Little Viking

My son Jesse experienced the thrill and exhilaration of riding on a waverunner five years ago on a family vacation to Lake George. He was too young to ride by himself, and the waverunner operator had his setup in a large cove on the lake and kept the waverunners within certain boundaries. Even though he sat behind me, I could feel his enjoyment as he held onto me while we got 'major air' each time we jumped a wave. I guess it's natural for a young boy to want some independence and feel the power of the machine he is riding through his grip. The smile on his face will last forever in my memory.



Partly because of the inherent propensity for these powerful machines to go really fast and equally because people who operate them can be very careless, laws are now in place requiring PWC operators to be 16 years old and pass a safety course. Similar laws are in place for someone 13 years old to operate a boat with less than 10 hp. I'm positive that the insurance industry had a hand in these laws being passed. But I am pleased that these laws exist, for the benefit of not just my son.



Now 14 years old, Jesse still has a love affair with waverunners. But he has two more years to go until he is old enough to operate one by himself. This past winter he took the boating safety class, and got a 96 on the test. As a reward I bought him his own boat and outboard so that he can have his independence and can gain valuable boating experience. We all can remember our first bicycle, usually having training wheels. the exuberance that we felt once our parent or older sibling let go of the bike and off we went 'on our own'. Our first boat is very similar in this manner, as it gave us independence and an expansive world for us to explore. Jesse's first weekend with his boat was very much like my very own experience many years earlier.



We both came down to the marina Friday afternoon; me to witness the hauling and launching of Vintage Viking after its extensive refit over the winter, and Jesse with the hope of enjoying is first 'launching'. Once we got Vintage Viking into her slip (see additional post on the launch), Jesse was antsy to get his own boat launched. The launch of 'Little Vike' was much easier than its bigger brethren. Jesse and I slid his little boat over he edge of the bulkhead and into the lagoon with comprises the majority of the marina's water.

After several minutes of testing the engine to make sure that it ran, I got out and Jesse jumped into the boat. As any parent would do, I gave him boundaries and limits of where he can go. In a blink of an eye he was tooling up and down the lagoon, it looked like he had been boating for years. But this belief was soon chased away. I noticed Jesse rowing the boat back to the dock. He shouted that the "engine just quit!" As I smiled, I asked him the immortal question; "Do you have gas in the tank?" A puzzled look and a glance of pity.

He learned that valued lesson of all non-sailboters. Every boat, even small ones, run on fuel. And it doesn't get in the tank by itself. Oh, what a proud moment.

Winter 2009 Refit & Refurb

Once the Winter of 2009 arrived, my focus shifted to the tasks outlined in the Surveyor's report rendered at the time of purchase. There were many tasks to get underway. Some would be farmed out to service providers and some would be done by us. Oh, where to start!!!

I had gotten quotes for the most extensive of repairs; the port engine refurbishment. There were many options for this work. I could just do 'top-end' repairs and pull the heads and re-machine. But this wouldn't address the main block and if there were weak pistons or bearings the now-stronger heads may overpower the remaining old parts. I could pull the engine and replace it with a factory rebuilt engine, but you don't know what shape or from what type of vehicle the rebuilt engine came from. The 454cu inch Crusader was built on a GM 454 platform, and this engine could be found in Chevy's, Buick's, Cadillacs, Chevy or GMC trucks. It could come from an old boat bilge where the block had raw-water cooling with pitting and blocked passages. I could go 'on-line' to one of the web-based purveyors of packaged bobtail engines, where all the components from carb to flywheel to transmission are 'refurbished' and ready to install. But most of these purveyors are in the Florida market, and too far to provide warranty coverage. Plus 'refurbished' doesn't mean rebuilt and reconditioned. It can just be cleaned, painted and reassembled.

After much deliberation and comparisons, I decided to have the engine removed, disassembled and the various parts sent out to be rebuilt, reconditioned, painted and reassembled. I also decided to have the service guys at the marina do the removal and reassembly. I figured it was the off-season, that they would appreciate the work and therefore give me a good price. Since I was developing what looked like a long-term relationship with them I had high hopes that they would value this and do the right thing. And lastly, I figured that they were local and I could ride rough-shot over them to ensure that the work progresses. Since I was going to perform numerous other repairs and would be at the marina anyway, this was logical. I got an estimate for labor-only, and I would provide all of the required rebuilt parts and services. I looked at the Refurbishment of Vintage Viking as I would any other renovation project I run for my clients with their homes.

