2024 updates

We put Just Us up for sales late last year and she finally sold. We have the proceeds from the sale and now it is time to go get a different boat. I have been watching brokerage inventory and we found a couple boats that seemed to fit our needs.

1. A workable galley that we can actually cook meals in while on long trips

2. Sleeping accommodations that allow me to get a good night's sleep. Meaning a residential queen sized berth. Not a custom version that is smaller.

3. a bridge deck with helm and an interior helm for when weather is not ideal

4. engines to my liking

5. Bow and Stern Thrusters if possible

There was a boat in Kenosha Wisconsin that we visited and it was a bit too big. A McKinna 48 that is actually 54ft LOA. There were some other things that were not ideal so we went to see a 1993 Grand Banks 46 Europa on the Hudson River. That one turned out to be quite a find so we made an offer which was accepted. On July 29th we will be executing Surveys and Sea Trial. We have been boat-less since early May so it has been odd trying to figure out what to do with our time that was usually spent at the marina and out on the lake.

One thing we figured we should do is charter a Trawler on the Great Lakes to see how we like the different type of boating. We chartered an American Tug 41 out of Traverse City and spent 5 days on board. Day 1 was our "Check Ride" as I do not have a formal captain credential. We spent the day learning how to maneuver a single screw trawler. That took a few tries but I got the hang of it and was actually able to get us squeezed into a rather tight slip over in Elk Rapids at the end of the day. The Captain figured we were good to go so we were given the go ahead to continue as a bare boat charter. Off the Mackinaw City!

We spent the remaining 4 days working our way up the Michigan coast on the Lake Michigan side then back to Traverse City. We ran into every kind of weather except rain. Wind, sun waves....... We learned that we want stabilizers. I know this is a hot topic as to what type of stabilizers. I am in the camp of Fin Stabilizers as I figure they work better in motion than the Gyro type like SeaKeeper. That is more for stabilization at rest. Those are my opinions so take them for what they are.

We also confirmed the rest of our likes and dislikes so we figured that the Grand Banks was going to fit the bill. That is until we showed up for the Surveys and Sea Trial. It all started as they hauled the boat out to inspect the running gear and hull. Cutlass bearings were shot and there are 4 of them on this boat not 2. As they got the boat back in the water and started the sea trial it was also found that the aftercooler cores were misaligned. For the last 3 years the aftercoolers were not doing their jobs so who knows if or what kind of downstream effects that will have. Also there is an oil leak on the starboard head. Probably a head gasket. The other thing that I noticed was a rather pronounced "Baritone" booming hum at hull speed. Which is around 8.5 knots or 10mph. That was my goal cruising speed as that is a nice compromise between slow going and the ability to cover some distance in a day. 100miles is a long day but 10hours going slow is not bad...... Unless you have that resonating exhaust sound to contend with.

In addition to all of this, there was water intrusion in areas of the fiberglass that would need some attention, the autopilot needed attention so we ended up terminating the deal based on the boat not meeting our expectations. To their credit, the owners have had the engines sorted but we have moved on.

That brings us to where we are now. Wednesday Aug 14 and we have made an offer on a Kadey Krogen 44 widebody that is in Kenosha WI. Yes we went back to Kenosha. Infact we were at the same marina as the McKinna. small world I guess. This boat is newer, a 2007, and has more modern systems. Yes it does have fin stabilizers. The accommodation space is more to our liking and the galley is more like a kitchen and has an AMAZING amount of storage for our provisions. It is a single screw boat and it has a bow thruster. This is not perfect but I can dock it quite well. Also we have the ability to add a stern thruster and remote for the thrusters. The navigation electronics are original but work so those can be used for a few years while we get used to the boat and then replace those on our time frame.

We are very excited for this one as this is a bit of a unicorn. A KK44 in the Great Lakes! These are ocean going trawlers and are usually somewhere on the east coast or in Florida. We will complete the purchase at the beginning of September and we will cruise her up Lake Michigan and then down Lake Huron and go through the Rivers and then back home on Lake Erie. A rather nice way to start our ownership of this vessel.

It is Thursday August 22 and we are set and ready to head to Kenosha on Sunday. Fun Fact..... Marinas and other places that have lift services are not open on Sundays and Mondays in Kenosha. The solution to that problem is an extended Sea Trial to Winthrop Harbor IL where Skipperbuds is open and can accommodate the Haul and Hang for the survey. We will get the chance to cruise for an hour in each direction on Lake Michigan to get a real feel for how the boat will behave.

In anticipation of clearing Survey and Sea Trial, we have been in contact with our friend Jonathan Boyd. He has his 100ton Master from the Coast Guard so we are going to hire him to help get the boat back to Marblehead Ohio. I have done the navigation and it will take about 9 days. We will average about 9 hours each day unless we decide that weather is appropriate and we can do some overnight runs to cover distance out on the open Lake. Mainly Lake Huron. There are Shipping lanes and defined routes so we can run those lanes and be sure that we will not encounter fishing nets. The boat is outfitted with RADAR and AIS so we can "see" in the dark. We will see how it goes.......

Our home marina is apprised of the latest and we are able to move our slip to accommodate the Starboard side decks and added beam. We also have a spot for indoor heated storage. We also have Insurance lined up. We need to make sure that financing is ready but I am not worried about that. Wish us Fair skies and calm seas.........

Stay Tuned for updates as we move to closure of the purchase.