An Arm and a Leg

In case anyone was wondering, boats are costly. I really don't want to complain, but at the same time I want to lay down some numbers so that if you ever think about buying a boat of your own, you will have an idea of what you are getting yourself into.

First off, when I bought Madeline & Nine, she was (and still is) bare bones. The inside was dirty, it was missing a lot of parts, and she had a few cracks. All together an old boat. There was also some stains from what appeared to be water damage. Yesterday I went to sail and I was greeted by a foot of water in the bottom of the boat. I was a bit surprised when I was greeted by that, but I quickly learned the cause of the water (and the cause of the previous stains): the drive shaft.

The boat used to have an inboard motor. The motor is gone, but the drive shaft and propeller are still there. When I hired someone to clean the bottom of the boat, he cleaned the propeller, and in doing so, rotated the shaft. The rotation of the shaft cracked the sealant and a leak was created.

After the guy came back to fix the leak, he looked around and discovered that all of the "seacocks" keeping the ocean out of Madeline are about to implode. He told me that they all need to be replaced and that the propellor shaft should be taken out and the space sealed to avoid further leakage.

Oh, yeah, I also need a new motor and electrical system. Nice. Real nice.

Numbers (for low end items):
Outboard motor: $1,600
Electrical system: $600
Seacocks: $250
Ouch!

I think I can do without electrical, but a motor is a must (refer to "It Could Have Been Worse, But Not Much"). I can't really avoid the seacocks either. Anything that keeps me afloat is a worthwhile investment, in my opinion.