My mid-winter adventure...

[South of Heaven]

So, I'm leaving tmmrow morning to pick up my new (to me) 2003 CD 19! This is gonna be quite the adventure....

The deal is done. I'm buying the boat tmmrow, I'm gonna be paying cash actually. I'm not overly excited about that aspect of the deal but the owner said he preferred it that way and I honestly can't blame him. Even with a certified check from the bank I could definitely see how the payee could be a little bit nervous about the transaction. Cash is always good. Lol. SO, I obliged his request....

I've spoken to him at length on several occasions starting back in November (I think). Plus we have been texting and emailing almost everyday since I sold my boat. LOL. To make a long story short, the boat is legit. Everything checks out with him. He has taken great care of the boat and has maintained it properly. He is a "hands on" type of guy and has down all of the motor work/maintenance himself. He even furnished me with receipts of the impellor, thermostat, EVERY jug of engine oil, lower unit oil, ethanol block and Yamy Ring Free additive that he's bought since he has been the owner. I'll be the 3rd owner but since he has had it it's been babied (hopefully before too). He said he has never had a hiccup with any system of the boat (famous last words!).

BUT obviously I'm STILL VERY NERVOUS!!!!! I'm essentially driving down to Long Island, NY tmmrow and buying the boat! No compression test, no sea trial, no survey......

That's why this is an adventure I guess......As far as the towing goes I should be fine. The trailer is mint. It's a 04 Magic Tilt, aluminum tandem axle. He hardly used it (so he said). As of 3pm today he greased the bearings, checked the tire inflation, changed the brake fluid in the reservoir and checked all the lights. All systems are good to go. I'm estimating the TOTAL weight at 3k lbs. Although I really think it'll be like 2800 or so. The owner measured the tongue weight for me. He had it at 140 lbs...really light. I was amazed; he even sent me a photo of the scale reading. Lol. So, I'm thinking that my weight will be about 5% of the load. I'll hop on a truck scale on the highway on the way back to Boston. I'm dying to know the weight of my 19!!!

I'm driving down tmmrow afternoon and should arrive in Long Island, NY by 4pm or so with plenty of daylight left. I'm then gonna meet the owner, inspect the boat (lol) and do all the pertinent paperwork. Then I'm gonna stay at a hotel close by, have a relaxing meal with a couple of adult beverages and drive home on Thursday morning! ..............................................................................................................................

 

[Sunbeam]

Looking forward to hearing about the trip and your new baby :thup

One thing I thought of as I read your post:

As far as the towing goes I should be fine. The trailer is mint. It's a 04 Magic Tilt, aluminum tandem axle. He hardly used it (so he said).

Maybe check the date code on the trailer tires. They age out, typically. Just thinking that it's possible they are old or even original (mine were when I bought my boat - trailer had hardly been used, tires were the originals from 2002). If so you might not want to tow home on them (your call of course). That said, maybe the tires are nearly new (bonus).

Have a great trip!

 

[South of Heaven]

Looking forward to hearing about the trip and your new baby :thup

One thing I thought of as I read your post:

As far as the towing goes I should be fine. The trailer is mint. It's a 04 Magic Tilt, aluminum tandem axle. He hardly used it (so he said).

Maybe check the date code on the trailer tires. They age out, typically. Just thinking that it's possible they are old or even original (mine were when I bought my boat - trailer had hardly been used, tires were the originals from 2002). If so you might not want to tow home on them (your call of course). That said, maybe the tires are nearly new (bonus).


Have a great trip!

Thanks Sunbeam. I'll check the codes (I just researched online how to do that!) although I'm pretty sure I will not be buying new trailer tires in New York.
I will however be doing a safety check every hour or so while on my return trip. I will also be bringing my gas powered Ryobi generator, small air compressor and assorted tools; plus extra straps, bungees and zip ties etc. I am absolutely in no rush on Thursday and will definitely be having a relaxed tow back. It's only about 200 miles one way.....but even if it takes me 8+ hours I'll be fine with that. Haha.

 

[starcrafttom]

New brake fluid is great but not if the pistons dont open and close. Hell stuck open is better then stuck close.

