Archive
First Trip Out
March 5th, 2018 – Off to the MVS Title and Tags to register the trailer, then over to the Mesa Ranger Station to get the yearly Tonto pass to launch the boats, then to the Arizona Game and Fish to register the boat, back to MVS to correct the trailer VIN number, gas station, and finally out to Saguaro Lake. Busy afternoon but well worth it to take the boat for a little ride to check things out and see how it handles before tearing into the floor. I must admit it looks great both on the trailer and in the water. I kept it around 2800 RPM which was about 35 MPH on the phone GPS. Very happy with it in the short ride. Slight tick to it so will have to investigate what is up with that as I can’t tell if its outdrive or engine or where it’s coming from.
I must have BADD
I’m thinking I must have Boat Attention-deficit disorder or something. After almost rounding up all the parts I would have needed for the Eliminator I decided to sell it and get a different boat that had an open bow already. The Eliminator had such a big flat area in front of the driver that it would have made a tight open bow anyways.
So I had my eye on a 1989 Caribbean by Hardin Marine. One owner boat (technically) that supposedly had been stored for 10 years. Rebuilt Mercruiser 454 with a Bravo 1 drive. Sweet looking boat on a good trailer and full cover for it. Interior was great except a small torn spot on the engine hatch. It had the rear bench and a bit taller than the Eliminator in height to handle rougher water. Only problem was it was an hour west of Las Vegas.
March 3, 2018 – So off Dixie and I went on a road trip since Tammy was gone to Guatemala. We packed up the old Suburban with supplies and spare tires and headed towards Vegas. 6 hours later we arrived and the boat looked great and tapping on the bottom and transom everything sounded solid. Then I climbed in the boat and sure enough the floor was soft. Checked all I could of the transom and stringers and luckily they all seamed solid also. We pulled the boat from his storage over to the house to test fire it and after charging the batteries she started up and idled good.
After a stop for lunch, a walk, and a new light on the trailer Dixie and I headed back towards home with hopes to make it back in time to stop and stay with Charlie and Cindy at Lake Pleasant and test run it in the morning. Buying this as it turns out may have not been the brightest decision I have ever made but it is a really cool nice boat.
All was going good and we were just about an hour away from the marina and luckily just out of the mountains when the old suburban started loosing power. Luckily the big guy up above was looking out for me and as I’m frantically looking for a place big enough to pull off here comes a call box area on my side of the road. The suburban dies just before it so we come in hot realizing the hydroboost brakes on the Suburban don’t work as well without the engine running. But we come to a safe stop and after a few thank you prayers and moments of rest it’s time to see whats up. All fluids are good so I thought maybe I overheated it and the battery was a bit low on juice also. A couple nice guys helped trying to jump it to see if that helped but still no spark it looks like so we’re not going anywhere soon.
Not to worry we have AAA RV Towing which covers trailers also. Well not quite. They will tow the boat trailer also but not with a boat on it. The next week I find out that only BoatsUS towing with the additional Unlimited Trailer Assist ($14 per year) will cover towing the boat and trailer when your vehicle breaks down.
Luckily Charlie and Cindy come from the marina to save the day and tow the boat back to their house while the AAA tow truck brought the Suburban. I can’t thank Charlie and Cindy enough for coming to the rescue and the next day we talk to their brother in law Dave and decide to see if the crank sensor might be the problem with the spark. The new one from the parts store has a couple washers in it along with a note that these engines with high miles experience high amounts of crank bearing wear causing the reluctor wheel to hit the crank sensor. Hence the spacers. Sure enough you can see marks on the old once so I install the new one with both shims, she starts up, but sounds rough. Looks like the engine is shot with the 188,000 miles on it.
So now it’s off to home to get my Dakota and pull it the rest of the way home. Finally get home around 7 and boy what a long weekend and once again thanks to Charlie and Cindy.
Now to the good part, some pics.
Yet another brain fart
Like I really needed another project but for some stupid reason I decided to pick up a 1984 Eliminator Sport Cruiser and a bunch of parts back in October thinking it was going to be an easy project. Originally the boat had a 350 Volvo but the previous owner had removed that and mounted the adapter plate for a Mercruiser drive. I also got a boat with a 1983 Mercruiser 350 and alpha drive and he also had a Bravo drive so I bought that from him also. Luckily I did since it turns out even though the engine only has 149 hours on it the alpha drive had water in it during it’s life and is pretty much shot. So now it’s still waiting for me to work on it and trying to decide between the 350 and a 454. It seams like a waste to put a 350 in there with the Bravo drive so I think the extra work of adding the 454 will be the route to go. But it sure does look pretty on the trailer.
And in a Google search I found a sales video for it on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhybzWYpKx4
And a very cool 1977 restoration done by Eliminator Boats.
http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/threads/1977-eliminator-20-sport-re-furb.174521/
And in the end I decided to part with the boat and go with an open bow. The new owner was thinking of putting a blower motor in it so can’t wait to run into him on the lakes this summer and see what he did with it.
