With everything up and running we left Yacht Masters for Elliott Bay Marina, our new home for the month of March. It had been beautiful all week up until about an hour before we left the Yacht Master's dock when it started to rain and the wind picked up considerably. None-the-less we made our way out of Lake Union, through the lock and around the point to the 1,400 slipped Elliott Bay Marina.Our new Fathom handled the 2 to 3…
As in those technicians who install all things electrical that help boaters navigate the waterways. Tim, and sometimes Kent, at Yacht Masters on Lake Union spent four-and-a-half days installing our new 2-station GPS Chart-plotters, radar, auto pilot, VHF radio, integrating all to work together in harmony. On Friday afternoon we went out for a test cruise with Tim to make sure everything was up and running correctly. This is where the "Wizard" part comes in... after four days of exhaustive wire…
We have been fascinated by the houseboats in Seattle. I guess they just appeal to us because we consider our boat our home and it is on the water. Only difference is that our home is moveable. There are many little Houseboat communities around Lake Union. They add a lot of color to the lake along with a great deal of character.
After one night at Shilshole Bay Marina we left dock and headed for the Hiram M. Chttenden Locks. We locked through in the small lock with many spectators lined up above us. Had a nice chat with one of the friendly Lockmasters while going up in the lock.We are on our way to YachtMasters today to have all of the electronics installed on the boat. Until we have this final installation completed we are not quite ready to roll. They…
We were fortunate that the streak of good weather held on for one more day while we made our trek south down the Sound to Seattle. As you can see from the photos, it was a warm, sunny day with clear blue skies. There wasn't much wind to speak of and there were snow-capped mountains everywhere. WOW! What a ride and, guess what... it is only FEBRUARY.
First time out for a spin on the boat, a trip to the gas dock and a little docking practice.
We headed up to Anacortes today to spend our first night on our new Kismet. What a treat. We spent a lot of time appreciating the well thought out design and quality of workmanship of the Fathom 40. Tracy Prescott from Fathom met us at the boat, just before lunch, to go over everything that we needed to know.We immediately felt at home and are very excited about the future adventures that this boat will take us on.
Our Kismet finally feels the fresh northwest air, goes for a truck ride, touches water, gets its top put on and its engine started - all on a rare, for the Pacific Northwest, sunny and warm, February day. We arrived at the Fathom plant at 8a.m. just in time to watch our boat being loaded onto the trailer, which is used to haul boats to the launch site. As the boat peeked out of its womb for the very first time…
Well, we got the word on Thursday that Ric, at Fathom, has scheduled the truck to come pick up our boat at the plant, early Monday morning, to take it to LaConnor where it will hit the water shortly after. We won't move onto the boat until, probably Wednesday after sea trials are over.So, needless to say we are very excited. Jim can hardly stand it these last few days and I am finding it hard to get to sleep…
Remarkable! This is what we think when we see the professional dedication that the craftsmen apply to the quality workmanship as they build our Kismet. We've included photos of some of the crew who are finishing the installation of the port windows, cabinetry, carpeting and detail on the teak trim work.Since our last visit to Fathom they have installed the flat screen TV and cabinetry, starboard salon cabinets, refrigerator freezer, bottom paint, five blade prop and they finished the swim…
We drove down to Portland to visit our son Ross and his girlfriend Brooklyn. They had just arrived in Oregon a few days ago from Michigan where Ross had been living since early last summer. It was a quick, fun filled, one-and-a-half days. We were able to spend some quality time with Ross, Brooklyn, see their new apartment, go out to dinner and just have some one-on-one time.
We never tire of going to boat shows and the Seattle Boat Show was no exception. This time though we spent most of our time looking at boat accessories for our new Fathom - blinds, drapes, bed coverings, electronics, etc. We also were able to visit with the OEM folks from Cummins, Northern Lights, Garmin and the company that makes EPIRB's (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). They were all able to help give us a better understanding of the products,…
It's hard to believe how quickly three months will fly by. That's how long it has been since our new "Kismet" was started and today we were told that if all goes as planned she'll splash on February 11th – two days ahead of schedule. We continue to be amazed at how many changes occure from one visit to the next. This weeks most noticeable changes were the installation of the rear salon door and window interior teak trim and cabinets, the beautiful…
There are a lot of important areas of a boat however two of the most important are the galley and head (kitchen and bathroom for you landlubbers). Top-left: In this photo you are able to see the teak galley cabinets before the granite counter top has been installed. They've also set into place the electric 3-burner stove/oven and, like any construction project, you need to have some imagination as to what the final results will look like.Top-right: In this photo you…
We have had some beautiful, sunny days here. Watching the sunset on Mount Rainier from Queen Anne Hill is like watching the sun set over the water in Key West.