But what really added to the scope of the project is that since I was going to save so much money by managing the process and dealing with the rebuilders directly, I felt it would be advantageous and cost-effective to have BOTH engines done. The starboard engine, while in better shape than the port, had equal running hours and it was only a matter of time before I would have to do this work anyway. This way everything in the drive train would be refurbished, and once done there would be no further need to rip the boats bilge apart for major work. This decision would prove to be both intelligent and well-thought out for the long-term, and quite stupid given the ever-diminishing state of the economy in general and my impending work-related injury that would sideline me for a while.

In early January, we had both engines and transmissions out of the boat, disassembled and loaded on the trailer for distribution to various service providers. The engine blocks would be sent to IDM Machining to be totally rebuilt, head to oil pump. The transmissions would be sent to a local Borg-Warner shop to be bench-tested and rebuilt if needed (they needed it!). Starters and alternators would go to a local auto parts rebuilder. The carbs would be rebuilt, as would the raw and fresh water pumps. The heat exchangers would prove to be too expensive to replace, so I sent them to a radiator shop that I use for my work trucks. The exhaust manifolds would be replaced with new, as this was due to be done on both engines anyway.

By mid-January, all of the shops were busily tearing the parts down and preparing to rebuild. I would take advantage of the now empty bilge area to clean it up and do various little tasks while there was room, such as replacing the holding tank macerator and running some wires for future planned upgrades. One thing that I hadn't planned on doing right away was replacing the flybridge bimini and enclosure. But the advanced deteriorated condition of the zippers and windows proved too much for the cold winter weather when the boat was hauled out. The combination of dry cracked material and the cold weather led to big splits and cracks in the enclosure. It wasn't cost-effective to repair, but I wasn't going to spend the $6,000 that I was quoted to replace it. As luck would have it I found a canvas mechanic who had lost his lease at a local marina and was willing to work from home and do the replacement of the enclosure for half the price. While I would normally be very suspicious of this arrangement, once I met Ed I judged that he was a good mechanic that would do a fine job. This would prove to hold true.

Everything was moving along nicely. I was gearing up to begin my work of replacing the hot water heater, the stereo, the battery banks and install an inverter. The gas-powered generator was old and inoperative, and I feel that the cost to refurbish would be wasted money since I didn't really need it until we start extended cruising and the technology of these powerplants has improved so much I decided to remove it from the boat while all the engine work was being done and then look for one in the used market. But what I didn't plan for was getting injured at work in late January that sent me to the hospital for knee surgery and weeks of rehabilitation. Great!! I have the boat ripped apart, major components in various shops and state of rebuild, and I am sidelined. Not only can't I contribute to the Vintage Viking Refurbishment Project, my 'real' jobs would begin to suffer since I couldn't do these either with a bum knee. There goes the income stream that would provide the needed cash for Vintage Viking (as well as to live on). Self-employed building contractors don't generally have insurance for lost-work, and I had three major client-projects underway at the time. Thank God for certain good friends who stepped up and helped keep these jobs moving forward while I recuperated at home.

I was able to manage to keep the engine work moving forward while I was home. By mid-February the majority of the components began returning to the marina for reassembly, and with all this 'spare' time on my hands I was able to invest time in shopping for better prices on some of the items like the manifolds. By late-February I was back on my feet (part-time) and I was able to begin running around to get items like the rebuilt transmissions and other parts picked up and brought to the marina. Mike the Mechanic was busy now reassembling the engines for re-assembly. Except for one glitch of installing the wrong transmission on the wrong engine before installing it in the bilge, Mike and the boys did a commendable job. By mid-March both engines were back on the boat, and now Eddie took over finishing the install and wiring and hose connections.

As will always happen in such projects, there came a time when small items started to pop up. First it was a motor mount that was cracked, so I replaced both sets of rear mounts. The wiring harness on one engine was worn and cracked, so I had it replaced. The port cutlass bearing was blown out, and since I wasn't sure of whether the propellers were tuned and matched recently, I had them removed and reconditioned by a vendor that I have used previously.

By now I was able to contribute to the work effort. I was able to replace the illegal hot water heater with a new ignition-protected marine heater. I took the time to pipe in a bypass valve configuration to aid in winterization.

