It begins....

I haven't had a boat to call my own since 2002.  Bought exactly 2 weeks before 9/11, ownership of that boat was brief, and painful.  Oh, it was a great boat.  Brand new, 26 footer, deep hull which was perfect for the Puget Sound, lots of room, plenty of power, and really fun to cruise in.  But I paid more for that boat than I did my first house.  All I will say about that disastrous chapter is that it certainly proved the old saying about the two happiest days in a guy's life: "The day you get your boat, and the day you sell it".  Post 9/11 life eventually took it's toll, and the boat had to go (or I would have had to live in it).  A $15000.00 "bath" later, I was able to sell it to a guy on San Juan Island.  I even delivered it to him.  I'll never forget my giddyness as I drove away...  but I will admit a deep sorrow too.

Anyway... boating has always been a passion of mine.  I have wanted another boat since I got rid of the last one, but really couldn't fathom getting myself back into another boat payment.  I decided to start looking for a used boat, perhaps a "project", and began the search online.  I of course started scouring Craigslist each day, and doing some general research on different hulls.  I found myself looking for a Glasply, which was made in Marysville Washington until they went out of business some years ago.  I learned that Glasply has a very loyal, almost "cult-like" following, and there were many in my local area (Seattle).  I started reading forums, researching the feasibility of making repairs to this type of boat.  A few "Youtube" videos later, and all of a sudden I found myself with a new confidence for restoring a boat.  "I can do this!"  So my search continued.  My theory was (is?) to buy a sound hull for a song, and then spend some dough to get it back into shape.  That way, I can spread the expense out over a period of time, and when I am done, I have a new boat with no boat payment.  Seems easy enough... right?  We'll see.  

I watched CL for several weeks, and finally found this beauty, a 1980 runabout on a nice EZLoader trailer.  The best part... the owner was only asking $800.00.  Heck, the trailer should be worth half that.    The owner had many calls that first morning that the ad ran, including mine.  I knew this boat wouldn't last, so I hopped in my car that afternoon and fought rush hour traffic from Seattle to Shelton to see it.  I was the only guy that showed up to see it, and in about 40 seconds, it belonged to me.  I wasn't really looking for an Inboard/outboard boat, but I figured what the heck.  Outboard models (as it turns out) are rare.  so I brought the little gem home, and started dreaming....

Up next:  The tear down..