The Dog River Marina

The Dog River Marina .....

where we are staying is not only a marina but is also a working boat yard.

We are on "the hard" which is a term that we think means the "hard surface" which in turn means that you are not in the water.

We are on the black top next to the boat lift that puts boats in the water and takes them out. There is a lot of action around our boat from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. The boat to the right of the lift below is the stern of In My Element so the action is right off our back porch.

They, and therefore we, do get 30 minutes for lunch whether we need it or not..... usually we do! That is both good news and bad news.

The good news is that as long as you are "on the hard" here
 you are an active customer and are not charged a "moorage" fee or a "hardage" fee. The bad news is that as long as you are "on the hard" you can not run your heat or A/C or your septic system as there is no place to dump it. So we are on the routine that we had 48 years ago when we were first married and living in a small trailer [20 feet long]. Then we had an MJB coffee can.... now we have a 5 gallon bucket. What the hell has happened to us??!!

Part of the services they offer include.... outboard motor replacement. These guys went from two 200 H/P Yamaha engines to two 300 H/P Yamahas. Sometimes you just can't get there fast enough.

They also repaint boat bottoms which sometimes requires the removal of the previous layers of paint. This is tough work which is often done with grinders and sanders and a strong back. I will not comment on the usefulness of the mask that is hanging around his chin. There seems to be quite a few guys like him around the boat yard.

Many of these guys here are "died in the wool" Alabama football fans and their trucks clearly demonstrate that. I can remember a day when the Huskies had some bragging rights. When will that time come again?

One of their fortes is the refurbishment of local classics. Below is one of their 20' Bertrams that has been redone. It is a 1968 model and is now in great shape.

The next is a boat that is being updated after having completed the Great Loop this past year. They are having new bottom paint done, new canvas, and everything cleaned up. It is looking pretty good and should be a good

ride for someone looking for this kind of boat.

Lastly, the boat below came into the boatyard about an hour before we arrived. Some friends at the marina whom we had previously met at a boat meeting thought that it was our boat finally showing up and were wondering what we were thinking! Gilligan may have been on this one in the past.

Nautical Word For The Day:  [from seatalk.info]

Decommission:                                                  

1. To formally take a ship out of service and relieve the crew

of duty.                                                                       

From Great Loop Jargon:                                               

2. Dat is da money dat one pays the sales guy when you buy da boat.