Thank-you Bushwacker
 

Wanted to take the time to thank Denny for his years as moderator on the Performance section.. We must all agree that having a rocket scientist for
this section was invaluable !!

Even though Denny does not own a SeaCraft any more he will
always be one of us ! :cool: I know it was hard for him to sell the
Restless Lady as we witnessed at Homosassa the sale in progress to Bill....

Wishing Denny and his fiancee Arden all the best in their upcoming adventure
of doing the great loop. Personally feel blessed for having spent the times
we have with Denny at all our CSC gatherings and other functions.

For sure he will be chiming in here at the different Ports of Call along
his journey !!

OK, Denny time to start a new thread in the Off Topic section !!

Tim "Bigshrimpin" is now the new moderator for the Performance Section.
Lets also thank him for this under taking...

We are truly one big happy family !!

Probably should have posted this in the Off Topic, but felt only fitting here..

Well done Ken!! And many thanks and well wishes to Denny and Arden!!! I'm jealous!

Take a sip, or two, of Pappy tonight.....you deserve it!!! :) I'm sure there is a nice place on the trawler to display your bottle of Pappy.......or is that hide your bottle of Pappy.

Won't be the same without him with us as much. Called to check on him Friday and had a great chat, as always. Wishing him Health and Happiness until I see him again. Maybe shorter than usual with him passing HHI, once by Interstate and once by Inland Waterway. Haha

Thanks in advance to BigShrimpin'!!!

Part II

Denny-CSC was a great way to become friends. I think that this next chapter will be a excellent one for you and Arden! You are still a member here and we will always look to your feedback. Thanks for all the SC performance insight and great times! Tim will do an excellent job and be the perfect guy to follow your lead. I am looking forward to the Great Loop Blog that you and Arden will be getting started next year!

I, too, benefited greatly from Denny's wisdom and insight. One year ago I got my first taste of Seacraft ownership, and with loads of help from CSC, brought it back to life. Denny is/was a gem, and Tim: you have big shoes to fill! Good Luck to both!

Well said be all. The appreciation is more than well deserved, Truly knowledgeable, enthusiastic and gentlemanly. I hope to be at least one of these things some day. I said it elsewhere, the Restless Lady is still “Denny’s Seafari” in my book.

I’m sure Tim will do Denny, and us proud. He also volunteered his time and effort in my search for a replacement Seafari.

Ahhh, the memories.
First gathering for me at long point.
The midnight discussion of the advantages or roller trailers vs bunk and losing
a buddy bearing on the way home. Ten more minnows and I would have
had complete failure...I still have dreams of how that may have ended.

I`ll try to post a memory every night until I run out.

Thanks Denny for sharing your knowledge over the years. Your contributions made this site a very special resource. I'm looking forward to regular "great loop" updates with pictures. Congrats on your engagement with Arden!!

http://illinoistimes.com/images/art1...72.widea.0.jpg

Denny, Thank you for your practical, analytical and honest perspective on all things SeaCraft with a dollop of southern-gentlemanliness flavor. No matter how many times the Taro Verdes asked the goofiest questions, Denny would always respond in a courteous and friendly manner in great detail. You’ve been a good friend to all on this site. I wish you and Arden fair winds, following seas and friendly ports. Good gunk holing, Captain.

Timmy, you got some big Deck Shoes to fill, son.

It's been said over and over here, but I need to chime in and thank
Denny for all the advice and information.
I doubt I'd be on the water without him.

Got to say thanks also, Denny you have truly been a great part of this site, your knowledge is second to none! Congrats on your engagement with Arden!!

Denny, It's been great seeing you all the years Mel and I have been onboard. The knowledge you have shared on this site have enriched us all. I'm certainly going to miss you and hope you get a chance to attend some gatherings in the future.

Best Wishes,
Ken and Melissa

Haven't been here much in a long time, though looked in from time to time, and some serious back channels with Denny over the years. Denny certainly brought a lot to this page, and I am so happy to see him going forward with Arden. The Great Loop adventure awaits, and all best wishes to a wonderful gentleman, and his first mate !!!

The first mini season.
A young diver.
Thank you Amanda.

Without your guidance, I would not be diving.
Cheers,
Sandy

Thank you Bushwacker, Old Friend
 

Denny & Bigshrimpin-
Denny you done a fantastic job as CSC performance moderator. Best wishes in your moderator retirement and best wishes to Bigshrimpin.

I suspect I have known Denny longer than any CSCer; I've counted him as a friend since 1970. There are so many memories, too many to share, but here are a few:
-A wild demo ride out through the PB inlet on Restless Lady just before we ordered our Seafari in 1976
-He, Pat and Susie (age 8-10) in the coattage next to us in Green Turtle
-Our collaboration many times at Pratt & Whitney
-Being a super spokes person for the ETEC, which I bought
-Sound advice on all of my questions and projects
-CSC gatherings in Sebastian and Homosassa
-Meeting Carla & Skip when I ordered a SeaCraft hat for him
-Prop testing on Restless Lady
-His baby blue Barracuda fast back (think he added water injection to it to increase performance),
-A fun dinner when we met Arden for the first time
Smooth sailing, old friend, with you new crewmate!

Denny, wishing you a safe and fantastic journey! I have learned much from your wisdom you were so kind to share with us. You are an extraordinary man in many ways. If you're ever in this neck of the woods, (or water), please let me know. Cheers!

Denny,

I'm thrilled for you on your engagement and your upcoming adventure! Please keep us updated on your journey.

