Tide the Knott--First Chapter






Hauled with a new paint job



This is the first time I have ever owned a boat.  Lance has owned several boats and is fully aware of the responsibility involved in being a boat owner.  I get really perturbed when people make comments like, “the two best days in a boat owner’s life are when you buy the boat and when you sell it” or “it’s a money hole” .  I find those type of comments irksome and plain rude because it implies we are ignorant.  I may be ignorant, but Lance is NOT.  I have full faith in his ability to maintain, repair, restore, and manage a boat.  I trust him implicitly. I have always been self sufficient, self supporting, and independent. Prior to Lance, I was raising my family -  relying on my own initiative and resources.  I don’t need Lance to manage.  Moreover, Lance lived on a boat for years.  He does not need me to manage.   Our two very separate lives joined;  instead of taking from one life, we just enhanced each other’s lives.  Lance gets to live closer to work in a townhouse with a garage, and I get to be a first-time boat owner.

People also have the misconception that having this boat equates to immediate “wealth”; a point I need to clarify.  Tide the Knott was purchased for only $17,000 (the previous owner had abandoned it), which is a real ‘steal’ but only for someone with the knowledge, skill, and time to restore the dilapidated boat.  Lance just happens to be that perfect someone (minus the time).  He has the skill and knowledge.  Time is less abundant but if we accept the reality of a 10-year time frame, things look optimistic. He spends a solid two weekends a month in San Diego working on the massive reconstruction project—currently, focusing on the exterior, tearing down and replacing rotted wood.  He has already done so much, but it can be overwhelming and discouraging when you think of all the work that still needs to be done.  The boat has been hauled twice, repainted, and stripped. I cannot even begin to count the multitude of trips made to the dumpster.  We tore out a bar, threw away loads of trash that included a complete living room set.  We ripped out the nasty-looking carpet. I spent about two days helping Lance unload trash, rip out carpet, wallpaper, and tile.  It was exhausting. He told me he appreciated my help because he said in his previous relationships, no one ever helped him. It was a solo project.  They never cared or expressed interest in the boat  until it was done; but here I was….getting very dirty and sweaty in the process.  We often share ideas on how we envision Tide the Knott to be in its final stage—fortunately, Lance and I have identical taste in décor/style.  By the time this boat is completed, it is going to be a beautiful, and the investment will be well worth it.  You have to be able to visualize Tide the Knott’s potential and disregard its current reconstruction state with the tools, sawdust, and wood everywhere. It is a five bedroom boat with three bathrooms.  The kitchen is just perfect and needs the least amount of work.  We are going to install a huge flatscreen television and build a small mini bar in the living room.  In the pilot house, we plan on installing a Turkish style sitting area. Our goal is to have this completed in 10 years.  The plan is for Lance to retire in 10 years.  He will take the boat up/down the coast, and since I will still work for another 5 more years, I will fly to be with him on long weekends wherever he and the boat are anchored. During this period, we hope to have our grandsons spend a part of the summer with us (a month or so). Of course, their parents are invited but we don’t expect them to stay the entire month. When I finally retire (in 15 years), Lance and I will be traveling on Tide the Knott with periodic return trips to Orange County.

I have alot to learn about boats.  I am unfamiliar with the vocabulary, and I have very limited exposure to boats. However, this boat means a great deal to me, and I'm willing to learn.  I am not as passionate about boats as Lance is—but what I am passionate about is Lance. If a material thing were to possess a soul, Tide the Knott would have one.  My husband’s sweat, pain, and love will be engrained in every aspect of that boat.  I will never be able to look at that boat without seeing Lance, and because of that, I love that boat immensely. 

Now, I need to work on curing my seasickness. 

One last note--the name? Yes, poor Lance got beaten up for naming the boat such a "p***y whipped" name, and believe it or not, we agonized over the name--searching through every website trying to come up with a name that symbolized us.  It wasn't easy.  Lance actually came up with the name. It is common for a boat to be named after a woman, but I didn't want that.  I wanted something that was for us.  Sure, his bachelor boat, the Gryphon, was a masculine name and Tide the Knott might be ridiculously corny, but it is what we are now.....married, in love and corny to the rest of the world....




Lance's work bench adjacent to the engine room

 




the new paint job

 



the kitchen--this room needs the least amount of work. 



Another view of the kitchen--we have a new stove ready to install



The living room before we stripped it



Another view of the living room--we debated about removing the bar;  I liked it (surprising-- especially since i dont drink), but we are going to install a flatscreen television where the mirror is and we are building a smaller bar on the opposite end of the room.




Stripped....

 


the bar has been removed




rotted wood--Lance replaced this



Bedroom





Lance replacing some beams





door leading from living room to outside



The engine room--Lance said the engines were running perfectly





Look at the difference between the right and left side--all the handiwork of Lance....it is a gradual process but we are slowly seeing improvements.






Bedroom