The FW and I bought a 2014 36′ camper about a year ago and moved it to Island Campgrounds on Trenton Island.
As we were driving past the Treasure Island Casino Marina last summer in the Lund, I said out loud what I always say when passing all this tuna boats… “someplace in life, I made the wrong turn”. The FW and I started talking about it and the next thing I know, I was looking at tuna boats online and sharpening the pencil to see how selling the camper and moving into a “floating camper” would work out.
About a month ago, we closed the deal on a 1995 39′ Carver CPMY.
I have to say the shopping experience took some getting use to. The broker we used filled me in on the way tuna boats are sold. If I have an interest, I would make an offer and if accepted, make a deposit that goes into escrow (about $2k), then I would pay for a boat survey, much is like a house inspection but less extensive. In a boat inspection, they are looking for structural integrity only. For the price it leaves a lot of questions.
Then if nothing shows up on the survey, there is a sea test. Take the boat out and run it. I don’t get to drive it, I just get to watch and ask questions until it’s paid for. Cripes, people even get behind the wheel of a Tesla prior to buying them!
Until the sea test, I’m not allowed to talk to the owner. (screw that, I looked them up on the net once we had an interest)
If you back out when there isn’t a problem with the survey or sea trial, you lose your deposit.
So rant over and now we are the happy owners of the fisherman’s nightmare, a Carver with twin 454’s that burn a gallon a minute on plane. You can bet it will be in the slip much more often than not! Some people call it a boat while I call it a camper.
It was bought in Hudson on a Thursday and I needed to get it down to Island Campgrounds Marina on Saturday because our camper was being sold on Sunday. Certainly didn’t want to move everything twice so it was important to move it on Saturday. Verbally (first mistake) the broker and owner agreed one of them would be on board going to Red Wing with me. I have zero experience with twin engines or of a boat this size. Well, Friday night the owner was called out of town and the broker said he could make it on Monday.
With everyone paid, I had already planned on making the trip by myself and allowed 2 hours of “you figure it out time”. At the last minute the FW unwillingly came along. Glad she did.
With the twin screws and a little experience on a skid steer (thank you very much Dean), I pulled out of the slip in Hudson well enough to impress me. Deb became visually nervous when we went through the Afton area with 10 or so fishing boats out. Piece of cake.
Down to Prescot we motored. As I was approaching the train bridge the FW started yelling at me that we weren’t going to make it without hitting the bridge! Hell, I didn’t think of looking to see how high the boat was! The bridge gauge read 15′. Turns out I would of lost the radar antenna had I continued. Ok, no problem I’ll just call the train bridge on the marine radio. Well that’s when I found out the radio would transmit but not receive. Lucky another tuna boat was approaching and we chatted with them then followed them through. I knew I was holding on to a marine radio in the garage for ten years for a reason.
Lock and Dam #3 was next and with the boat traffic on the river (none really to speak of) it was a breeze. Then it was on to Red Wing Marina to get some fuel. I’ll just say we didn’t fill up…
Now off to the home slip at Island Campground. I had the foresight to have a friend on the dock to grab a line. With the current and the strong downstream wind, I’ll just say I did better then I thought, but it wasn’t pretty. I’ll need to work on that.
So since then we’ve been getting use to the different systems in the boat that aren’t in a camper. FW is looking at carpeting, she bought some clearance rocker/recliners and I’ve been changing lights to LED’s and ordered a couple Folbe rod holders. Might as well fish off the back end while I’m down there.
Seems the Coast Guard is a bit behind on their documentation of boats. We’ll be changing the name to our granddaughters name when ever they get around to it.
So if you’re putting along through Red Wing’s no wake zone and see a guy or two sitting on a protected deck with a Hamm’s, wave it’s just me and I just might have a walleye tip if I’ve heard of any lately!
PS I promise to not be one of “those” tuna boat captains!
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