Thank you for your wealth of knowledge, and being such a gentleman.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

Lloyd

I too want to say to Denny, you have been such an extrordinary friend and always there when needed. Thank you.
And remember, you are always welcomed for mini season ... Arden too!
Happy journey

Thanks guys - appreciate all the kind words! Would have replied sooner, but Arden and I have been "off the grid" for most of the last week at the https://aglca.clubexpress.com/conten...club_id=574480 Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park on the Tennessee river a little west of Huntsville, Al. It's an intensive 4 day gathering of Looper wannabe's, those in-progress, and Gold/Platnium Loopers who have already done the 6000 mile Loop one or more times! Lots of tips and seminars about the loop from the experts who've already done it, info on places to see along the way, and tips for avoiding problems. We're now visiting my sister in Nashville prior to a visit to old hometown in Ky. prior to return to Fl.

Have had a contract pending on a 2006 37' trawler up in New Bern, NC. (see pic below) for over 6 weeks but haven't posted anything on it yet since closing date has not been set. It passed survey with flying colors but subsequently flunked sea trial due to an engine problem! Engine problem now appears to have been fixed, so waiting for engine mechanics to make a full power run to confirm fix. If fix proves successful, we'll call the engine surveyor to come back and finish sea trial. Would expect to close the deal shortly afterwards. Will change my avatar once we close the deal on it!

I want to see the 37' trawler showing some bottom on a hard turn like the Seafari avatar!!! :)

I just want to see a 37' trawler with Denny and Arden on board showing up at a gathering that I can actually get to!

Denny - wishing you and Arden fabulous times and wonderful sunsets on this Great Loop and all travels that follow. Thank you for your contributions, camaraderie, and support. I really hope we get another chance to talk 'crafter times and anything else that comes up.
Best wishes - Mitch

Thanks for the Looper event info also. This is on my bucket list in the future. Will you share details of your new ride ( with pics) after closing?

The only time you/ll see the bottom of that trawler is when it's hauled out, like the pic below of the short haul prior to sea trial! That's the surveyor checking out the stern thruster.

Don't know why anyone would put trim tabs on a round chine displacement hull! Maybe to minimize wake size at WOT! Standard engine on this hull, which needs about 100 hp to make hull speed, was the 225 hp Cummins 6BTA motor, which would push it to about 12 kts @ WOT. However this one is grossly overpowered just like most of the dozen other trawlers we looked at. Must be the typical American "more is better" attitude, as this one has a 370 hp version, similar to the one in the Dodge Ram, which will push it to a blazing 14 kts and dig a very large hole in the water while burning 20 gph! At least the common rail engines burn much cleaner than the old mechanically injected diesels, which must be loaded to about 75% power to avoid carbon build up, stuck rings and reduced life. When run at about 1500 rpm, this engine will only burn 3 gph at about 9 mph! Not too bad for a 25,000 lb boat! I've been told that the 6BTA engine was originally designed for continuous operation as a power generator with a design service life of 25,000-40,000 hrs. With 300 gallons of fuel in 2 fiberglass tanks, and 120 gallons of water, it'll cruise a long way between fill ups! Most guys on the Loop say they spend more $ on marina slips, restaurants and booze than they spend on fuel!

Will post a link to some info on the boat once we close the deal on it. It's 37' 10" long and the Canadian company which built it in China was bought by Helmsman, who is now selling new ones as the Helmsman 38e for about $450K!

If you want to do the Loop, you might want to consider joining the AGLCA, which will give you access to lots of resources, boats for sale, marina discounts, etc. TrawlerFest, which is a week-long series of seminars held annually near Stuart, Fl., Annapolis, and Seattle on long range cruising sponsored by PassageMaker magazine, is also a good resource.

Done deal, thanks!!

Denny, You rock, and the Helmsman38 looks like a good Looper ! When you plan that trip out in detail, before you head up the Hudson River, you should swing east, catch Montauk, Block Island, and Newport - I'm betting there are a bunch of us northern CSC'ers would come out to say hello !! Those are my grounds now, and I'd suggest throw in Cuttyhunk, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket, for good measure !!

And Chas SC along the ICW ;)

Right after a stopover in Edenton, NC! ;)

Charleston and Edenton are part of the planned route!

Sweet!! Let me know when and where and I'll try to say hello!

And Sandy Hook, NJ!

Denny, NO if's and's or but's......
You and Arden will start a thread when the journey of a life time begins !

Pics of meeting our CSC brothers & sisters along the travel up the ditch (ICW).

OK, all of you along the route be sure to PM Denny your contact info...
This trip may take the two of them two years to complete !!

All of us will be glued to the site while this adventure unfolds....:D:)

Arden has bought herself a new MacBook computer and is definitely planning to do a blog on our travels! I also bought an iPadPro with 512 Gig of memory for this trip, as I figure we'll be taking lots of pictures.

If anyone want's to get a good idea of what the trip is like, go to www.integritycruise.com. If you click on the Captains Log, it'll bring up a daily summary of their adventures with lots of pictures that's a pretty good travelogue! (We saw the boat Integrity, now named Catalina at the Great Loop Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park on the Tennessee River. It's now about halfway through it's third Loop with a new owner!)

If you guys are heading through the Trent-Severn Waterway don’t hesitate to give us a call. Lake Simcoe and the Georgian Bay is a 3 hours drive. The boys and I did a lot of fishing (maybe more beer drinking and cigar smoking and poker playing) in those parts back in the day.