Lake Boat
In early June I noticed that there
was a a 22 foot lake boat up for auction on Ebay. The seller lived nearby,
so I knew that there wasn't going to be any bids from the U.K. When
it came to the last few minutes the price was still low, So I sent in a bid
and won it with seconds to spare. A few days later I modified
my trailer (used for trailing my 17 foot Leisure) by adding a further six
foot of planking, so that it could transport the lake boat along its length
and fetched it from Lough Rea, near Galway. It was bigger than I expected
(eleven people can sit comfortably within it), although there wasn't any
problems in transporting it home.
However, I used my car to transport it across the fields to the lake and despite a few weeks of dry weather I got stuck in soft ground. It took a neighbour's tractor to pull my car out and tow it back across the field. The boat promptly filled with water when it was floated, as the planking had dried out when it had been stored onshore. However, after a few weeks the planking swelled up and the the only water inside came as a result of rain. During the remainder of June, July and August the weather remained very dry and the boat, nestled in the sluice channel, did not have enough depth to enter the lake. Hopefully, it wont be long before we can give her the first outing. I have a Mariner 3.5 HP outboard engine which should enable her to move around the lake quickly.
However, I used my car to transport it across the fields to the lake and despite a few weeks of dry weather I got stuck in soft ground. It took a neighbour's tractor to pull my car out and tow it back across the field. The boat promptly filled with water when it was floated, as the planking had dried out when it had been stored onshore. However, after a few weeks the planking swelled up and the the only water inside came as a result of rain. During the remainder of June, July and August the weather remained very dry and the boat, nestled in the sluice channel, did not have enough depth to enter the lake. Hopefully, it wont be long before we can give her the first outing. I have a Mariner 3.5 HP outboard engine which should enable her to move around the lake quickly.