Things I completely forgot about
November 11, 2017
A topic on the Next Door Neighborhood site started me searching for something I had written a long time ago about noise from waterskiers in the morning and I stumbled across this article. I had completely forgotten about it and if memory serves me correctly (forgive me if I’m wrong) I think Dru Schwartz ran into the Author Gary Kramer while we were attending the Houseboat Show in Louisville and started telling him about the party.
I still can’t believe we were that responsible in our 20’s and 30’s (probably the only time of the year we were) but I sure do miss all of the great friends who helped make the parties such a fun and safe time.
Here’s the PDF of the magazine article.
SwingCrewParty-HeartlandBoating2
And here’s the PDF of the letter I had written to the Town of La Valle Board in against restricting the hours for waterskiers on Lake Redstone.
Timeless Classic I Guess
Well it appears that Dixie’s Dinghy is so cool that they are building new versions of it in Lake Havasu. Apparently they were able to acquire the molds from the guy who had last built them down in Mexico and Twisted Liquid Marine has added them to their growing number of mini boats they can build. And it’s being called the Typhoon.
A New Chapter
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SOLD – SOLD – SOLD – SOLD
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While I don’t think one can ever top the 20 years of fun and memories we had with The Pink Flamingo but it was time for something different. And I guess everything really does happen for a reason. The Pink Flamingo sold partially because I forgot my computer and ended up having to drive all the way back to the marina last Sunday. So in a blinding rush The Pink Flamingo sold on Monday and after doing some last minute things and moving our personal stuff off it so Mike could start staying on it I was beat physically and emotionally.
So Tuesday morning I opened up Craigslist and what do I see for the second ad except a cute trailerable houseboat. It had just been posted 20 minutes prior. It’s right in the middle size wise between the 18′ Too Cute and the 34′ Pink Flamingo boats. Big enough to stay on for a week yet still 8′ wide for trailering. After showing the ad to Tammy she really liked it and said call him and give the man his money. So that night we drove 90 minutes up to Globe and got there just after dark but the boat looked solid enough and the price was right. The owner Rich was a really nice guy and they had put a 6 cylinder Mercruiser 165 HP motor and Alpha outdrive on it and had done some other work. It of coarse needs lots of work but is gutted and a blank slate so that really peaked our interest since we felt we did such a good job with The Pink Flamingo and our 1958 Camper.
So after sleeping on it we offered up the owner his asking price and a little more if he would trailer it down to our place. He was good friends with the manager at the local Big O Tires so we arranged for 4 new tires and some grease put in the hubs to make the trip safer and they even went up to his house and changed the tires there. On Thursday night Rich and his wife brought it down the mountain from Globe and said it trailered great.
The really funny thing is as he pulled up I finally noticed that the color of the trim stripe and the floor is guess it…….PINK! I guess it was just meant to be. And I think it just has to be named after the Flamingo and the pink kept so maybe it will be The Pink Flamingo 2, The Pink Flamingo 1/2, Baby Flamingo, or as Tammy suggested The Fledgling Flamingo.
So we are now the proud owners of a gutted 1971 Sea Lander 25′ houseboat and trailer. Yet another project to put on our list but I’m sure it’s going to be awesome.
Although on a downside we are now going to be Weekend Slip Squatters we used to complain about as marina members. LOL
And a quick video tour of the boat.
Goodbye Old Friend
It’s hard waking up without one of my best friends for almost 20 years. She has always been there for me through the good and the bad and has introduced me to so many wonderful people that are still great friends. She has been a bit costly and high maintenance through the years but worth every penny for all of the great times and great friendships we have made. She has only left us stranded a handful of times and it was usually either at a bar or with plenty of friends and booze which isn’t all bad. And even looking like hell she didn’t scare away Tammy on our second date and Dixie I think immediately fell in love with her. The Pink Flamingo will be forever missed and can never be replaced. I think both of us looked sad as I left her last night for the final day as her owner.
Quick Video of The Pink Flamingo
Here’s a quick video I made of The Pink Flamingo. Sorry for the poor quality but it’s the first video I’ve tried making but it should give you a good overview of the boat.
Some of the main features of the boat are:
1.) 34′ houseboat with 6′ swim platform for a total length of 40′. Beam (width) is 13′-2 or so.
2.) Everything works. We just had it out the other weekend with 10 people on board and easily could have put another 10 or 15 on board.
3.) Completely remodeled. This is one of the nicest most comfortable boat you will find in the under 40′ range.
4.) A true Queen size bed to sleep on. No being cramped in a v-bearth or aft cabin on this boat.
