April, 2008. The call came in. "I need this boat out of my yard" KW & Chris drove from Va. Beach to the Northern Neck on a crappy ,cold ,grey Sunday for the extraction. Thanks to Effe and Robert, KW was still feeling the effects of the squaller @ Big Sam's the night before. Chris, on the other hand was sharp as a tack. During the 2 1/2 hr. trip up, we questioned the condition of the "free" rig, knowing only that the boat was a Mako, and the trailer had two flat tires. Would this trip be a waste of time? As we pulled into the driveway and stepped out into the cold. damp air ,we spied the prize wedged in between two trees. It was full of leaves, branches and spiders, with the two left tires flatter than a Natty Lite left open on the front porch @ the Pony all night. We hooked her up to the 250 & drug it out into the dim grey light. Out came the jack, air compressor, grease gun, tools, and a whole lot of hope to make the trailer road-worthy. We got the tires aired-up, tightened and greased all the bearings, and had to remove the dragging brake shoes on the right front wheel. Next we installed a new set of lights and wiring harness, but couldn't get them to work. After an hour of screwing around, Mick donated an extension cord so we could cut it up in order to get enough wire to ground the lights.(There is no NAPA nearby!) So at 5:30 we finally hit the road and headed back to VB. Of course it was raining and getting dark. The Mako towed like a dream, and we lost about 20 pounds of leaves in the first mile. We stopped @ KFC in Klmarnock for some vittles. While in line , we got to listen to the "Entertainer" , some old dude in a Pink Jacket and pink beaded necklace with a keyboard and microphone singin' oldies. So here I (KW) am, standing in KFC, my head still throbbing from the Big Sam's incident, I've been on the road all day, worked out in the cold for three hours, and still have a two hour drive home in the rain and dark towing a questionable rig with an illegal tag, and I'm rockin' out with the old folks on a Sunday night in freekin' downtown Kilmarnock, VA. Yeee-haa!
Anyway, we made it back, got the motor running the next day, and started cleaning her up. The boat is solid and has a lot of potential. As of 5/23. we are still in the "tear apart" mode and will start going back together soon.

We spent almost a year getting the boat ready for the water. All of the wiring was replaced, new gauges installed,new controls,new fuel tank and hoses,new stereo & speakers,new hardware, and the center console was completely filled and painted.
Effe was in charge of rebuilding the teak deck hatches and fabricating a new forward hatch cover.
The first test run was in June of 2009 and we just idled around Rudee Inlet one night. Went just fine.
The next trip was in Broad Bay with the kids and it was a full-on adventure. First time we opened up the Evinrude 200 it ran like a top.
The Mako had many more local outings including tubing trips,dinner cruises and fishing.
The best trip was to the Northern Neck of Virginia to visit the waters where she "originally" came from. The gentleman that gave me the boat was there for the July 4th Holiday and was amazed at how good she looked. We took him for a spin and hung out on the beach with the whole crew. He even brought his 1980 Mako 23 Center Console out for the day. (I want that one next)
Check out the recently added pics near the end of the gallery and check back for more.
*She was sold on August 23rd, 2010 to a lucky new owner right here in VB. I'l miss this boat!