If you would have told me a year ago that my family of FOUR was going to move aboard a Morgan 27 (yes I said 27) I would have laughed in your face!!! We were faced with one of the hardest decisions we've made yet... buy a fun fixer upper outright, (and fixer up while we save for the boat we really want) or go into debt and get the boat we want to settle into, with payments and interest for the next decade!!!! After months of looking around we decided to go with the fixer upper...

So, in Oct. 2012 we purchased our Morgan "Pardon You"...not in the best of shape... but she did have a solid haul and brand new race sails!!! :) With inches of water in her bilge we decided the first step would definitely be to fit her with a bilge pump and secure leaks before rainy season! Over those next few months we put A LOT of time and elbow grease into the boat to get her ready to move aboard! The "Krew" were SOOOOO excited and anticipated each new step we made forward!!! :)

Shortly after we moved aboard we rented a slip at Long Boat Key Club Moorings and started preparing for the first Christmas in our new home! It was so much fun running lights up the mast and putting our blow up frosty on the bow!!!Such a priceless holiday experience! We chose to stay at the "high class" marina and resort for those first four months to help the little ones adapt to this new reality! I would have to say...it was one of the smoothest transitions we've ever made!!!! Once we sold everything, stored our keepsakes, and moved aboard, I FELT FREE!!! (The white picket fence is so overrated) By Easter we were ready to find a more affordable dock so that we could continue to fit the boat to meet the needs of our family! We relocated across the bay and are now at Sara Bay Marina! We've been here now for 3 1/2 months and couldn't be happier! It's affordable with perks! We have a pool and tiki bar, but are still able to put substantial amount of money into our saving for "Autumn's Wind"! (our 35ft + cruiser that we are saving for)

To date we have... tore out the galley and totally refit and remolded a new one (with stove, fridge, oven, pantry, storage, etc.)...ran all new electrical and plumbing... laid a new floor... painted her inside and out... replaced any and all rotted wood... turned the aft quarter berth into a double berth for me and Paul... tore out the sink next to the head and made an adequate storage closet for all of our clothes... made a dog crate for Bella under Autumn's "V" berth... built an anchor locker...installed a transom shower and 38 gallon fresh water tank to use when we're not docked...we added a new life line and safety netted the entire upper deck (for mommy's piece of mind) ...and soooooo many other things that I do not have time to mention in this blog!!!!  Needless to say, we have taken a weekend racing boat and turned her into a cruising live-aboard!!! However, by doing all the work ourselves, we've created a lifelong memory for our family, (the fixer upper) and been able to save a lot of money over the year to buy our real cruiser!
In the meantime we are just "Making it Fit" :)