After the boat was launched the fun didn't start yet. It was very exciting get the boat in the water but we still couldn't use the boat yet. I still needed to have the survey finished, submit that to the insurance company and get final approval on the insurance. Plus, I just found out that the alternator doesn't work, so I had to fix that before we left or we would not have anyway of charging the batteries, as the solar and wind are not hooked up yet.
The first night the boat was in the water, I was very nervous and decided to sleep on the boat with a crash pump waiting on the dock just to be sure nothing went wrong. Nothing turned out to go wrong and Veronica and I had an enjoyable night playing cards and getting used to being on the boat. The V-berth turns out to be a very comfortable place, as long as you are not in one of the crack between the cushions. And the first drink on the boat was some MD 20/20 courtesy of Ian, the CFBW yard worker who helped us out so much to get us where we were, and some Bud Light to wash it down (much needed). If you ever need a great boat yard where they will leave you alone when you want to, but willing to jump in a help out with anything, anytime, Cape Fear Boatworks is the place to be. Highly recommended!
After the excitement of the launch, there was still a lot of work to do before we could take off and go sailing. I got the surveyor back down to finish off the survey and go over anything that he wanted to see. It all seemed to go smoothly and he said he would have the survey back in a couple days, which he did. I submitted it to the insurance company when I got it back and started work on the suggestions in the survey. The new dodger, Bimini and sail cover were finished up and installed and makes the boat look great!
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| Installing the new covers! |
The alternator was the main priority as we needed to charge the batteries at sea. After troubleshooting the charge controller for it and completely by-passing it, I determined that the alternator itself was not putting out any voltage. So, I pulled the alternator out and brought it to the shop. A couple days went by and nothing was heard from the shop, so I stopped by to see what was going on. The voltage rectifier was shot and they stopped making the parts for it. What!?! The alternator is last years model and they don't have parts for it! I don't believe it. Going back and forth for a while, I ended up buying the stock 80 amp alternator that came with the engine just to be on my way and get going. I will try and fix the Balmar later...
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| X-Mas Decorations! |
Veronica on the other hand, was busy making the boat look nice. She finished painting the aft cabin and started making decorations for X-mas.
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| Finishing up the Aft Cabin |
She also planned out all of our provisioning and stuff we needed for our trip. We went shopping and stocked the boat and started living on it at the boatyard. She kept the boat organized and was a huge help with getting it ready even though she has never really been on a boat before.
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| Provisioning! |
The insurance company came back and said that they didn't like the survey and I had to fix everything above and beyond and have it resurvey before they would sign off on it. They wouldn't even give me only liability. The agent supposedly "working" for me didn't seem to know that much about what was going on and I felt like was against me the whole time.
I started to shop around, asking the owner of the boat yard for advice and got another one of his friends as an agent that he uses for his boat to shop around for me. I gave him my info and the survey and he had the same result because he only had the same insurance carrier that I already had. He did find out that the surveyor called my agent and basically told him that my boat was a POS. How low can you go... I felt beat down, defeated, and never lower in this whole project. But I was not to be defeated.
I picked myself back up and got the help of the boat yard. We fixed everything on the list that was wanted by the insurance company. I glassed up a rotted bulkhead by the water maker that probably leaked there. I fabricated a sealed propane locker because what was there was too big apparently. I installed a new bulkhead to protect the steering cable. I installed battery switches on the batteries because the ones down below were not close enough. I proved that the shore power system was wired properly by using a multi-meter and basic electrical knowledge. The tech from the boatyard helped out and we fixed everything within a few days. I called the surveyor back to come take a look.
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| Rotted bulkhead under batteries: BEFORE |
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| Bulkhead after! |
In the mean time the owner of the boat yard came back with another agent that was supposed to be the best of the best. I got a call from him and gave him my info. By the close of business that day I had a policy in place and was on my way! It happened so fast! The first agent that I felt actually worked for me and got what I wanted, and all for a third of the cost of everyone else! I highly recommend him and can let you know if you want more info. I told the surveyor that his services were no longer needed. And I can let you know who to stay away from too! I may have made some people mad, and some people made me mad, I see it as the customer is always right and you don't want to get in the way of me and my dream. We took off that night to make the tide under the highway bridge... but that's another story.
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| Ready to go! |
“If you are going through hell, keep going.” ― Winston Churchill
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