My uncle Jeff and I are going to build a boat. Well, we’re not quite going to build it from scratch. We’re going to fit out a hull that we’re having custom made for us. This was all Jeff’s idea; a friend of a friend of his know a guy who sells plate aluminium boat hulls in Melbourne. These are essentially ‘bare bones’ frameworks ready to be kitted out by, well, boat nerds.
I’m something of a boat nerd myself, relative the majority of the population, but Jeff is next level. I guess that’s why he’s so keen to do this with me – he doesn’t know anyone else who comes anywhere near his level of nerdery when it comes to things like stainless steel snapper racks, live bait tanks, bow rails and swim platforms.
When it comes down to it, I guess what he’s really into here is the idea of customising a boat, not building one. Fishing accessories are his main game. What’s strange to me is that he doesn’t seem to be that into the actual activity of fishing. Oh well, whatever floats your boat…
What floats my boat is the idea of taking the empty, alloy shell of a boat that we’re going to get, and transforming into a really comfortable place to hang out. For me, the whole point of having a boat is being able to escape out onto the water and do very little. I sense that Jeff feels similarly about it; even fishing is too much of a bother for him. But I guess it’s nice to have all the paraphernalia on hand, just in case.
I’m guessing we’re going to need to get a boat trailer to get this hull over to Geelong from the workshop; either that or some kind of flatbed truck… lots to think about and lots to shell out for. I have faith that uncle Jeff’s enthusiasm will see this venture through to a solid outcome. Then it’ll just be a matter of deciding who gets to use the boat when!