There is an amazing scenic drive along the water toward Bellingham and we were fortunate to have another sunny day.
A fun day at the Fathom plant. On our latest visit to Fathom we were able to witness the culmination of 8 weeks of hard work come together to form what is starting to look like a boat.First we took the last photos of the hull's interior before the deck was installed. Top-left: You'll see the engine has been installed, the exhaust hooked up.Top-right: The generator.Bottom-left: The lazarette which houses the batteries, water tanks etc.Bottom-right: You can see the interior…
We met the Huang family at our B&B on Capitol Hill. Chen (Meg) is a student from Taiwan now studying in Seattle, Yu-Yen, Chen's mother, stays with her here while her father commutes back and forth from Taiwan. Just before Christmas they moved from the B&B into their new apartment, which is close to where we are staying. We've made fast friends with them in the short amount of time that we have been here. Hsu-Yu is a very friendly…
SNOW IN SEATTLE ON CHRISTMAS DAY! This is a rare event we are told.We were a long ways from home for the holidays but the Innkeeper, Michael, and the many other residents of the guest house helped make us feel right at home with a big Turkey dinner and pleasant company. We missed our young men and being close to our families but we called everyone on Christmas day and tried to be as close as we could.We have gotten…
There has been a lot of progress on Kismet since our last posting. Most of the progress is not immediately visible. In the top 2 photos you'll see the 9KW Northern Light diesel generator has been installed and unlike our last generator this one will have a sound shield, making it extremely quiet.The bottom 2 photos show the deck that has been moved inside. Fathom's expert craftsmen are installing, wiring, lighting and storage compartments all in preparation to mount the…
Jim had the pleasure of visiting the Boeing Airplane Museum. Lots of old aircraft to explore and photograph.
We took a whole day to drive up and over to the Olympic Penninsula to visit the Hoh Rain Forest. We took a ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and drove to the Hoh Rain Forest. It was a long drive but we finally made it there. Unfortunately the road to the park was closed due to a washed out road due to the excessive rainfalls in the area recently. So, we walked in as far as we could but did…
We made our second trip to the Fathom plant and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of progress made in 7 working days.Top-left - Jim standing next to the boat gives you a good idea of expedition design. The bow thruster has been installed and the holes have been cut for the windows.Top-right - Here you see the completed hull's aft exterior without the swim platform installed.Middle-left - A close-up photo of the lazarette area. Storage in the center with…
The first place we wanted to visit was the Pike Place Market near the waterfront. It definitely was a feast for the eyes... and the stomach. We picked up some salmon and fresh veggies for dinner. YUM.
Jim did a great job in selecting our home for the winter. It is a Bed and Breakfast located on the Top of Capitol Hill near downtown Seattle. It is a homey environment with many amenities. We feel very much at home here. A great spot to live while we wait for our boat to be launched.
Beginning of the week we drove up to Bow, Washington to take our first look at the new Kismet. We were so excited to see our dream boat finally up close and personal. Here are some shots we took:Top-left: The outside work on the hull is complete for a while so the work begins in earnest on the inside. This is a photo looking from the transom towards the bow. The opening to the left will become the door to…
We packed up the truck with all of our boat gear and personal belongings to head out to Seattle, Washington for the winter. We have been looking forward to this day for a long time, so, to get in the truck and realize that we are finally taking off on another adventure was a very exciting moment for us.
Top-left: Taking the mold off of a boat hull is like breaking a very large hard boiled egg open. Here you see 3 men separating the transom portion of the mold.Top-right: This is a shot of the bow where the technicians are pulling the port side mold off the hull.Bottom-left: As you look at the port side without any mold attached you'll see the grey gel-coat finish just as it came out of the mold. Before the gel-coat is applied…
Left: This is a photo of the two hull sides combined so that the bottom of the hull can be sprayed with white gelcoat. Note the two cylindrical areas in the bow - this is where the bow thrusters will be mounted. Also notice the swirl marks on the base of the hull - this is wax that has been applied so once the gelcoat resin fiberglass and stringer have been applied and installed the mold will release itself easily…
Left: Here is a great shot of a mold that has wax applied to it. The wax helps release the finished product when complete. The two-pieces, once attached, will form the mast.Right: Here you see the mold that has been bagged, being prepared to have the resin inserted - when you turn this piece inside out it will become the salon/galley floor.