 

[South of Heaven]

New brake fluid is great but not if the pistons dont open and close. Hell stuck open is better then stuck close.

Yeah, for sure. I'm told the surge brakes are in good working order.

 

[chromer]

Will the 19 be the Napolean Complex II ? :cake

 

[hardee]

Hi South of Heaven,

Sounds like your up for the adventure. Sorry I couldn't do that delivery for you. :lol: Don't forget to check your hub temps frequently early on and regularly (I do every 2 hours), on the way home.

And about those bungees; Be careful, they are dangerous. :twisted:

Enjoy and stay safe.

Congrats

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[thataway]

Congratulations!
An alternative to cash is direct wire to his bank. I have arranged with my bank to be ready to send upon my phone call, with a code to the bank. It usually only tanks an hour or so to confirm that the money is in the seller's account.

You have already decided about cash, which is fine.

I have purchased the majority of my C Dories without sea trial, survey or engine tests--I don't recommend this for first time buyers. But you have owned a 16, and know what to look for. So you should be fine.

Date codes are good to know--unfortunately it seems that on most trailers they end up on the inside of the tire...

If there is no spare on the trailer, then adding it will help to bring the tongue weight up. Generally 7% is considered ideal for a boat. Mine is closer to 10%, but I am running a truck.

I suspect that the 3,000K is going to be optimistic. You will have to see. Going slowly (but over the legal minimum) is going to be fine. Your plan of hourly inspection is excellent. I agree that at least touching the wheel bearings each hour is good. I prefer the IR thermometer, on both the tires, brakes and hubs. Down the line, you want to get at least one set of extra wheel bearings. I have 4 sets, just in case. I also carry a grease gun. I find that the one from NAPA is good--WalMart types are not. I also have a Lincoln pneumatic, which is a real joy to use, but I have a boat lift which needs greasing regularly
and it is a lot easier when swinging like a monkey to use the air lube gun!

It sounds like you found a great boat, and we all wait for photos. Great plan!

 

[South of Heaven]

Will the 19 be the Napolean Complex II ? :cake

I was thinking about that! No, I'm definitely gonna change the name..... Chromer, a few months ago you wrote that "my time for a 19 would come". I honestly didn't believe you back then! Glad your prediction came true.

 

[South of Heaven]

Hi South of Heaven,

Sounds like your up for the adventure. Sorry I couldn't do that delivery for you. :lol: Don't forget to check your hub temps frequently early on and regularly (I do every 2 hours), on the way home.

And about those bungees; Be careful, they are dangerous. :twisted:

Enjoy and stay safe.

Congrats

Harvey

SleepyC :moon

Thanks Harvey

 

[South of Heaven]

Congratulations!
An alternative to cash is direct wire to his bank. I have arranged with my bank to be ready to send upon my phone call, with a code to the bank. It usually only tanks an hour or so to confirm that the money is in the seller's account.

You have already decided about cash, which is fine.

I have purchased the majority of my C Dories without sea trial, survey or engine tests--I don't recommend this for first time buyers. But you have owned a 16, and know what to look for. So you should be fine.

Date codes are good to know--unfortunately it seems that on most trailers they end up on the inside of the tire...

If there is no spare on the trailer, then adding it will help to bring the tongue weight up. Generally 7% is considered ideal for a boat. Mine is closer to 10%, but I am running a truck.

I suspect that the 3,000K is going to be optimistic. You will have to see. Going slowly (but over the legal minimum) is going to be fine. Your plan of hourly inspection is excellent. I agree that at least touching the wheel bearings each hour is good. I prefer the IR thermometer, on both the tires, brakes and hubs. Down the line, you want to get at least one set of extra wheel bearings. I have 4 sets, just in case. I also carry a grease gun. I find that the one from NAPA is good--WalMart types are not. I also have a Lincoln pneumatic, which is a real joy to use, but I have a boat lift which needs greasing regularly
and it is a lot easier when swinging like a monkey to use the air lube gun!

It sounds like you found a great boat, and we all wait for photos. Great plan!

