Just before we moved to Bermuda, the Princess and I took a tour of the east coast of the U.S. from Maine to Florida and back through the Great Lakes States of Michigan, Ohio and New York, we were looking for a Classic Wooden Boat. I Love boats and I Love wood so it was a no brainer (perhaps literally for those of you who know anything about old wooden boats). About half way through our quest an old timer at a run down marina in Annapolis gave us some sage advice "You don't find a wooden boat, Son. A wooden boat finds you." Hmmm.
We continued north for a few days until we made it to Ohio, by this point The Princess was getting a little cranky and I might add, a little discouraged; none of the boats we'd seen so far were right for us. She had to have a large aft cabin with full ensuite for my Princess and a second berth with a head for guests (girl thing), a decent galley (my territory), large enough to handle short ocean runs and of course be made out of wood.
I had heard about a Pacemaker in Grand Rapids, Michigan so we decided this would be our last boat before we headed for home, pointed the truck west and off to the far side of Michigan. We found the marina and started looking for the right finger dock without success, another old timer came up to us and asked us our business so I told him and he pointed us to finger dock 'A' where we found 'Captured Hearts' a 1959 42' Chris Craft Constellation, wrong boat. We continued our search and finally found the Pacemaker which was a basket case once you looked beyond the new paint job. As we were getting back into the truck, our quest a failure, the old timer reappeared and asked us what we thought of the boat.
"She's a basket case" I snorted.
"You don't know your boats" was his calm reply. Naturally, I took some offence as I do know my boats and I know wood having been a carpenter all of my life,
"That Pacemaker is ready to go to the bottom in the first stiff breeze" I retorted.
"You're right about the Pacemaker but you're dead wrong about the Connie" he replied still calm and now smiling.
"The Connie is a beautiful boat but she not for sale, too bad, Nice boat". I said with a hint of remorse in my voice.
"Oh, she's for sale all right and the guy wants to get rid of her real bad, he got her in a business deal and he already owns 3 boats, all tupperware and he doesn't appreciate a wooden boat" said the old timer with a twinkle in his eye. I guess he could tell that I'm a wooden boat nut and that I would love and take care of the old girl.
He went into the shop and came back with a phone number and a name, we called it but it was busy so I left my cell phone number and we waited and waited and Waited. Finally, we were out of time and had to head home to Canada, so I turned the truck east and headed for the Peace Bridge at Niagara Falls. Just before we got to Cleveland, Ohio my cell phone rang; it was the owner of the boat, Jim. I pulled over and we discussed Capture Hearts for about an hour. Jim didn't want the headache of a wooden boat and was looking to sell because of the high dockage fees at his marina for a boat of 'Captured Hearts' size. Jim explained that some young guys wanted to buy her so they could use her as a party boat until she sank at her anchor and he didn't think the old girl deserved that but the dockage fee was coming due again at the end of the month so what could he do? Jim was frank about her condition which I already knew from my own survey of Captured Hearts so at least I knew he was a straight shooter, he just didn't appreciate wooden boats which are a love'em or leave'em proposition. I looked at the Princess and said "What do you want to do?" "Turn around or keep heading for home?". I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was in Love with 'Captured Hearts' as I was (old wooden boats are like that) so when she said "Let's do it" I wasn't surprised.
I turned around at the next overpass and we drove for 8 more hours back to Grand Haven, Michigan. Jim was waiting for us at the dock and we took her out for a test cruise, she handled like a dream as only a classic wooden boat can, cutting the chop instead of pounding through them, twisting along her length when the waves took her beam on. I got her back in the slip and the money changed hands on the dock, then back into the truck and headed for home again, we arrived home dead tired after almost 2 days of hard driving but we still had silly grins on our faces when we walked in our door. We Had Our Boat! or more realistically Captured Hearts had us.
3 years later and a pile of money she's half way there to being better than the day she rolled out of the factory in Grand Haven, Michigan. We're still in love with her and we think she feels the same way about us and will keep us safe when Mother Ocean turns nasty.
