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Members Update

Club News

Fourth Annual Chesapeake Bay Rendezvous Completed

Forty-two boats, with 98 people registered for the 4^th Chesapeake Bay Rendezvous held at Solomon’s Yacht Center in Solomons Island.  We endured cold temperatures, rain, wind, and mud from the unfinished landscaping on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday were brilliant weather days, although still a bit of wind.  Bruce Jamison of McDaniel Yacht Basin successfully navigated the course from North East to Solomons using a cell phone and a compass.  John Martini of Shady Oaks was kind enough to provide him with clothes in the form of an embroidered shirt – embroidered with the Shady Oaks logo, of course.  Two of the major successes of the Friday Night Potluck Dinner were North Carolina Bar-b-que and Willoughby Coconut Cake.  The coconut cake recipe is listed below.

The Boat Hop on Saturday was very popular.  Two Californians, beautiful classic boats, Circus and NeverRest, were at the Rendezvous.  Saturday night’s dinner at Vera’s White Sands was unique.  Service was poor, the food was mediocre at best, the belly dancer had too big a belly, and we all had a great time.  Sea Duck II won the Boat Hop Game prize, a Garmin handheld GPS.  We had drawings for several door prizes.  Shady Oaks Yacht Sales and Marina provided door prizes for haul-out, power washing, and bottom painting, worth around $1000.00; Carver shirts, towels, and a briefcase.  Five 3M and Meguirs maintenance kits were provided by the Virtik Mall http://www.virtik.com/poorjohns/welcome.asp and Oceana LLC.  The Club’s Awards this year were etched crystal glass bowls.  You can see the award winners in the Rendezvous photos on-line.  Interestingly enough, the school bus rides to and from Vera’s were excellent, after we found the buses and got them to the marina.

Sunday’s continental breakfast was also very nice.   It was actually set up before 8:30, was well stocked, and about as good as one could expect for a continental breakfast.  BoatPix did a fly over.  I’ve contacted them to ask about which boats he photographed.  Had I known, I would have sent him to the Bay Bridge while all the northbound boats were “bobbing around like corks.”  Sarah and Gary may win the prize for the best expression of the Rendezvous.  My thanks to everyone who made the Rendezvous a success, especially the members who attended.

Rendezvous Recipe – Coconut Cake

Pillsbury Yellow Cake Mix (pudding in mix)

Cool Whip (I actually used the reduced fat)

Can cream of coconut

Can of Eagle Brand condensed milk (again, used the reduced fat)

Bag of coconut

Bake cake according to instructions on box.  After cake cools – poke holes in cake with fork.  Mix cream of coconut and condensed milk and pour over cake.  Add cool whip, then sprinkle coconut on top! 

My thanks to Sarah Willoughby of Sabago for the wonderful recipe.

Featured Boat

We have a featured boat this month.  It’s Southern Lady, a Carver 440, in Florida, receiving a new hardtop in place of its Bimini. My thanks to Rick and Marty Doyle for sending this along to us.  Click here to see the featured boat.

Transmission Problems

We recently received the following email related to post 902 in Boat Talk.  I’m curious about what your experience has been related to getting problems resolved after the sale.  Here’s the note.

“I just purchased a 406 and made as part of the purchase contract to get rid of this noise. Carver, cummins and zf hurth have been involved to some degree.  Cummins Charleston wants to do a torsional test on the the boat to see if it's in the engine, shaft, transmission or props but will only do it not accepting responsibility. I am told that this is a costly test, around $1,000.00.  They have changed props already to the spares and the noise remains. I have agreed to take the boat if they replace the transmission on the starboard side. Still, nobody knows if the noise will be there after replacement. I'm losing my boating season rapidly and just am not comfortable with this noise. Thanks for any help you might be able to give.”

Are You Being Served?

Frank Ciesla, head of Shady Oaks Yacht Sales and Marina service department, attended the Chesapeake Bay Rendezvous.  He shared some of his thoughts about getting good service quickly.  I asked what were the most important things an owner could do to prepare himself or herself for good service.  Frank replied that reading the owners manuals was probably the most important thing to do.  He went on to say that the dealer orientation provided a good introduction that needed to be filled in with information only the manuals could give you.  I asked about keeping a record of preventive maintenance, a service schedule, and Frank agreed that was a good idea.

