This owner hired me to check out this boat, it was listed for less than $30k. Given the rebuilt engine, generator, and money spent on the bottom and the skeg rudder, with an investment after getting her to tacoma she would be a good valuable boat.
After the evaluation trip I figured with an auto pilot and solar panel that I could deliver he to tacoma washington. Also made the decision to do this trip single handed.
Spent about 5 days in Keehi, and the waikiki area prepping and provisioning the boat. I brought my AIS transponder, EPIRB, radar reflector, and a certified raft for safety. Took me 19 days after leaving Ala Wai to arrive in Neah Bay. The velvet drive gave out as I was coming into Neah Bay. This gear box was full when I checked it in hawaii, and only ran the engine a total of about 20 hrs on the whole trip. So not sure what happened, but my guess is that a seal was leaking the fluid. Sailed the boat off dock from neah bay to port angeles, then again from port angeles to port townsend. The owner then came and towed the boat to Day Island in Tacoma.
I retained Captain Ray to evaluate NANEA as to her capabilities for him to deliver her from Honolulu HI to Day Island in WA; and to deliver her should he conclude she could handle the trip. He superbly handled the assignment, and I could not be more pleased with the results. Upon examination of the transmission and a check below the water line, the transmission issue proved to be the result of a fouled propeller not of discernable poor condition. The transmission itself had virtually exploded sending metal pieces all around the engine bed with gears protruding from what was left of its casing and the engine was misaligned on it mounts. The check below the waterline revealed a large amount of heavy netting that somewhere on her 2600-mile journey across the heavily fished North Pacific had become wrapped tightly around the prop. This, however, was a bad news/good news situation as a local shop had several identical units on hand and I was quickly able to replace it and realign the engine. An added benefit was that Capt. Ray had to prove his bones sailing the Straights of Juan de Fuca into and out of two constricted harbors w/o auxiliary power and I was able to enjoy a ten-hour cruise on beautiful Puget Sound on the navy launch I converted 40 years ago that needed just such a test. I do not view the fouling of the prop as having been avoidable and commend Capt. Ray for the handling of NANEA thereafter.