First the name "Thataway" has been our unique boat name over the last 28 years. We had just closed on our Cal 46 and flown to visit our friends CA and Bettie on their 55' cutter Cannibal. on the Gold Coast of Australia in 1980. On the ham radio one night we were talking with CA, Lowell North (Got to go) Dick Deaver (Out o Here). OK where to? Of course "Thataway". It also partly reflects that Marie and I often have different versions of what happened in our cruising adventures. Thus the fingers pointing in opposite directions in the logo! When Capt. Charlie bought the Tom Cat, he wanted the name, "Thataway"....Thus our next 22 was "Thisaway".. After Capt Charlie sold the Tom Cat-- the name "Thataway" was ours again.
OK--but whats up; a 22, a 25, a Tom Cat, a 22 and now a 25 again? The first 22 and 25 were kept on the West Coast, along with a 3/4 ton van, (crash pad). We would fly to Vegas or LA, and pickup the van and boat--off to adventures.
The Tom Cat was kept at our home in Florida. In 2010, when I had my second cardiac bypass I decided (to Marie's consternation), that I might not make it, so we sold the Tom Cat and eventually downsized to a 22. After a cardiac procedure in Dec 1016, I had improved so much that we began to make more boating plans. After this Hontoon gathering, we decided that a 25 would really make more sense. (Marie was tired of dragging the porti potty out from under the bunk). So we began our search for a 25.
SeaWeed came as close to what we wanted as we could find. We are the 5th owners. We don't know much about the first two, but the 3rd, Ray, did some fantastic upgrades, which we had followed and admired. Paul, who was the 4th and previous owner also made some nice modifications.
Credit is due to Paul and Ruth who sold us the 25 "Seaweed". As we made plans to drive to N. Carolina to see the boat, Paul insisted that we stay with them. Then we found out that Paul is a retired gourmet/executive chef! We had such fantastic meals, so well presented during our almost 3 day visit! Such wonderful hospitality--and great people! Paul re-assured me that he would always be a C Brat--and would welcome visiting C Brats. They were more than perfect hosts!
Why this boat? We had almost bought "Hallelujah" about 4 years ago. She was also a 2007. We like the dual fuel fills. This was the first year of the fiberglass interior, the aft cockpit hatches were molded fiberglass--yes, they still can leak--but the deck rot is minimal. (Still can happen around the inspection ports). We like the drawers, which were under the helm seat. Seaweed, had the sliding Norcold chest refer/freezer, she had the port side of the bulkhead between the cabin and V Berth tastefully removed. There were many modifications which I had done on my prior boats--and those did not have to be done. There was a BM1 monitor system (similar to Victron 700) on the house bank, and there were many electrical upgrades, including all LED lighting. She had a modern 9" display RayMarine chart plotter, depth sounder . 15 years ago, I would not have owned RayMarine electronics--but since FLIR bought the company the quality and technology has vastly improved. We are adding the Quantum Digital Radar and a second chart plotter MFD. I will still have one Garmin display for the AIS, that is a 4" chart plotter, I also use on my fishing boat--the Caracal Cat.
Here was a boat ready to run, with minimal modifications... Air conditioning is always an issue for us. We had used the 5000 BTU window unit on our first 25 and it was "adequate" We use the boats as "Boater homes"--so the marine AC units are not usable. This boat has a very nice system for using the small AC unit from inside, and we will fabricate a hoisting system to get it from under the bunk to the window, with minimal lifting effort. We may pull the water heater, and put in a second chest refer freezer (?). If we do this, there will be a 1 to 2 gallon flow thru heater in the galley. There is no installed stove. We have become fans of the induction stoves--and that will be what we use. Our "NuWave" runs fine on the Honda EU1000i. We may put a permanently mounted EU2000 aft over the starboard side of the splash well, and put in a 2 burner induction unit. A microwave is to come also. There are full covers, including a slant back and full winter cover, as well as Bimini and forward window/hatch shades.
There were some negatives...one was the composting "Air Head"...That was a tough sell for Marie (Thanks Joyce Schulke of C Otter who helped convince her it was 'OK"...) We always have to go thru any boat, and make "our own" changes. First priority today (after we did the boat trailer/parking shuffle) was cleaning the head. We will take everything out of the boat, and do a through scrubbing. Marie still wants an overhead RV air conditioner--we are going to try the window unit, along with Reflectix (bubble/mylar reflective window insulation) and a shade over the boat. The other was that although we thought that the boat had a full camper canvas, it just had screens (nicely done). We think we have a solution with removable window panels, involving velcro and high bond adhesive to clear vinyl panels. This means no zippers, and we can easily roll up the panels and stow them below in an overhead rack.
Now the big one--do we need another tow vehicle? I had towed my son's 25 over the grapevine with my current Yukon XL (heavy duty tow package)--and the 25 is just at the weight limit. So we decided to risk the tow from North Carolina--about 860 miles. No question that towing is harder on a vehicle. We monitor many engine parameters with a Scan Gauge G, as well as the built in digital transmission temp gauge. The only time it was over 200* was basically idling during stop and go traffic. On the highway, it ran 190* to 195*. We run synthetic transmission fluid and change it every 20K mile if towing.(instead of the recommended 40K miles). I have discussed this with my mechanic, and he feels we are safe. The only other issue is that occasionally we rev up into the over 3000 RPM when pulling short grades. Solution: slow down. We towed at 55 to 57 and the truck did well. No sway, no windage issues; l stopping was excellent (trailer had new surge/disc brakes--we will probably switch to E/H). We will do a few more trips-and if any issues, then go to a diesel 3/4 ton. [/b]
Here is a photo of our first nigh aboard at a campground: Great sleep, and another adventure in our lives begins!
s
Of course Thisaway our 22, will be listed for sale, as soon as I get some good interior photos. She is very well equipped and ready to cruise.
