Another road trip

I've decided to leave on Tuesday July 31st to go back down to Sacramento. My boat buddy Wilburne is coming along this time to lend a hand with the next stage. I'm hoping that between us we'll be able to get the boat in the water. I've been in touch with Gregg in Stockton, who is on my Bayliner Explorer 2670 Yahoo Group. He has a business with Stockton waterfront and his own dock. He's kindly offered his help and the loan of a tow vehicle so things are shaping up!

Keeping the dream alive

Early this June we made a trip down to Sacramento to check on the boat and to visit our friend Elias. The boat has been moved from her original storage location up in Loomis, to a new yard down in Rancho Cordova, which is about 15 miles east of Sac.
  The boat appears to be safe and sound and the yard seems secure. We ordered a new set of tires for the trailer while we were down and left a copy of the invoice with Chuck who kindly agreed to haul the boat and trailer over to the tire shop and get them mounted. Apparently that's all been done as of  July3rd, so the next trip down I'm hoping that we will actually see her afloat. Everything takes longer than what we expect and getting this new venture up and running has certainly been no exception to the rule.
   The other thing I discovered during this recent trip, was that there are not many marinas in or around Sac where one can do a little work on the boat, and it's something that'll definitely be needed, especially in the first few days. As she's been on the hard for a year, at the very least she'll need water, fuel, propane, and some clean-up, not to mention a few days of sea-trials with a safe haven close by. With this in mind I've decided to trailer her to Stockton and launch at Ladd's Marina. I've been there several times in the past with my Catalina 22 "Friday". It's close to I-5, West Marine, and contacts that I have in downtown Stockton, so I feel better about putting her in the water down there.
  So here we are at the 3rd week of July..... still no firm date for launching, but keeping the dream alive!
                                                                                               

Flybridge

From what I've been able to find out so far, not too many Seacampers came with the factory installed flybridge. Fortunately, ( I think! ) mine did!

My first and only time up top was when the boat was sitting on the trailer at Chuck's boatyard up in Loomis, CA. I have to say that it seemed a long way up, and my initial thoughts were that there was no way in Hell that I'd be riding around up there, but after my initial sea trial, and considering the overall stability I've felt so far, I think I could actually see myself up there on some calm, sunny day. Drifting along with an icy cold Budweiser, the view from up top would have to be nothing short of spectacular. Some new fold-down camper style seats would make sun tanning up top, an absolute delight! I'm so looking forward to it!

Dinette/ double berth

This view shows the dinette which drips down to make into a double berth. The area is raised to allow for the refrigerator to be located under the forward seat. The aft dinette seat contains more storage.

Looking aft there's ample cupboard space and plenty of storage under the stove and sink.

There are drawers in the counter as well as overhead storage cupboards along the inner roofline. For a boat of only 24 feet in length with a beam of 8 feet, there's a surprising amount of usable storage, in fact much more than on my 27 foot Bayliner. The fact that the vessel is basically rectangular in shape ( no pointy end! ) allows for the added liveability.

Some interior views

A closer look at the forward settee and entrance hatchway. My plan is to have some upholstery work done throughout the boat.
There isn't a lot of cushioned area, so overall costs shouldn't be prohibitive.

Both of the windshield glasses are a bit weathered and cloudy, but I'm looking into either getting them polished or replacing them entirely. Visibility at this point is still acceptable but would be greatly enhanced with new windows. It would also improve the overall look of the vessel from the exterior. The small windscreen up on the flybridge also has a crack in it, so I would more than likely replace that at the same time.

Looking forward

It's March now and I'm one leg closer to being onboard.

I had my first surgery on Feb 17; that was two weeks ago today. I can walk and even drive a bit now, so I feel more positive about the the future and I'm looking forward to the day when cruising the delta again, will really happen.

For now, I'll put up a few more photos starting with an interior shot looking forward from near the rear entryway. The galley is on the starboard side and the table makes down into a double berth. Just forward of the dinette table is the enclosed head with a mirrored door. The settee on the port side up forward, pulls out into another double bed. This feature was an add-on done by the previous owner, but it's quite handy and seems to function well. I will probably try to keep it as long as it doesn't get in the way of any restoration plans. I'd like to keep the boat as close to original as I can.

"Delta Blue"

The photo shows a 1974 Seacamper. She's a 24 foot trailerable houseboat aboard which I plan to explore the backwaters in and around the California Delta. The plan is to base in either Stockton or Sacramento and make short trips over an extended period of time.

I found the boat on Craigslist in November and after a some e-mail inquiries, and a few phone calls, she seemed worth a closer look so in mid December I took a road trip south and spent a few days with our friend Elias in Folsom, CA.

The boat was up in Loomis, CA in the care of boat broker Chuck Howson of CHH Marine Services.

Chuck was very helpful with putting this deal together. He made numerous trips up to the lake where he fought with a consistent high rpm cut-out, then a rough idle and stall situation. With the help of mechanic Don, the problem was isolated to a clog in one of the fuel lines. The line has now been replaced.

With my available time running out we managed to get her running on my last day there and I was able to take my first "on the water" trial at Folsom Lake. At that time we were running on a small day tank so the gas supply was definitely limited.

With that in mind and a brisk wind coming up, I opted to make the run a short one. We took her out past the 5 knot markers and made a couple of loops and "S" turns before returning to the launch ramp.

She performed quite well despite the short chop developing on the lake. For sure she'll need some TLC and a few dollars spent to make her my own, but other than that I was quite pleased with her.

I've named her " Delta Blue" for now but this could be just temporary. I'm sure something more suitable will come to mind once the adventures get under way.