Frank said that he could provide the best information to a customer when he knew the make and model of the component with the problem.  Frank gave an example of someone calling in with a generator problem.  Frank needs to know which brand of generator and which model before offering any possible solution.  Frank also mentioned a need to know where the boat is kept.  I was surprised to learn that in some of the saltier portions of the Chesapeake Bay, like Baltimore, boats develop underwater growth that kills speed.  Some service problems result from saltier water and the solutions also depend on its intended environment.

Thank you, Frank, for taking time out to offer some good insight into the service world.

Saturday Night Out

The third monthly Saturday Night Out was held at the Wellwood Yacht Club in Charlestown.  Larry Metz owns the Wellwood.  Originally, the Wellwood was a Republican retreat, where famous Republicans, such as Teddy Roosevelt would stop by to fish and hunt.  Today, the Wellwood is better known for its crabs.  Nine boats attended this month’s event and one actually stayed in the unfinished slips provided at no charge by the Wellwood.  The slips did not have water, electricity, or cable TV.  Next month, Rock Hall, and the McDaniel Sales Office there.  Invitations are on the way and all future Saturday Nights Out will be on the web site under upcoming events.  Since the Saturday Nights Out are not a sponsored event, you can invite your Carver owning friends who are not members to come to a Saturday Night Out dinner, without them having to join.

Problems with the Eastern ICW

Several members sent me articles about the problems with silting in the ICW and the lack of federal budget dollars to dredge the ICW.  I’ve resisted including any commentary in the newsletter because I did not want to appear to take any side on a political debate.  However, I received a suggestion that may be worth considering.  Why not have sponsors for that will dredge a stretch of the ICW, much like the Adopt a Highway program in many states?  For example, put up a sign that reads, “The next x miles of the ICW is maintained by Your Corporation Here.”  Raytheon, Garmin, Carver, ICOM, and other marine trade industries could advertise and encourage use of the ICW at the same time.  Other corporations that are major recipients of tax income could also sponsor dredging operations.  My company does some government work; we might be able to sponsor a couple of yards.  Halliburton, a couple of hundred miles.  Seems like a good idea.

Stuffing Box

I’ve recently learned more about stuffing boxes in the last month than I really want to know.  Frank Ciesla of Shady Oaks, mentioned to me that there is a new type of stuffing box, one that seals with water, that is dripless.  This is a fairly expensive solution, around $200.  In reading about it, people who installed it really seemed to like it.  The other innovation is graphite embedded, Teflon-coated material that can be safely tightened until it is virtually dripless.  It is slightly more expensive than the traditional wax-coated flax material, but much safer.

I learned that the real danger of over tightening the stuffing box is that it grooves the shaft, weakening it.  When the shaft breaks, generally you lose the prop and gain a lot of water.  You can also damage the transmission, etc.  Most manufacturers recommend replacing the stuffing material every two years.  The stuffing material doesn’t wear out; it rots and hardens, again scoring the shaft.  More on this later after I re-pack my stuffing boxes SOON.

New Officers for the Club

Patsy Bishop is now President of the Carver Owners Club.  Dave Bishop, the most recent former president, continues as webdude or Webmaster.  Ted Cooper is the Club’s Regional Vice President, Canada.  He is helping the club grow in Canada and coordinating Rendezvous up north.

Rendezvous Update

We had an unusual experience with the Florida West Coast Rendezvous that causes us to more clearly state our policy concerning boats for sale attending Rendezvous.  Boats attending may not be represented by a broker or display for sale signs that are visible outside the boat, unless a sponsor is showing your boat.  If your boat is for sale, you are welcomed to attend and show your boat.  Brokers or other agents cannot attend on your behalf without paying an additional sponsorship fee and receiving the Club’s prior permission.  Please call me if you have any questions about this.

