My First Boat: The Wreck of the Rosi

[OmCheeto]

Rosi is the name of one of my boats.
She was my first boat.
Most people would look at her, and say; "Nice row boat!"
But she was very special.
And I discovered that if you put a big enough motor on a row boat, it becomes a jet ski, that can haul a weekend's worth of supplies to just about anywhere you want to go. As long as it's not too far away.

Over the 10 years I first had her, I kind of ruined her. As I mentioned, I'd never had a boat before, much less a wooden one. And she was kind of old, made 15 years before I was born, in a harbor town called Aberdeen, on the shore of the Wishkah river.

So I spent 3 years fixing her. When complete, she was probably in better shape than when brand new. Plywood was kind of a new invention back then. And the compounds they'd originally used to seal her with, had kind of shriveled up into crusty useless stuff.

Anyways, this is the story of her eventual destruction.

Here's a picture:

Hopefully, I'll add details later, as it always seemed to me to be a really interesting hydro-dynamics problem.

And for sophiecentaur:

...
PS After a few weeks, the boat may be watertight - if the reason it sank is that the boards had shrunk. I have a friend who had an old clinker built boat and he used to let it sink at the beginning of the season and then it was ok.

ummmmm..., no.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Those holes will need more than swelling timber to fill them up!

People water-ski in their bare feet so there is hope yet for a new, high power, lifestyle for your boat.
Perhaps a viking funeral would be apt?

 

[Medicol]

...
Here's a picture:

...
ummmmm..., no.

Let it go please. It no longer looks like a boat.

 

[russ_watters]

Let it go please. It no longer looks like a boat.

If he keeps it he can tell people he has a submarine.

 

[RonL]

Let it go please. It no longer looks like a boat.

People with no vision ?:D

 

[OmCheeto]

It was once in a similar condition.

This was taken around 2003:

For whatever reason, some people like to paint wood boats. I consider painting wood boats, to be sacrilegious.
I think I finished her in 2004.

Although she had many scars, moles, and patches, I really thought she was beautiful. Kind of like an old violin.

The mishap occurred on April 23rd, 2006, at around 2 pm.

She was anchored, both at the bow and the stern, about 5 feet from shore.
Kind of like my other boat, that I took out a week later to find some lost items.

Pretty much the same way I'd anchored Rosi, for the previous 16 years.
I decided that the stern anchor was the problem.

The river was pretty high that day, and there was an outcropping of trees to the right, which obstructed our view of ships coming up river.
We were in kind of a mini-me harbor. There were 4 people there that day, besides myself.
There were 3 boats, and one rubber shuttle dingy.
One was a big old cabin cruiser, anchored about 100 feet off shore. 3 of us spent the previous night there.
Another boat, which had just arrived about 3 minutes before the mishap, launched back out into the river, as it wasn't anchored, and the captain said there was a big ship coming up river.
I probably would have done the same, had I though my motor would reliably start, which it never quite did.
So I stayed on shore, with the 3 remaining people.

What happened in the next few minutes, is a bit difficult to comprehend, as, it was one of those, "You had to be there" moments.

 

[RonL]

My memories of ships in a river...running lite (empty) float high enough that their props are half submerged, the top half makes this chop, chop, chop sound, they have no respect for metal or wood.
Do we share the same nightmare ?

 

[OmCheeto]

Those holes will need more than swelling timber to fill them up!

People water-ski in their bare feet so there is hope yet for a new, high power, lifestyle for your boat.
Perhaps a viking funeral would be apt?

Funny that you should mention a viking funeral, as I had so many great times in her, I've often considered it.
She's still in my back yard, in pretty much the same shape.
I'll have to fill out my will, and put that in there.
At least 3 people I've known, have had their ashes scattered at the beach, which was her initial primary destination.

As to her final destination? That remains to be seen, and will probably have to be written by someone else.

 

[OmCheeto]

My memories of ships in a river...running lite (empty) float high enough that their props are half submerged, the top half makes this chop, chop, chop sound, they have no respect for metal or wood.
Do we share the same nightmare ?

