www.iFourWinns.com

Well, many of you know that I moved up from a 225 Sundowner to a 2002 248 Vista. There are so many other things to think about from when moving up to a bigger boat. There was the new dog in the cabin incident to start off the season, but I allready told you about that.

This past weekend was another perfect example. We rented a slip at a lake close to us for a week. Now where the slip is, we have to go under a bridge, which requires us to lower and raise the bimini top. No problem, we remembered to do that everytime. Luckily I had good shipmates who were very helpful and always raised and lowered it for me while I navigated under the very narrow bridge.

However, after my crewmates had a few beverages, they began to become less effective as crewmates. On our way home from dinner, (at night, they did remember to take down the bimini, however they neglected my towering anchor light. Under the bridge, and WHACK! Busted light socket.

Although, being the captain of my vessel, I am ultimately responsible, it would be nice with everything to think about, if I had help on a consistent basis.

Fast forward to the trip home. (Remember, long weekend) So we trailer the baheemith of a boat home. It's late, we are tired, etc... We proceed to back it into where we store the boat. ( any of you who trailer a vista know that you need a lot of verticle clearance with a vista. But having stored this boat here for 6 months, I knew that. The boat fits JUST FINE.

WHEN YOU REMEMBER TO LOWER THE BIMINI TOP!

As I slowly back the boat into its resting place, (slowly being the key word), CRUNCH. Smacked the bimini on the overhand above the door. I immediately knew what happend and in my fit of rage, I pulled forward, shouted a few choice words, many of which ryhme with Chuck, and accessed the damage. Luckly, I only suffered some bent poles. Being made of stainless steel, I am hoping that I will be able to bend them back the 4 inches that I bent them. It could have been a lot worse as I could have dislodged the mounts from the fiberglass or shattered the windows.

Ah, the joys of boating. After that ordeal, we have decided to get a permantent slip and forget this trailering thing.

One other nautical folley that I will share with you out of my boating blunders diary, was when we slipped our boat for a weekend on Lake Michigan. Southern Lake Michigan is known for it's beautiful sand dunes and georgous sunsets. Well, after scurrying to get to our marina, launch the boat, and get a transient slip assignment, the Mrs. decides she wants to go out on the water to watch the remainder of the sunset. So, we hurry up, untie the boat, get ready to go, and begin backing out. DOH!!! I forgot to unplug the shore power. Lucky for me, we had plenty of extra cordage and didn't do any damage, but geeze. All the things that I have to remember that I didn't even think about with my smaller 225 sundowner.

The funny thing is, I consider myself a safe and educated boater (having taken the power squadron boating course). I can only imagine the issues that uneducated boaters go through.

Oh well, lessons learned and the boating life goes on.

I hope you find this as humerous as I do looking back at it and I know I deserve any humiliation that you guys choose to toss my way.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz

Woggy, here ya go...you could be trailering this.



As to the bimini, they can be straightened to a point. I've "veed" my forward bimini on tree branches twice. The top of the arch on the trailer is 12'8" so I look up a lot when trailering.

Shore power, can be easily forgotten...remember the water hose too...we won't go any further there

For us, a slip just isn't in the cards, we like to explore too much. Fo example, July 4th week we trailerd up to Myrtle Beach SC (1200 miles round trip). Great time at a great marina...cheap too...$105 for the week! There are just too many fun places to explore all over Florida for me to be tied to a slip now with only weekends to enjoy. Later down the road where week long trips to explore will be the norm, a slip would be a good thing. Besides it will be hard to trailer that 42' Nordic Tug the wife wants.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

I hear ya! I always remind everyone on the boat to remind me to drop the Shakespeare antenna for the bridge I have to go under. Fortunately I don't have to worry about the bimini at this bridge but thanks for the reminder about the light pole - I haven't gone under it in the dark but there's a chance I could have easily forgotten that as you are trying to navigate.

I am so happy with having a the vista slipped, They can be a PITA to trailer. My buddy was backing the horizon under my carport where the clearance is very tight - if the window is in the open position it will hit the cross beam. He forgot to close it and it broke the hinge for the center window. But the way it broke was like it was designed to break away before doing a lot of damage. Props to FW if they purposely did that because the glass didn't break and the frame didn't bend either. It was pretty easily repaired.

I was able to bend my ESP support rod back closer to straight by putting it in a vice. I that would also work on the bimini tubing. Make sure your insulate the metal to prevent scratching the steel and don't overtighten, it will dent / deform the tubing. Shouldn't take much to get it back "close" to straight again.

Good luck!

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V475
Chris Craft Catalina 23 w/ 300 G2
Previously-V338, 248 Vista, H210

Thanks for sharing, it's nice to know I'm not the only one forgetting one or two of the 762 things you need to remember.

This past weekend I was backing into my slip with some gusty winds. The camper campus was up so the windage was exceptional. I approached ok, as I normally do but the wind picked up and next thing you know I was perpendicular to the slip almost ready to slam into the finger piers and my neighbor's boat. I had to quickly run atop the bow and jump over the rail and jump on the finger pier to push my boat away!!

Embarrassing, to say the least. Particularly considering there were four other people waiting to help me dock into my slip. I'm glad I had the help though.

It's a continuous non-stop learning process.

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SOLD! 2006 30th Anniversary Vista 278
"Conch'd Out!"

http://vista278.com

Make yourself a hang-tag you can put on your rear view mirror that has a checklist on it. That or tattoo it in reverse on your forehead so you can read it in that same mirror... :D

You jumped out of your boat to keep it from hitting something? I'm hoping there was someone else on board to take over controls. Otherwise what if another gust grabbed it and pushed it off with nobody at the helm? But it's good to hear you kept it from hitting stuff!

