MV LAST CHANCE IS AFLOAT!

I have written a few times about my husband's boat building project. He and two friends formed a partnership to buy an old damaged boat and rebuild it. It has been a project for the last three to four years. All the important things have been redesigned and rebuilt and it was ready to put in the water a month or so ago. They found a leak and it had to be taken out and repaired. Last Saturday it was ready to launch again. This time it went smoothly - no leaks. It spent a night at the dock and then the next day it was towed a hundred yards up the canal to its new slip. It was towed for safety reasons and because there are some engine hookups that have to be completed.

The boys/men are happy. Here are pictures of it being assisted in its move.

ALWAYS,

THE BIG BOAT

Three years ago dear husband and two friends bought an old boat. They got it for a song. Well, not literally, but it was very inexpensive. It is a 62 foot long trawler formerly used as a "head boat" (meaning people pay by the head to go out fishing without it being chartered) on the Delaware Bay. While bringing it in for repairs by the previous owner it was dropped and barely withstood total damage. Husband saw beyond the rust and crud and saw a beautiful sight.


This boat, or as I somewhat unaffectionately refer to as "that *#&! boat", has given these men hours and hours and hours of fun. It is fitted to sleep six people comfortably and double that uncomfortably. It has two bathrooms (I mean heads), tiled with real toilets. There is a full kitchen and tons of electronic things that I don't understand. It is almost finished. It is supposed to be put in the water in a few weeks and the rest of it will be completed after it is in. The name of the boat is "Last Chance" -- meaning it may be their last chance to take it from Delaware to Florida via the Inland Waterway. This has been husband's dream for many years.

Everyone around here knows about this boat. It attracts quite a bit of attention because of its history and its size.

In all her glory.




This picture was taken a few days ago when they moved this giant crane thing under it to adjust the supports to facilitate painting the bottom.


Three happy guys.



So wish us luck. I am not a boating person, but I may end up to be for brief periods of time!