The Salvadge of the Lucky 7

So life just continues to amaze me. I have wanted my own boat forever. I would have setteled for a kayak(actually I still want one) , but I also wanted to live on a houseboat. Ive been torn by the desire to have enough space to turn around and the ability to move at will. A houseboat offers more living space but they're hard to move and find moorage for. Most sailboats I find too claustrophobic with their sloping sides and living quarters below deck. Well a young man that had this beautiful old boat needed to get it out of his marina by the end of August and not having much luck selling it in time ,decided to offer it for free to anyone that could move it. I saw the ad on craigslist just before I left to go away. Not having time to deal with it , I called David at Mad Canadian Marine Salvadge http://www.madcanadian.net and asked him to talk to the owner for me. Well after a week of phone tag , he finally got to talk to him Thursday night and we arranged to pick up the boat Friday Evening.

I was so excited , I couldnt wait to see it, so off we went Friday Morning to scope it out. We didnt go onboard but from what I could see of it, I was thrilled. Next we drove off to Surrey to a tattoo shop that David used to work at to meet a friend of his that had a motor for sale. Its an 85 HP , nice big motor. Its probably too much for the boat, but was such a great deal, I couldnt turn it down. Then it was back to the marina to connect with Greig and Tana so David and Troy could get a ride to the skiff. I met the boys at the marina in Coal Harbor where the Lucky 7 was moored and we proceeded to get the running lights working, unhooked the water and power, and pushed it out of the marina. Once at the edge of the docks, we tied my boat to the skiff and I went and sat on the bow of my boat while the boys pulled us out of the harbor.

It was a slow go as there are tidal currants and large boat traffic in the area. It took us about 2 hours to go from the inside of Stanley park to just under the Lions Gate Bridge. We left at 8 pm and still had a long haul ahead of us. By total fluke, Greig and Tana were working on a cruise ship that night called the Eloquent. Their route took them right past us, so they stopped and took over the towing, giving the boys a break to go eat some dinner. We got the boat to English bay where Grieg has a sailboat anckored and tied up next to it. It will be a bit of an operation to get the boat all the way up the river to Mitchell Island as we have to time the tide change and catch the ingoing tide. The currents run quite strong there, faster than the boat can run, so timing is everything, a good strong motor wont hurt either. I cant wait to get it home and start working on it.

The boat is actually quite seaworthy, its an old rumrunner from 1933. It was discovered in a chicken coop in 1993, when it was gutted and completely refurbished. The interior is all handmade wood with whimsical carvings and detail work everywhere. The boat is 30ft long with a 10 ft beam. It is extremely spacious inside with about a 7 ft ceiling and tons of large windows that make it nice and bright. There is a good size bedroom with a queen size bed and some shelves, a bathroom with a clawfoot tub and a pump toilet, a kitchen with a fridge, hotplate and sink, as well as a woodstove and 2 electic oil heaters. There is also a desk and storage area up by the bedroom. It has a small deck on the back big enough for a few deck chairs and a built in bbq. It had an on-demand propane water heater for the tub but the seller took that with him :( too bad they cost about 1000$). But well worth having for sure.

So I finally have my gypsy floating caravan. I cant wait to get it shipshape and go explore the world. As much as seaworthyness was important to me , so was the cute factor, and this boat has them both in spades. Im still pinching myself, this is so competely unexepected. I never thought I could afford to buy a boat, whats the chance someone would just give me one?? Well bless his heart, he has made me one very happy camper. Thanks to the universe for continuing to provide. Over and out!