OK--but whats up; a 22, a 25, a Tom Cat, a 22 and now a 25 again? The first 22 and 25 were kept on the West Coast, along with a 3/4 ton van, (crash pad). We would fly to Vegas or LA, and pickup the van and boat--off to adventures.
The Tom Cat was kept at our home in Florida. In 2010, when I had my second cardiac bypass I decided (to Marie's consternation), that I might not make it, so we sold the Tom Cat and eventually downsized to a 22. After a cardiac procedure in Dec 1016, I had improved so much that we began to make more boating plans. After this Hontoon gathering, we decided that a 25 would really make more sense. (Marie was tired of dragging the porti potty out from under the bunk). So we began our search for a 25.
SeaWeed came as close to what we wanted as we could find. We are the 5th owners. We don't know much about the first two, but the 3rd, Ray, did some fantastic upgrades, which we had followed and admired. Paul, who was the 4th and previous owner also made some nice modifications.
Credit is due to Paul and Ruth who sold us the 25 "Seaweed". As we made plans to drive to N. Carolina to see the boat, Paul insisted that we stay with them. Then we found out that Paul is a retired gourmet/executive chef! We had such fantastic meals, so well presented during our almost 3 day visit! Such wonderful hospitality--and great people! Paul re-assured me that he would always be a C Brat--and would welcome visiting C Brats. They were more than perfect hosts!
Why this boat? We had almost bought "Hallelujah" about 4 years ago. She was also a 2007. We like the dual fuel fills. This was the first year of the fiberglass interior, the aft cockpit hatches were molded fiberglass--yes, they still can leak--but the deck rot is minimal. (Still can happen around the inspection ports). We like the drawers, which were under the helm seat. Seaweed, had the sliding Norcold chest refer/freezer, she had the port side of the bulkhead between the cabin and V Berth tastefully removed. There were many modifications which I had done on my prior boats--and those did not have to be done. There was a BM1 monitor system (similar to Victron 700) on the house bank, and there were many electrical upgrades, including all LED lighting. She had a modern 9" display RayMarine chart plotter, depth sounder . 15 years ago, I would not have owned RayMarine electronics--but since FLIR bought the company the quality and technology has vastly improved. We are adding the Quantum Digital Radar and a second chart plotter MFD. I will still have one Garmin display for the AIS, that is a 4" chart plotter, I also use on my fishing boat--the Caracal Cat.
Here was a boat ready to run, with minimal modifications... Air conditioning is always an issue for us. We had used the 5000 BTU window unit on our first 25 and it was "adequate" We use the boats as "Boater homes"--so the marine AC units are not usable. This boat has a very nice system for using the small AC unit from inside, and we will fabricate a hoisting system to get it from under the bunk to the window, with minimal lifting effort. We may pull the water heater, and put in a second chest refer freezer (?). If we do this, there will be a 1 to 2 gallon flow thru heater in the galley. There is no installed stove. We have become fans of the induction stoves--and that will be what we use. Our "NuWave" runs fine on the Honda EU1000i. We may put a permanently mounted EU2000 aft over the starboard side of the splash well, and put in a 2 burner induction unit. A microwave is to come also. There are full covers, including a slant back and full winter cover, as well as Bimini and forward window/hatch shades.
There were some negatives...one was the composting "Air Head"...That was a tough sell for Marie (Thanks Joyce Schulke of C Otter who helped convince her it was 'OK"...) We always have to go thru any boat, and make "our own" changes. First priority today (after we did the boat trailer/parking shuffle) was cleaning the head. We will take everything out of the boat, and do a through scrubbing. Marie still wants an overhead RV air conditioner--we are going to try the window unit, along with Reflectix (bubble/mylar reflective window insulation) and a shade over the boat. The other was that although we thought that the boat had a full camper canvas, it just had screens (nicely done). We think we have a solution with removable window panels, involving velcro and high bond adhesive to clear vinyl panels. This means no zippers, and we can easily roll up the panels and stow them below in an overhead rack.
Now the big one--do we need another tow vehicle? I had towed my son's 25 over the grapevine with my current Yukon XL (heavy duty tow package)--and the 25 is just at the weight limit. So we decided to risk the tow from North Carolina--about 860 miles. No question that towing is harder on a vehicle. We monitor many engine parameters with a Scan Gauge G, as well as the built in digital transmission temp gauge. The only time it was over 200* was basically idling during stop and go traffic. On the highway, it ran 190* to 195*. We run synthetic transmission fluid and change it every 20K mile if towing.(instead of the recommended 40K miles). I have discussed this with my mechanic, and he feels we are safe. The only other issue is that occasionally we rev up into the over 3000 RPM when pulling short grades. Solution: slow down. We towed at 55 to 57 and the truck did well. No sway, no windage issues; l stopping was excellent (trailer had new surge/disc brakes--we will probably switch to E/H). We will do a few more trips-and if any issues, then go to a diesel 3/4 ton. [/b]
Here is a photo of our first nigh aboard at a campground: Great sleep, and another adventure in our lives begins!
sOf course Thisaway our 22, will be listed for sale, as soon as I get some good interior photos. She is very well equipped and ready to cruise.
