Hi there -
I see that some of you have quite an amount of posts about the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, and was hoping to pick your brain about a run from the Sassafras River to Cape May.
So, a little rundown on my side: I just became the owner of my aunt's former 1976 27' Catalina and am looking to take it from Georgetown YB on the Sassafras to Cape May Inlet. My own sailing skills have been stifled as I haven't been on a boat regularly for almost a decade. Before that I was working on an 80' schooner as a summer job, along with using the Catalina referenced above.
Now, the boat is sitting dry-docked, hasn't been maintained in years, and I have....quite a few challenges ahead of me, to say the least. I'm weighing whether I should keep the boat dry docked for a while and do my repairs/cleanups and wait till next season to launch for Cape May, or whether I should have a mechanic at Georgetown do a basic inspection of the boat and let me know if I'm in decent enough shape to make the run this season (I'd rather pay for a place I prefer to be than overpaying to sit idle).
I guess my questions are:
1)Any chance any of you know of any reasonably priced marine mechanics near Georgetown YB that would be less money than Georgetown's staff?
2) Any chance any of you know of any reasonably priced boatyards in Cape May that dry dock boats for not an exorbitant amount of money?
I know the bilge probably needs to be replaced, so that's a priority.
My ideal plan is if someone - with more knowledge and expertise than me - can tell me if the engine is stable enough to make the run down to CP; install a new bilge; dock the boat in the water in CP for the summer and enjoy doing my cosmetic improvements while having a place to sleep at the beach; then dry dock the boat in CP every winter, and wait to paint the hull this coming offseason.
Any answers to the above would be greatly appreciated - thanks!
I see that some of you have quite an amount of posts about the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, and was hoping to pick your brain about a run from the Sassafras River to Cape May.
So, a little rundown on my side: I just became the owner of my aunt's former 1976 27' Catalina and am looking to take it from Georgetown YB on the Sassafras to Cape May Inlet. My own sailing skills have been stifled as I haven't been on a boat regularly for almost a decade. Before that I was working on an 80' schooner as a summer job, along with using the Catalina referenced above.
Now, the boat is sitting dry-docked, hasn't been maintained in years, and I have....quite a few challenges ahead of me, to say the least. I'm weighing whether I should keep the boat dry docked for a while and do my repairs/cleanups and wait till next season to launch for Cape May, or whether I should have a mechanic at Georgetown do a basic inspection of the boat and let me know if I'm in decent enough shape to make the run this season (I'd rather pay for a place I prefer to be than overpaying to sit idle).
I guess my questions are:
1)Any chance any of you know of any reasonably priced marine mechanics near Georgetown YB that would be less money than Georgetown's staff?
2) Any chance any of you know of any reasonably priced boatyards in Cape May that dry dock boats for not an exorbitant amount of money?
I know the bilge probably needs to be replaced, so that's a priority.
My ideal plan is if someone - with more knowledge and expertise than me - can tell me if the engine is stable enough to make the run down to CP; install a new bilge; dock the boat in the water in CP for the summer and enjoy doing my cosmetic improvements while having a place to sleep at the beach; then dry dock the boat in CP every winter, and wait to paint the hull this coming offseason.
Any answers to the above would be greatly appreciated - thanks!