# morganj337 sailing a Balboa 20 lake Erie.



## morganj337 (Apr 5, 2014)

I have been building wooden river boats for about six years. I wanted to build a sailboat and sail on Lake Erie. I worked for about a year on a design. I would study sailboats listed on line and try to figure out what I would want to include on my boat. While I was surfing Craig's list I found a 20 foot balboa at a very good price. I decided that if I bought a used boat, I could be sailing much sooner and at lower cost than building a boat. My first upgrade to the boat was a new Tohatsu sail pro outboard. I docked it on north west lake Erie, and sailed through out the summer, improving the boat and my skills each week. I had a great summer on the lake, solo sailing. 

Since removing the boat from the water in September I have repaired the gel coat on the deck, refinished the wood trim, and painted the interior. I am looking forward to sailing some longer trips next summer.

Before returning to the water next spring I want to replace the motor mount, do some repairs to the main sail, get a good radio, some cushions, and possibly a solar panel.

I meet some nice people last summer, I want to meet some more nice people next year.


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## mf70 (Nov 6, 2014)

It sounds like your boat building was a good preparation for maintaining an "older" fiberglass boat.


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