Milk Can Binnacle ?!?!

We haven't posted since we returned from our (somewhat disappointing - thanks to Yachting Vacations) charter trip to SW Florida (see earlier blogs). Since then we have sold the Potter and have been actively searching for our "big boat".

This has proven to be one tough decision over a year in the making. If we go with a boat that has the options we are looking for, we will have to pay a lot more than we had planned. If we get a cheaper boat (read: piece of junk) that we have to put a lot into, we will probably end up in the same situation but it doesn't seem so bad up front.

Last weekend we drove up to Seattle to look at a few promising boats. The first one looked beautiful on craigslist but it turned out the interior was going to need A LOT of work. It's amazing how a few well taken photos can fool the mind.

The second one actually had an old fashioned milk can to serve as a binnacle (similar to the one shown above, but with a compass where the lid goes)! Something about the first owner being a diary farmer. It had the space we were looking for, but there was a lot of plywood and nothing felt very solid. It also had an engine that was very slow to start. The owner (who was boasting about having single handedly replaced the transmission on this boat) said he was ignorant when it came to diesel engines and had no clue what was wrong with it. Oh, and he also was a marine electrician. Hmmm.

The last boat we saw was a newer and more expensive 32 foot pilothouse that felt more like a 25 footer. It also had an unexplained puddle on the chart table. We departed rather quickly.

This weekend we're staying close to home and looking a few local boats because I have a class on bread baking. But next weekend we are planning on heading up to Vancouver, BC where we have a short list of promising boats. Keep your fingers crossed. And if you know of any great affordable boats, send them our way!