Boating Has Been Very Good To Us
1986 Sea Ray 390
We're a boating family. My wife got us started and it's been great. We started with our Bayliner 2550, a great boat. But as the family grew, we moved up to our 86 Sea Ray 390 (pictured above). The name of our new boat is No Rules (yeah ... and I've been too lazy to change it).
We bought our Sea Ray at the end of the Summer 04. She's a pretty boat, but she's got some problems. In particular, she is wet. So, many of my projects are looking for leaks.
So here is my attempt to give back to the boating community. This page will document my various projects as I fix, tinker and repair our Sea Ray 390. Not all projects are illustrated yet, but check back from time to time.
2005 Erie Canal Vacation
July 05 - Although we've been boating since 1995, we've never taken a big boater vacation. That changes with our Erie Canal Vacation to Syracuse NY.
Click here to see the Flash Slide Show of our trip. In my opionion, our best vacation ever.
2008 Dry Docked
Summer 08 - A slew a factors combine to leave our boat in dry dock; we don't use our Sea Ray 390 at all in 2008. It just sits in storage for the entire year. Mostly, I think that we, as a family, need a little break from boating. Our oldest kids are teenagers, and the wife and I just don't want any obligations this summer.
We still used our Wellcraft, and waverunner. But not the usual weekend trips to Lake Erie.
2009 Lake Erie
Summer 09 - After skipping a year, we put No Rules into the water at a new Marina, Bass Haven. Even the teenagers missed going to Lake Erie regularly. So, we're back to boating on Lake Erie, just about every weekend.
Nonetheless, I think the year off was a good thing; good for our attitudes, and good for the boat. That extra time in dry dock has completely dried out our boat.
2010 Lake Erie
Summer 10 - Another year at Bass Haven. Possibly the best summer weather of our 14 years of boating.
No Rules is put to good use, thanks to the social events, put together by Carol, and my few fishing trips. However, no major trips. Just daytime jaunts to the local haunts, like Cedar Point, Put-in-Bay and Kelley's Island.
The Sea Doo GTIs that I purchased over the winter were really put through their paces. The kids and their friends (me too) used the jet skis a lot, and this took time away from using No Rules. Probably saved me a ton of gas too as No Rules just loves to use gas.
| Project | Description | Duration | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winterize motors | Annual ritual of winterizing the motors | 2 hrs | Oct |
| Windshield Leak | Water is coming in through the starboard side and getting into the kitchen cabinetry. | 4 hrs | Apr 05 |
| Rub Rail | Water is in the bilge; is it coming from the rub rail? | 6 hrs | May 05 |
| Water in Bilge | Water is in the bilge, and it's coming from the air conditioner | 0 hrs | Jun 05 |
| Sliding Door | The sliding door, entrance to below, doesn't slide very well. | 4 hrs | Jun 05 |
| Window Leaks | Water is coming in through the salon windows | 12 hrs | Jun 05 |
| Replace Swim Platform Teak Inserts | Make new inserts (pine) | 6 hrs | Jan 06 |
| Starboard Engine - impeller | Replace the impeller for starboard engine. | 6 hrs | Apr 06 |
| Tambour Door repair | Guest Stateroom tambour door is off track | 4 hrs | Aug 06 |
| Captain's Bench Rot | One side of the Captain's bench has rotted out. Replace the one side with marine plywood | 3 hrs | Aug 06 |
| New Canvas | The canvas that came on No Rules is starting to show its age. And it leaks like crazy. Replacing the canvas is my single, best project for drying out No Rules. | 1 week | Winter 07 |
| New impeller for Westerbeke generator | My generator needs a new impeller. | 2 hrs | May 2010 |
| Tambour Door repair - split tambour | A couple of the tambour doors have split, so some spray adhesive and cloth fixes them up. | 1 hr | Sept 2010 |
