5Yr plan - am I crazy?

[Peter57]

Hi Di, there is a Mark 3 for sale on boat sales In Lake Macquarie for $15,500 with a volvo penta with what looks like 100 hours on it and a furling jib. looks in good order. Go the diesel and metho stoves which this appears to have! And original - nice ot have original - maybe you have already seen this one. Cheers and good luck with the hunt - which is half the fun in looking at boats. I remember just before I flew down to test sail Marinka that we drove up to Rosslyn Bay to test sail a Westsail 32 and had a great day but even though she was a good price - 38k and had just arrived in Australia, we went with the Top Hat. Then we lucked on the Rival when we really were not going to get a boat until much late this year. in the meantime we looked at a Northerner 28, a westsail 28 and a compass 29. None quite suited what we wanted so we just waited. Then when I wan't really looking we saw the Rival. Have fun, Cheers Peter

[di_namic42]

I was interested in that TH and meant to see it on the way back, but the broker didn't work on sundays.

Something funny about the motor ... it was a "newer" motor and the year was 1985, sound like it was a rebuild or reconditioned.
I tried to get more info but the broker got a bit vague and didn't reply with any more detail. Then I became busy and didn't follow up.

I have withdrawn my offer for cool change.

To turn it into a cruiser, would take too much time, effort and money. That was a gas stove with the gas bottle underneath. Not exactly legal!!!
So I am still looking .... and learning.

The Roberts 44 offshore I am on is very comfortable. I must admit hot showers every day is luxury.

Returning to Rosslyn Bay Marina tomorrow And going to have a look at Windchaser and say hello to Troppo.
Then Back to Brissie on weekend. Not much sailing as it was 30 knots one week and nothing this week.

I took a Phenergen (antihistamine) for a hive rash that has developed around my neck and it has wiped me out for 36 hours. I slept 31 hours out of the last 36. Dennis the skipper was getting a bit concerned, but I have surfaced again for my last day on the water. Solid rain here now, and sunshine and lovely conditions due from tomorrow onwards. *(#$*&#(*(&#$(**($%()#$)(

[Ianb]

That Phenergan is great for long distance air travel. A meal. a glass of wine, and the Phenergan, and you wake up nearly at your destination!

[Troppo]

Gee Di, I think you are allergic to the area. People usually like the coast but get sick of Rockhampton pretty quickly : ). I admit, we have had absolutely aweful weather the past few weeks so the place has not been at its best.

Anyway, it will be great to catch up with you, I am passionate about Top Hats and keen to hear about the ones you have seen. No problems with showing you Windchaser as I've checked the tide timetable and croc report and everything is good.

Louis

[di_namic42]

Hi troppo
are you in yeppoon or rocky?
No problems as I have a car. ( I hope)

[Troppo]

Well, Di and her Skipper survived a trip on the croc-infested river to check out Windchaser and generally have a natter about Top Hats. No crocs in sight, apart from the footwear, and I didn't even notice any sandflies. We could have talked for a few more hours but time was short. I guess I should not be surprised but as we talked about Top Hats I realised again just how suitable they are for cruising and sailing. Di, with her 5 yr plan, is definitely not crazy and I think she is well on her way to achieving her dreams.

Oh, the weather today was sunny, coolish (for tropical Qld) and the river was very calm with hardly a breeze. Pity it was Di's last day up here and her previous 10 days here have been rainy and very windy.

[di_namic42]

Hi Louis
Thanks for taking hours out of your day to show me Windchaser.
You are a courageous man to take on that project, but the results will be worth it!
I like that layout and she seems like a solid boat.

It was great seeing a mk II strippped to the bare bones, and seeing just how much storage space there really is in a TH. I itch to do the same and refit it to how I would like. .... But that would be after all the other projects that need to be finished first.... Like my overgrown vegie patch.... and group mosaic projects already underway...... And messy art studio.

Sigh!

But the thought has been planted. Damm!...... Mmmmm...... I have a sparky mate on the island that would help me rewire ........

[di_namic42]

Well, the search goes on...... I've been quiet so I thought I'd give an update.

Too hard and expensive to bring TH form cairns or Sydney, and I don't have a big enough block of time this year to sail one back.

There is a mk 1 TH at Scarborough, with transom hung outboard, but she wants too much for it. So have been checkin , again, everything in my price range around here.

So I am watching, waiting and learning. after a rush of blood to the head, I did make an offer on a clansman 30. Then are like a stretched top hat with a canoe stern. Alas, the vendor and I are still a few thousand apart. The boat is worth his new asking price, but is out of my budget.

Age old story, what I like I can't afford, and what I can afford I don't like. So I wait for a good top hat to turn up around Brisbane.

[Ianb]

Clansman are great boats, like you say, almost a stretched Top Hat. Only trouble around Sydney is they come in at +30 ft and mooring, slipping etc. jumps to the next cost bracket. May not be so critical in Queensland. There was one in Sydney where the price started at $28k and kept dropping. Last seen it was around $15k.

[storm petrel]

I agree Clansmen are nice old boats even though they are a bit narrow for a 30ft boat and have an ugly name (would put my US friends off them). Watch the decks, I almost bought one before my Top Hat but found it had significant water ingress into the balsa(?) cored deck.

Cheers,
Mark