Extreme Makeover: Boat Edition - The Purchase

What do you do when you live in a floating cabin and need more space? An addition is out of the question, at least for our float. It can't take any more weight. So when Wayne wanted to build a writer's retreat, we looked at all our options. Our first thought was to build a small float cabin out back, but the moratorium on new cabins nixed that idea. We then thought about purchasing a nearby cabin, but that (fortunately) didn't work out. That's when John came to our rescue (again). He suggested purchasing a old boat with a run-out engine, so the search was on.

Who knows a city better than a taxi driver. That's where John's brother Rick comes in. He knew of someone who had to move and needed to get rid of their old boat. If we were quick, we could get a good deal. Rick and Wayne went by to take a peak. Sure enough, it was "perfect" in its old derelict way. And the price was right, $400 if we got it out of their driveway by the end of the week.

Where do two people with a floating cabin and a condo put a 22' boat for refurbishment? Well, for starters it went to Valley Marine to await the removal of its inoperative diesel engine and to seal the hole where the leg and prop once resided. There it sat for several months awaiting its transformation from a power boat into a floating writer's retreat.

Yes, that's Fred Flintstone sitting on the bow. He came to visit that summer and went everywhere we went. He said if we'd hire him and Barney they'd get it done real quick with their rock hammers, but we decided to wait for the professionals. Stay tuned to see what happened next. -- Margy