My wife wants to buy a boat…Some might say I am a lucky man. So what’s the holdup? The quest for the perfect boat is on!
Criteria:
- Must fit in the driveway next to the garage on a street legal trailer. That limits her to 22 feet realistically. This is good for keeping down overall costs, narrowing the list in the search phase.
- Must draw very little as it will be moored in a tidal flat area and will sometimes sit on the mud.
- She must be able to comfortably sit four adults minimum (with cocktails).
- She must be safe and seaworthy enough to cruise Long Island Sound.
OK, well that was easy. A Marshall Sanderling 18-foot catboat or similar will be perfect. I don’t really want bigger so as not to bite off more varnish than I can chew…(like zero, find one with epoxied rails).
But wait…
- Must have a head, a swim ladder and some protection from weather and waves.
- Also must be suitable for clamming. Plus, she will need to navigate smallish rivers when asked to transport the crew to local eateries.
Still no problems! Catboat is the winner. Get a nice little electric outboard and a dodger…off we go. Tons of eateries within an hour from mooring to dock, even at 4 knots. Portable head and swim ladder are no sweat. Teaching the clammers how to anchor fore and aft in shoal water will be part of the fun.
But wait again….
- Must be able to tow 12-year-old and friends on water skis or wake board.
Ugh… problem. Does Grady White make a catboat? Surely Hunt must have designed a catboat suitable for water skiing? Can a 210 handle a 150 Yamaha? But the keel won’t fit in the anchorage….Curses!
Answer: Syndicate! Neighbor has an older Mako with a newish 150 and another has a nice little catboat!
Let the experiment of pretending to be a millennial begin! Stay tuned for results, which may include lost friendships or potentially a very angry spouse. On the other hand, it may be a huge success and I’ll develop a boat sharing app so there’s never a conflict and the boats are always in perfect shape! Sell the tech to cover running costs. Boom. Piece of cake.
See you on the water in my shared watercraft!
Publisher
Benjamin V. Cesare
ben@windcheckmagazine.com
