Boat we are buying - we think!

I thought I'd post some photos of the boat that we are buying....and I say "we think" because the deal is not finished yet.  Due to some scheduling delays on some repairs, we won't be getting the boat until October when we return from our Australia trip.

The boat is near Houston, Texas....so will be quite an adventure getting it home to NC!!  I calculated that it's well over 2500 miles.


This is the boat - a Manta 40 catamaran.  These photos are not mine - they are the previous owner's.  We have not seen the boat yet, but have a deposit on it pending our inspection.  If it's as advertised, it's very well equipped and a good solid boat.

The name will NOT remain "Double Wide"....we'll have to have a re-naming ceremony to appease the "sea gods"!

Cockpit....dog definitely NOT included, of course!

Interior pics.

At anchor in the Bahamas

Galley -

Cockpit

Single berth

Saloon area

Berth - there are 2 similar berths.

Generator - yay!  A/C at anchor if we desire!!

Yay!!  washer/dryer!

Watermaker - so we can be pretty self-sufficient!

2 heads...so our guests can be comfy!!

Stay tuned....will update in October when we head to Houston!

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South Florida boat shopping

We flew to south Florida to do a little boat shopping!

Arriving near Naples - we had forgotten how many people live in South Florida!!!  Haha

First up was 40' Leopard - this boat has been around the world!  It's very nicely equipped.

Nice galley.

And several custom features - including this great drawer arrangement in the forward guest berth for tool/spare part storage.

This was the only boat to see in Naples - so we had a bit of fun during what remained of the afternoon.

We went for a 4 mile walk - from our hotel to the beach.....on the way I spied these HUGE ficus trees in the background (the round mushroom-like trees)....just thought they were cute  and I wonder if I can get my little ficus tree to grow like that!!!  (Nice to be in shorts on Dec 30th!!!)

Walking down the beach in Naples - we're really close to the airport  - saw several helicopters buzzing the beachline.

Walked all the way to a quaint little downtown area called Tin City - lots of shops and restaurants on the waterfront.

We went to "Pinchers" - seemed to be a popular spot.

Two-for one beers....

And some really great raw oysters!

 On the walk back thru Tin City - note the airplane on final approach to the airport.

Then the next day, it was a quick flight up to Sarasota Airport (just 80 miles).

We had an appointment with a broker to see a couple of Manta catamarans.

I didn't get a really good photo of the "whole boat"....but it's a nice sturdy catamaran.  (I don't like the name....Iguana Dance....but that could be fixed).

Interior was in good shape.

Nice large berths.

Some nice cabinetry.

And we're thinking about putting an offer in for this one!!!

Quick trip to New Orleans

I know, you may have heard that we've put off buying a boat until we return from our Australia trip next year...

But I read about this boat on a sailing forum and wanted to check it out.  So, we quickly arranged to meet the boat owner in New Orleans.

The 4 1/2 hour flight was uneventful but long!!

We had an appointment to see the boat early the next morning, so we drove into New Orleans just for fun.

 Street scene on Canal Street.

Interesting street corners!

And the re-vamped SuperDome at night.  Looks sorta like an alien space ship!

Then it was time to tour the boat....on Lake Pontchartrain.

Unfortunately, the boat wasn't quite what we were hoping for....but still a nice boat for it's age.  I've got a few more to look at still.....we might come back to this one.

 Off to the airport for the 4 1/2 hour flight home!   Fun to take off almost immediately over water!  (the little black stripes are what the digital camera does when I take photos thru the propeller arc...weird, but it does it every time!) 

And more boat shopping!

More boat shopping, but this time we feel like we've actually narrowed it down to the model we will get.

A Leopard 40.

We flew to Jacksonville to look at this 2008 Leopard 40. 

Nicely set-up cockpit.

Great interior layout -

Unfortunately, the boat was sold the day we looked at it....but we are happy we made the trip since now we will focus on this model.  And there's one for sale in Trinadad that looks like it might be just right!

More boat shopping

Long trip to Annapolis, MD and Deltaville, VA for a bit of boat shopping.

Since the airplane is in the shop, we drove to Annapolis....driving thru DC- notice the National Monument in the distance.

We had a big day - touring 5 boats.

Lots to like about all of them.

But, in the end....we just didn't find "the boat". 

So, time to head back south - the tunnel under the Chesapeake bay.  

We'll just keep looking until we find the right boat!