I removed the old Halon fire-suppression tank and replaced it with a new dry-chemical system. Once Mike and Eddie finish the alarm-detector replacement, we can tie the new fire system into the alarm and fuel valve shutoff

Marine battery banks have a tendency of running until they just quit. Over the winter I would normally remove the batteries and keep them on a trickle charge. Because I was having all the work done, I left them onboard, only to find out that they would drain if not kept on the onboard charger. I decided to replace them, since I was also going to install an inverter to provide limited 120volt power while I'm away from the dock. I was surprised to learn that the boat had four golf-cart 6 volt batteries, connected two in series per bank. I began to doubt that these were OEM configured. But a phone call to Viking engineers settled this matter. Golf carts run all day on a single charge; eighteen holes and sometimes more. They should last all day on a boat, depending on the draw. Most of the marine-supplier outlets wanted almost $1,000 for replacement batteries. But a phone call to my Napa Auto Parts connection got me four quality Interstate brand batteries for half price. A quick run down to the marina after work and I was able to swap them out.

Initial commissioning of the new engines revealed leaking oil hoses from cooler to the remote filter assembly. Once again I made the call to replace these on both engines. Additional parts for antifreeze, hoses, bolts, etc. started to add up until the recent billing looked like a mortgage payment, not a repair bill. But I was too far down the road to refitting to give in and start shortchanging the process. Now I am beginning to see how my clients must feel when I am halfway though their renovation project when 'unforeseen things' pop up and need to be addressed. I tell my clients upfront to expect 10% over-budget allowances; I should take my own advice, but since it's MARINE I should allow for 30% over-budget(lol)!!

Hopefully, we are nearing the end of the 'while-you-are-at-it you-might-as-well-do-this-or-that' and can get to a point where the boat can be put in the water and tested out. I am being told that it should be in the water this weekend. Boy, I sure hope so because part of the reason that I have the boat is to help me get rid of my stress and tension from work, not add to it! I look forward to Friday afternon and getting a call from Mike that the boat is afloat.

Fishing Tournament Blowout - November 15-16, 2008

After last weekends' striper bounty, I was all fired up for the Fall Striper Tournament. But the weather forcast was foreboding with a strong wind building and unpleasant seas. There was a scheduled Captain's Meeting for Friday, but before I could even make it down to the boat the sponsors had mabe what turned ut to be a prudent decision and canceled the Tournament.

But I wasn't going to waste the trip down. I decided to stay on the boat and see what the morning brings. It was a windy, wet, and cold night at the beach. There were very few other boaters in the marina. Still, nothing beats a night on the boat. But it was a bit cold and thankfully the heat works.

In the morning, there was pretty much more of the same weather. Prepared a hot breakfast and took a hot shower. The weather forecast had small-craft advisories, so I decided to get some estimates for work done. While I'm the first to try and 'justify' then ends by the means, I could build a case for getting more work done in the same alloted time. Having this boat should make getting my 'other' work done easier! Yeah, Alice didn't buy the argument either. But truth be told I was able to get alot of work done on the laptop, even though I didnt have a printer and internet. THe printer is an easy solution; they almost give them away at Best Buys. I picked up an HP Multifunction for under $100 that will even fit in the dinette locker. The internet connection will require a long-term resolution. There are services for cruisers that work more reliably in most areas, but a modem cell-card is probably the easiest resolution. I may look into cable triple-play in the Spring for the slip.

After spending the day, a rainy windy and miserable day, on the boat I did get alot of 'real' work done. If this is a prelude to how I will spend weekends in the Spring next year I'm all for it. I spent a few hours straightening up the boat, and with the continued weather I checked the lines and fenders one more time. Said goodby to the boat, and went north to the house

First Fishing Trip - November 9, 2008

Ok so I awake early Sunday morning. The skies are grey and foreboding, the winds deliberate and steady. I treated myself to a hot breakfast (no sausage today!!!yeah!!) but hot oatmeal, toast and coffee was enough to get me started. I did tend to linger around on the boat for what seemed to be hours, waiting for the weather to either blowout or get worse. By 8am I had decided to go outside the Inlet to where the other locals were seen yesterday. I still had leftover bait from yesterday when I tried to go fishing with Jesse the green-gilled teenager. I was going to try again today, even if I was alone on the boat.

I threw off the lines and cables, and I brought Vintage Viking out of her slip. As I headed across the Bay to the Inlet I noticed that it was taking a little longer, since the winds were coming from the northeast. Once I cleared the jetties at the end of the Inlet, I no longer had any landfall between me and the wind. The waves kept rolling in and got larger and more frequent. I headed about 2 miles out, to where I could see the rest of the 'fleet'.

At first I tried drifting clams across a sandbar, right at the edge of the fleet. I must have found a school of dogfish, because every time that I dropped a line I had a sluggish hit from one of these sand shark species. In less than an hour I ran through all of the bait that I had on board, and the morning was still young. I hadn't even seen another boat pull in a striper, and the chatter on the radio talked about bluefish, but not stripers.