Lake Ontario Rendezvous, Port Dalhousie Pier Marina, Port Dalhousie, Ontario

July 30, 31 and August 1, 2 2004

You may now make your reservations for the Lake Ontario Rendezvous.  This is our first Canadian Rendezvous.  Ted and Jan Cooper have been great in getting this organized.  The cost is CA$120 (US$85) per person.  The slip fee is CA$1.50 per foot per night (US$1.05) and includes electric and water.  Please note that the registration fee is charged in US dollars.  This is a four day Rendezvous over the Canadian Civic Holiday weekend.  Our toll-free number (800-835-1996) now works in Canada.  Please call if you have any questions. We are preparing a package of forms US members may need to cruise into Canadian waters.   It is critical that you make reservations now.

New York City Rendezvous, Liberty Landing Marina, Liberty State Park, New Jersey

August 13, 14, and 15, 2004

The Carver Owners Club announces its first New York City Rendezvous to be held August 13, 14, and 15.  Cost for the Rendezvous is $99 per person.  This is an unsponsored event, so brokers all welcomed to attend.  Please make your reservations soon because space is very limited and the marina and restaurants would like to finalize this as soon as possible.

Tidewater Rendezvous, Tidewater Marina, Portsmouth Virginia

August 27, 28 and 29

You may also make your reservations for the Tidewater Rendezvous to be held in Portsmouth at ICW mile marker zero.  If you have ever thought about traveling the ICW south, this is a great way to get information at the beginning of the trip down the ditch.  We have very limited reservations for this Rendezvous, so please reserve now.

Rendezvous Registration Fees

I’ve received some questions about the Rendezvous Registration Fees.  First, why is an up-front registration fee charged?  The Club has to make a deposit to the marina, caterers, and restaurants at the time we make the reservations.  The deposits range from 15 to 25% of the expected bill, usually around $5,000.  Since the Club has very little money, we use the fees from the reservations to pay these deposits.  This leads to the second question, “Why can’t I get a full refund regardless of when I cancel my reservation?”  We pay the caterers, the restaurant, and other affiliated providers (like the tent rental place) in full about two weeks before the Rendezvous.  Some items, such as the awards and the “goodie” bags are ordered and paid for six weeks in advance.  The Club cannot refund registration fees for cancellations received within the two-week window before the Rendezvous because we have already paid for your meals and other, supporting, items.  The only exceptions to this are if the Club cancels a Rendezvous for any reason or if we have someone on a waiting list that can take your place.  The Club pays full refunds for events it cancels, regardless of our expenses.  Which leads to the third question, “What does my Rendezvous Reservation Fee pay for?”  Here is a partial list of what is paid for in the Rendezvous registration fee.

1. The registration process

2. A Welcome Goodie Bag

3. Friday night drinks

4. Boat Hop identifiers and gifts for boats in the Boat Hop

5. Saturday night open bar and dinner

6. Saturday night awards

7. Door prizes

8. Boat Hop Game prize

9. Sunday morning continental breakfast

10. Logistics of getting everything together at one time (including shipping charges, dealer boats, etc.)

11. Seminars and locations, if we can find participants.

One other thing that the registration fees pay for is planning for next year’s Rendezvous.  When we held our first Rendezvous on the Chesapeake Bay, McDaniel Yacht Basin paid all of our deposits and up-front fees.  Without them, we would never have had the first Rendezvous or any subsequent events.  Now we have to be self-supporting. When dealers sponsor Rendezvous, the Club can offer more – more events, more prizes, and more opportunities to learn about boating.  Dealers who sponsor Rendezvous sell boats to members who attend. 

New Burgees Available

We have new, double sided burgees available for $29.00.  Visit the Club Store for more information or to order.

Changes to Club Services – Your Thoughts

As we enter our fifth year as a club, it’s time to rethink the services we offer club members.  For example, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distribute a newsletter by email.  Should we change the newsletter to a different format, more like Boat Talk where information is updated on-line immediately?  The Rendezvous are popular, should they be extended to four days from three?  The monthly Saturday night out is just now starting.  We’ll put a better registration process on the web site, but should a monthly event be scheduled in your area?  Would you attend?  Is there an interest in a club cruise that is a convoy of members’ boats, say down the ICW in October?  Should we offer clothing or other specialty marine products?  Is Boat Talk generally helpful and how could it be made better?  What else needs to be done in general?  Please send your thoughts to pres@carverownersclub.com.  Thank you.

Hope to see you soon.

Safe boating,

Dave Bishop, webdude@carverownersclub.com