I found this Kingfisher at The Berkley Marine - Like New and Very Used - Boat Brokers, in Bayville, NJ. I
had passed by it on the way to work for a few weeks, until I couldn't
resist it any longer. I didn't know what make or model it was, at
first. I just knew that I liked the size and the design. I felt that it
would be perfect for solo sailing. I hadn't had a sailboat in about 30
years, but once you have experienced sailing, it's something that will
be in your blood forever. I compare the exhilarating feeling to riding
motorcycles; a sort of ' wind in your face ' kind of thing. When
something is good,.... you know it.
After
taking a careful inventory of the hardware and rigging equipment I
decided to talk with a salesman. Dan was the only sales guy there at
the time. Like any good boat salesman, Dan didn't know much of anything
about boats. He had some good stories, however. He said that there were
no sails available and that the trailer had been sold. When he saw that
my interest was waning, he offered to scratch around for a set of sails
for it. He quoted a price of $350.oo for the boat, based on, him
finding sails for it. He said it may take a couple of days, but he
would try. I told him that I would stop by again in a couple of days. I
took these first photos and some dimensions, before leaving the yard.
As you can see in this photo, there was a disgusting mess inside of the
hull. There wasn't any major damage, however, and all rigging and
hardware seemed to be present and accounted for; sans the sails. The
boat had slipped off of the cement block, that had been propping up the
stem. The water couldn't gravitate to the drain hole in the transom.
The bilge became the breeding ground for mosquito larvae. Since the
mosquito is the NJ state bird now, I knew that I would have to be careful of how I
disposed of the water. I did not want to deal with tree huggers, green
peace or environmentalists.
Before
I left the boat yard, I noticed the little name decal near the stern
and just under the gunwale. I had never heard of Kingfisher before but
figured that it would be a clue to start an internet search. I drove
home trying to convince myself that I didn't really need a boat. The
angel on my right shoulder was slugging it out with the devil on my
left shoulder. The fact that I could contract typhoid fever or malaria
from that water in the bilge, was enough of a concern for a wuss like me.
Internet
info was sparse and vague at best. Not too many pictures turned up in
my search. I did find a gent, named Chris, who owns a similar boat.
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Walt'z Kingfisher Project