I hadn't been able to rig Vintage Viking out for trolling yet, but I did have a pair or wire-line trolling rods on the boat. These are stout yet flexible rods with special guides and reel to handle the stainless steel wire that is used. The principle behind the outfit is that the strong yet small diameter wire line 'cuts' through the water, getting it down in depth to where the fish are. It's small diameter contrasts to its high tensile strength, with virtually zero stretch. At the business end you have a streamlined barrel swivel followed by a short (3-8 feet) piece of 45# test monofiliment with the lure on the end. This piece of monofiliment creates a shock absorber for the initial strike, as well as it breaks the visibility of the steel line. The heartiness of the rig allows you to set it in a custom-designed rod holder that keeps it near parallel to the water. You put you lure out in the water, allow an ample amount of line out and then set the rod in the holder. I use a nylon dog lease attached to the rod and boat to prevent the lose of the rig, should a strike take place with a near-lateral pull that could yank the rod out of the holder.

I set up both rods, one on each side, with different offerings. One rig had a Stretch25, which is an 8" lure with a diving lip. As the lure is drawn through the water, the lip helps drive it down; the correct combination of line out, speed and lure lip angle will put the lure at a certain depth. If you locate fish on the sonar at a certain depth, you present the lure at a slightly higher depth, since fish look up, not down. On the other rod, I had an outfit called an umbrella rig. It is designed to replicate a school of swimming bait fish; shad in the case of the rig I had on. I set up a troll with the prevailing winds approaching from astern. In this manner, should I hook up with a fish, the wind would keep the boat going strait in a line, windward. I was on the boat alone, and the only place to drive the boat from was the flybridge. Should I get a hit while trolling, I would need to leave the bridge, climb down the ladder to the cockpit and remove the rod to fight the fish. That will take a lot of time once a confirmed hit is on. But I didn't think I would have that problem, since so far I wasn't very lucky catching fish on Vintage Viking.

I kept to the fringes of the rest of the boats on the ocean this day. I didn't want to crowd anyone, and I wanted to boat to have plenty of room for be wind-driven should I need to work a rod. After about fifteen minutes of trolling the area, I came across a school of bait fish. But a quick glance at the rods showed no alterations in the rod behavior. But another ten minutes revealed a dancing rod tip, so I placed the engines in neutral, allowing the wind to drive the boat, and scurried down the ladder. As I pulled the port rod from its holder, I felt a solid strike and hookup on the rod. But as I settled into the ensuing fight, I noticed the starboard rod pulsating now. A Jersey Double-Header!! But I was alone on the boat. So I tweaked up the drag on the starboard rod, in the hopes that the rod and the wind-driven boat would keep enough pressure on the fish so that I could fight the one on the port rod without losing the one on the starboard rod.

This fish was big....he brought me around the cockpit twice, and then headed toward the front of the boat. I followed him around the superstructure, onto the bow and back again. After a thirty minute fight, I had him near the rear of the boat, by the swim platform. But I was alone on the boat!! Who was going to net this fish? Having fished alone on Pipedreams for years, it becomes a well choreographed dance to keep pressure on the rod and still get the net under the fish. I use one of those big salmon nets with the telescoping handle; its easier to extend it out, get under the fish, and then drop the rod and use two hands to bring in the fish. It was a nice 35" striper. In the cockpit now, I dropped the net handle and paid attention to the starboard rod, still bouncing. A short 5 minute fight, and another 35" striper was in the boat. This fight didn't take as long, since he was tired out from the wind-ride. I put both fish in the box, and took 5 minutes for myself. What a rush!

The current limit in NJ is two stripers per person, greater than 28" in length. I had two such fish, so I was keepered-out. But I reset the rigs, and trolled again. Two more similar hits got me one more striper, a 31", and a 28" bluefish. released the striper; kept the blue fish. Reset the rods and trolled again. Another pair of hits; another striper/bluefish combination. Another released striper/kept bluefish. I kept trolling in toward the Inlet, but after another 30 minutes of no hits, I pulled in the rigs and headed home.

Back at the marina, I was pretty happy. A fantastic fishing trip, even though the weather wasn't the best. The wind kept up all day, but I didn't care. I had a bounty in the box, and a smile on my face. a few pictures to capture the moment, cleaned the fish, gear and the boat. I packed everything up and headed home. I am going to enjoy doing this again on the 'man-cave', but right now I missed my wife and son. An hours driveand I was back at home, retelling the story, with pictures to prove it.

