Sea Plus Plus (from the geeky C++ programming language), is a Hunter 25.5, the largest little cruiser you can find on this side of the Atlantic. It has all the amenities of its larger cousins, the speed of the best racers, and the maneuverability of the smoothest boats. She points well and takes off without any hick ups. And most importantly, she has character.
She boasts a small V-berth for two with a forward hatch, plus a double stern quarter berth for the non claustrophobic. in addition, the dinette seats 4 tightly and converts to double berth. She comes with a real and private head (loo, OK, toilette), not a port-a-potty, plus a two-burner alcohol stove, an icebox (I'll even throw in the ice for you), and a galley (kitchen) as well as a bath sink.
Instrument-wise, she comes with the basics you'll need for a day or weekend outing, from a depth/fish finder, to a tiller auto-pilot, a GPS and VHF Radio. It has sweet speakers in the cabin and cockpit, Stereo player/radio with aux input (to connect your phone), and electric plugs for your smartphones, all powered via a solar-charged battery (so as to feel closer to nature :-). And best of all, her design enables sailing solo, as winches, tiller and sheets are within reach in the cockpit. So individual zen-searchers are always welcome to charter her.
The brand new (and quiet) 8 HP Nissan Marine outboard engine with electric start will pull you out of trouble if need be and push you out of the marina with ease. Once in the open, either the mainsail and 110% Jib or the 155% Genoa for light winds and a storm jib for when it is 20+ knots, will do the trick.
If you're tight with your crew, there is no reason why 6 adults cannot share the night, but surely 4 won't get in the way. So take her for a day, or sail away for the weekend, as Sea Plus Plus will not let you down.
She is berthed at a small, family-owned and very quint marina in the Rhodes River. The bathroom facilities are superb, clean, and great to use before and after sailing. There is plenty of parking, and the drive to and from it is actually a joy in itself.
Before stealing Sea Plus Plus away from me however, all I ask is that we meet in person for a few minutes so we can go over any details of this neat 26 cruiser, get to know each other a little, and answer any questions you may have. After that, she's all yours.
List of features:
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- Mainsail and 110% Jib in good condition
- 155% Genoa for light winds
- Storm jib for 20+ knots wind speeds
- 4-stroke, 8 HP Nissan Marine outboard with Electric and manual start (reliable)
- Raymarine ST1000+ AutoPilot (boat will sail itself for many hours)
- Depth/Fish Finder
- Speed Log
- Compass
- Self-tailing winches
- Anchor
- Pressurized water
- Solar Panel for battery charging
- Marine Toilet (not a port-a-potty) with holding tank and Manual pump out.
- Two alcohol Burner Stove
- Dinette seats 4 and converts to double berth
- New 6" memory foam cushions in v-berth and aft double quarter berth (very comfortable).
- Polk audio cockpit speakers
- Stereo/radio player with Aux output (to connect your cell phone)
- Interior and running LED lights
- Electric bilge pump
- Two 12V marine batteries and 1200 amp power inverter
- Dinnerware, espresso maker, teapot, towels.
Boat Specifications:
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- Water-line Length (LWL) 22'1"
- Beam 9'
- Sail area 315
- Draft 4'6"
- Displacement 4500lbs
- Ballast 1800 lbs
- Mast height 34'3"
Q & A:
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Q: What's in a name?
A: I work in high tech, and I am a total geek. Sea Plus Plus comes from the almost obsolete C++ Windows programming language. So now you know.
Q. OK, so what's the bathroom situation?
A. No worries, I can guarantee all will be good. There is a head, right by the v-berth. Not to be concerned, it is regularly pumped and cleaned. And no, there is no shower on board, although there is a small sink by your private quarters. However, there is a regular bathroom at the Marina open to my guests. In it, you can shower and, if you don't mind, go the loo there instead of on the boat.
Q: Is there Wi-Fi on board?
A: Are you serious? Of course not. Explorers relied on the moon and the stars for centuries, surely you can get by for a few hours or even days without the web. Besides, there is great cell phone reception on land and throughout the Bay.
Q: OK, you're on high-tech. Can you recommend any sailing apps?
A: I'm an open source kind of guy, so I use Android. I can only mention apps that work for me on my device. But hopefully this will get you started:
- SailDroid: small and robust speed log
- Windfinder: Wind forecasts and real-time wind speed
- Navionics Boating: (paid) Like G maps for boating
- Marine Ways: Free version of Navionics, but not as good (imho)
Q. What should I bring when I charter her?
A. Bring a great disposition and a smile :-) I will provide gas, towels (about three or four), and maybe even some ice. Make sure you sport comfortable, non-marking shoes (not sandals -- actually, it's better to be barefooted than wear sandals), sailing gloves, swimwear, suntan lotion, and plenty of drinks to keep hydrated.
Q. Should I be expected to clean the boat?
A. Well, kind of. I clean the boat regularly before sailing and guests anyway. However, just because I spend time doing the dirty work, doesn't mean that you can trash the little cruiser. In fact, I'd ask that when leaving, you take the garbage to the marina bins, and try to keep the galley and deck as clean as possible. I hope I'm not asking too much.
Q. Renting your boat sounds overwhelming. Can I handled it?
A. Sure you can, no worries. I will provide a smart phone-compatible detailed guide of the boat with everything you need to know about her. It will show you how to unlock the hatch, where are the sails, what to do when checking out of the dock. All you have to do is show me that you love her :-)
Q: What motivates you to share a sailboat?
A: I am a strong believer in the sharing economy. I manage six properties I own on Airbnb, a classic car on Turo, this Sailboat on Boatbound, and we dog seat on Rover. On average, American sail boat owners use their vessels 10.7 days a year. That means that for 354 days a sailboat seats idle at the dock. If you ask me, that's the perfect definition of an underutilized resource.
Q: But aren't you really doing this for the money?
A: Fair question, but no. My wife and I are two mid-life professionals currently employed in interesting companies. About 40% of the proceeds from Boatbound go straight back into improving the boat and hence the guest experience. Thanks to the extra cash, for example, I’ve been able to implement long-kept projects, such as solar panel installation, electrical system improvements, and constant sailing maintenance. The rest of the income goes into solving the cost of maintaining and upkeeping the boat, such as the slip rent, engine maintenance and insurance. OK, and maybe I splurge on a nice set of sailing gloves once in a while :-)