The same nightmare? Everyone has nightmares.

One actual nightmare I had was when I was going home, after the sun had set, and all of a sudden, the stars started disappearing. I thought that was odd. So I steered to the left, and discovered that I'd almost run head-on into a barge traveling upriver.

Some people don't believe in god, but I do.

Something about fools, drunken sailors, and children.

Had I not been all of the above, for most of my life, I'm sure I'd be dead by now.

 

[RonL]

The same nightmare? Everyone has nightmares.

One actual nightmare I had was when I was going home, after the sun had set, and all of a sudden, the stars started disappearing. I thought that was odd. So I steered to the left, and discovered that I'd almost run head-on into a barge traveling upriver.

Some people don't believe in god, but I do.

Something about fools, drunken sailors, and children.

Had I not been all of the above, for most of my life, I'm sure I'd be dead by now.

Regardless of anything else, I'm enjoying your thread "Wreck of the Rosi":D

 

[Danger]

Funny that you should mention a viking funeral, as I had so many great times in her, I've often considered it.
She's still in my back yard, in pretty much the same shape.

Are you sure that she'll be dried out enough to burn by the time you kick off?

 

[RonL]

Are you sure that she'll be dried out enough to burn by the time you kick off?

:D I love the nail biter :)

 

[sophiecentaur]

If you wanted a real Viking Funeral, you'd have to put her in another boat to keep her dry and then set fire to her. Or you could do it 'inside out' and burn her on the shore. She could brighten and warm up a chilly autumn evening barbecue, perhaps?

 

[Danger]

She could brighten and warm up a chilly autumn evening barbecue, perhaps?

I don't know about that... my neighbour knocked a bowl of Cheetos into the barbecue once, and it is not an appetizing aroma.

 

[edward]

NO Viking funerals. Never give up your ship OmCheeto.

http://www.woohome.com/ideas/15-clever-ideas-for-reuse-boats

I really like the doorway idea.

 

[Drakkith]

I raise my glass to the dearly departed, Om.

Now, bring on the flames!

 

[Danger]

I really like the doorway idea.

Agreed. That's a fantastic link, Edward. They're all okay, but one of the shelf units and the bar are things that I wouldn't mind having and the doorway is just striking. It's my own fault for having a grandmother from Peggy's Cove.

 

[OmCheeto]

Agreed. That's a fantastic link, Edward. They're all okay, but one of the shelf units and the bar are things that I wouldn't mind having and the doorway is just striking. It's my own fault for having a grandmother from Peggy's Cove.

Those look like projects. They will have to wait.

But speaking of Nova Scotia, the following years, I used one of my spare boats to get around.
Unfortunately, I'd fixed the keel leaks in a somewhat improper manner, as I was in a hurry.
So the leaks never really properly got fixed.

So every time I arrived at the beach, this is what people saw:

This inspired a complete stranger to come up to me and mutter something about, "a boat who would't float".
He then went on to tell me about a book, written by a Mr. Farley Mowat, by the same name.
I purchased the book, and finished about 50 pages. It's actually one of the best books I've never finished.

This picture was apparently taken before the meeting, with this no longer stranger, as I was having trouble remembering Mowat's name.
As one day, I took out a Sharpie, and wrote his name on the top of the motor.
It's still there.

This is also why you'll seldom see me not join in a thread about leaky basements.
I may not know much of about anything, but I know how to pump water.

ps. This model of outboard came without an alternator, so rather than trust in an old deep cycle marine battery, I always carried a solar panel.

 

[Danger]

I was having trouble remembering Mowat's name.

Aye, lad, but ye'll never forget the beard... ;)
That isn't a genre of literature that I care for, but I had a deep respect for him as an author, an environmentalist, and a humanitarian.

Speaking of Canuck icons and boats, Red Green once created a camper by duct-taping 2 aluminum boats together in clamshell fashion. Would that suit you? :p

edit: This doesn't apply to Bluenosers, of course, but I've always figured that the reason Newfies know so much about pumps is because they can't build a proper boat.