Guys Night on the 'ManCave'-November 7-8, 2008

My love with the Jersey Shore began as a young boy, coming each year to spend two weeks with my family at some rented bungalow. When I was in my early teens, my parents bought such a bungalow, on the shores of the Metedeconk River near the Barnegat Bay. We would spend weekends in the spring and then again in the fall at the shore house, in addition to all summer long. My dad would stay back home and work, then travel down the Garden State Parkway Friday afternoon to spend weekends with us, then drive back north Monday morning.



One of the benefits of growing up in Central New Jersey was being exposed to the weather changes from the Four Seasons; cold and snowy Winter, balmy and rainy Spring, hot and sometimes humid Summer and the cool and at times brisk Fall. But being in a more 'temperate' zone, most times one season's weather would run into the next. When this happens at the end of Summer/beginning of Fall, it is said to be an Indian Summer. Often times a warm day with slight breezes would only be accentuated by the colors of leaves on the deciduous trees changing color. Nowhere is this transition more beautiful than along the Jersey Shore. New Jersey has 1,792 miles of shoreline along 127 miles of Atlantic-facing coast and 83 miles of bay front on Raritan and Delaware Bays. Plenty of beaches to walk and water to boat.


Vacationing and seasonal visitors to the Shore generally leave by Labor Day weekend, traveling back 'home' to start a school year anew. The crowds and traffic of summer at the Jersey Shore is replaced with an almost ghost-town appearance; the locals going about their lives and several die hard 'visitors' returning on weekends to enjoy one last trip to the Shore. One of the reasons I chose the style of boat that Vintage Viking is, a Convertible, was to allow us to use it as a weekend retreat. Combining my love of the water and of the beauty of surrounding landscapes make this time of year, the 'Indian Summer' of Fall, my most favored. Fishing is active for many of the coastal species, with my favorite, striped bass, being the fish-of-choice for me.

I had planned on spending the next several weekends taking Vintage Viking out fishing for striped bass. Since we had both Barnegat Bay as well as Barnegat Inlet at our immediate vicinity, we could be in prime bass waters in short order. But I was accustomed to fishing from Pipedreams, my 21-foot walk around, set up for wire-line and downrigger fishing. I hadn't spent much time rigging Vintage Viking for fishing. But I did register her for the Annual Striper Tournament run from Sun Harbor Bay Club, scheduled for the following weekend (November 16th). This would give me a weekend to take Vintage Viking out for a trial fishing assault.

Jesse and I traveled down to the boat about mid-day Friday. School was closed for Teachers Convention, and I had two appointments scheduled this day, and one was actually on the way to the boat! After the meeting, we stopped at the local boat-a-holics watering hole, BoatersWorld. Aisle after aisle of all the must-haves from their latest catalog. Lotsa stuff, some expensive. But I had to buy a tee shirt. Jesse got a Helly-Hanson coat. Amazing, a teenager that would actually like clothes for boaters.

We got to the marina just as the service technician from the local Crusader Engine shop arrived. I had arranged for them to come and look at the engines and give an estimate to replace them. I had developed a refurb plan based upon the surveyor's pre-purchase report, and the engines were the biggest part of the plan. While I dealt with the engines and the technician, Jesse looked thru the takeout menu from the local eatery for something for dinner. I travel down to the boat with a gourmet chef (Jesse was once on the Ellen Degeneres Show as a 10-year old chef. More on that later) and eat take-out! Quick selection, a phone call and dinner was ordered.

Having finished with the engine report, I drove Jesse to the eatery, picked up dinner and supplies at the supermarket next door, and it was back to the boat for some 'guy-time'. When he was young, Jesse would sleep overnight on Pipedreams, which made for a snug night. It has a cuddy cabin with a cozy v-berth with a porti-potty below it. Not much more than that. But we did have many a good night together. Breakfast was cooked in the cockpit on the Magna barbecue. The accommodations on Vintage Viking are definitely more spacious, and Jesse set about converting the dinette into a double bed after dinner was finished. We took a few minutes and went to the locker house to use the showers, since I hadn't been able to work on the boat's water system yet. But the hot water of the showers felt good. Even though the days are warm during Indian Summer, the nights are fall-like and cold. We returned back to the boat and got ready to chill out. We played cards for a while. After Jesse kept losing at cards, he decided to watch a movie. He had selected a few movies from the DVD collection I had onboard, and we watched movies until he fell asleep. When I called Alice later that night to say goodnite, I had told her how Jesse had fallen right asleep on the boat. Alice coined a new term; she called Vintage Viking the "man-cave". I think that will stick.