Left: Here you see the mold for what is called the grid - once produced this fits inside the hull for support. The capside down pan towards the front of the mold will ultimately become the holding tank.Right: If you can imagine turning this inside out you'll have the top side of the boat - the worker is standing on the inside ceiling of the pilothouse.
Left: This is a shot of the mold for the inside cabin being prepared for the vacumn infusion of resin.Right: Here you see the mold for the pilot house roof. The vacumn infusion process applied.
Left: Here you see the one-piece mold of the boat from the rub rail up to the bottom of the flybridge. They are getting ready to spray the white gelcoat.Right: Same mold shot as the prior photo. More gelcoat being applied.
Top-left: Here you see the fiberglass being layed on the inside of the port hull looking back towards the transom.Top-right: What you see here is the vacumn infusion process of the resin that gives the hull more strength, more uniformity and less weight.Bottom-left: This is a shot of the pilothouse mold with fiberglas sheets being prepared for the resin vacumn infussions process.
The process uses composite materials and advanced infusion lamination construction. This process reduces weight and increases strength resulting in better efficiency. Infusion lamination is a technique that uses vacuum pressure to draw resin into a laminate. Materials are laid into a mold and a vacuum is applied before resin is introduced. Once a complete vacuum is achieved, resin is literally sucked into the laminate via carefully placed tubing. The part then cures under the higher pressure resulting in much greater…
We chose a light grey for the hull of our Fathom... Kismet. We like the idea of the color being broken up a little with a little bit darker hull. We like the dark blue but are concerned about heat conduction in the warmer climates. We think that with the light grey we will keep cooler while looking good. We can't wait to get out there to watch her be built.
Life is a highway of adventure or in our case... a waterway. In keeping with that spirit we've decided It's time to invest ourselves deeper into the world of boating. Our friend Rick Garton and Bill Allgaier have established HarborView Yacht Sales and are the new Great Lakes dealers for Fathom Yachts. We were invited to merge our talents with theirs and work on making HarborView a fun, prosperous venture.Lisa is doing all their start up work as far as…
We are so excited to be coming home to our homeport, Charlevoix, Michigan, and all of our friends and family. We got quite a reception from our boating buddies at the bridge as we approached. It was fun to see them run from there to our slip to help us dock. Our friendly harbor master, Hal radioed us to bring her in. Our slip (#5) was decorated with balloons and a welcoming sign at the end of the dock along…
We left in somewhat rough waters but not too bad. We were surprised by how many empty slips in Mackinaw Island. They are usually full this time of year. We arrived late afternoon as one of our engines was acting up, we think from some bad gas we got a while back. Mackinaw Island is one of our most favorite places in the world.For us this was two days of winding down, reflection and some private celebrating before we set…
We left Wednesday morning to cross Lake Huron. We got up about 5:00 and left our anchorage with a beautiful sunrise and mostly clear skies, calm waters for the most part but heavy fog a few miles out that lasted until we were almost on top of Presque Isle, MI. A beautiful marina here. State of the art gas dock. Hardly any boats here though. We are excited now to be able to spend a few days on Mackinaw Island…
We spent one night at Beacon Bay Marina. Had a great dinner, at Scully's, in Midland with Rick and Mary, on the other Kismet, and left the next morning for Lion's Head Marina in Lion's Head, Ontario. Didn't do much as the weather was rather gloomy. Tuesday morning we left for Tobermory where we anchored in the larger bay. A beautiful, quiet anchorage.Lions Head (above)Tobermory Anchorage (above)
Today we left our peaceful anchorage and headed for the Big Chute Marine Railway just a few miles up river from where we anchored. We approached the carriage contraption that they load the boats on and they loaded a sailboat on the front and loaded us behind them. The carriage begins moving up the hill, over a street, toward the hill that descends down to the water, even as we are still getting settled on the sling. 20% of our…
Our mission today was to go off the channel a few miles south of the Big Chute Marine Railway to find a remote anchorage for a couple of days. We were successful in finding the perfect spot tucked away in The Lost Channel.It's quiet here except for the occasional fishing boat whizzing past. Last night we watched some otters working and sunning themselves. Watche a hord of mosquitoes decend on our boat and every once in awhile heard loons not too far…
