The Commissioning of The Shrimp Whisker

March 16, 2019

We knew as soon as we got to Amsterdam that we wanted a boat. Today we put down a deposit on The Shrimp Whisker!

We found a place that restores old boats and we went to their warehouse today. Martin, the owner, showed us around the warehouse and explained the different kinds of boats they had and helped us figure out what was right for us. We wanted something big enough for 6-8 people, but not too big because it needs to be easy to deal with on the canals and because I want to be able to use it anytime I want so I need to be able to feel independent and not have to rely on James to navigate it for me.

Unfortunately, the boats we liked in the warehouse were already spoken for, but Martin assured us that once we found one we liked he’d be able to get the same type of boat and customize it to our exact specifications, but he warned us it might take longer depending on the style we chose and what was available. Some boats are in such high demand it can take months for one to become available. It’s tempting to just go to a store and by a brand new fiberglass boat, but we much prefer to get an old, authentic boat and have it restored, and the more time we spent at the warehouse, the more we knew that’s what we wanted.

Checking out the boats in the warehouse
There are so many things to take into consideration. Size, shape, and motor type are the main things but then you also have to decide on the style of wood seating, paint colors, cushions, the enclosure to keep out the rain and lots of other small details. We realized we needed a boat that had a deeper bow so that Brian has a comfortable place to ride.
The boats are in various stages of being done in the warehouse, but most are still very rough — just a hull in some cases so it’s hard to really picture what they are going to look like when they are all restored and customized.
James kept coming back to this style. He was pretty sure it was the right one for us, but it was only a 4 meter boat and it was just a little too small. We were conflicted though because 4 meter boats are in abundance and we would be able to get one very quickly. 5 meter boats are much more in demand, and there’s less inventory, so it meant there’s a likelihood we’d have a longer wait.
It’s a really hard decision.
Martin and Meghan went through every single detail with us to make sure we end up with the perfect boat.
And here she is! Well, this one is actually taken but Martin has another one almost exactly like it coming in next week. We spent several hours looking at different sizes and shapes and finally landed on a 5.5 meter Sloop boat. It’s bigger than what we had in mind, but it’s going to be fabulous.

We’re naming her The Shrimp Whisker. She’s going to be black with deep purple trim with custom-made orange cushions and orange lettering. I asked Dorothy to help us design the lettering. We can send the font we want to Martin and his artist will paint the name. She’ll add a little picture of a shrimp with long whiskers, too. We also decided to splurge for the rope that goes along the bumper because it’s super styley.

Here’s an example of the rope we will have adorning our boat. It’s more expensive than the motor, (Martin called it a very expensive accessory) but we love it. Martin says the rope gives your boat more resale value, but honestly, there’s no justifying the expense other than we are so excited to have a boat and we want it to be just what we’ve always dreamed of.

It’s going to be between 4-6 weeks until The Shrimp Whisker is up and running and ready for us to pick up. We are so excited!

About Me

Bio

Previous Posts

Site Title, Some rights reserved.

Terms of Use - Privacy Policy

WordPress Di Blog Theme