I watched boats cruise up and down the Ohio River for the last 30 years and never thought about buying one.  I always thought of a boat as a “dark hole that you throw you money into.”  After meeting a friend that had a bass boat, I thought it would be fun to have something a bit more comfortable.  He had been watching an old Citation 23 foot cuddy cabin for sale up in St. Mary’s, WV.  Once he told me about it, I just had to take a look for myself.  Well, most people know what that means!  I saw the boat and knew it had to be mine.  It was a great kick when we went for the test ride and they brought the boat out of the hole and up on plane!  Something I never experienced since I had been a sailor in the 1970′s and the sail boats were much slower.  They were still a thrill to sail, but nothing is like that feeling when the motor revs up and that boat almost flies out of the water to plane.  I still get goosebumps sometimes when I bring my boat up on plane.

We had quite a few adventures with the first Citation.  We were towed 3 times and almost were swept down the Ohio River one time when the motor stopped on us.  We changed the electric module and thought that was it.  NO, towed once again.  We changed the coil and that worked for awhile.  Towed again.  Finally realized my local boat mechanic needed to give her a good tune up.  After that, our towing days were over.

See the Citation for the First Time

I learned a lot about maning/womaning a motor boat.  Quite a challenge and great fun.  I learned to dock and adjust the trim for maxium plane speed.

We spent the summer learning about all the fun places along the Ohio River near Marietta, OH.  We even trailered the boat to other pools so we could see what was beyond the locks.  Sometimes it was just easier to trailer the boat and fill it up with gas than find gas at marinas along the river.

Citation at Dock in Marietta, OH