tropical system, Instead we headed in the
other direction to a tidal creek, but made a
hasty escape (thanks to a few helpful
souls) in the receding waters. On the way
back to Marathon, where we planned to
berth for the night, our newly installed
bimini top frame snapped in half at a faulty
rivet. Lesson learned: never trust
aluminium and plastic offshore – invest in
stainless steel instead.
Despite these tribulations, we made it
back to the dock safely for a night before
heading back north to avoid the worst of
the imminent tropical storm.
I remember it as if it was yesterday:
watching the sea in all directions as it
dissipated into a vast greyness, while rain
misted against our newly purchased
enclosure. Under our moderate speed of
15 knots, our new chartplotter and depth
finder proved equally valuable. We made
it to Mangrove Marina, a well-known
‘hurricane hole’ in Tavernier. While the
wind and rain blasted the Keys over the
next few days we napped and watched
movies in our little cabin, content as ever,
venturing out only to eat at a gourmet
French cafe.
All in all, our Keys trip of 2016 made us
fall in love with the idea of a permanent
cruising lifestyle.
Last Keys adventures
In the summer of 2016 I went to England
for a month to study at Oxford, then took a
family road trip in Europe. When I finally
returned to Cheaper than Kids I was
jubilant. Europe had been full of
extraordinary experiences, but I have salt
in my veins and needed my fix. Avery and
I trailered the boat down to John
Pennekamp State Park so we could spend
all five days in the Keys, diving at a
different reef each day. We had a ball!
Sadly, when we towed the boat back to
Riverwatch Marina in Stuart, the area was
in the midst of a ‘lost summer’ due to an
algal pestilence that has been growing in
recent years. A month later, we movedCheaper than Kids to Pilot House Marina
in Key Largo where she sat on a dry-rack.
Pilot House, a quintessential Keys
hideout, had a complementary slipway, air
conditioned showers and an on-site tiki
bar and restaurant! Towards the end of
2016 we spent nearly every weekend
aboard our boat in the Keys, diving by day
and relaxing at night.
Hindsight is, as is commonly said, 20/20:
while we should have been content to
enjoy our boat forever, contentment is not
one of our chief virtues. We had ambitions
beyond the mainland Florida Keys and, full
of folly, listed our 2335 for sale in order to
buy a larger power cruiser. We thought
that these luxuries would equip us with the
base level of comfort necessary for longer
trips to the Bahamas and Dry Tortugas.
We sold her for $17,000 but little did we
know that, with our next purchase, we’d
be opening yet another whole new can of
worms...n If you missed PBO Summer 2019,
take a look at pbo.co.uk to learn about
Drew’s disastrous next purchase!‘We now understood why stranded sailors
buried themselves in the sand at night’
Jake Kavanagh, former editor of
Motorboats Monthly has some
sage advice:
Congratulations to Drew for three
great projects, a good illustration of
what is possible with a bit of
determination and elbow grease.
Access to modern materials and
polishes can help restore a tired hull
for a modest outlay. Faux Teak and
the much cheaper EVA foam
alternatives (Ultralon’s U-Deck,
Wasserdeck etc) are prime examples
of a transformational product.
American sportsboats are usually
built to a very high specification and
the hulls are also pretty solid, but like
all GRP structures will delaminate if
water – especially fresh water – is
allowed to get into balsa cores
through exterior damage.
The vast majority were fitted with
powerful petrol engines, which were
much cheaper to install than diesel
equivalents. Running costs for a
petrol boat can be pretty eye
watering in Europe. For imported
models the argument was that you
can buy a great deal of petrol for the
money you save on a diesel-engined
equivalent – which was fine until you
actually came to the pump.
A big issue with bargains is
‘standing faults’. An average
motorboat only runs its engine for 50
hours a year, compared to a lorry
which’ll do that in a week. So, unlike
when buying a car, you want a boat
that has high engine hours with a
good service history.
Well-used boats are usually well
maintained, even if they are
outwardly a bit scruffy, because
enthusiasts hate down time.
Mechanically neglected projects
don’t usually represent good value,
as the remedial action to get them
running reliably can be costly. Look
for that tatty but well-used bargain
instead – there are plenty around.
Finally, some restorers buy up
hurricane write-offs. If you plan on
importing a wreck into Europe (and
they can be bought for a song) then
it will need to comply with the
Recreational Craft Directive.RESTORING MOTORBOATS
Restoring old
powerboats:
pros and consLEFT Two college
kids explore the
underwater world
of the Florida
Keys.
BELOW Idling
back to our slip at
John Pennekamp
State Park after a
day at the reefSunset seen
from atop the
ruined Bahia
Honda rail bridge