There is a lot in a name. We found this boat about three weeks ago and it was exactly the make, model and condition we were looking for. The only problem was we had to wait two weeks to get free to go down to Florida to see her. Luckily, we put a contract on her right away, subject to inspection, so we would be the first in line to buy her, if we liked her.
I am so glad we acted when we did. There were at least three other VERY serious buyers that we were able to beat to the deal. One of those buyers showed up at the boat last Saturday night to try and get a look at her and we had to inform him that she had been sold *TO US*! I couldn’t believe how sad he looked. This will be our third sailboat together and hopefully we will have a little bit more luck with this one than the last two.
Anyway, Laughalot is ours now and we have already started the process of bringing her into the 21st century. There is so much to do to her. She is in great condition to sail right now, but we want to update the electronics, work on the engine, electrical systems, rigging, and plumbing. Updates on her restoration progress will be posted here.
She did come with loads of extras that we weren’t even expecting. She has a gimbaled stove/oven, hot water heater, refrigerator, brand new stereo system, wind generator, water maker, dinghy, life raft, epirb, bimini with dodger, and even an air conditioning/heating unit that works perfectly. Unbelievable!!! We were truly “laughing a lot” at our good fortune when we made the deal and she was all ours. Enjoy the photos.
The marina where she is located is at the end of a long channel that leads out to the Gulf of Mexico. There used to be a restaurant in the big building you see in the photos, but it burned on the inside and never reopened. As you can see from the photos we are in the last slip on the dock and it is so private and peaceful there. When you are looking at the building from the channel Laughalot is to the right, tucked back in the corner.
Our first weekend we spent on Laughalot was last weekend and we were surprised and excited to see all kinds of birds. We saw white herons, gray storks (or herons, not sure about that one), pelicans, seagulls, and one bird of prey who apparently is a local.
Posts Related to This Topic:
We purchased our Catalina 22 from a gentleman in Auburn, AL. Prior to the purchase we went out to Lake Martin to look it over a couple of times and take some photographs. Here is what she looks like in her slip today, 9-15-2006. The plan is to haul her out and bring her home around the 12th of November 2006 and begin work on her restoration. You can see from the photos that she has been sitting here quite a while. From all we can tell she has been sitting on the lake here for the better part of 5 years. At least it was fresh water. There is a lot of work to be done.
First stop in November is going to be a car wash if we can ever get it up on a trailer. It is a good hull, and one that many Catalina owners love to use for racing, so it should clean up real well. We will see I guess.
