Jim and I have been long-distance cruisers for five years. Most of that time has been spent on good sized boats, most recently our Fathom 40, but last year we decided it was time for a change. After redefining our cruising goals we came up with a plan to buy…

After one night at Shilshole Bay Marina we left dock and headed for the Hiram M. Chttenden Locks. We locked through in the small lock with many spectators lined up above us. Had a nice chat with one of the friendly Lockmasters while going up in the lock. We are…

First time out for a spin on the boat, a trip to the gas dock and a little docking practice.

We headed up to Anacortes today to spend our first night on our new Kismet. What a treat. We spent a lot of time appreciating the well thought out design and quality of workmanship of the Fathom 40. Tracy Prescott from Fathom met us at the boat, just before lunch, to go…

Our Kismet finally feels the fresh northwest air, goes for a truck ride, touches water, gets its top put on and its engine started – all on a rare, for the Pacific Northwest, sunny and warm, February day.   We arrived at the Fathom plant at 8a.m. just in time…

Well, we got the word on Thursday that Ric, at Fathom, has scheduled the truck to come pick up our boat at the plant, early Monday morning, to take it to LaConnor where it will hit the water shortly after. We won’t move onto the boat until, probably Wednesday after…

Remarkable! This is what we think when we see the professional dedication that the craftsmen apply to the quality workmanship as they build our Kismet. We’ve included photos of some of the crew who are finishing the installation of the port windows, cabinetry, carpeting and detail on the teak trim…

It’s hard to believe how quickly three months will fly by. That’s how long it has been since our new “Kismet” was started and today we were told that if all goes as planned she’ll splash on February 11th – two days ahead of schedule. We continue to be amazed…

There are a lot of important areas of a boat however two of the most important are the galley and head (kitchen and bathroom for you landlubbers).  Top-left:  In this photo you are able to see the teak galley cabinets before the granite counter top has been installed. They’ve also set…

A fun day at the Fathom plant. On our latest visit to Fathom we were able to witness the culmination of 8 weeks of hard work come together to form what is starting to look like a boat.First we took the last photos of the hull’s interior before the deck…

There has been a lot of progress on Kismet since our last posting. Most of the progress is not immediately visible. In the top 2 photos you’ll see the 9KW Northern Light diesel generator has been installed and unlike our last generator this one will have a sound shield, making…

We made our second trip to the Fathom plant and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of progress made in 7 working days.Top-left – Jim standing next to the boat gives you a good idea of expedition design. The bow thruster has been installed and the holes have been cut…

Beginning of the week we drove up to Bow, Washington to take our first look at the new Kismet. We were so excited to see our dream boat finally up close and personal. Here are some shots we took:Top-left: The outside work on the hull is complete for a while…

Top-left: Taking the mold off of a boat hull is like breaking a very large hard boiled egg open. Here you see 3 men separating the transom portion of the mold.Top-right: This is a shot of the bow where the technicians are pulling the port side mold off the hull.Bottom-left:…

Left: This is a photo of the two hull sides combined so that the bottom of the hull can be sprayed with white gelcoat. Note the two cylindrical areas in the bow – this is where the bow thrusters will be mounted. Also notice the swirl marks on the base…