5.) The back cabin with the bed, bathroom, and kitchen is air conditioned with a built in marine air conditioning system so you DON’T have to worry about tripping over an RV type air conditioner that mounts through the top deck like many in this size range. The upper cabin with the bar we have never needed to air condition because we honestly open up the front windows and the top hatch and leave them open the entire time we are at the boat and it’s always worked best that way.
6.) UNIQUE SUBMERSIBLE SWIM PLATFORM. THAT’S RIGHT JUST LIKE THE LARGE YACHTS YOU CAN LOWER THE SWIM PLATFORM IN THE WATER TO SIT ON IT, SWIM OFF IT, LAUNCH YOUR PADDLEBOARD, OR LET YOUR DOGS HAVE A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO SWIM FROM.
7.) Inside rear cabin area is 11′-2 wide by about 18′ long. Queen size bed, leather couch with dual recliners, kitchen, large fridge, large bathroom with 36″x34″ shower, and electric flush toilet. Again you won’t find anything with near as much room or setup as nicely as this boat.
8.) Upper area is 9’4 wide by 8′-4 long with a bar and lots of storage.
9.) Inside headroom is 6′-1 or higher.
10.) Top deck is 11′-8 wide by 18′ long. Lots of room to hang out with dual lounges that our friends love to sleep on.
11.) Single inboard engine with volvo outdrive. Runs great.
12.) No generator. We’ve never really needed one and if we do then I have just used a portable honda one that I use on the front deck.
13.) Pretty much everything comes with it. All the furniture both inside and on the top deck. Life jackets, swim floats, bedding, pots, pans, dishes, you name it. Literally jump on and go.
14.) Unique back shade sail and supports that can handle a hammock across the back swim platform. It’s where you’ll find me most afternoons if we are not in the water.
15.) No trailer. You’re not going to trailer a boat this size yourself and you probably only have to pull it out every 5 years or so for routine maintenance. Most things including the water pump can be done while in the water which is nice.
And a few more pictures of this great boat.
Stern as seen from the other dock.
Aluminum deck swim platform where back 3 feet can be lowered into the water. Hammock as well as built in misters makes this my favorite napping spot.
Graphics on Port side.
Close up of graphics on port side.
Close up of second set of graphics on port size
Port side
Bow area with room for a couple chairs.
Starboard side
Steps inside the front door that lead to the top deck.
Helm area
Bar next to the helm area.
2nd fridge in the upper cabin by bar area.
Lower cabin with steps, large storage cabinet, and main fridge.
Kitchen area with double sink and lots of storage.
Another view of the kitchen area
More storage next to the kitchen.
Built in workstation area and LED monitor. Storage bins for clothes and closet area to the far left.
Lots of windows to see out.
Queen size bed that is over the engine are. Again lots of windows really makes it roomy.
Bed and couch area. All windows in the lower cabin have pull down RV style blinds also.
Leather type couch with dual recliners.
More storage and an area underneath the table that has our dog bed for our 60 lb dog.
Door into bathroom area.
Large bathroom with vessel bowl sink. Storage behind mirror and storage bins to the right.
Large 34″x36″ shower.
Nice porcelain electric head.
Steps going to the top cabin with curtain to close it off.
Loungers on upper deck for more sleeping spots and hanging out.
Table with freshwater tank underneath it.
Full size gas grill.
Shade sail over hammock and swim platform.
View of the hatch that slides back to close off the top deck.
Another view of the recliners and all the storage room underneath it for your pool floats and such.
Beautiful sunrise from the swim platform.
And here’s a bunch of pictures from when it was last out of the water and we launched it in June of 2012. You can see how great of condition the boat is in and how solid the swim platform is built.
The initial purchase and move
Apparently we didn’t have enough projects that were unfinished so we decided to take on yet another one. While the 1958 Canned Ham has proved nice for camping for a weekend we both really liked all of the pictures and posts of older Airstream’s that have been remodeled with more modern interiors. Since we have a perfect place for one along the side of the house we thought that it might be nice to get one and make use it for an office or a guest house. Or we might just have fun fixing it up and flipping it. Who knows. Either way we searched around a bit on Craigslist and finally saw a Silver Streak in Congress, Arizona. At first we were not interested in it because we didn’t think it had enough windows but then I saw a picture of one and what we thought were trim pieces in the front corners were actually rock guards that once removed had beautiful curved windows on the sides.
The camper is a 1973 Silver Streak twin axle Atlas Continental. NADA lists it as 27′-10″ long, 7′-10 wide, 5,160 pounds.
July 18, 2015 – We set off on the 2 hour trip to Congress, Arizona to take a look at it. It was a very nice gentleman Ed who had it for sale at his Trading Post in town. I think he has been there since 1985 or so and apparently the Trading Post used to host big Flea Markets back in the day. Throughout the day every time I went up to the Trading Post there were always someone new sitting out on the front porch talking away and it seams like Ed is the mayor of the town. We decided it was worth what he was asking but he didn’t have the proper title so he said he would hold onto the trailer for us until he got the title all resolved. Apparently he had purchased it from a friend who was living in it but had to move to a nursing home. Ont he way to the houseboat we ran into a big storm with lots of rain and apparently some areas by Wickenburg has some flooding that we just missed.
