Blue Mist '97
Active member
It has come down to this. I have a potential/probable buyer for my old wood boat. The buyers are coming down from Dallas this weekend to look at it. They have put down deposit money without even seeing the boat in person, so they are more than just tire kickers. I am having mixed emotions about this.
On one hand, this is my baby. I spent many, many hours, after work till wee hours of the morning, all day on the weekends for over a year, stripping, cleaning, sanding, taping, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, varnishing, (did I mention) more sanding, more varnishing, chasing down new chrome fittings and having other old fittings re-chromed, sealing new found leaks, etc. Not to mention, rebuilding the old, existing trailer with many new parts to make it roadworthy again in my spare time. Installation of the 115 Etec put this restoration over the top for me. There is plenty of power and reliability for a 51 year old boat.
Now on the other hand, selling this boat could be a god send. NO MORE hours and hours of stripping, cleaning, sanding, taping, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, varnishing, (did I mention) more sanding, more varnishing, chasing down new chrome fittings and having other old fittings re-chromed, sealing new found leaks, etc. It will save me a lot of time and energy, not to mention $1100 a year in boat storage fees. It will give me more time to work exclusively on the Checkmate.
We are, again, supposed to have more bad weather this weekend, so I may get a one week reprieve before I have to make a decision. I doubt they will drive 4 hours in rain to look at a boat, but I am game if they are.
It’s Saturday and the potential buyers showed up. I took them for a little spin in the boat and they were happy as clams. They told me that they were ready to do a deal. No questions, no arguments, no negotiations. They handed me CASH money, so I said "Hook it up" and gave them the titles and the new state paperwork. Done Deal!!!!! Bye Bye Baby!!!
The realization that my baby was leaving behind somebody else’s vehicle finally hit me as I watched them driving away. I was filled with lots of different emotions and I kept rubbing my eyes. My wife asked me what was wrong. I told her that I must have something in my eyes, must be from the wind. As usual, she brought me back to reality. She said, “Here, this will make you feel better, just wipe your eyes with one of these $100 bills.” As usual, she was right. I laughed. It must have helped, cause I do feel better now.
On one hand, this is my baby. I spent many, many hours, after work till wee hours of the morning, all day on the weekends for over a year, stripping, cleaning, sanding, taping, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, varnishing, (did I mention) more sanding, more varnishing, chasing down new chrome fittings and having other old fittings re-chromed, sealing new found leaks, etc. Not to mention, rebuilding the old, existing trailer with many new parts to make it roadworthy again in my spare time. Installation of the 115 Etec put this restoration over the top for me. There is plenty of power and reliability for a 51 year old boat.
Now on the other hand, selling this boat could be a god send. NO MORE hours and hours of stripping, cleaning, sanding, taping, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, varnishing, (did I mention) more sanding, more varnishing, chasing down new chrome fittings and having other old fittings re-chromed, sealing new found leaks, etc. It will save me a lot of time and energy, not to mention $1100 a year in boat storage fees. It will give me more time to work exclusively on the Checkmate.
We are, again, supposed to have more bad weather this weekend, so I may get a one week reprieve before I have to make a decision. I doubt they will drive 4 hours in rain to look at a boat, but I am game if they are.
It’s Saturday and the potential buyers showed up. I took them for a little spin in the boat and they were happy as clams. They told me that they were ready to do a deal. No questions, no arguments, no negotiations. They handed me CASH money, so I said "Hook it up" and gave them the titles and the new state paperwork. Done Deal!!!!! Bye Bye Baby!!!
The realization that my baby was leaving behind somebody else’s vehicle finally hit me as I watched them driving away. I was filled with lots of different emotions and I kept rubbing my eyes. My wife asked me what was wrong. I told her that I must have something in my eyes, must be from the wind. As usual, she brought me back to reality. She said, “Here, this will make you feel better, just wipe your eyes with one of these $100 bills.” As usual, she was right. I laughed. It must have helped, cause I do feel better now.
