our "boat closing", etc. etc., but received a call from the sailing center just after lunch.  It seems our ship can't sail past the traffic on I-95 (maybe we should have purchased a helicopter instead) and is delayed... again.

Since I had arranged to take off, I did and went down and completed the closing.  The boat finance guru will hold the paperwork and the payment to allow time for it to arrive tomorrow and for us to inspect it this weekend.  The saga continues.

So... after a huge down payment and signing our life away for a huger boat mortgage, we now own a sailboat!

Yay!

We just don't know exactly where it is and haven't seen it yet.  We do, however, have a really nice packet of paperwork.

Our Ship is Ready to Ship

We got the word... our ship is ready.  It was originally supposed to start its truck-based journey north on Good Friday morning, but some engine problems with the truck will delay it until next week.  We had asked for photos during the manufacturing process, but signals got crossed so all we received is some photos after it was built.
 
I will trust that the folks at Catalina are better boat builders than photographers.  ;)

Anyway, here it is... hull #30 of the Catalina 315!

Starboard side view

View of the bow

Navigation desk and electrical panel

The galley

Another view of the navigation area

The rear stateroom.

My guess is the rest of the boat (main salon, forward cabin, head, etc.) is filled with boat parts for the shipment.  So, time to enjoy Easter weekend, and practice my patience while whistling the Jeopardy tune...

Two Surprises!

I came home today to find two surprises...

The first was the signed ASA Log Books... we had both passed our Coastal Navigation class with greater than 90% scores!

The second was that Olsen's Boat Works must have been busy today as a good number of the mooring balls were out in the bay.  Summer must be (finally) coming!

You can just barely see it in the photo above, but I think (assuming my geometry and binoculars are working OK) our mooring ball is the red one just below the distant church on the right side of the photo (the 2nd one from the middle right).

About the Catalina 315

So after a bit of searching, we ended up going with the Catalina 315.  This is the modern day successor to the famous Catalina 30 (the most produced yacht in history... something like 6500+ hulls).  It is Catalina's smallest "cruiser" type boat, so it has a wheel rather than a tiller, a sloop rig and seems large enough for us to bring some friends out without being cramped, but still small enough for two newbies to handle.

(Note that all the photos are from Catalina Yacht's sales material - taken from the web.)

The 315 is designed by Gerry Douglas and is one of their "5 series" of ships.  You can read about the design on their website, www.catalinayachts.com if you wish.  It is a sloop rig, meaning it has a mainsail and a genoa (a larger type of jib - which is the front sail).  It has 2 staterooms (actually sleeps 7 but you have to be very cozy with each other), a galley (kitchen), a salon (living room) and a small navigation station.  The outside cockpit can handle 6 to 8 plus the helmsman.  

Ours is set up for sailing and being away from the dock.  We have a mooring ball at the yacht club so this ship will only see "shore power" (regular electricity) on occasional overnight trips where we stay at a marina.  Accordingly, we didn't get the heavy duty electrical items (no TV, Radio, Microwave, or air conditioning).  We did get it outfitted with items to enhance the sailing aspect.  So it has the spinnaker (the colorful balloon type sail - ours will be orange and white), it has marine electronics (navigation, wind instruments, etc.), and an electric anchor windlass.

Photo below is of the cockpit... which doesn't show the 2 stern rail seats (visible in some of the other photos).  Our boat won't have the teak flooring, since we tried to make it as "low maintenance" as possible.

Rear cabin, can be used for guests or extra storage...

Forward cabin has a nice hatch for ventilation...

The salon...

The galley...

And of course it a "head" (sailor speak for toilet).  This is a combination toilet and shower space (there is also a deck shower on the swim platform...

So... "our ship will come in" sometime later this month.  It's going to be a wild spring!