April 10, 2011 - Moving the new boat from Stockton to San Francisco

I (Steve) drove down to Stockton CA on April 1 so I could spend a week working on the boat and getting her ready for the big trip up the coast in a month or two.  That move will completely depend on the weather so I can't predict when it will happen.

It was a long 14 hour drive from La Conner to Stockton.  I left at about 3:00AM with a cup of coffee in my hand.  I am a morning person so this wasn't as bad as it might sound.  It also meant that I wouldn't be driving after dark when I was tired which would have been the case if left at say 8:00AM. 

I arrived in Stockton about 5:00PM and then spent almost two hours unloading the van, which was packed FULL.

The "lowrider" van.  I loaded it down with boat stuff.

I then spent several days adding electronics, changing engine oil and filters, changing fuel filters, making repairs, exploring the boat, and finding new issues to deal with.  One of the biggest issues I discovered was that the dual fuel filter setup is broken on the port engine.  There is a lever you move so you can move from a clogged fuel filter over to a new fresh filter without ever shutting down the engine.  The lever moves but it doesn't actually change filters.  There is a plastic piece inside that had been stripped.  Apparently on these early Racor 500 duel filter assemblies this plastic piece was a poor design.  There is an "upgrade" kit to change it over to all brass parts that should last forever.  All of the newer units are not made with this plastic piece.

The Racor dual filter setup.  The gauge is broken & the selector valve does nothing.

The stipped out plastic part inside the Racor dual filter selector valve.

Another view of the valve.

After several days of work Kathy flew into Sacramento and I drove to get her.  On the way from the airport we stopped at Costco to load up with non-perishable foods for the boat trip up the coast.  After owning this boat for more than a month Kathy finally got to see it in person.  She has seen lots of pictures and video that I took, but she had never seen the boat in person.  I think she likes it?  It's pretty dirty inside, although it is in very nice condition.  It will take a lot of cleaning to make it seem "right", but that's easy stuff.

Kathy's first look at her new boat!

We got up a little before 6:00AM the next morning (Friday morning) because we are moving the boat from Stockton to Brisbane (San Francisco) today.  It almost 90 miles and with a boat that goes 8-9 knots this is going to be a long day.  The weather started out great with no clouds and no wind.  We were underway by about 6:20 when it started getting light enough to see.  Stockton is up "The Delta" from San Francisco and is on the San Joaquin River.  This boat has spent quite a few years in fresh water which is a good thing.  Stockton is an interesting town with a beautiful waterfront, but it gets pretty sketchy the further you venture away from the waterfront.

Goodbye Stockton California.  San Francisco here we come!

I spent quite a bit of time down in the engine room while Kathy drove.  I was checking for oil leaks and water leaks.  I adjusted the propeller shaft packing glands to reduce the amount of water dripping into the boat.  I checked the temperatures of various engine components and the transmissions with my infrared temp gun.  I checked fuel filters and switched from tank to tank.  This boat has 4 fuel tanks.  3 of them seemed fine, but one (the aft keel tank, 300 gallons) seems to have some VERY dirty fuel.  I am going to have to have this tank professionally cleaned, but it may be able to wait until we get the boat up here as we shouldn't need to use this tank at all on the trip north.

The "Delta" was a very interesting place to cruise, but I think once was enough for me.  It's a river and there just aren't the places to go, all the places to drop the anchor, all the places to simply get away like we have up in the San Juan's.  Sometimes I don't think we realize just how great our cruising grounds really are!

Running in light fog.

This fog was pretty dense.  We couldn't even see the bank of the river.

We started out with fantastic conditions, although it was quite chilly in the morning.  Then some light fog started to appear.  At first it was very low on the water and we could see right over it.  Then it disappeared and we thought we were through with it.  Then all of the sudden, POW.  Heavy fog that completely obscured our view of everything.  It was a good test of the radar and chartplotters.  The electronics performed great and we never did slow down (well, if you can call 9 knots fast?).   We were in the fog for over an hour and we were both quite relieved when  it started to disappear.

Not long after the fog lifted we approached the US Navy mothball fleet.  This is a place where old boat go to "rest".  Apparently these vessels are laying in wait,  in case they are ever needed again.  They haven't been discarded.  They are obsolete but not forgotten.  It was VERY interesting to see at least a hundred war ships sitting here doing nothing.  Are we not in a war or two right now?  Hmmmmmm.......

