The Hunt for a New Boat

After being a scow sailor for the past 25 years it was time to move up to a keel boat.  I still have my Melges M20 and have won many races on our local Lake Kampeska.  If you have ever sailed a scow you know they are a blast and can be a hand full in heavy winds. 

My search for a suitable boat began several years ago. I have sailed many different boats over the years.  We have chartered extensively in the Caribbean and the Great Lakes.  Many of my friends on the lake have smaller keel boats  I have sailed on Hunters, McGregors, Catalina and S2 sailboat.  The S2 impressed me the most with the quality of the fiberglass the quickness of the boat. 

There are not that many boat dealer located in the Midwest due to the short sailing season.  I was constantly cruising the Internet in search of a nice used S2.  The S2 6.9 is a 22 foot model with a retractable keel. There were only 174 built between 1983 and 1986.

The S2 6.9 has loyal group of followers who maintain a website at http://www.sail-s2.org/6.9home.php. I found out alot about the history of the boats and possible sources for used parts. S2 sailboats was a division of Tiara Yachts of Holland Michigan.  They were mainly a powerboat builder but got into the sailboat building business for a few years during the 1980s.

I ran across my new used 1985 S2 6.9 on a website call Hooper Yachts.  They are located in east St Paul Minnesota.  There used to be quite a fleet of the S2 6.9 on Lake Minnetonka at one time.  This boat was a one owner boat and looked to be lightly used, only sailed on Sundays!



2010 was a tough years, I lost may father to cancer in March and I became somewhat motivated by his death.  My mother had passed away 20 years earlier from colon cancer so I know how precious time can be.  My father, Lloyd was a great outdoorsman and was a major influence in my life.  We were not rich growing up but he knew the most important thing he could do was to spend time with his 5 kids. He bought an old Century inboard boat and we fixed it up. We all learned to water ski, snow ski and learned to love the water and being active.  We spent many a summer day on the numerous lakes around the Midwest.  Lloyd left me a little fun money and I could think of no better way to spend it than on a boat. I know he would approve.  So I went to Minneapolis and purchased the boat.