[PUP] The Right Boat......For Us

[Randal Johnson]

         The path we took to our new trawler was new to us but apparently is 
well traveled. Books, books and more books and then I stumbled upon the 
revised edition of PUP. In that book there is mention of George Buehler and 
so I found his web site and from there I found a reference to Seahorse 
Marines web site. That was in December of 2003 and as they say, the rest is 
history. I started an email relationship with Bill Kimley at SHM and in 
January 2004 the design and some initial construction photos of the 462 
appeared on his web site and I was in love.
        In May 2004 I finagled a ride with David Katz on his Buehler 
designed Seahorse built 44 Diesel Duck Seaducktress from San Francisco 
Bay to Poulsbo Washington. He was headed for the Trawlerfest there. That was 
an educational two weeks for me and my introduction to passage making. I 
continued corresponding with Bill and arranged for a flight to China for 
Ruth and I to coincide with the launch of 462-01. But I knew, I even sent 
Bill a picture of me holding my deposit check that I was bringing him. 
Partly because the price on the internet had gone up and of course I wanted 
the cheaper of the two and got it. Ruth didnt know about the deposit check 
I was carrying because I wanted her to sell herself. It would probably be a 
lot less fun if this whole adventure was my idea.
        In the end Bill couldnt even accept the check, all payments are 
done by bank transfer, but the deal was made with a handshake and he put our 
name on the next available boat which turned out to be hull number five. The 
keel was laid in January 05, launched in October 06. We moved on board at 
the commissioning dock on February 14, 2007. Because of delays mostly caused 
by me, we didnt leave the yard until the first of June. We spent one month 
in Hong Kong further outfitting the boat and now were in Subic Bay the 
Philippines.
        Yes, George Buehler is a little conservative with his designs such 
as; why do you need two heads 20 feet apart and; gen-set? All you need is a 
little Honda generator on your back deck.  However he is also realistic 
about his clients wants and desires. Walk into the warehouse at SHM and 
youll see trash compactors, large refrigerators, ice makers, washer/dryers, 
microwave/convection ovens, water makers and Northern Lights gen-sets, and 
many more modern conveniences.
        Whoever said that boats are a trade off should have won the Pulitzer 
Prize for literature. I think it was Noah. Can you imagine the ventilation 
problems he had? Did I get the boat I wanted? No! I wanted one like Bill 
Gates has except with female Filipino deck hands. Yeah, thats it. Ruth?
        I do feel I have a solid passagemaker under me and with 2,000 
gallons of diesel fuel and less than 2 GPH usage at 7 knots I can venture 
into the wild blue yonder. Do I feel cramped? Not at all, especially for two 
people and temporary crew, the boat can actually sleep nine. Most people who 
come on board for a look are astonished at the interior room. If Im not 
mistaken there will be a Diesel Duck 462 at the Solomons and Mystic 
Trawlerfest and possibly at Seattle as well.
        By the way our trip from Hong Kong to Subic took 91 hours, 20 
minutes dock to dock and we burned 171.2 gallons of fuel. That is with head 
winds and seas and I dont know what the current was doing but we were 
running at 1500 RPM most of the time which gives us 6 > knots but we only 
averaged a little over 6 knots on this trip. We will spend around two months 
here at Subic adding some more equipment and putting Tung Oil on my teak 
decks, yeah I know, don't tell me. Then its on to Malaysia, Singapore, 
Thailand, and across the Indian Ocean early next year.
        I would like to add that of all the books I've read and of all the 
boats shows and seminars I've attended, none have compared with the 
knowledge I've gleamed from this list and you guys.
        I know its hard to tell much from pictures but if anyone wants any 
of the boat, email me off list and Ill send them to you. Randal462 at msn.com

        Randal Johnson