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

JV,



It's not much different I would have to step up to a diesel to tow a 268/298 but other than that... Towing any of the trailerable Vista's isn't an easy task.. It requires us all to be on top of our game for sure..

Woggy,

Don't fret... We've ALL been there.. No Captain is perfect and we sometimes have "Blonde Moments" (and me being blonde, I probably have them MORE frequently!)

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Brett DiMichele

Ok so now that I am home and have some time to type... Here are some of "my" most memorable boating moments..

Last season I decided to try the "overnight thing" with my Stingray 230SX (23' Cuddy) and I am about 17 miles from the docks and ready to drop anchor when I realize my anchor light is burnt out.. Mind you, I just checked to ensure proper functionality of ALL my navigational lights the same week so as to be preppared.

Back to the docks I went... No autoparts store carried a 12 volt Bayonette that fit the socket but RadioShack had one... So I come back to the docks and change the light. I head upstream 17 miles to my previous spot and daylight is fading FAST! In a hurry I get my BRAND NEW anchor package out of the engine compartment (and you have no idea how much I appreciate the anchor locker on the 248). I undo the packaging on a brand new #16 Superhooker with 6' of chain and 200' of 1/2" Rode.

I cary this contraption carefully up to the bow and I drop the anchor and instruct my co-pilot to back the boat up so I can pay out some line. But guess what IMPORTANT step I forgot?????? Yeah, it helps to TIE the BITTER end off to the cleat! So there goes my brand new $150.00 anchor package into the abyss never to be seen again!

Later the same night my co-pilot places his glasses on the swim platform while doing some night fishing and I hear the wonderful sound of metal sliding on fiberglass followed by *spoosh* followed by *$^$&%&&##@#&$&* chalk up another loss to the sea! (or River as the case may be).

That was a $400.00 + night out!

Fast forward to this Sunday.... I haven't had my 248 out in nearly six weeks because the ONE ramp that is big enough to accomodatte the 248 is closed to rebuild it... Sure summer is a great time to re-do the launch!

I get the boat on the water and dock like a pro, pick up my best friend and his gal and we go boating for the day. We find a nice spot and anchor around 10:00 AM and stay put the rest of the day. Well, the gal (a long time friend of mine) asks me where does the sink water go? And me like an idiot leans over the side of the boat (from the swim platform) cigarette in mouth and prescription RayBan's on head... And *Sploosh* I go into the water... When I come back up, the cigarette is still in my mouth but my RayBan's are gone forever... Ok so that was a $350.00 day.... (But still an absolutely fun day!)

I am learning from my mistakes, I am getting those floatie neck straps for all my glasses! And I also learned why the old salts call the end of an anchor rode "The Bitter End".............

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Brett DiMichele

a) get lasik so b) you can buy cheap sunglasses.

I lost my first pair for the season this past sunday while detaching the shore power and water line. Ker-plunk and down they went. At least they were only 3 for $20 specials at the mall kiosk. At least it wasn't the $50 shur-hold pole and brush a neighbor dropping off the pier...

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

O/K, so while we are sharing, I also lost my Rx Sunglasses this weekend, and I did have a band around my neck, but obviously not tight enough. We got into our favorite cove, and after I got the anchors set, it was so hot, I jumped in off the ESP! I came back up, and my wife looks at me as I was telling her how great the water felt, and she calmly say's, I hope you did not jump in with your sunglasses on, because they are not on your face now! I could not believe it! It was high tide, and we were only in about 6 feet of water, but even with a mask, I could not find them! There goes a couple of hundred bucks, I am thinking! Time to swim back to the boat and have a beer!

As the day goes on, 3 other boats from my marina come in to the cove and they all raft up to my boat, and we have a great time all day. 2 of us leave and go back to the marina, and 2 boats decided to stay out a couple of more hours. They wind up staying till low tide.

Meanwhile I am back at the marina and we are at the dock drinking more beer commiserating about my lost sunglasses, and one of the guys from the boat that had remained called my cell phone, and asked me if I lost a pair of sunglasses! They found them (Thanks to my "Yellow" Sea Tow band that was still attached to them) on the bottom as they were retreiving their stern anchor! Now what are the chances of that!

Meanwhile over the years I have lost 2 cell phones and several pairs of sunglasses, so I know what you mean! This time I got Lucky!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

Oh yes, the Admiral assumed control immediately!

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SOLD! 2006 30th Anniversary Vista 278
"Conch'd Out!"

http://vista278.com

Yep, my biggest concern is road width. I have to have a wide load permit to use the roads (legally). On many of the side roads I have one wheel on the yellow and the other on the white line.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

JV,

What is the beam on yours? 9? 10?

At 8'6" for the boat and the trailer being wider than that by a decent margin it can get tight. I can't imagine what it's like to tow a 9+ beam

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Brett DiMichele

9'8". I removed the silly guide posts. They are aluminum and the boat would bent them out with just the wind pushing against them. It also reduced my width.

_________________
Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

What do you beleive the curb weight is for the boat and trailer when loaded with fuel and water and gear? I don't imagine you have any issues towing it with your tow rig. I know I am at my limits with my rig... If I go ANY bigger I need a bigger truck!

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Brett DiMichele

Truck 7000# Boat loaded and trailer ~13000# Last time I weighed the whole caboodle 20,120#

_________________
Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"