After waiting, and waiting… and more waiting I finally have a pickup date set for taking ownership of the boat. On Friday May 10 I will drive to NY with my father-in-law to pick up the boat, we hope to make it there in back in one-day but we will likely stop somewhere for the night on the way back before bringing the boat home to Michigan.
I say “home” for two reasons – 1. She will call Lexington, Michigan port and 2. She was originally sold in August of 1962 on the west of side of the state to North Shore Marina in Spring Lake (still in business). I know where the boat was sold because I have the equipment record (hull card) –
Here’s a scan of the original hull card I obtained from the Mariner’s Museum –
Original Hull Card of 1962 Sea Skiff SUC-20-084
Many, many Chris Crafts were built in Michigan. However, this particular one and the majority of Sea Skiffs were built in Salisbury, Maryland. I have a minor connection to Salisbury – I used to drive through there on the way to the beach in Ocean City, MD back when I lived in Virginia.
Since I last wrote I haven’t done too much, other than spend money on the various needed items to own a boat. Luckily for me my dad kept most of the accessories from the boat he sold last year and gave them to me. From him I got: several life-vests, a throwable floating pad, a couple of coolers, two tubes, water skis, trailer lock, and a couple of dock lines.
Other items I’ve bought – I found an original bronze rudder for the boat locally on Craigslist. For $40. Yes, $40! I’ve seen them elsewhere for upwards of $200. I may not ever need the part but for the price it was impossible to pass up. I also found a 15 pound Navy-style anchor on Craigslist for $25, also a great bargain.
I’ve also bought a pair of boat fenders, dock lines, anchor lines, fire extinguisher, signal flag, signal whistle, first aid kit, battery charger, oil extractor, a second anchor, collapse-able paddle, spark plugs, and infant life-vest.
As far as safety gear is concerned I need to get a pack of hand-held flares locally at a store (shipping is really expensive for flares due to their hazard) and then I should have everything I need to meet Coast Guard regulations for this boat. Coast Guard requires (3) day & night visible signals for boats over 16 feet – having (3) hand-held flares meet that requirement. I will exceed the requirement by having the signal flag, the paddle is also orange, the boat has lights, horn and I have a whistle. I’ve signed up to take the Michigan Boater’s safety class, it is (8) hours over two nights in May and only $22.
Other items I still need to get are a trailering boat cover and the associated accessories such as a vent, poles and reinforcing. I contacted the folks at Taylor Made who among many other marine products also make boat a large variety of covers. Using the dimensions of my boat they suggested a specific size and model of a competition ski boat cover they make. The Skiff is shaped very similar to modern ski boats, especially since both have fully inboard motors. I also need to get a spare tire/rim for the trailer. I’m not at all the kind of person who would drive without a spare, especially for a few hundred miles. The seller is going to send me the tire and rim size of what’s currently on the trailer so I can get one.
Aside from all of that (it’s a lot) I really shouldn’t need to buy much else other than gas to put the boat in the water this summer. I will need to put new registration numbers on the hull, unless MI lets me keep the NY registration numbers currently on the boat – we’ll see.
Before I go to NY I am going to try and register the trailer and get a Michigan plate for it. All I need is a bill of sale and the empty trailer weight. The trailer is made by EZ Loader – I’m not sure of the year, but there should be a metal plate on the trailer with a VIN number at minimum and possibly the actual trailer weight. With the VIN I can call EZ Loader and they’ll look up the weight. Being able to avoid weighing the trailer without the boat on it will be a major savings in time, hassle and money.
I’ve also looked into storage. The boat will primarily be used in Lake Huron. My in-laws have a cottage south of Lexington, Michigan. The cottage does not have a garage (yet – we’re dreaming about one big enough to store and work on the boats) but does have a large-ish parking lot. I kept my dad’s fiberglass boat on the trailer there one summer and it worked out fine. But this being a wood boat and antique I’m very hesitant to leave the boat covered on the trailer without at least a tent-type structure over it.
Considering that it would cost around $800 for a 12’x25′ tent plus the cost of planting some trees to hide the shelter I’m not going to do that this year. I’ve found a self-storage facility in Port Huron with 10×30 carport spaces for around $45 per month. I’ll keep the boat there during the season and find an indoor storage location for the winter months. It should work out well – I’ll pick up the boat on the way up to the cottage and drop it off on the way back. Until we build a garage at the cottage or I move and build a bigger garage for myself this will be what I do.
62SeaSkiff 