Small dreams come true

I now own a 31' 1975 Airstream Excella 500

I received an email from a woman who said she had seen my ad on the internet-( since she made no mention of bondage gear, I could only assume she meant she had seen one of the many ads I had posted looking for an Airstream. ) Yes, she did know of an Airstream for sale in Nova Scotia, a 1975 Excella. I asked her what I thought were all the right questions about it, and pretty soon decided I wanted to see this one in person... "I'll come and see it this week," I told her< "Unless you're in Cape Breton or some other remote place, 'cause I want to tow it to Hubbards...," I'm in Fox Point" she said. That's when I got the goosebumps, Fox Point is only about 12 miles from Hubbards. So I went to see it, trying to keep in mind the 3 points I called the deal breakers - if there was end sag, spongy floor, or mouse poop, I told myself I'd walk away. It was a lovely sunny day when I drove out to see it, lovely gleaming ship, right at the ocean side on a private beach. I did what I though was a thorough check, got underneath, and even reached blindly into back corners, behind credenzas and into walls looking for mouse poop. None. I lifted the vinyl floor up near the door, and the plywood under was discoloured, but dry, with no rot. I knocked the owner down by $500(!) and put a deposit on it then and there. It even has the original awning, just missing three clips. So, I went away happy.

Then it rained all week. I went back today to pay the remainder, and the previous owner was good enough to show me all the inner workings of the stove and other appliances and fixtures. I looked under the vinyl again, but this time it was wet- so I thought-"Hey, I own this baby now" and I pulled up a large section of the vinyl. Ta Da, there was a small rotted area of floor in the corner by the lounge. Wet and rotted. The door had been leaking and water pooled in that corner, it looked like this has been going on for some time. Oh well, my problem now, eh? So I stopped at a Marina in Chester and talked with some guys who were overhauling their boats (If anyone knows about wood preservation, it'll be these guys, right?) So I got some great advice, tips on products and offers to help. The rot in the floor may not be as bad a situation as I thought. I feel charmed. The universe is conspiring to rain blessings down upon me. The next thing is getting it towed to Hubbards, to Iain and Peter's for the summer- they've rented it for the summer to use while the renovate their home. So the trailer will stay down on the South Shore for now, near all the helpful boat guys I met today...