Next morning it was a little overcast and windy. The forecast had rain coming sometime later in the morning or early afternoon. Before long Jesse woke up and started cooking breakfast. About time; my gourmet chef returned! The chef is gourmet, but the meal was basic. Sausage, oatmeal, eggs, coffee and orange juice. But it was enjoyable to see him at work in the boat's galley. He gets so involved in his cooking, and then of course there is the mess he leaves behind. But to see his exuberance at what he does, even if its only breakfast. But the galley has an electric range, and Jesse isn't used to cooking on one. The sausage wasn't really cooked throughout and it kept returning to remind us later on.

As Jesse finished up from breakfast, I began to get Vintage Viking ready for a day out on the water. As we pulled out of the slip and past the end of the marina, we stopped at the gas dock to pick up some bait. The marina owner and his son Joey were more than happy to tell us what the local bait dujuer was and where the big ones would be. That's why I like this time of year. No crowds mean people have more time to devote to being....nice. I turned the boat up-channel as I pulled away from the dock and headed out into Barnegat Bay. Hot coffee by the ready, and crew a little queasy from the sausage.

Once we got out into the Bay, the wind started to kick up. That's the funny thing about Indian Summers. They can be fleeting. The more we got away from the mainland and closer to the Inlet, the more the wind whipped and the mist came. Once we got out beyond the Inlet jetties, the rollers started bobbing the boat. Jesse began to grow a little green around the gills (was this from the sausage?) and wasn't enjoying his father-son time anymore. He did give it the best that he could muster, but he kept getting greener and greener. By mid-day, the rain started falling, the fish weren't interested and Jesse was ready to heave. Captain's decision.....return to port.

The ride back in through the Inlet was short, and once we cleared the Sedge Islands at Oyster Creek Channel, the rain started falling heavier. i had to slow down so as to not pulverize my face from the rain. Lowering the front windows of the bridge enclosure rendered me near-blind, mostly due to the yellowing of the issenglass (new enclosure will have to get put on the bottom of the list) and the bimini top was leaking profusely from small dry rot cracks (new enclosure will need to move up to the top of the list).

As we neared midway home, I called Jesse up onto the flybridge. My thoughts were that if I could get his mind off his stomach he would feel better. I had him get behind the wheel and together we navigated the channel and headed back to home port. The rain continued, the wind increased, and the visibility diminished. But Jesse did a great job and after a while his color returned to something near-human.

We pulled into the slip, tied off Vintage Viking, dried off and heated up some soup. There's nothing like a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup, even if you're not sick, to make you feel good. The rain continued to lightly fall, and the marina was a calming quiet, and before long we were both taking naps. In a little while, I got the phone call from Alice. Jesse was due to work later that night and I had planned on driving him home. Via phone-texting with Alice earlier in the day, she offered to drive down to pick him up, so that I could stay on the 'man-cave' for another day. Great idea!! Unfortunately, I had given her wrong directions, and after a 45 minute drive in the wrong direction, she found herself in the middle of the Pine Barrens. Boy was she pissed, and rightly so. I told Jesse to get into the truck and I would drive him out to meet Mom at the Parkway exit. When she finally retraced her tracks and got back to the exit, she was hotter than wasabe. I must have apologized ten times, but it didn't matter. I screwed up the directions and she wouldn't let me forget it. But Jesse was off to his job, and I was on my way to the nearest hardware store to get parts and supplies to begin work on my list.

After stopping at Home Depot, Walmart and Lowes, I returned to the marina to begin my work. I had plenty to do and supplies to do it. I began with the water system. I fixed the hot water heater, fixed the leaks in the cold water piping, found that the water tanks hold water but the 12v water pump doesn't. After three hours, I was able to turn on faucets and have hot water. I was able to bypass the non-operating AC condenser pump with a hose run to the service hose bibb in the lazarette, and now the reverse-cycle heat/AC was working. And how nice it was to take a hot shower on the boat.

First Family Outing- October 27, 2008

After spending the weekend in Baltimore for my new grandson Tyler's christening, we stopped at the marina on the way home. OK, it 'really' wasn't on the way home exactly, but that didn't matter since I was driving. Coming home on Monday I made a slight detour eastward from the Turnpike and came across the Pine Barrens of NJ and arrived at the marina around lunch. My son Jesse had seen the boat & marina already, but Alice hadn't yet.

It was a beautifully sunny fall day, with only a slight breeze. Pulled into the marina and you couldn't help but notice that Vintage Viking is the LARGEST boat there. Plus with it being late October many of the smaller boats were already out and on land. Alice got the nickel tour, and her first response was how much larger the boat was from our other boat. Pictures she had seen are deceiving, because they generally have little other items for reference in them. But my 'crew' was hungry and wanted lunch.