Some of the "Mothball Fleet."  What did it cost to build these ships?

The "Cape Fear" has some definite style.  Look at the radar tower.  Impressive!

Not long after making a detour to view the Mothball Fleet we finally entered San Francisco Bay.  There was much Anticipation at seeing the Golden Gate Bridge.  OK, maybe it was just me, but somehow the Golden Gate Bridge holds a certain awe, a prestige, a pedigree if you will, for boaters.  If you've made it to the Golden Gate Bridge you are definitely a serious boater.  Well. maybe for a Seattle boater like me anyway.  I don't think a San Fran boater would regard it as highly as I do.  Anyway, we saw the Golden Gate from our boat and also took a swing by Alcatraz. 

The Golden Gate Bridge, as viewed from our boat.

Alcatraz.  I can honestly say that this must have been a terrible place to be!

The boat is now moored at Brisbane Marina, just a few miles away from the San Fran airport.  As we got close we passed Candle Stick Park (now AT&T Park) on opening day.  It was a packed stadium!

Opening Day at Candle Stick Park.  Just look at all the people!

We arrived at Brisbane Marina shortly after passing Candle Stick Park.  I had a map of the marina so finding our slip was fairly easy.  I didn't count on it being such a tight slip.  I literally had less than 2 feet clearance between us and the next boat.  It was blowing about 20 knots, pushing us into the next boat when we arrived.  Despite having never docked our new boat before, I managed to get Adagio into the slip without incident.  Fortunately, there was someone there to grab a line from us which was a great help.

A tight fit.  I'm sure the guy on the left isn't going to like this.

The next day the winds were even stronger, which is what was forcasted.  I worked on the boat that day while Kathy hopped on an Amtrack train to go retrieve our van which was still back in Stockton.  It took Kathy about 6-7 to make the roundtrip. 

The next day we changed slips, at my request.  We jumped over a few slips next to a much narrower boat and also next to a Nordhavn 40', which is very coincidentally the exact make and model of boat that I helped bring up the coast 5 years ago.  Our Hatteras simply overshadows the 40' Nordhavn!

Our Hatteras next to a Nordhavn 40 MK II.  Our boat is bigger!  :-)  ha ha

Obviously I'm just kidding with my caption in the last photo.  I think Nordhavn's are the best boats out there.  If I had the money to buy one I would.  But I could buy 5 of our 48' boat for the price of one Nordhavn 40'.  Hey, we scored a bargain; what else can I say?

After a day or two of work on our new boat we packed the van and drove back home.  It was much tougher leaving at 5:00PM and drining overnight.  I think both Kathy and I experience extreme drowsiness while driving overnight.  That just didn't happen when I left at 3:00AM.  I was good all day without feeling like I needed a rest at all.  It's just not the same after being awake all day and then trying to stay awake all night too.

Anyway, we made it home fine.  A bit tired when we arrived. A bit overwhelmed.  A bit shell shocked.  A bit proud too as we have finally purchased a vessel that in some circles could be called a "ship".   This is definitely a huge step up in quality and abilities from our beloved Bayliner 45.  Bringing her up the coast is going to be an interesting trip.

More to come......

Some exterior photos of the new boat

I'm posting some photos of the exterior of Adagio now. 

Starting with the bottom, you can see that this boat has a substantial keel.  The keel extends far below the props and rudder to offer protection during a grounding or hitting a log.  This deep and long keel contributes to the boats ability to track staight and true even in heavy following seas.  A boat without a keel like this is very difficult to steer in certain sea conditions.  The Hatteras is said to "track like it's on rail" in just about any sea condition.

Deep keel that protects the props and rudders.



Also notice how the hull goes from a rounded chine to a squared off chine at the very stern.  The chine is where the hull makes the turn from the side to the bottom.   Some boats have an abrupt edge here, some have a smooth rounded transition (like a sailboat).  This squared off section "stiffens" the hull and reduces side to side rolling.  This is a fairly "soft" boat however, which contributes to seaworthiness because the rolling is less abrupt.  Stiff hulls have a more abrupt or snappy roll, but roll less (in total amount of lean).  This tends to throw people about the interior leading to injuries.  Soft hulls roll further but offer a smoother action.  The boat moves around more but it is generally considered to be more tolerable for people over long distances.



The rounded hull.  Much like a sailboat.

 Next is the swimstep.  This is a traditional teak swimstep.  It looks like a lot of maintenance to me!  I'd rather have an all fiberglass swimstep, but every 48LRC came with one like this.

