Introduction of New Guy with Vacationer in Denver (pics)

[bob z]

I just wanted to introduce myself and my new Vacationer which I picked up last weekend.  The boat was free to anyone willing to pull it out of UHaul on Sunday, and I took that challenge with only a quick glance of a photo and a guy telling me "minor" water damage.  Well, a rusted out leaf spring snapped about a mile from the pickup, and I just had the trailer fixed last night.  So hopefully I can pull it the rest of the way to my house this evening.

It has never been in water, however, water has certainly been in it.  I probably pumped out at least 30 gallons of water from the untreated cabin.  The painted hull is already flaking off, and the glass on the deck needs to come off and redone.  I'm still drying out the inside, but I'll start a new thread when I get her in my yard and can really start doing something, as I will have tons of questions.

Cheers.

Bob

And here you can see all the water I pumped out last Monday night after work.

[lewisboats]

A faint whispery voice comes from everywhere and nowhere..."ask about the hole in the transom.......ask about the hole in the transom....."  :crazyeyes:

[bob z]

I believe it is for the steering wheel mechanism after reading the last post on Woodboats and then looking at photos.  Mine will most likely be sealed though.  I found the plans and DVD's in the cabin in a plastic bag that I'll look at tonight when I get it home.  More questions when I start tearing it apart, I figured I'd just introduce myself to start, begin the stupid questions once I can take better pics to show.

However, I did spend the last 15 minutes looking at your Chugger, I even laughed out loud when you had your coworker stop by to help test the weight capacity.  My first thought when I finished reading it was, "I need to build that," and I will, just as soon as I sink my Stevenson.

Cheers.

[Greg Luckett]

I am very glad this boat has found someone new to love it and care for it. Vacationers are cool looking boats. :cool:

I suspect there is a sad story attached to this boat. Someone loved it enough to build it from scratch, then something happened to them, and it was abandoned. I wonder who and why?

[Frank Hagan]

Rescuing a boat is a good thing, Bob.  We'll all chime in with our free advice, which you'll more often than not find is worth about as much as you pay for it!

[capt jake]

Welcome Bob, glad you found us.

[Konrad]

More photos, please.

(with better lighting conditions)

[Terry Dunn]

What part of Denver are you in?

I am in Aurora. I generally sail at Aurora Reservoir. No motors. Nice and quite.

[bob z]

I've never sailed in the Colorado area before, but the Aurora Reservoir is definitely on my list now.  I'll try again to get some more photos, it took forever to get it home, since I didn't have a tarp, I was keeping it covered at work.

Actually, I'm trying to give the boat away now to be able to build one from scratch which would be more suitable to my needs.  If anyone wants one, just let me know (I'll post it in the sale section later).

If no one will take it, I'm planning on tearing the cabin off, flipping it over, trimming the keel and glassing the hull.  I do not plan on using it as a sail boat, and I know many people will not like this, but the woodwork around the cabin is pretty bad, the hull is very rough, and for the price of sails I can pick up a used sailboat ready to hit the water.

I should have pics this weekend.

Cheers.

Bob

[PAR]

It'll make a reasonable "putt putt" but don't think you'll get her to plane, with anything less then a 100 HP outboard bolted to her transom. She'll make a fine little harbor power cruiser. 5 HP will get the job done, though 10 HP will make it more enjoyable. Put the outboard in a well, so you don't have to see it, or smell it and you'll be sitting fine, maybe with a little windshield up forward and a tiny fore deck to keep the splashes off the skipper.

[Konrad]

What is the second photo?

The forward hatch area?