Reflections On My First Boat - Fours Years of Triumphs and Troubleshooting

Photo- Dustin Woods

They say the two best days of any boater's life are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.

Now that I have done both with my first watercraft, I can speak with authority when I confirm that the saying certainly has some truth to it. While I admit that I had feelings of sadness seeing the old gal being towed away by her new owner, I can’t say I didn’t also feel a deep sense of relief.

Faithful BoatBlurb readers may recall a story I penned about the 10 lessons I learned from my first year of boat ownership. Over the years that followed, I learned a great deal more about boating and boats – both good and bad – from owning rather than renting or borrowing.

How it Started -- The Pandemic Purchase

During the early days of the pandemic, my partner and I would escape the confines of condo living by walking down to the waterfront to enjoy a picnic and some drinks we’d packed.

Seeing the multitude of boats pass by day after day, we agreed that we’d both rather be enjoying a beautiful day on the water rather than watching others have fun from the land. We began to formulate a plan for how we could conjure this dream into reality. We rationalized it to ourselves by agreeing that neither of us had illusions of a big wedding and since neither of us wanted children there would be no diapers, daycare, or post secondary education in our collective future to be concerned about.

I began scouring the BoatDealers marketplace for previously enjoyed watercraft that would fit the bill. Firstly, we wanted a powerboat. I enjoy sailing, but also the freedom of going from Point A to Point B regardless of additional helping hands or the presence of wind. We would be primarily using it in Toronto Harbour, so we wanted something substantial enough to deal with the conditions, but also small enough that it could be towed with the family Suburban. We wanted something we could comfortably sleep on overnight and that also had a bathroom. Convenience? Yes, however we also wanted to enjoy a cocktail or two when we were anchored, so a restroom would be legally required. We narrowed down the search to 24-foot cruisers and I settled on a few within our budget that were within driving distance. Then, we did it. We purchased a 2000 Wellcraft Martinique 2400. We arranged a slip at the Ontario Place Marina and were off to the races.

Initial Realizations

We didn’t think boating would be a cheap hobby, but we also didn’t fully grasp the scope of what would be required to fully enjoy it. We’d budgeted for insurance, the slip fees, winter storage, maintenance, fuel and some incidentals, but not nearly as much as we should have given the age of the boat. B.O.A.T, as we would soon discover, is actually an acronym for Burn Off Another Thousand. Any item that happens to be “marine-related” will undoubtedly have a steep markup – not the least of which was the fuel required to fill the 230 liter tank at a marina.

Boating also requires a great deal of logistical planning and the successful anticipation of many small time sensitive details. For instance, if you don’t plug in to dock power correctly, your batteries may be drained when you return. If you forget to raise the lower drive when you pull the boat out of the water on a trailer, you may do some serious damage. If you forget to install the drain plug, you may lose your boat entirely. There are many 'little' things that can become big things if they are overlooked or not timed correctly.

I was also warned about the inevitability of catching “Two-foot-it-is” but didn’t expect to be afflicted so quickly. I’m typically not the kind of person to covet the material belongings of others, and I was very pleased with the accomplishment of purchasing my own boat. However, the more time you spend at marinas, yacht clubs, or the Boat Show, you can’t help but lust after the luxury and convenience of newer, bigger, and always more expensive, boats. Electric-powered anchor? Sounds lovely. Extended swim platform? Sometimes bigger is better. Bow thrusters. That’s kind of cheating, isn’t it? Regardless, I wanted some. Hard as we may all try to avoid it, a boat that is two feet longer than your current vessel will always be appealing and perpetually out of reach.

The Highs

In addition to the satisfaction of learning new skills, the highlight of boating for me was the incredible experiences I had both in solitude and with friends. Having VIP seating for concerts at Budweiser Stage was a definite highlight. Finding a private beach to drop anchor, enjoying a beautiful sunset with a cigar, or a sunrise with a morning coffee while listening to the gentle lapping of waves against the hull, are memories I will always cherish. Being on the water is a completely different perspective than being on land. Witnessing the Toronto skyline at night with planes passing overhead as they made their final descent into Billy Bishop Airport was breathtaking. There is also nothing better than enjoying the Canadian International Air Show from a boat in Toronto Harbour.

The Lows

Arriving well-supplied to the boat with anticipation of a week-long holiday filled with adventure, only to discover that a racoon had broken through a screen and made itself at home, was particularly defeating. Thankfully the animal was no longer inside when we arrived, but it had left the remnants of its stay -- soiling the interior with all matter of fluids after eating pool noodles and foam bedding.

After spending the entire day cleaning, washing, waxing, vacuuming, and organizing the boat to the point where it was utterly pristine, I putted over to The Wall at Hanlan’s Point for the evening, only to have a nest of cormorants above us spray their vile feces all over our freshly cleaned boat. It took weeks to remove the remnants, and even longer to get rid of the foul smell.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment was discovering via email that Ontario Place Marina would be closing in order for the area to be razed for the construction of a private luxury mega spa and the relocated Science Centre. We had only experienced the marina for a short time, but some of our friends and neighbours had enjoyed the area for generations. It will be years before boaters return to the marina, if ever.

Things That Broke

This is a long list. There was a stretch of time when there wasn’t a single outing that didn’t result in something breaking or going wrong. So much so that my partner made the miscalculation of bringing it to my attention. Just as she finished uttering the words, “Hey, nothing has broken today” both Bimini straps snapped, almost as if by divine intervention, causing the top to ferociously snap backwards in the wind.

Faulty dock power caused reverse polarity that blew the connectors clean off my marine batteries. Passing by the door to the interior too closely while the key was still in the lock caused it to break off, requiring a complete replacement. The boat spent far more days tied to the dock than I had dreamed.

Other eventful evenings saw us stranded overnight -- once due to a fried ignition fuse and another thanks to a faulty gas gauge. All resulted in frustrating albeit valuable lessons learned.

How it Ended

The final straw for this chapter stemmed from a verbal arrangement with a mechanic who agreed to winterize the boat in a private yard where it was being stored for the winter. Needless to say, he never got around to it, which resulted in ice cracking the block over the winter. Not interested in sourcing and installing a new powerplant in the boat, I sold it to someone who had a rebuilt engine ready to be installed and the time and know-how to do it. Thankfully the boat will live on with its new owners. I hope they experience as much enjoyment with her as I did. While I am disappointed in how and why the boat’s fate was sealed, I am ultimately grateful for the many incredible experiences and the humbling lessons I learned.

Now that I have the first boat under my belt, I have already started searching for her replacement. I guess I haven’t learned my lesson yet. #tips #basics