The teak swimstep.  This will take a lot of maintenance to keep it looking good.

This boat has a full width salon which makes walking around the sides of the boat a little awkward.  While you gain a lot of interior space with this arrangement you give up the security of a true walkway along the side(s) of the boat.  Personally I'd rather have the interior space; you only have to go down the sides occasionally but you are inside the boat all the time.

Here's the side of the pilothouse and the narrow walkaround along the outside of the salon.  This walkaround is almost exactly like on our last boat.  Usable, but only in fair conditions.  Here you can see the side door on the pilothouse and the steps that lead to the boat-deck and the flybridge.

The pilothouse door and steps to the flybridge/boat-deck

Here's a view of the flybridge from the very aft end of the boat-deck.  Just this side of Phil (the broker that sold the boat, he's driving it) is a bench seat that will accommodate 4 or 5 people.  There are also two "captains' chairs just ahead of the bench seat.

The boat deck and flybridge

Here's a view of the boat-deck and part of the bench seat on the flybridge.

The bench seat on the flybridge

The boat deck.  There is a lot of open space up here!

 .

On the bow of the boat, just below the pilothouse windshield is another seating area.  This is a nice adult sized bench seat with a real seat back.  For those of you that remember our Bayliner 45, it too had a seat up here but it was very low and the seat back only came up about 8".  It really wasn't very comfortable, or usable.

The seat on the bow.  There is storage under the seat and behind it.  Nice.

 Finally here is the view of the bow from the edge of the pilothouse.  That raised section is an "escape hatch" for the forward vee-berth should the interior hallway/stairs be unsafe (as in fire).  It's also great for ventilation, or even sitting on.  The bow is nice and large, and with the raised edge it will provide a pretty safe place for our kids to play while at anchor.  Under that canvas is a beautiful teak rail.

The bow.  Huge anchor windlass that could lift a HUGE anchor & lots of chain.

That's about it for the tour of our new boat, "Adagio".  When we get it back up here you are welcome to come take a real tour anytime you want.... !!!

More photos of "Adagio"

I think it's time to post some photos of the interior of the boat, so you can get an idea of the interior layout of the boat.  Starting from the stern of the boat we have the cockpit.  The cockpit is roughly the same size as our Bayliner 45 and is partially covered by the boat deck (just like our Bayliner).

Cockpit of our new boat.

Stepping inside the sliding door you enter the Salon.  The new boat is about 1.5' wider than our old boat so all of the interior spaces are about 10% wider/larger.  The salon has a very similar layout to our old boat with the exception of the lack of a dedicated settee.  This is something that will change in the near future.

The salon

To the left (or port) is a seating area with two chairs and a table.  This is where I would like to build in a settee.

The seating area as it is now

Conceptually, this is what I would like it to become (this is in a Nordhavn 46)

On the other side is a nice large couch that converts into a bed.

the couch on the starboard side.

The galley is well equipped with a convection microwave oven and a true cooktop that is a home model.  It is 220volts so it will work just like we are used to at home.  No more slow cooking on a 110volt "boat cooktop" like on our Bayliner.  I may change this out for a propane home cooktop in the future as that will give us more freedom from needing to run the generator.  With an electric cooktop you have to run the generator to cook, but with propane you do not.  Most long-range cruisers use propane for cooking.  The galley countertop and sink is Corian - nice!  Following the long-range design philosphy, the galley is quite compact so that in a rough seaway you can brace yourself against the edges and still function in the galley without being tossed about. 

The galley with cooktop, convection microwave, and full size refrigerator

At the base of the stairs that lead to the pilothouse is the "entertainment center" with stereo and storage cabinets.  At the top of the stairs to the right are the breaker panels for the 110v and 220v AC power systems.  This boat has two isolation transformers to provide very safe shore power.  It also steps up 110 volts to 220 volts so the 220 volt water heater and cooktop will work.   Also, it allows the boat to be plugged into shore power worldwide.  A lot of other countries do not use the same power we do; this boat can adapt to these various international standards!   The boat has two generators also capable of delivering 220 volts.  This is a very versatile and well equipped vessel.

Behind the door just to the right of the refrigerator is a full size stackable washer dryer like you would find in an apartment.  We can finally do our own laundry no matter where we are!

The stereo and storage, even under the steps.  Nice wood blinds too.

The 220 volt washer dryer just like you would find on land.

