This has been a work in progress since July 2021. After ordering the boat it was built by Whaly in Holland in about a months time. The problem was shipping. The tentative arrival date was in October of 2021. When the ship arrived Long Beach, CA it sat outside the port for a number of months then delays at the port of Long Beach because of the volume and port policies delayed it further. I was finally able to pick up my Whaly 455 Pro in late January 2022. After driving the boat home on a trailer I started planning what it should look like inside. I am not a big fan of driving from the back of the boat because I can’t see over front passengers and I like transferring more weight forward.

The typical Whaly I think has a storage box in the back with a gas tank inside. After searching for different size gas tanks I found the largest that would fit inside the storage box was 6 gallons. I wanted a larger tank so I purchased a 12 gallon tank, secured it to the floor and made a wood slat seat to go over the top of the fuel tank. My original plan called for another storage box for the driver to sit on and a steering console forward of that. After setting it up that way I decided that was too far forward. I put a large storage box on the starboard side so that I could run all the cables and controls from the console to the back of the boat. I then purchased a very cushy bench seat with a folding back from Tempress for the driver. Once I received the seat I realized it was too big and didn’t look right in the boat. It was great quality and very comfortable but just too big. I ended up building a second wooden slat seat. Both wood seats are removable and will eventually get cushions.

Here are some interesting test results: Tested 9.5″ x 15″ SS prop-30kph@5200rpm. Tested 10.375″x14″ Aluminum prop-8.3kph@3000rpm. I did not expect that result. The clue to this mistake is in the bottom photo next to the dock. I then tested 10.875″ x 12″ and it was still bad. I put the original 9.5″ x 15″ and I got a 3000rpm result again. I knew I had done something stupid but what could it be. Well, the bottom picture shows a motor cover on the engine. I had always run with a motor cover to protect the outboard but the new cover did not have ventilation like the old one. During the first test on the lake I did not use the cover. I was starving the engine for air and it was having nothing of it! With the cover off it practically jumps out of the water with the 12″ but tachs out to 6100. I will keep two props probably the 12″ and the 13″ but will test in multiple conditions and loading before deciding.

The rest will be in the pictures below.

Check out the new Roxia Page

M/V Shibumi $500,000 usd.

With our sights on new adventures and a growing family we are looking at a different boat. Shibumi is at a perfect stage to sell.  For the person looking to differ some costs by keeping her in charter she has a consistent history of bookings. It is always good to buy a boat from a boat nerd who is a little OCD. Check out the tab and look at the PDF and let me know what you think.

After 12 years of making sure Shibumi was fit as a fiddle there are not that many more projects.  Finally added the AIS to the system and the new paint.  It might be time to sell and buy the next boat, possibly the last boat.  Interested?

The funniest comment during haul out this year was how shiny our propshafts were. I replaced them three years ago and there are no marks of any kind on them.  Maybe the quality is better.  I have to give Marine Hardware in Redmond, WA a shout out for building these shafts.  They are perfect and have no vibration.

Pettit has been my paint and varnish of choice for the last few years and bottom paint, topside epoxy paint and varnish are holding up better than expected. Thanks to Rachael and Pettit!

Cheers,

Shibumi at Port of Everett for May 2017 Haul Out

For me it is always a time for celebration the day following the winter solstice.  The days are getting longer and I can feel the funk draining away from my brain.  It also means I have probably started to complete some winter projects. These two pictures represent more work than they appear.

The picture of the electric panel shows a new selector in the upper right.  There are now two locations to plug in shore power.  One in the cockpit and the other in the same location as before on the port side of the pilot house.  We are in so many locations where the stern location would be preferred, now you have it. Since I was running wires I also wired Shibumi to accept 50a 240v.  I don’t have a use for it yet but I’ll think of something.

The picture of the hydraulic pump came after Shibumi returned from a charter with the pump hanging in the bilge after it sheared off.  I decided to design a new bracket that would be stronger and my friend Marc Lecoq from Lecoq Machine Works fabricated it. I notice the engine has less vibration and the gusseted bracket has no movement.

Still have a few more projects to finish…

I’m getting ready for winter work on Shibumi. Projects on the list so far are:
Upgrade wheelhouse VHF, add AIS, wheelhouse window trim, rework stabilizer hydraulics and if I get the energy add a shore power inlet to the cockpit. I’m sure the Admiral will have more projects as well… The Shibumi website is now linked to Bakes Consulting.

I got tired of the old brown painted hatch so I made it look better.