Tuesday September 15, 2009
My boss as the Amazing Kreskin...
He knew that I was thinking of going with a bigger boat. In fact, he even asked me when I will trade up. In his own words, he's like the Amazing Kreskin and he knew I wasn't satisfied with a 17.5' boat. As it turns out, neither was my wife satisfied with a small boat. She likes getting away from it all, lying back and reading her books. Unfortunately, with the Sea Ray 175 Sport she's only comfortable on the floor in the back of the boat, where she doesn't want to see (or be disrupted) by large wake waves. The Rideau Canal is bad for that because of the size of the vessels that navigate the waterways. She basically likes boating but stresses about the traffic.
So here's the situation: I got a bad case of footitis, my wife is looking to be more comfortable, and Hurst Marina got in some new Sea Rays with a "End of Season" promotion. All it took was a picnic out on the boat, with the grand parents, enjoying the beautiful weather and then have a bunch of water skiers constantly going back and forth where we put anchor. That was the defining moment when my wife said, "wouldn't it be nice if we had a bigger boat". I suggested that we should peruse the showroom when we get back to the marina.
Before you know it, I traded in my almost-new (80 hours) Sea Ray 175 Sport and it's professionally installed upgrades (extra cleats, chartplotter/fishfinder, satellite radio, VHF radio). My wife, who I love dearly and knows me so well, picked out a brand new express cruiser will all the bells and whistles. She really liked this boat. However, she firmly stated that the final decision will be made on Monday and not today (it was Saturday). After reviewing our finances and discovering that we been spending $1000+ a month eating out, with $800 of that for fast food?! Both of us concluded that we have the money but it will require some life style changes; and for the better.
If you recall, one of the original reasons of buying a boat was to increase our family activities. More specifically to increase the activity of myself and my youngest daughter for our health. Basically, my wife and I boiled it down to this proposition: we'll buy the boat if from now on we will never eat fast food again. That means that we buy groceries, eat healthy, and I have to do the cooking (not much of a change since I'm the chief cook, chauffeur, and bottle-washer in the family anyway). So the options were, keep the 175 and be status-quo on life for a early grave, keep the 175 and try to work towards a healthy life, or get the bigger boat and be forced into a healthy life style by means of making the boat payments for the next decade or so. It was a no-brainer...
So, assuming that the bank approves the financing, my wife and I will take ownership of a 2009 Sea Ray 270 Sundancer in Artic White with optional camper top. The below picture shows the exact model (without the camper top).
Our model is fully decked out in the cockpit with snap down carpets, transom hot/cold shower, and seats that switch to a sun pad when anchored. Plenty of storage space under the seats.
We also got the grill, stainless steel sink, walk-on cooler, and integrated trash bin. The extra wide helm seat swivels and flips back to face the stern adding to the seating. Two speakers, lights, and deck LEDs round it out for all-day/evening entertaining.
The helm is nicely appointed with all bells and whitles. The Raymarine C-Series chartplotter and SmartCraft instrumentation are included options on ours as well.
At the flip of a switch, the engine room hatch lifts up. MerCruiser 350 Magnum matched with a Bravo III stern drive, for 300 hp, will allow for easy cruising or the occasional water sport. Automatic fire suppression, 5 kW gas generator, AC/heating, and 318 litre gas tank.
Entering into the cabin, a complete galley is on the left with fridge, stove, and microwave. The mid-cabin sleeps two with the v-berth sleeping two when converted from a dinette/lounge. On the right, the head is full fiberglass with a vacu-flush toliet. On the floor is the optional runners to save on wear and tear. Opposite to the v-berth is a TV/DVD flat panel. Sony stereo with iPod doc rounds out the entertainment system. A beautiful full length skylight and hatch, mirrors, and shelves/storage make the cabin seem bigger than it is.
Hopefully, it's a done deal by Wednesday with a water test/delivery date by Friday. Just in time to enjoy the fall colors of the Rideau Canal.
Posted by Kaoru [Boating] ( September 15, 2009 04:39 PM ) Permalink | Comments[0]