Autumn Leaves

[Levitation]

Levitation is out of the water until spring and sitting in front of the shop at home... It is always a sad day when you pull the boat...
It was rainy and blustery Saturday morning when we went to the marina for the last ride... It was cold enough that the engine took some nine or ten cranking tries (separated by enough time to keep the starter from overheating... Once running we let it warm up a bit... By then the cabin was warm and cheery with the cabin lights on and the stereo playing and we went for a cruise up the river... There was a gale warning on the lake and this mommas boy has seen enough 8 footers that are a vertical wall of water to last a life time...
We cruised until lunch, then stopped at Hooters in Bay City, they have some nice docks there... The Admiral didn't say anything but I noticed her expression as she watched the young things in their skin tight outfits... I suspect had they asked her opinion, they would have gotten an ear full...

We saw only 4 boats the whole time... Two coast guard auxiliary doing some sort of maneuvers and wearing their safety orange float jackets... We were much more comfortable than the two sailboats with their masts unstepped we passed on the way back from lunch.. We waved and smiled, they - out in the little spits of rain and the 52 degree wind - waved but their smiles looked al little tight...


Putting the boat on the roller trailer for the first time was a piece of pie, easy as cake... My, what a collection of slime and zebra mussels we had acquired in 7 weeks... Back home we spent nearly two hours with the pressure washer and brushes to get the bottom clean... Now we just have to rearrange the shop (again) to make room for the boat... It will spend the winter in the heated section and being in the way of everything...

denny-o

 

[Diamond Bear]

NIce report of the last cruise of the season...We Alaskans can only dream of a "Hooters with docks." Diamond Bear is likewise high and dry on the trailer for the winter. We spent the first of three days winterizing the water and sewer systems, pulled the boat the next day and pumped antifreeze into the blocks of both the main and the gen set. Third day we spent removing the canvas from the back deck and building a plywood enclosure to protect from the expected snow load. She is parked high on the edge of a cliff where the winter winds will hit 100 mph more than once, driving rain and snow and freezing deck scuppers are the biggest worry here. The main cabin does not leak at all, so only the engine compartments are a concern. Yes, indeed it is a sad day to pull the boat for winter but alas, with proper preperation, one less worry for a few months. We only dream of a warm shop to store our boats....we are lucky to find a flat spot to park the trailer. Ed and Linda Purvis, Ketchikan Alaska

 

[Levitation]

There are reasons why I don't live in Alaska, and you have enumerated some of them...

One hitch in the git-along has cropped up... I went by the factory numbers for height on the trailer... With the boat on the apron in front of the 12 foot door into the shop, by sighting across the stack I see about 2" of conflict...
We are not ready to put it inside as we have to rearrange the shop, but when the time comes we will try lower tire pressures and lowering the tongue to the floor...

Does anyone have experience with removing the stack? What kind of problems will that entail?

denny-o

 

[Rebel]

You have commented on the factory height of your R25 on its trailer being 12 feet. Where did you get this information? I was not smart enough to measure the height of my new R25, setting on its trailer, before we put it in the water so do not know how tall it is. We were hoping to be able to put it into our RV barn this winter but the door is only 11ft 6in. I would like to hear from others on this subject before we take it out of the water later this month. We have only recently purchased the boat so do not really know much about it.
John Turner

 

[j&lgray]

Denny-o, the stack comes off quite easily with a couple of stainless sheet metal screws that are placed low and at the bottom. On our tug, the stack has the radar deflector (great idea John Livingston!) and the wiring to the radar and GPS but it is water tight without the stack.

John, the height of your tug depends upon if you have a mast and whether it is up or down. Our radar is on a permanent mount and therefore is not applicable to your situation but ours is 12' on the trailer.

 

[Levitation]

Hmmmm, losing my sight as well as my mind... Did not notice a joint at the base of the stack, from a glance it appeared to be one piece with a wide foot that goes forward under tower mount and the search light...
If I can still walk and chew gum after I spend 12 hours in the office today I will look closer... If there is a joint my ears will be red - the glow you see on the horizon...

denny-o

 

[bbrh842]

Denny-0

I am sorry to report that you are correct.
The stack extends forward under the mast and searchlight.

 

[j&lgray]

The stack and the piece to the bow is one piece and easy to remove. It all comes up as one unit.