Yet another Florida Cracker!
Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 9:58 am
Hi folks! We're Bill and Maggi from the Nature Coast, i.e., home port: Hudson, Florida. I'm originally from the Suncoast, (St. Pete/Clearwater native), but moved north 50 miles when I retired. Owned probably 25 boats in my lifetime, starting with raising and repairing worn out mullet boats from the marsh of Clam Bayou at the end of my grandpa's street at age 11 or 12. But in all that time, I've never owned a new outfit until now.
The rear Admiral and I decided when we moved here that another boat was in order, and there are a lot of `toons and `toon dealers here. There's also plenty of fresh and salt water around here to take advantage of, so we stopped in to see a dealer with what looked like a good selection. We looked at an Avalon LS 2500 with a John-rude eTec 135 HO on it. The 2500 was NOS, (New Old Stock, a 2013}, and the motor was a 2015 model even though it was still 2014. It was beautiful, luxurious, comfortable, yada, yada, yada. Then I heard the price. We thanked the salesman, got in the truck and drove away. About two miles down the road, the Admiral punched me in the shoulder and said, "F**k it! We can't take it with us, and you've never had a new outfit."
So, we have owned the "Salt-Toon Cracker" for about a year now, and just love her. The nomenclature plate says "13 passengers", and we've had that many aboard, (four young-uns though). With our usual load of 4 adults, the 135 HO pushes us at 25 mph (gps) in 1 to 2 foot seas, and with me alone in calm water about 32. Happy, happy happy!
Don't have pics I like yet of the outfit, but if you google "2013 Avalon LS 2500" you'll get a stock photo of our boat with a stock family aboard! I'll get real pics soon, I prom
Bill & Maggi
So, I guess it's "soon" now. Here's pics:
The rear Admiral and I decided when we moved here that another boat was in order, and there are a lot of `toons and `toon dealers here. There's also plenty of fresh and salt water around here to take advantage of, so we stopped in to see a dealer with what looked like a good selection. We looked at an Avalon LS 2500 with a John-rude eTec 135 HO on it. The 2500 was NOS, (New Old Stock, a 2013}, and the motor was a 2015 model even though it was still 2014. It was beautiful, luxurious, comfortable, yada, yada, yada. Then I heard the price. We thanked the salesman, got in the truck and drove away. About two miles down the road, the Admiral punched me in the shoulder and said, "F**k it! We can't take it with us, and you've never had a new outfit."
So, we have owned the "Salt-Toon Cracker" for about a year now, and just love her. The nomenclature plate says "13 passengers", and we've had that many aboard, (four young-uns though). With our usual load of 4 adults, the 135 HO pushes us at 25 mph (gps) in 1 to 2 foot seas, and with me alone in calm water about 32. Happy, happy happy!
Don't have pics I like yet of the outfit, but if you google "2013 Avalon LS 2500" you'll get a stock photo of our boat with a stock family aboard! I'll get real pics soon, I prom
Bill & Maggi
So, I guess it's "soon" now. Here's pics:
- Here's the outfit in front of the house.
- outfit_sm.jpg (168.14 KiB) Viewed 4472 times
- Kids and their phones! The blonde one's ours, the other a college friend.
- photo_of_photo.jpg (78.87 KiB) Viewed 4471 times
- More kids goofing on the way to the sandbar. Note my buddy John "flashing" us in the background.
- More_kids_goofing.jpg (98.97 KiB) Viewed 4473 times
- Typical Sunday at the sandbar. You CAN see the sandbar, can't you?
- sandbar_Sunday.jpg (70.61 KiB) Viewed 4473 times