The pilothouse is next.  The view from here is fantastic.  The dash is a bit outdated in its design.  I have plans to completely re-work the dash area and turn it into something much more user-friendly and modern.  This might be a good winter project as I think it will take some time to figure out the final design and it will definitely take some time to rebuild it.  Underneath the dash is a huge potential storage area that is currently not very accessible.  I plan to change this and make it usable.

The outdated dash/helm.

Here is what one owner did with his dash about 10 years ago.  Quite an improvement, don't you think?  I've been taking pictures of the current state of the art dashes for the past several years of boat show visits.  I think I can improve on this person's design, but probably not by much.

Lou Scott's redesigned 48LRC dash.  A big improvement.

Above the dash is the location of a lot of electronics.  This is something that will definitely be changed as some of the electronics up here are outdated and will be replaced.

overhead location of electronics.

Behind the helm is a great seating area and also a bed called a "pilot berth".  On long-range boats that are making long passages (say, crossing an ocean) it is common to have a bed in the pilothouse for the captain to sleep in.  This way, whoever is on watch can easily wake the captain should a situation arise that needs the captains attention and decision making authority.

The settee in the pilothouse

The pilot/captain/watch berth above the settee.  The bed is 6.5' long.

The only way to the forward portion of the boat is from the pilothouse down a set of fairly steep curving stairs.  This is a very common design for pilothouse style boats.  It gives a lot more interior space below since you don't have a hallway running down the middle to cut it into smaller sections.  With this design, the master stateroom (located directly under the pilothouse) is the full width of the boat.  This makes for a HUGE room.

The stairs that lead to the bedrooms and bathrooms

single bed on port side of master stateroom

The larger bed on the Starboard side of the master stateroom

I plan on adding a second bed above the single bed in this room to make a bunk bed arrangement.  Our kids have really grown fond of the bunk bed arrangement from our previous boat and it would be relatively easy to create this in the new boat.  Those large portholes on each side of the master stateroom are large enough to be used to escape the boat in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or sinking.  Nice safety feature not found on many boats.

The master stateroom has its own bathroom.  This head features quite a bit of floor space (for a boat) and a nice medicine cabinet.  There is a tub/shower in here as well.

entrance to master head on port side of stateroom

the sink, medicine cabinet, and tub/shower

There are lots of storage cabinets throughout the boat with hanging lockers, drawers, and cubbies everywhere to store all you need to bring on a long trip.  Forward of the master stateroom is another head, and a v-berth.  The head has a stall shower and a medicine cabinet.



The main head.  Love that toilet seat cover!



The stall shower in the main head

Forward of the main head is the vee-berth.  This is probably where our kids will sleep.  I've seen other arrangements in this space that I like better where they beds are arranged in an over/under configuration that provides a little more privacy, but the arrangement on our boat is very common and certainly fine for us.  I think we will change the seafoam green color eventually.

The vee-berth in the bow of the boat.

small bench in vee-berth; great for taking off shoes

That's about it for the interior of the boat, other than the engine room and lazarette.  I'll make another blog entry with some exterior photos and perhaps engine room and mechanical spaces.

I'm heading down in 1 week to spend about a week getting the boat ready for the trip north up the coast.  We will be moving the boat in about 2 weeks from Stockton to Brisbane Marina about 5 miles north of the San Francisco airport.  Here it will be well staged for the the trip up the coast.  When the weather is right my crew and I will fly down to San Francisco and hop in a cab to get onboard and start our 5 day trip up the coast to our home port of La Conner, WA.  We can't wait to get Adagio home!!!

Feb. 11, 2011 - We have a "new" boat

Today was a BIG day for us.  We closed on the purchase of a used boat.  Our "new" boat is a 1976 Hatteras 48LRC.  LRC stands for Long Range Cruiser, and is it ever!  It can go more than 2000 miles between fuel docks.  Wow, that's a long distance to cover in a boat.  Hatteras only made 49 of these LRC's and they have a great reputation as a very capable coastal cruiser.  Although it is only 3' longer than our Bayliner 45, it weighs twice as much and is a far superior vessel for heading out into the open ocean. 

