Still looking

I thought I kinda swore off looking for tow vehicles for a bit. Then another potential one showed up in the next town over. Tuesday morning I’m going to take a look at it. It’s more than what I wanted to pay, but it is currently registered, inspected and on the road. Another bonus is that it already has a tow package installed. My thinking is that maybe I’ll spend a little more money up front and not get stuck with big repairs right away.

Of course, my budget puts me in the market for vehicles that are 15 – 20 years old. I’m not going to bother with photos or many details until I actually pull the trigger on something. Old beaters are always a gamble, but that’s what the limited budget dictates.

My lovely wife is working on new cushion covers for the sailboat. The ugly coarse covers from the 80s have seen better days. The foam looks in good shape, so there is that. I’ve found a few areas on the boat that could use a bit of fiberglass repair, but it’s nothing major. Might as well do it while it’s out of the water. The bottom paint is in bad shape, but since I plan on being in fresh water lakes for the early part of the summer, it can wait.

Since I put new wheel bearings on the trailer it’s only rolled about four miles so those are still good. The tires are new as are the safety chains. The LED trailer lights are only a few years old. The winch was changed from cable to nylon strap. The old cable was getting frayed and dangerous. Glad to see it gone.

The new charge controller for the solar panel is keeping the battery fully charged. I absolutely love not having a gas outboard on the boat. While the electric trolling motor only pushes the boat about 60% the speed of the gas, it’s a lot less hassle. The thing just works. Yesterday I found my spare prop for the motor so that will go in the boat soon too.

If I buy that tow vehicle I’m going to spend a small fortune at the town hall. That vehicle will need to be registered, along with the boat and the trailer. At least I can do it all at my town hall. For a small fee they’ll process everything in town, saving me a trip to the DMV. For three dollars I can have one stop shopping and avoid a twenty mile trip to the state office. While there are rarely long lines at the DMV, it’s nice not to have to go there.

So with the weather slowly improving, I’m getting anxious to get the boat in the water. If I don’t buy a tow vehicle soon, I’ll register the boat and trailer anyway and persuade someone to tow it to my boat ramp. At least I can sail around my little lake.

-Sixbears