Sunday, April 26, 2009

33 foot Irwin sailboat - It's gone... Sad, but gone...

This remains for historical reasons only
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After several years of half-hearted attempts to sell my parent's sailboat, we have decided to give it away to a good home. It is currently docked in Kemah Boardwalk Marina off of Clear Lake (an estuary of Galveston Bay).

It is a 1974 Irwin sailboat, 33 ft length, rare retractable keel centerboard (great for shallow coastal sailing), 4 ft draft retracted, 7 ft draft extended, 7 berths, fiberglass hull, tiller, inboard Atomic4 gas engine, sloop rigged, Coast Guard documented (only means it is registered for offcoast sailing), has mainsail, jib, storm jib, and 110% jib that needs hemming.



Regular maintenance has been neglected in the last five years -
Mast step is rotten in bilge causing the ceiling to sag some and deform the partition in the head. Needs to be demasted and the step rebuilt.
Head needs to be rebuilt or replaced and a holding tank put in, until then there is always potty bags!
Fuel tank not installed to code. It isn't truly dangerous in calm seas. The previous owner installed it and I never got around to fixing it.
Wiring is old and not up to code.
Needs a bottom cleaning, and really a topside paint too.
All thru hulls are frozen open and need replacing.
The fiberglass hull is in good shape for a 35 year old boat. The last time I went down there I didn't find any delamination.



Engine needs new or rebuilt carb, some other minor work to get it running, it'd probably like an overhaul. This is a very simple and stout motor. You can rebuild it yourself relatively easy except a few steps that require a trip to a machinist. If you are going to junk the motor, I might like to have it as a pet project.

If you are new to boating, docking a boat this big runs $200-300 per month, liability insurance is generally required by marinas and is about $50/mo more. Kemah Boardwalk Marina is a "premium" joint (just over $300/mo) because of the easy access to Galveston Bay, and good old Tillman's amusement park down there. If you want it at a cheaper place, you could have it towed, or I can try to help you get the engine running in a weekend to motor it there.

If you are interested, send me an email at one(at)thegebharts.com or post a comment. My brother Patrick will likely be showing you the boat. It is a long drive for him, so I am sure he'd like to know you were serious about potentially taking on this "project". The biggest consideration for who we chose to give it to will probably be how fast you are able to take over the slip and insurance fees. Parents are getting tired of paying for a toy they can't use. Thanks.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Enhanced Interrogation

Summarized from ConConejo's post at HuffPost

By far right wing Neo-Con Rep fiat...
Torture must now be called "enhanced interrogation"
Rape is called "involuntary penetration"
Robbery is called "unexpected appropriation"
Stabbing is called "terminal acupuncture"
Shooting is called "projectile intolerance"

Who knew a euphemism could make something illegal and immoral somehow seem less criminal and morally acceptable? Those crazy funny facists!

http://balkin.blogspot.com/2009/05/news-flash-taliban-waterboards-captured.html

If you can think of other ones, put them in the comments!