New Boat 2015

It's official - on Monday May 4, Steve and I traveled to Mobile to meet Ken and make the transfer and purchase. Ken gets the old Cap'n Pappy & the Kids and is going to replace the engine and promises he'll have it running in a month or so. I hope he does because she's a good boat but more mechanical issues than I can handle.

In exchange and with some $$$, we acquired the "PDQ" - a 1984 Sea Ray 340 SF Sportfisher. SHe runs great and has been totally redone by Ken and his wife Terri. Amazingly, the boats are stern to stern in their slips at Grand Mariner Marina so the transfer of our stuff was easy.

We got everything stowed on board, have contacted Signs Now to get our name on the new boat - trying to decide between the same name (Cap'n Pappy & the Kids) or Cap'n Pappy II.

Here's pictures - one taken by Ken of the boat on the water and the other in her slip.

Going Back - August 2013

This is the first of a series of posts in which we'll go back and begin to catch you up to where we ended up - the point of trading the Capn Pappy & the Kids for another boat, the PDQ (which we will rename the Capn Pappy II).

August 9, 2013

After the holes were patched and Capn Pappy splashed into the launch slip for a second time, Keith from Eastern Shore Marine attempted to start the engines for the first time since we got the boat. With a little coaxing and finger crossing by Steve and I, the starboard engine coughed, fired up, and began pumping water from the exhaust port - not bad! Keith then cranked the port engine and cranked and cranked to no avail. Descending from the fly bridge, he opened the engine hatches and borrowing tools from the cabin, went to work.Finding that the distributor cap was aligned wrong and there was an electrical issue of some sort, he spent almost an hour in the blazing August heat buried in the engine. Finally, the port engine coughed to life and seemed to be running in a semi-normal fashion.

Keith from ESM working on port engine

OK -all kidding aside - it has been quite an experience since our launch in August 2013. Since that first trip from the launch to the slip, there were 5 more ventures into Mobile Bay with the last being in November 2013. Then a series of mechanical woes finally being rust in the engine cylinders stopped the Capn Pappy in its tracks. I will detail those incidents in future posts soon!

In August 2014, absolutely frustrated with the service and other things, we had the Capn Pappy towed to its new home, the Grand Mariner Marina on Dog River. Everything took a turn for the positive after we arrived there. Although the Capn Pappy is still not running, we are excited as we may soon be cruising on the Capn Pappy II - a 1985 Sea Ray 340 Sportfisher! Details to come, I promise! ........Capn Pappy H

TowBoatUS across Mobile Bay

New Home at Grand Mariner Marina

Empty slip at Eastern Shore Marine - Bye Bye

Launch Day

Steve and I arrive around 11:30 AM today to find the Capn Pappy in the slings and ready to go to the water. Keith and Mark from ESM had her up and ready and soon on the move to the launch bay. The transporter is a pretty impressive machine and Keith handles it like a true pro. Here we are on the move through the boatyard.

Then the moment of truth - as she was lowered into the water, Steve and I wondered what was next. Would she float? Would the engines start? Anxiety and excitement were at a high level at this point.

Well, she floated! But there was a good deal of water being pumped by the bilge pumps so Keith pulled her out of the water and moved back over the concrete apron at the launch slip. Luckily, the source of the water was easily spotted - the same person who had drilled the 1 inch hole in the transom had also drilled 4 small holes near the bottom of the transom and those were under the waterline. Bobby packed them, painted over them, and we were back in the water in 30 minutes.

On probably the hottest trip yet on August 4, Steve, Cindy, and I made numerous repairs to the Capn Pappy & the Kids. The best thing that happened was as you can see the name being placed on the stern. The next best was the beautiful curtains that Cindy sewed for the cabin. As you can see from the next photo, they look great. She is working on the cushions and they should be in soon. Since the cabin was sweltering, Cindy gets a big pat on the back for sticking it out and getting them all installed.

Steve and I did several jobs on the outside - replacing 2 port covers, finding a "improv" solution to a hole in the transom where someone had previously drilled out a 1 inch hole, checking the head and galley vent fans (neither of which works), and replacing the reading lights in the v-berth.

We are getting close to going in the water!

We have a name!

After much pondering and input from family and friends, the name for the boat formerly known as the 1987 Sea Ray 300 Sedan Bridge has been selected.

As a tribute to my wonderful children (including sons and daughter in law) and my terrific grandsons, the name will be - CAP'N PAPPY & THE KIDS.

Next update will include the long laundry list of repairs and questions we threw at Eastern Shore Marine and they responded quickly and were very informative!

Till then - Cap'n Pappy out

Looking Better and Found a Home

Well here she is after her bottom scraping, new paint, and a waxing. Thanks to the wonderful folks at Eastern Shore Marine for the great work. Along the way we discovered that the water heater that the seller gave us was not the correct one for the boat so we are searching for another. Then the starboard water intake had a crack and it needed repair. The stuffing boxes have been repacked and the props replaced. Rudder hydraulics were being reconnected. So things are moving along smoothly.

Next we needed to find a home once we can get in the water so again the great folks at Eastern Shore Marine came through. You are looking at the new home of our Sea Ray - the end slip across the channel to the left of the white sailboat. Now all (ha ha) I have to do is learn how to get her in and out of there!