In order for it to have long range it has to go slow. It is an 8-9 knot boat, compared to our Bayliner 45 which could go twice as fast if needed.  But speed has a penalty on the water and that penalty is high fuel consumption.  Once a boat exceeds it's Hull Speed the fuel burn rate skyrockets into unaffordable territory.  Hull Speed is a theoretical speed that is mathematically based on the length of the boat at the waterline.  For a 48' boat with a waterline length of about 43' 5" the theoretical Hull Speed is roughly 8.8 knots.  As you approach and then exceed 8.8 knots fuel consumption rises dramatically with with very little corresponding increase in speed.

A boat that is designed to travel at below hull speed is usually referred to as a trawler-style, or full-displacement hull.  Displacement hulls typically have a deeper draft and are considered more sea worthy.  There are other factors that effect seaworthiness such as the prismatic coefficient of the hull, the above/below waterline ratio (or A/B ratio), the depth and length of the keel, the shape of the chines, and of course the weight of the vessel.  After all I've learned about this boat, it definitely falls into the ocean-capable class of powerboats.  I have spoken to several owners of these boats and I know of two that have put more than 70,000 miles on theirs, and one who claims to have about 100,000 miles on his Hatteras 48LRC.  That's more than 3 times around the planet!!!!!  Wow, I think that defines Long Range Cruiser; don't you?

If you want to learn more about what makes a capable ocean-going powerboat, I would suggest reading Robert Beebe's book "Voyaging Under Power".  In just a few hundred pages you will learn what it takes to design a power boat capable of crossing oceans.  I found it fascinating and have read it cover to cover at least 3 times over the past 6 or 7 years.  I guess finally owning a proper displacement vessel was becoming inevitable for me; I've learned much about these designs and I truly appreciate what they have to offer in terms of seaworthiness.  It's either that or I'm just getting old and don't care about going fast anymore  :-)

So, what does our new boat look like:

Stern Quarter view of our "new" boat.

Sitting in Stockton California, waiting for us to buy her.

Hauled our for a survey on Feb 10, 2011

Heading back to the marina after the haulout.

To my eye it has a certain "purpose" about it.  It has work boat brawn, live aboard accommodations, and a "serious" element to it's lines.  It looks like a real boat to me.  I've spoken to so many people now about this boat that I can't keep track of them all.  By far the most common reaction I receive from life-long cruisers when I tell them we are buying a Hatteras 48LRC is "that's a wonderful, and very capable boat".  Also often heard is "that's a boat I would like to own."  Even several sailboaters I know that have gone around the planet know what the 48LRC is and tell me it's a great boat.  When the ocean crossing sailboater's are telling me its a good ocean boat, well, I feel confident in it's ability to take us to Mexico in 2013.

So, what about OUR boat.  Why did you buy THIS particular one I can hear you asking.  Well, basically being a cheapskate, price was a factor :-)  With the poor economy we struck a deal we just couldn't pass up.  It needs some work, but I'm capable of handling all of it's "needs."  I was impressed with the cleanliness and great condition of the interior.  I can say that the engine rooms needs a thorough cleaning and probably even repainting.  But, the motors were both recently rebuilt and should be good for another 30+ years of service.  It has twin 453 Detroit Diesels.  These are low-tech, old-school motors.  They were designed 50+ years ago.  They are basically bulletproof motors.  Most marine diesels will run 4,000-6,000 hours before needing a rebuild.  Many 453's in boats have gone past 12,000 hours and are still going strong.  I think with proper maintenance I should expect at least 8,000 hours out of the motors in this boat.  The hull and topsides are in good condition, but need some attention in a few places.  This boat has some decent electronics, but also some very old stuff.  It's not quite a turn-key boat by today's standards, but it is really ready to use.  So, for me, it's the perfect boat.  I can fix it's issues, upgrade what needs to be upgraded, make some changes that will allow it to fit our needs better, and do it all with my free labor and access to discounted parts and materials.

This is a boat we can own for a long time to come, take to much more distant cruising grounds than our Bayliner, and definitely be proud to own.  You can't find many other boat builders with the solid reputation for quality that Hatteras has earned.  Even though this boat is now 35 years old it is still a highly sought after vessel with a strong following, and an amazing reputation as a solid, seaworthy boat, with great livability.

We can't wait to get her back home!

Oh, we had to pick a name for our new boat so it could be documented with the US Coast Guard.   After a lot of deliberation and racking our brains trying to come up with a boat name, we finally agreed on:

      Adagio

Adagio means "leisurely", or "slowly and gracefully."  Our new boat is a slow boat with a top speed of around 9 knots, so Adagio seems to fit her, and our intentions of leaving for a year to leisurely and gracefully enjoy life afloat.