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dory36 · 08-24-2003, 11:57 AM

As the prospect of grandchildren becomes closer and closer, the Admiral thinks we should be moving ashore, at least half-time.

So, Dory (the boat) is up for sale -- see http://www.gb36.org for details, all you who have envied my lifestyle for the past several years!

In cruiser terminology, we're going from being HULAs (Homeless Unemployed LiveAboards) to CLODs (Cruisers Living On Dirt).

There shouldn't be too many interruptions (if the servers don't crash again!), but I'll be out-of-pocket all of the last 10 days in September and much of the next few weeks after that, until we get reestablished with internet service in the north of Dallas.

More news as it develops . . .

Dory36

BigMoneyJim · 08-24-2003, 12:56 PM

I'm not sure if congratulations or condolances are in order, but I hope it goes well.

I can't help but be disappointed; I liked all the info you gave on cruising.

Are you going back to Texas?

dory36 · 08-24-2003, 03:34 PM

Yep -- we're looking at far north Dallas, probably near McKinney.

We have the same mixed feelings -- if the opportunity presents itself, we'll get something smaller and use it for several months a year, but first we have to sell Dory.

Thanks for the note!

Dory36

yakers · 08-25-2003, 02:16 PM

I enjoyed your travel tales and advice. I think there will be useful insights on the transition from sea to land for board readers.
Beyond the standard issues retires deal with like what state or country to live in there are the really complicated issues of transition form place to place and changes in lifestyles. I will keep watching to learn from your transitions.

MRGALT2U · 08-26-2003, 03:29 AM

Re. transitions and moves, my wife and I have planned for years to move to a warm place. We presently live in northern Illinois where I grew up. While not as cold as
some places I have lived (Michigan U.P. for example),
the winters are not friendly to my favorite ER
activities. Anyway, we considered quite a number of locations including some outside of the U.S. Settled on
Texas for various reasons, but mainly because I used
to live there and liked it. This familiarity eases the transition a lot.

BigMoneyJim · 08-27-2003, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Have you ever considered using Dory as rental property?

And I thought it was bad when the renters took the ceiling fans and light bulbs!

I think they'll take anything that isn't bolted down, including the residence if it isn't firmly and permanently attached to the ground.

And it's hard enough getting the rent on time when you know where they sleep every night....

I dunno, it sounds like a total nightmare to me. Then again, eviction could be fun: you'd take the constable down and toss their stuff into the ocean--also known as the front yard.

dory36 · 08-28-2003, 12:37 AM

Yeah, the renters are the problem. A good sized boat is sufficiently complex that it requires that the user pay attention to routine maintenance, unusual noises, unexpected changes in oil consumption, etc. Ignoring those things is usually not something that will bite you during a 6 month rental, but it can be extremely costly in the long term.

I guess that's why most boats that ARE rented seem to be for a week at a time, so the owner never has to depend on the renter to perform any maintenance.

Now towing a 30,000 pound boat down the highway -- THAT's an RV!

Dory36

MRGALT2U · 08-28-2003, 01:41 PM

Hey GDER! I love selling stuff. I find a direct relationship
between reduction of my possessions and my personal
comfort, i.e. the less stuff the better I feel. Of course
the limits of this theory vary for everyone.

MRGALT2U · 08-29-2003, 01:07 AM

Been there and done that (the pack rat thing). Now,
the reduction of my "pile" goes on continuously. I find it
enormously liberating to remove stuff from my life, and even more so when I make a buck doing it. And, you don't need to store it, insure it, maintain it, etc. etc. after
it's gone. As I type, I have several ads running for stuff
I no longer use, as well as a pile out by the curb for the
trash guys. What really helped get this off the ground was my divorce back in 1998. That removed
a huge number of my possessions. Bit of a drastic
method to downsize, but it worked for me.

unclemick · 08-29-2003, 04:58 AM

We downsized in 1995 - a tornado took the roof and it rained for two days - its amazing how much 'stuff' we didn't replace - she did get 15 years of remodeling done when I rebuilt, but now when we leave for hurricanes, we take a weeks vacation items, CC's and YUCK- tax records - everything else is expendable.

Dory - what will be your drive time from the Texas gulf coast? Have you done any investigation of boating opportunities - it's a big area.

dory36 · 08-29-2003, 01:38 PM

The Gulf is close enough, but we're more likely to eventually buy a smaller boat and keep it in Florida and use it 4-6 months a year. Boating on weekends has never been our goal -- traveling for months at a time is more what we enjoy.

Dory36

unclemick · 09-24-2003, 04:54 AM

Hey GDER
Welcome to the 'hurricane club'. Last year I had to hire a bulldozer to clear 300 feet of driveway and then redo the driveway - courtesy hurricane Lilly. No insurance for that either. But had electricity that time - after three days. We stayed 'inland' during the storm. After 26 years in LA, still a pain in the but cleaning up.

Telly · 09-25-2003, 08:13 AM

GDER,

Glad to hear that you made it through! Yes, before insurance can cover, you have to "suffer" a loss (tree falls on house). We just got our house insurance bill, it just went up about 12%

. And they are reducing coverage, and how they define "replacement cost". Due to a dispute with the state insurance board, no one is interested in writing new homeowner policies right now.

BigMoneyJim · 09-30-2003, 10:14 AM

Quote:

All I wanted was a referral to someone who could take care of the tree to prevent having to file a claim. Not too much to ask and in both of our best interest.

Insurance companies don't seem to think like that. My grandad was a contractor, and one job was a burn job on a rental house that had worn gaps in the cement between the chimney bricks that caused a fire in the attic & roof. He told the owner it'd be cheaper and safer to put asphalt roofing up instead of wood, but the insurance company would only pay to put it back the way it was.

They also didn't pay for the chimney repair (I forget the reasoning but I'm sure it was "wear'n'tear" or something like that). The same renters burned the roof again shortly after the repairs. (The renters were warned not to use the fireplace again, but you know renters.)

dory36 · 10-03-2003, 01:26 AM

I sat out the hurricane in Ireland, and just got back. The boat made it through with nothing more than a few scrapes in the paint.

Still catching up on hundreds of real emails amidst thousands of spam messages, plus packing up to head to Texas, so I'll be only lurking at best until near the end of this month.

Dory36

unclemick · 10-03-2003, 05:05 AM

Glad to hear your boat did OK. Have a good trip to Texas.

unclemick · 10-03-2003, 03:39 PM

Hey Dory
I just got stopped at the local bridge by 'Loony Tunes, Baltimore, Maryland' going across the bridge on an 18 wheeler low boy - a really big boat. I 'know' they couldn't have trucked all the way from Baltimore? Still selling Dory?

dory36 · 10-04-2003, 02:54 AM

Yep - still selling the old girl. She's not the sort of boat that should be left alone for 9-10 months at a time, so we'll sell her and perhaps replace her down the road. An ad at gb36.org, in case anyone here wants to follow in my wake!

Dory36