About 20 years ago when I first started sailing in the Caribbean and South Florida, I found myself wanting more. Eventually I ended up in Phuket Thailand, bought a Passport 40 (Sailboat) in Langkawi Malaysia and lived-aboard for several years in around Phang-Nga-Bay Thailand. Now 10 years down the road, I've sold the Passport and built a house on the island of Phuket. But.....I kept thinking about and wanting another boat.
Then about 2 years ago, my wife and I found ourselves at a small bamboo beach bar with our Golden Retriever Mango. Mango was digging holes in the beach, my wife and I were enjoying a couple cold beer while watching the boats at anchor. Perfect afternoon. Then from out of nowhere I hear....."What do you think about buying another boat..?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was fumbling around with my mobile phone trying to figure out how the voice recording function worked.
My wife had one condition however. The boat had to have a toilet. I could live with that.
After much thought, we decided to go with a much smaller boat than what I had before I met my wife in Thailand.
Several months latter I stumbled across a 2 yr old Grady-White 225 Tournament with an F250 Yamaha, in Singapore. It had been kept enclosed/inside, on the racks at Raffles Marina when not being used. The boat and engine only had 200 hours on it. I bought it sight unseen.
When I first got down to S'pore to take delivery, I was like a kid with a new toy at Christmas. While I have downsized from a 40 foot sailboat to a 22 ft Grady.......I'm having twice the fun and I've found that it's just the getting out on the water that's important.
Now instead of sitting at the Bamboo Beach Bar watching other people play around with their boats, we're out over the horizon somewhere exploring and island hoping around Phang-Nga-Bay.
Over the past year there was a lot of work that was put into the boat, including:
1) Installation of a Yamaha F9.9GMHL High Thrust standby engine on a Garalick Bracket. The ladder was removed from the swim platform, and the
recessed area for the ladder was cut-out to accommodate the stand-by engine/bracket.
2) Removal of the original Yamaha fuel filter and installation of a Racor/Parker fuel filter/water separator. A "T" fitting and shut-off valve was
installed down-line of the Racor filter so the 9.9 can tap into the main fuel tank. The 9.9 can also use its own independent 3 gal fuel tank.
3) Removal of the original batteries from under the aft deck. Two (2) new Mastervolt AGM batteries were re-installed, forward in the area under
the helm. This was done to not just keep the batteries high and dry, but to offset the aft C of G caused by the installation of the Yamaha 9.9
and bracket. C of G of the GW225T is 75" forward of the transom edge. Moving the 130lb batteries forward of C of G resulted in the boat
sitting level with the 130lb Yamaha 9.9 and bracket bolted to the transom.
4) Removal of the portta-potty and the installation of a Jabsco Compact Head. My wife wanted a toilet......she got a toilet. We've tossed the
portta-potty.
5) Replaced the aft folding bench seat with a teak folding bench seat.
6) Stainless Steel fixed-frame Bimini. Fabric on the top is Nylex brought in from Australia. The fabric on the side panels is Cool-A-Roo brought in
from Abu Dhabi (Where they use it for sun shade protection) Forward windscreens/windows from the original bimini were all re-cut and fitted.
Result is a fully enclosed area from the windscreens aft to the transom.
7) Installation of a swim ladder over the starboard side rail, just aft of the helm. This was a left-over that I had laying around the house from my old
sailboat (Passport 40) from 10 years ago.
8) Application of Micron 66 antifouling on the hull and Trilux 33 on the aluminum drive.
9) Installation of a Maxwell RC6 windlass on a new 2/3 split anchor hatch from GW. A larger custom S.S. bow roller for the new Fortress FX11.
This work will be done in early 2013.
]
Then about 2 years ago, my wife and I found ourselves at a small bamboo beach bar with our Golden Retriever Mango. Mango was digging holes in the beach, my wife and I were enjoying a couple cold beer while watching the boats at anchor. Perfect afternoon. Then from out of nowhere I hear....."What do you think about buying another boat..?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was fumbling around with my mobile phone trying to figure out how the voice recording function worked.
My wife had one condition however. The boat had to have a toilet. I could live with that.
After much thought, we decided to go with a much smaller boat than what I had before I met my wife in Thailand.
Several months latter I stumbled across a 2 yr old Grady-White 225 Tournament with an F250 Yamaha, in Singapore. It had been kept enclosed/inside, on the racks at Raffles Marina when not being used. The boat and engine only had 200 hours on it. I bought it sight unseen.
When I first got down to S'pore to take delivery, I was like a kid with a new toy at Christmas. While I have downsized from a 40 foot sailboat to a 22 ft Grady.......I'm having twice the fun and I've found that it's just the getting out on the water that's important.
Now instead of sitting at the Bamboo Beach Bar watching other people play around with their boats, we're out over the horizon somewhere exploring and island hoping around Phang-Nga-Bay.
Over the past year there was a lot of work that was put into the boat, including:
1) Installation of a Yamaha F9.9GMHL High Thrust standby engine on a Garalick Bracket. The ladder was removed from the swim platform, and the
recessed area for the ladder was cut-out to accommodate the stand-by engine/bracket.
2) Removal of the original Yamaha fuel filter and installation of a Racor/Parker fuel filter/water separator. A "T" fitting and shut-off valve was
installed down-line of the Racor filter so the 9.9 can tap into the main fuel tank. The 9.9 can also use its own independent 3 gal fuel tank.
3) Removal of the original batteries from under the aft deck. Two (2) new Mastervolt AGM batteries were re-installed, forward in the area under
the helm. This was done to not just keep the batteries high and dry, but to offset the aft C of G caused by the installation of the Yamaha 9.9
and bracket. C of G of the GW225T is 75" forward of the transom edge. Moving the 130lb batteries forward of C of G resulted in the boat
sitting level with the 130lb Yamaha 9.9 and bracket bolted to the transom.
4) Removal of the portta-potty and the installation of a Jabsco Compact Head. My wife wanted a toilet......she got a toilet. We've tossed the
portta-potty.
5) Replaced the aft folding bench seat with a teak folding bench seat.
6) Stainless Steel fixed-frame Bimini. Fabric on the top is Nylex brought in from Australia. The fabric on the side panels is Cool-A-Roo brought in
from Abu Dhabi (Where they use it for sun shade protection) Forward windscreens/windows from the original bimini were all re-cut and fitted.
Result is a fully enclosed area from the windscreens aft to the transom.
7) Installation of a swim ladder over the starboard side rail, just aft of the helm. This was a left-over that I had laying around the house from my old
sailboat (Passport 40) from 10 years ago.
8) Application of Micron 66 antifouling on the hull and Trilux 33 on the aluminum drive.
9) Installation of a Maxwell RC6 windlass on a new 2/3 split anchor hatch from GW. A larger custom S.S. bow roller for the new Fortress FX11.
This work will be done in early 2013.
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