The boat has officially arrived! Took me about 20 min to get the cover off, but it is totally perfect inside and out. The boat is in amazing condition. I had been out on it before, and seen it several times, but it is really a time capsule. It's amazing what 280 hrs in the hands of a meticulous Marine vs. 685 with a lunatic owner, dozens of drivers and hundreds of people that have been in my boat. A large percentage (30%+?!!) of my passengers were small children. Still, my boat looks mint for the most part. This boat is at another level. Like mine, it was even kept outside.
Totally bonus, the trailer has a swing-away tongue, I can get it in my garage.
Rankin is the only cover I will ever buy, absolutely amazing. The interior is perfectly clean. No gelcoat damage from straps, nothing. It's not a waterline cover but for towing and storage it can't be beat.The guy that towed it has towed over 30 boats cross country, says its the best he's seen.
He said the same about our trailers, the Ameratrails that is. He said it was the best trailer out of 30 cross country tows, he's done Donzis and other cool stuff. I would say that our trailers are nice but look at Boatmate trailers with the oil bath bearings, etc. He did say that the back axle looks crooked. My original one is crooked too.
There is not a scratch on the boat or trailer that wasn't there when he left. It isn't really dirty, either. He even called Terry because he saw a dent in the trailer fender at some point in the trip. It was something that Terry did a long time previous.
This guy is a real gentleman, he was totally professional and the boat arrived in perfect condition. He went south through California and the desert to avoid the weather. I can recommend him highly. He has a Ford F150 with a V6. yep. I didn't think to ask when I met him on the way out, he had a banged up Harley in the back, I figured it had a V8. But, he knows what he can do and can't do, and has done it many times. His name is Steve, he lives ten miles from me and may find his ass at the next Epic roundup, he loves boats.
Here are a couple pics, I gotta go lay down.