July 21, 2015 – The title is resolved and I’m having a bad day at work so I finally load up and head out around 12 to work on the camper. We knew that 1 tire had to be changed for sure to move it to Wickenburg where Big O Tires could repack the bearings and check things out. When I arrived Ed was not there but a couple other gentleman Bill and Chuck that help out at the Trading Post came over to help out. While pulling off the tire that we knew was back I could see the ones on the other side had the radial wires showing also so I knew that we better change all of them before trying to move them. I think they were a bit surprised that the city boy went to town on changing them out and Bill and Chuck were great helpers. Chuck even had me take his truck to town instead of trying to fit the tires in the Murano which was extremely nice. I tried to offer them some cash for helping out but they wouldn’t take it. We didn’t want to risk trying to jack up both sides of the camper at once so I was only able to get 3 tires on Friday and picked up a new tongue jack and trailer wiring connector to get the lights working also. Back to Congress I went and since I was mostly in the shade in the late afternoon and evening I kept working on the camper to get the lights working, trailer jack changed, and tires back on. With the last 2 tires in the Murano I headed off the the houseboat for the night since it was an hour closer to the camper.
July 22, 2015 – Back to Big O Tires to drop off the other 2 tires and grab some more parts in Wickenburg before heading off to Congress to try to get it road ready. After some work I finally had the lights and electric brakes wire up correctly and for the most part the lights were good enough to tow with. Something still wasn’t right on the left side but as long as the headlights were off the brakes and blinkers worked well enough on that side. Chuck had offered to tow it to Wickenburg the day before so he showed up and helped out and we finally got it hitched up and ready to roll. It looked like it was towing pretty well until he got above 50 mph then it started to sway and in a couple big cross winds I wasn’t sure if it was going to come back or not. But Chuck took it nice and slow and we finally got it to Big O Tires for them to repack the bearings and check things out, repacked the bearings, and fix some springs on the brakes.
July 29, 2015 – Big O Tires took great care of us and with the bearings packed and brakes checked out I still wasn’t sure about towing it so I checked the mileage and it looked like it was just under the 100 miles that our AAA RV Plus Roadside Assistance covers so we called them up to tow it home I thought on a flatbed. Little did I know they sent out a regular truck to tow it but it was a big 1 ton dually truck and the driver didn’t think it would be a problem. Off we went and somehow just missed all of the rush hour traffic and got the camper home without a problem. But since he only had a 2 wheel drive truck he was unable to back it where we wanted it and had to drop it on the neighbors vacant lot which is up for sale.
July 31, 2015 – After posting up on our neighborhood site for some help a neighbor Jeff offered me the use of his 4×4 1 ton truck to move it. I really wanted to get it off the neighbors lot and also the next neighbors had their house up for sale so I figured they would appreciate having it moved also. The only problem was that Friday was one of those days where it decided to storm on us and it knocked out the power for 3 or 4 hours. Luckily in between the rain I was able to borrow Jeff’s truck and get it backed into where we figure will be a good spot for it. It was a tight fit but worked out and I think it will be very nice in it’s spot.
Of coarse we didn’t worry about the condition of the interior since we are planning on gutting it and maybe even moving the bathroom location around and such. But here’s what the beast looks like now. It has the bathroom in the back with two twin beds on the side which seams to be the standard setup in these trailers for that time period. For us we may look at putting the bedroom in the back with the bathroom along one of the sides but until we get a few other projects done Tammy says it will have to wait.
First Overnight in Arizona
Finally we spent the night on the Pink Flamingo out on the lake. It’s been a long wait and I forgot how relaxing it is to be away from the dock for an overnight. Not to mention we missed all of the drama at the dock on Saturday night.
Our friends Charlie & Cindy and Aris & Janet also camped out so we had some safety in numbers with the anchoring. With 3 anchors out front and 1 out back we didn’t move at all. It was so many great laughs along with great food and of coarse drinks. The weather was perfect and we didn’t even have to run the generators at night which really made it great. Several other friends stopped by during the days and it was just a perfect couple of days. We even returned with all of our anchors and nobody had problems parking in the slips.
Dixie’s Dinghy turned out to be a bit too heavy on the back swim platform but some friends let us use their paddle boards and I was able to coax Dixie into going to shore twice. The picture is one of the few times she stood nicely on the front. Most of the time she was nervous moving around or trying to cuddle up by me which makes it much harder to paddle.
Already dreaming about the next time we can do it.
The Pink Flamingo in Arizona 