I think there is a spare tire upfront. I'm surprised the tongue weight is so low. Pictures will come soon Bob!

 

[South of Heaven]

Just arrived at the hotel. It was raining cats and dogs for most of the trip. It still only took me 3h and 50m's; No traffic at all.

I'm meeting the owner at 4pm EST. He works in Manhattan and just left his office.

 

[Sunbeam]

Exciting times! :gift :gift

Sounds like you won't need this information, but just in case someone else finds the topic in a search: I did basically the same thing Thataway spoke of regarding the purchase funds. That is, I contacted my bank and asked what they recommended, as I felt it was rather a too large sum to just carry with me, and plus -- although the seller would have accepted a pre-made cashier's check in this case -- I had no idea whether or not I would buy the boat, and if so for what exact price. This was a little different than grabbing a couple thousand in large bills to go buy my typical used car (the good old days )

My bank suggested that we do as Bob mentions, and that's what I did. They had a slightly different procedure than he mentioned but the gist was the same. I went and looked at the boat, decided to buy it, and we agreed on a price (not the asking price because a few issues were found; so any pre-made check would have been for the wrong amount). I then contacted my bank and they sent me a fax a few minutes later. I filled it in, faxed it back, and within 30 minutes the funds were in the seller's account (and the boat was mine!).

You're there with the cash now, but maybe someone else will find the info helpful.

Can't wait to see your next post!

 

[Larry Patrick]

Good Luck with purchase and travels. First boat I bought a 19ft Montauk 12 hrs away South Port N.C.,had to get it winterized . Had to keep checking the one bearing would get hot all the way home.Just got home before a winter storm.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

I think that that tongue weight it too light. Dangerously light. I keep coming across recommended rates of 10% or more, usually more, up to 15%.

Too much weight can be a problem if the tow vehicle can't handle it. But too little weight can start a very dangerous harmonic. If the amount towed is close to the weight of the tow, or if the tow vehicle has a long overhang from rear axle to hitch, the trailer can start to steer the tow vehicle. That problem increases if you hit the brakes (the automatic reaction).

I've only felt this once in a serious way, and it was terrifying. All was going well for miles and miles until I was at about 60 mph and going down a steep incline on the freeway. The trailer took control of my truck for a few seconds while other drivers got out of the way and watched the excitement.

It could be that your original owner never made a trip like you are planning. It could be that he had a tow vehicle that didn't react much to the light tongue weight. I would think about whether it is possible to get weight forward before the trip.

Mark

 

[Sunbeam]

For US/Canadian trailers I had always read the rule of thumb of 10%. However I have since read that that's for single-axle trailers, and tandems should be more like 5-7%. My experience has borne that out as I have just about exactly 7% tongue weight the trailer tows like a dream. (4600# towing weight including tongue weight; tongue weight at 330#). I have never once felt even a hint of a fishtail, and I wouldn't hesitate to try 5% or 6% based on what I have read. It just happened to come in at 7% as set up and all is happy so no real need to change things up.

So I think it might depend on single-axle vs. tandem.

 

[South of Heaven]

Exciting times! :gift :gift

Sounds like you won't need this information, but just in case someone else finds the topic in a search: I did basically the same thing Thataway spoke of regarding the purchase funds. That is, I contacted my bank and asked what they recommended, as I felt it was rather a too large sum to just carry with me, and plus -- although the seller would have accepted a pre-made cashier's check in this case -- I had no idea whether or not I would buy the boat, and if so for what exact price. This was a little different than grabbing a couple thousand in large bills to go buy my typical used car (the good old days )

My bank suggested that we do as Bob mentions, and that's what I did. They had a slightly different procedure than he mentioned but the gist was the same. I went and looked at the boat, decided to buy it, and we agreed on a price (not the asking price because a few issues were found; so any pre-made check would have been for the wrong amount). I then contacted my bank and they sent me a fax a few minutes later. I filled it in, faxed it back, and within 30 minutes the funds were in the seller's account (and the boat was mine!).

You're there with the cash now, but maybe someone else will find the info helpful.

Can't wait to see your next post!

