Is Malo Really the Right Boat?

We put an offer to purchase Malo with Sail California.  After some negotiations with the previous owners, a price was reached.  Next a boat survey needed to be done.  Dan researched this and found an incredibly competent and nice surveyor named Kent Parker from Napa, CA.  Dan and Kent hit it off well, as both were woodworkers as well as boat people.  Here is a picture of Kent doing one of his inspections.

We then got to take Malo out in the bay for a "Sea Trial".  Norm hoisted up the sail, which didn't really go up that smoothly.  He used a technique called "sweating the line".  (Later Dan fixed the problem - a screw in the sail track that blocked the slides).

This is Broker Norm "sweating the lines".

Captain Dan was very happy behind the helm!

Alameda Island is just outside of Oakland, California - which had the biggest shipping center that I've ever seen!  We motored Malo right by these huge ships that were getting unloaded.  

Trying to figure out it the navigation system even works!

I even got a chance to take the helm and she seemed very responsive.

Malo was sailing and she was happy to be moving effortlessly over the water of San Francisco Bay.

It was looking as if our sailing dream was moving forward....but wait, there was still a big issue.  The engine motor caused the entire boat to vibrate.  I could never have handled that noise, nor that vibration.  Something was not right.  Next step;  have the boat hauled out of the water to check the propeller.

Svensen's Marina was the place !

Norm made some calls, and the next day we motored the boat to this delightful boat yard called Svensen's Marina.  They lifted it on their travel lift, power washed the bottom, and we got to examine the underside, as well as the propeller. 

Perhaps the pitch was wrong for the size of engine.  Who knows??

Now it was back to the negotiations.  Sea trials, inspection and boat haul out were all completed.  Dan did some more figuring based on results, and our final offer made and accepted.  On March 31, 2016 we were the new owners of Malo.

Captain Dan and First Mate Bev

We decided to keep her name, as we are planning to cruise in Mexico and Malo means "bad" in Spanish.  Also Malo means "good job" in Somoan, as we later learned from Keith, our dock master, at the South Beach Marina in Newport, Oregon.   Thus the name of this blog is:  Malo, A Boat Named Bad  In addition,  my dear friends Diane and Emily refer to people as being "bad asses" when achievements requiring great determination and perseverance are made.  This is and will certainly be within that classification of being bad ....