While I stayed and puttered on the boat, Alice & Jesse ran to the nearest McDonalds and brought back lunch to the boat. We ate our lunch in the dinette, and Alice could see the look of sheer enjoyment on my face. After finishing my cheeseburger, I left the table and began to prepare Vintage Viking to depart the dock for a short run around the bay. Within minutes, we were out of the marina, passing the Barnegat Town pier/park and entering Barnegat Bay. Alice remained in the salon reading a book, while Jesse & I were on the Flybridge.

It didn't take long before Jesse went below and convinced Mom to come up onto the bridge to join us. Alice wasn't aware of how roomy the bridge is, with a large seat for five in front of the helm. She relaxed into the seat and continued to read her book and just enjoy the fresh air and view. After several minutes of relaxing and getting over any anxiety she had about Vintage VIking, Alice wanted to go below to get the camera. But she didn't want to go down the ladder with the boat moving, so I brought the boat down to an idle, and helped her down. I took the opportunity to visit the head while I was below. But when I went to flush the electric head, it wouldn't work. The head pump didn't come on. I checked the panel and the breaker was tripped, but each time I reset it and tried the head pump, it would trip again. But the holding tank level indicator said 1/4 tank. Looks like I have another thing to add to my check-out list. But later on this will return to be a problem.

Once Alice got the camera she started snapping away. Next thing I know she is walking around the superstructure and is up on the bow, clicking away. Note to self; put an extra pair of soft-soled boating shoes onboard. She still had street shoes on. But I didn't want to stop her since the objective was to get her on the boat and enjoying it. Better shoes can come later.

Soon we get in the middle of the bay, and I enter Oyster Creek Channel heading for Barnegat Inlet. We come around the Sedge Islands, and turn in front of the Coast Guard Station heading east. We come onto Barnegat Lighthouse, affectionately called Old Barney. Alice has seen this lighthouse countless times from land, and has even climbed its 217 steps to the top. But to see it from the vantage point of the water gives it a different perspective. You can imagine how seafarers of old would see it and rely on its Fresnel-powered beacon to guide them. Well, anyway, Alice must have clicked off two dozen shots of the lighthouse from every water-borne angle before she realized that Vintage Viking was actually headed out into the ocean. When she turned to me and asked “we aren’t going out into the ocean, are we?” I could see the anxiety in her face and replied “no Honey, I just wanted to help you get even more angles of shots for the camera. I’m turning back now!” Damn, and I was hoping to get outside the breakers. But the objective was to get Alice accustomed to Vintage Viking and enjoy her time on the water, not resent it. Do I get the Good-Husband Award for that?



After several more minutes we were back into Barnegat Bay. I came back across Oyster Creek Channel and wandered into several lagoons in Waretown and Forked River, showing Jesse and Alice some of the other marina’s that Jesse and I had visited weeks earlier when we were looking for a new home for Vintage Viking. Like anything else, it all takes on a different look from the water. Even something as mundane as the bulkhead of a marina and its entering channel look different from the water.

Heading back to Sun Harbor Marina, I decided to stop at the fuel dock again. Not for gas (thankfully), but for access to the holding tank pump-out. I emptied the tank but it didn’t appear to require a lot before the vacuum wasn’t pulling anything out. I tried to reset the breaker on the pump again, but it still tripped.. By now, Alice & Jesse were beginning to think this whole head thing was funny. The jokes and wisecracks started, and pretty soon Jesse was paraphrasing the movie “RV” with Robin Williams and called Vintage Viking ‘floating turd’ in lieu of the ‘rolling turd’ from the scene in the movie. Well, I couldn’t have Vintage Viking made fun of! So I brought the pump-out hose thru the porthole window and directly into the head, and started pumping away. It wasn’t long before I discovered the problem; someone had used a heavy paper towel and flushed it down the head, which got imbedded and jammed in the pump’s impeller. Once this got cleared out, resetting the breaker and running the head pump was good as new. I have to post instructions above the head If it didn’t go in your head (mouth) it doesn’t go in the boat’s head (toilet).

Having resolved the head issue, I felt pretty good about my abilities to ward off a mutiny. As we left the gas dock and returned to the slip, I saw a more-accepting Alice. She helped with the lines, took direction during mooring and was an equal crew-member. Out comes the camera and MORE PICTURES. I guess Vintage Viking got her seal of approval.

On the way home, I took my crew out for a nice dinner. Where else; Captain’s Inn in Forked River. Fine end to a finer day.

