Hi guys, After a great deal of discussion, calculations (ruined the backs of several envelopes) and a few judicious coin tosses, we have decided to ship Boojum to Seattle. Cost for all destinations was amazingly similar. Tasmania and other Australian destinations sound good, but are fraught with logistic complications and extra costs of flying a family of four across the Pacific multiple times. Portland (our home port) would be slightly more convenient in the short run, but we intend to do most of our cruising in the Puget Sound and north to the San Juans, Gulf Islands, and eventually Alaska -- so Seattle it is. With the non-return valve installed in the aft electric bilge pump exhaust line, I thought all systems were finally "go"... but testing the bilge system revealed that the engine driven pump clutch wouldn't engage. This was working fine only a few days ago! The clutch is mechanically operated by a Morse cable with a push handle. Disconnecting the cable showed that the clutch itself engaged and disengaged easily; the Morse cable itself was stuck, and no force I could muster would move it. A chat with the Teleflex-Morse dealer indicated that this control locked when the handle was rotated 45 degrees -- a feature I hadn't been informed about. But closer check showed that that wasn't the source of the problem. When unlocked, the handle moved about a millimeter, but the motion was not being transmitted to the clutch lever. Following the cable from one end to the other finally revealed that the cable passed perilously close to the dry-stack muffler, and had chafed through the muffler's aluminized outer cover and buried into the insulation near the hot exhaust. The cable's sheath had melted a bit, and this was probably the culprit. A new cable is being made up, and should be installed before the boat heads to Auckland for shipment to Seattle. We are flying out on Friday the 21st to Hawaii and then on to Portland just in time for Christmas. Boojum is prepared for shipment, the rig is lowered and things are tied down in a way that we hope will survive a January North Pacific passage. I could have used another day, but we had already made arrangements to share a van ride from Opua to Auckland this morning (about 4 hours) with a German couple who were leaving their boat on a mooring in Opua. Boojum will be on the hard in Opua until the 9th or 10th of Jan, then will travel to Oram's in Auckland by truck, where Boat Haulage will strap it to a flat rack and shift it to the wharf for loading on the 11th. Departure date for Boojum is Jan 12th, transit time is 17 days, so we expect to pick her up in Seattle at the end of January. We will probably try to arrange a slip in Olympia to minimize our driving time from Portland. Any advice or suggestions? For now, it is nice to have our near-term future decided, and to be on our way home. Tonight we are staying in a lovely hotel on Takapuna Beach near Auckland (overlooking the America's Cup course) enjoying all the wonderful amenities. Ensuite bathrooms! Phones! JJ and Tommy love the beach and the hotel pool. Tomorrow, some last minute Christmas shopping in Auckland, then we are on our way home. I will try to put together a summary of "lessons learned" and a "state of the hack" report on Boojum, along with a website update over the next few days, but make no promises with the Holiday madness. In the meantime, summery Christmas cheers from the crew of Boojum, Charles, TC, JJ and Tommy -- Charles Vollum http://xsw.com/boojum - trailerable ocean-going tugboat

Charles You seem to be still "comfortable" with your boat, when most of us would walk away : engine replacement, excessive roll leading to bad fuel tanks, water leaks, pumps, burned cables, and I probably forget some more... That brings some uncomfortable questions : who is responsible (liable) and who's paying for all of that? What kind of warranty are provided from the architect and the builder? And a more general question, not only to you, but to the list : except the pride, does a brand new boat brings any warranty of trouble-free, or is it a better deal to buy a good used boat which already has been improved by previous owner? Anybody had both experiences? Bernard > Hi guys, > > After a great deal of discussion, calculations (ruined the backs of several > envelopes) and a few judicious coin tosses, we have decided to ship Boojum to > Seattle.