The port engine has been replaced, the starboard engine is being rebuilt, the foredeck is being ripped up and the wiring and instrumentation replaced. Another year and we'll be finished! Then we're taking her south to Bermuda or whichever island we live on at that point. The perfect, treasure hunting, pirate ship, 'Captured Hearts'!
Cheers,
BDA
We continued north for a few days until we made it to Ohio, by this point The Princess was getting a little cranky and I might add, a little discouraged; none of the boats we'd seen so far were right for us. She had to have a large aft cabin with full ensuite for my Princess and a second berth with a head for guests (girl thing), a decent galley (my territory), large enough to handle short ocean runs and of course be made out of wood.
I had heard about a Pacemaker in Grand Rapids, Michigan so we decided this would be our last boat before we headed for home, pointed the truck west and off to the far side of Michigan. We found the marina and started looking for the right finger dock without success, another old timer came up to us and asked us our business so I told him and he pointed us to finger dock 'A' where we found 'Captured Hearts' a 1959 42' Chris Craft Constellation, wrong boat. We continued our search and finally found the Pacemaker which was a basket case once you looked beyond the new paint job. As we were getting back into the truck, our quest a failure, the old timer reappeared and asked us what we thought of the boat.
"She's a basket case" I snorted.
"You don't know your boats" was his calm reply. Naturally, I took some offence as I do know my boats and I know wood having been a carpenter all of my life,
"That Pacemaker is ready to go to the bottom in the first stiff breeze" I retorted.
"You're right about the Pacemaker but you're dead wrong about the Connie" he replied still calm and now smiling.
"The Connie is a beautiful boat but she not for sale, too bad, Nice boat". I said with a hint of remorse in my voice.
"Oh, she's for sale all right and the guy wants to get rid of her real bad, he got her in a business deal and he already owns 3 boats, all tupperware and he doesn't appreciate a wooden boat" said the old timer with a twinkle in his eye. I guess he could tell that I'm a wooden boat nut and that I would love and take care of the old girl.
He went into the shop and came back with a phone number and a name, we called it but it was busy so I left my cell phone number and we waited and waited and Waited. Finally, we were out of time and had to head home to Canada, so I turned the truck east and headed for the Peace Bridge at Niagara Falls. Just before we got to Cleveland, Ohio my cell phone rang; it was the owner of the boat, Jim. I pulled over and we discussed Capture Hearts for about an hour. Jim didn't want the headache of a wooden boat and was looking to sell because of the high dockage fees at his marina for a boat of 'Captured Hearts' size. Jim explained that some young guys wanted to buy her so they could use her as a party boat until she sank at her anchor and he didn't think the old girl deserved that but the dockage fee was coming due again at the end of the month so what could he do? Jim was frank about her condition which I already knew from my own survey of Captured Hearts so at least I knew he was a straight shooter, he just didn't appreciate wooden boats which are a love'em or leave'em proposition. I looked at the Princess and said "What do you want to do?" "Turn around or keep heading for home?". I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was in Love with 'Captured Hearts' as I was (old wooden boats are like that) so when she said "Let's do it" I wasn't surprised.
I turned around at the next overpass and we drove for 8 more hours back to Grand Haven, Michigan. Jim was waiting for us at the dock and we took her out for a test cruise, she handled like a dream as only a classic wooden boat can, cutting the chop instead of pounding through them, twisting along her length when the waves took her beam on. I got her back in the slip and the money changed hands on the dock, then back into the truck and headed for home again, we arrived home dead tired after almost 2 days of hard driving but we still had silly grins on our faces when we walked in our door. We Had Our Boat! or more realistically Captured Hearts had us.
3 years later and a pile of money she's half way there to being better than the day she rolled out of the factory in Grand Haven, Michigan. We're still in love with her and we think she feels the same way about us and will keep us safe when Mother Ocean turns nasty.
The port engine has been replaced, the starboard engine is being rebuilt, the foredeck is being ripped up and the wiring and instrumentation replaced. Another year and we'll be finished! Then we're taking her south to Bermuda or whichever island we live on at that point. The perfect, treasure hunting, pirate ship, 'Captured Hearts'!
Cheers,
BDA