Thanks for the info Sunbeam. Yeah, I knew there was different ways to proceed but the owner wanted the "green" and I didn't wanna rock the boat. It wasn't that bad after all, I had all one hundred dollar bills and kept it in my trunk under some other junk I had in there! Haha

 

[South of Heaven]

Good Luck with purchase and travels. First boat I bought a 19ft Montauk 12 hrs away South Port N.C.,had to get it winterized . Had to keep checking the one bearing would get hot all the way home.Just got home before a winter storm.

Wow Larry! 12 hours?!! That's makes me feel a lot better...

 

[South of Heaven]

I think that that tongue weight it too light. Dangerously light. I keep coming across recommended rates of 10% or more, usually more, up to 15%.

Too much weight can be a problem if the tow vehicle can't handle it. But too little weight can start a very dangerous harmonic. If the amount towed is close to the weight of the tow, or if the tow vehicle has a long overhang from rear axle to hitch, the trailer can start to steer the tow vehicle. That problem increases if you hit the brakes (the automatic reaction).

I've only felt this once in a serious way, and it was terrifying. All was going well for miles and miles until I was at about 60 mph and going down a steep incline on the freeway. The trailer took control of my truck for a few seconds while other drivers got out of the way and watched the excitement.

It could be that your original owner never made a trip like you are planning. It could be that he had a tow vehicle that didn't react much to the light tongue weight. I would think about whether it is possible to get weight forward before the trip.

Mark

I appreciate the heads up Mark but I'm not changing anything now. We actually went for a test ride this evening in MY car and it seemed fine. No highway speeds but close to 50mph in some sections and some windy roads too. It felt fine. I even checked the hubs, tires, tie downs and boat position afterwards.

Beantown here we come......

 

[South of Heaven]

UPDATE:


I met the owner a few hours ago and I inspected the boat at his house. IN THE POURING RAIN. Not fun but I was prepared for that weather and brought the appropriate rain gear. It wasn't too bad, it actually tapered off to a drizzle for some of the time.

Anyway: everything was just as he had talked about, showed me and emailed me. The boat is in great condition, not mint but a solid 8 out of 10 IMHO. The hull had no issues other than some minor dings. The bottom paint was okay. Not new but still should be good for a season or two.

We didn't even start the motor. He kept insisting that we SHOULD start it and throw the muffs on but I didn't want to. It was pouring rain at that moment and I didn't feel the need to. I trust him and his maintenance regimen. Even if we did start it and listened to the motor and saw the water flowing...then what? A compression test would still be more valuable than that. I don't regret my decision at all.

The interior was good. Maybe a 7 out of 10. He was an avid fisherman and it showed. I will MOST definitely take care of that. I'm confident that with a full detailing and elbow grease it can be an easy 9 out 10. Nice interior, no visible damages ANYWHERE.

Final and maybe my most important critique....THE TRAILER. From an outside glance it looked great. Aluminum, clean, no damage, no rust, good wheels, tires etc. So I asked him to do a road test, obviously he obliged. The owner has been completely honest every step of the way and then today I met his family; been to his house etc. So we hooked it up and took it out, IN THE RAIN. I checked all the lights and brake lights. Good. Then we did a few miles of varying speeds and situations. It seemed fine. I'm sure it will feel different at highway speeds tmmrow but I'm not worried about it at all. It's a GREAT trailer. Will I maybe have to reconfigure some things to optimize it's performance? Maybe. We'll see..

Lastly we had some tasty dinner and had a few beers at his house. Now I'm at the hotel and getting ready to hit the hotel bar! This is awesome, I can't wait until tmmrow! The best part is that I don't have to get up too early tmmrow morning because the Long Island traffic heading westbound to NYC is notorious for heavy delays....I'll get up around 8am or so and after breakfast/hotel checkout I'll leave around 10am. I'm in ABSOLUTELY no rush. Whenever I get to Boston, I get there.... LOL

I only took one picture so far on account of the goddamn monsoon I've been dealing with. It's in my photo album. A picture from my hotel room to my car/boat. I have the best parking space.