1964,Always freshwater, inside storage.Entire boat painted by professional. Refinished Mahogany.New interior and exterior cushions. Yamaha 8 HP with low hours. Perfect day cruiser/overnighter/racer, huge cockpit. 2 spinnakers, Jib, 2 Genoas,2 Mains, Storm Jib. depthmeter, Compass, head. Cradle on trailer. Beautiful boat. Must sell, another child on the way.
Owner accepted my offer on this boat - pending a survey. Considering the mess that the Ohio Commander was in, the survey is a necessary $$ evil. While looking for a good surveyor, by accident/serendipity I talked with the previous owner who is the service manager for a marina in Sister Bay. Also spoke with the Vice Commader of the local sailing club - everyone seems to know the boat and they speak well of it and the work the current owner has done.
Will keep you posted.
Kyle
(I guess I would have to change my screen name )
Last edited by commandertobe; 04-09-2007 at 10:34 AM.
Yeah, that trailer doesn't look like Tony G's, does it? It does have two axles. I initially thought it was one, but the second is hiding in the weeds. Surveyor is assessing the trailer as well. I have ready access to a steel fabricator, so it just has to make the trip once and I can upgrade or scavenge.
Green Bay to Grand Haven is a good 400 miles by road or, more invitingly, sailing up Green Bay, slipping through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal through the Door County peninsula, and a long southeasterly traverse of Lake Michigan, is a nice little 179 mile shakedown cruise. The winds are predictably favorable (the direction anyway) for the trip, but the less predictable seas could be more than I've experienced. I am a pretty handy small craft sailor, but that is a trip I would need assistance sailing safely. I'll troll for any takers provided this sale moves forward.
Crossing my fingers,
Kyle
Last edited by commandertobe; 04-10-2007 at 12:37 PM.
Survey was good: "You could eat out of the bilge... professional work... he clearly respected this boat... surprisingly good condition... nice job on the varnish work... slight moisture elevation at one chainplate... 91 yamaha runs like a top..." Two problems are old sails and he valued the trailer as scrap metal. Neither will inhibit this sale - I figure nothing's perfect with a 43 year old boat (nothing's quite perfect on my 43 year old bones either.) Sounds like I'll be sailing her home rather than driving. I will finalize things today and reintroduce her to you ASAP!
Several years ago, I sailed with a friend's family out of Northport, NY on their beautiful Ensign and soon after discovered the Commander - I was hooked.
I've sailed since I was a teenager and I have owned small boats in the past, (I have an MC Scow listed on TrailerSailer.com) but this is my first "real" boat and I'm thrilled. I have been a boatless lurker here for a long time (commandertobe) and I appreciate the knowledge I've absorbed learning about your boats. I bought a manual a year or so ago... After it arrived, my wife Amy "Uh, why are you reading the manual for a boat you don't own?"
The surveyor used words like “immaculate” and “lovely,” & “you could eat out of the bilge” and said that the owner “clearly respected her history in the work he did on her.” These are not phrases I expected from the righteously ornery old salt who surveyed her, but he was clearly impressed.
Our options were pulling her trailer for 400 miles from Green Bay through Chicago and around the lake to Grand Haven, sailing her for the first time across springtime Lake Michigan for 179 miles… which of course could be smooth or YIKES, or at the sellers great suggestion, using the SS Badger (http://www.ssbadger.com/content.aspx?Page=Video – try not to dance when you hear the rockin’ theme song) to ferry her across and tow her a short distance to her new home and set-up here. The last one wins. Though it might rouse hisses from the peanut gallery, the sailing option – though enticing – was a daunting shakedown.
The first weekend the Badger sails is 5/12, so we are coordinating the sale on that weekend.
She'll reside 15 minutes from home at Torresen Marine on Muskegon Lake - a nice option to home in Spring Lake, MI. Muskegon Lake offers a large inland lake to sail if the big lake is too rough.
She will be rechristened (with all appropriate diligence to appease the Gods) “Lucky Dawg”
Speaking of, any ideas on how to cleanse her of any bad luck related to her green paint job? Maybe I can create my own apologetic ritual. I might need to know the thinking behind the bad luck of a green boat to take the right steps.
Pictures below are from the ad, many more to follow. Hurry up 5/12!
Kyle, my envelope with the money order was returned a couple weeks ago. It was stamped non existent address. Can you send me a good address so I can reimburse you . sorry for the delay, very busy. Oh I saw your post about your sink drain ,scary! That's something I'm worried about also.
Hey Kyle, thanks for the pix on your beauty. What part of Georgia are you from? We have a 1966 Ariel on a small lake just outside of Birmingham Alabama. When we moved from the coast of Ala, the boat had to come with us. We miss the big water of Mobile Bay, but at least we have her close. She was missused for many years so we are trying to get her back in shape.
Thanks again for you pix.
mike
Hey Mike. How about some more pictures of Red Pepper? You started from a challenging spot and we'd love to see what you've done. Any water left in your lake? Tough drought.
I was born and raised in Atlanta. Graduated from UGA in '87 (hence Lucky Dawg.) After a couple of sojourns around the country, I came back home and met my wife Amy while we were both hospice social workers - you don't think of hospice as being a romantic hotbed, but love is funny that way. We now live in her hometown here on Lake Michigan. Moved here after our 3 year old was born. Good place to raise her (and our little boy who is on the way circa 3/10/08!) Troubling that they'll grow up saying "y'all" and "fixin' to" etc with a Michigan accent. Grand Haven is a nice small town though painfully conservative. I do miss the South and certainly miss the whole spectrum of big city life. I don't miss smog or traffic or being land locked though! 7 minutes to my office and 15 to sail.
Update that gallery - maybe Bill can change the name to "Red Pepper!"
Last edited by Lucky Dawg; 10-16-2007 at 09:07 AM.
Crashing along at 6+ knots in 3-5 footers and 12-15 knots of wind on the Big Lake today. Pretty wet and wild ride. I'm thankful for a nice Gill storm jacket or I would have been drenched. The waves were fun till I hit the 85' depth zone a mile or so offshore - twice out and back, both times I got to about that depth and the waves coming abeam seemed to get much bigger! Weather on the VHF said 3-5, but they always look a lot bigger. Camera doesn't quite capture... Lucky Dawg seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
Once back on Muskegon Lake headed home, I had some time to have fun with multi-tasking.
I think next weekend is the end of the line for the season. I'm with Stephan - 6 months on the hard is brutal.
Last edited by Lucky Dawg; 10-22-2007 at 02:43 PM.
looks like a great trip. Kyle check out some of my pics on "Red Pepper" its just a few but you'll get an idea of hows she's doing. My son and I did a "photo shoot" for his school magazine, so i just made figure 8's around the dock. had very light wind that day.
mike
)
I am a pretty handy small craft sailor, but that is a trip I would need assistance sailing safely. I'll troll for any takers provided this sale moves forward.
I'm with Stephan - 6 months on the hard is brutal.
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