Shake Down Cruise 10-19-08 Day 2

After what turned out to be one of the most peaceful nights sleep, I awoke at 4:00 am Sunday to a slight breeze coming in the hatch of the dining settee, a 'clanging' from the rigging of a sailboat four slips down, and the bells of the Mantoloking Bridge immediately outside the marina gates. I got up and made breakfast; dinner rolls from the night before warmed in the galley oven, cold orange juice, hot tea and cereal. The only thing missing was the Sunday morning newspaper (note to self; more reading material). The small TV I had brought on board the day before worked fine, just no TV reception. DVD only. I am going to get VERY used to this lifestyle.

But I wasn't here to watch TV. After finishing breakfast, I made another large mug of hot tea, and began going over the systems of Vintage Viking that either the surveyor couldn't due to lack of shore power or only did cursory reporting. Up to now, all of the 'major' systems functioned on the boat (engines, trannys, propulsion) but the electronics were uncalibrated and unreliable. I had brought along a handheld GPS, which worked perfect. But ever since I entered the shallower Barnegat Bay, the depth sounders didn't keep accurate reportings. I believe it is just a sensitivity setting that I need to sort out.

Most of the interior systems of the boat were functional but ill-kept. I spent the next 3 hours cleaning the head, galley and salon. Checked out the AC, the heat, the water tanks and systems, cleaned the helm and inventoried the engine room. I have a solid boat under me; not too big and not too small. But even so, there were hundreds of things that I needed to review, familiarize myself with and develop a plan for refurbish/retrofit. But for now, I wanted to get Vintage Viking to the marina in Barnegat.

By 8:00 am, I had stowed the power cords and the water lines that had given Vintage Viking life the afternoon before. The wind, still coming from the north-west, had picked up again and was approaching the 25MPH from the day before. However, since the Bay was more protected from the wind by the barrier islands, the waves were a mild 2-3', but they did have white caps on them. I pulled out of Hinckleys, confident in the boat's ability to reach my destination, but cautious of the electronics aboard. This concern would prove to be well-founded, as the sensitivity of the depth reporting continued. But Barnegat Bay is well marked with daymarkers, and with chart in hand and eyes on the depth marking of the chart, it was a process of heading southbound from one daymarker to the next. Vintage Viking had no problems dealing with the wind and waves. The only casualty was I had lost my Life is Good Kayaker's hat when I stuck my head out of the flybridge to verify a number on a daymark. Fittingly, the hat was the one I had given my brother Tom, who when he was alive used to love the water and kayaking. I'm sure he is wearing the hat now.

Even with the wind, the waves and the anxiety over the depth recording, I was very comfortable and confident on the boat. She didn't prove to be too much boat for one person to operate, at least until docking procedures called for additional hands. Up till now I had the luxury of dock attendants, gas-pumpers, or anyone else around. I hoped that as I got used to the boat I could develop procedures and systems for 'self-docking' as I do with my 20-footer. But this is almost twice the boat, four times heavier, and only operated from up on the flybridge. By the time I could leave the helm to attend to a line, the boat could be 25 feet or more away. I guess I'll need a Second Mate. I think my grandson Dominic has his eyes set on that job.

By 10:00 am, I saw Barnegat Lighthouse to port, meaning that my new marina would be to starboard. At 10:30am, I pulled Vintage Viking up to the fuel dock at Sun Harbor Bay Club for the first (but surely not the last) time. Once again, I topped off her tanks, another $200. Gas was selling for $4.00 a gallon on the water in October '08, so I estimate that the boat was burning between 20 and 25 gph. Not unrealistic for the age and size of the boat. Refurbishing the engines over the next haul-out will help to improve this. With the help of the marina owner and his son, I moved Vintage Viking into her new slip at the marina. Crosswinds, tight turning space, and the fact that she is the LARGEST boat in the marina didn't keep me from placing her in the slip on the first try. Almost like I knew what I was doing (LOL). I was like the proud father, showing off his newborn in the nursery. A few more pictures to mark the occasion. If only I had cigars to pass out!

There will be much to do to bring Vintage Viking back to her glory. But she is a classic and solid vessel, well worth the time and effort. Not many boats have her lines and heritage. She has a rather unique layout for her breed, with a forward master stateroom, head with separate shower stall to starboard, a dinette/settee to port that drops to a double bed. This area could also be converted to a second stateroom with little effort. Up three steps into the salon has a galley to starboard, with plenty of natural light and ventilation from the salon slider windows and front windshield. To port is a couch/pull out bed.

Until next time...................