The cigar thread

[Selassie I]

@Selassie I that's a totally amazing story! lmao Totally my personality, love in ingenuity. The devils in the details and sounds like you guys had them locked down pretty good. That was some pretty damned good extra cash there! haha IMO and isn't a crime that hurts anybody with laws that are pretty antiquated.

Man that Florida life and hoping over the Bahamas, the Keys, Cuba or wherever sounds so amazing and just the fishing part as well with that.

Reason I was inquiring is with the products I sell in South America looking to start bringing back goods and one that struck me was cigars besides the normal ass coffee/panela, vanilla, etc. I bring back now.

I'm defiantly planning on moving to Florida in the near future to make the plane rides a lot shorter and want to get a Cat to, so basically with a center cat you can easily get around for about 150 miles? How much does the tank take out of curiosity? How much is a decent cat to fish travel decently and live comfortably cost?

Most importantly which is the reason I haven't moved there yet is what the hell do you do when a Hurricane comes? With your boat, house etc etc.

P.s. a passion of mine was reading up on that 1715 Spanish fleet? You have any stories regarding those? Haha Could talk all day about this stuff!

Captain... we're taking the thread way off course! Ha

My particular kind/model of cat is one that has won the Bimini challenge for it's size in the past. That's a challenge that has boats travel from NC to Bimini which is over 500 miles... and it has to be done on just what the boat's tank(s) can hold. So no refueling or carrying extra tanks on deck. So obviously mine can travel way more than 150 miles on one tank. My tanks hold only about 200 gallons total.

A good cat is going to cost 6 figures... but there are some that don't cost near as much. I have 2 different friends who own Freeman cats. Both of those boats are over 1 million dollars... one of them is 1.5 mill. Most cats in Florida are center console boats, so you might have a bathroom inside the console... but none of them are boats you can live on. They're designed for fishing/diving.

About a year or 2 before he died, Jimmy Buffet had a custom cat made for himself. He took a Freeman cat's hull and had them add the cabin and flying bridge of some kind of sportfisher on top. So he had a cat one could technically live aboard. That boat cost millionS to have made. You can look up pictures of it.

We all respect hurricanes as Florida Natives, but we don't necessarily fear them at all unless you live directly on the intercoastal or the beach really. I'm in the Orlando area so I'm 30 minutes away from the coast. The srorm surges don't come close to the center of the state. My boat sits on a big ass trailer so it's fine... I can't remember how many hurricanes it's been through. I'm able to park it in my backyard behind our fence. My friends who have the Freeman cats leave their boats in the water for the most part. One of them is trailer-able, so they take it out of the water when a storm is approaching. My other friend's Freeman is too big for a trailer, so he either runs it to another part of the state on the water or he just has it tied up behind his crib in the water VERY GOOD and it has always been fine.

I'll post a copy of my Hurricane Evacuation plan below. This plan is permanently posted in my garage...

 

[fearsomefour]

Since you are just getting into it, ask the guy to give you a wide variety of different tastes and see what you like best. Sometimes your taste might change depending on your adult beverage you are having with it... but most people have different taste preferences. The cool part is sampling and finding out yourself.

Yeah, I enjoyed talking to the shop owner.
I got 3 or 4 different kinds.....lots to learn....like some other things in life, learning is funnest part.

 

[fearsomefour]

This. Times infinity

At the end of the day, all of us have different palates. Someone may detect dark fruits and hazelnuts, but that doesn't mean that you will.

Always try cigars (or wine, cognac, etc) yourself. Only you can tell what your favourite is.

This is very true.
I grew up in wine country CA.
Lots of wine snobs around that area. I almost always buy wine from there. Most of it is very good. Traveling recently through Washington found a winery up there that I thought was just great. One of my favorites ever.
I enjoy good food, scotch, wine and trying to get into cigars.....I am developing the trappings of wealth without the money, haha.

 

[fearsomefour]

Im learning a lot reading this thread....thanks you good people.

 

[Corbin]

Captain... we're taking the thread way off course! Ha

My particular kind/model of cat is one that has won the Bimini challenge for it's size in the past. That's a challenge that has boats travel from NC to Bimini which is over 500 miles... and it has to be done on just what the boat's tank(s) can hold. So no refueling or carrying extra tanks on deck. So obviously mine can travel way more than 150 miles on one tank. My tanks hold only about 200 gallons total.

A good cat is going to cost 6 figures... but there are some that don't cost near as much. I have 2 different friends who own Freeman cats. Both of those boats are over 1 million dollars... one of them is 1.5 mill. Most cats in Florida are center console boats, so you might have a bathroom inside the console... but none of them are boats you can live on. They're designed for fishing/diving.

About a year or 2 before he died, Jimmy Buffet had a custom cat made for himself. He took a Freeman cat's hull and had them add the cabin and flying bridge of some kind of sportfisher on top. So he had a cat one could technically live aboard. That boat cost millionS to have made. You can look up pictures of it.

We all respect hurricanes as Florida Natives, but we don't necessarily fear them at all unless you live directly on the intercoastal or the beach really. I'm in the Orlando area so I'm 30 minutes away from the coast. The srorm surges don't come close to the center of the state. My boat sits on a big ass trailer so it's fine... I can't remember how many hurricanes it's been through. I'm able to park it in my backyard behind our fence. My friends who have the Freeman cats leave their boats in the water for the most part. One of them is trailer-able, so they take it out of the water when a storm is approaching. My other friend's Freeman is too big for a trailer, so he either runs it to another part of the state on the water or he just has it tied up behind his crib in the water VERY GOOD and it has always been fine.

I'll post a copy of my Hurricane Evacuation plan below. This plan is permanently posted in my garage...


View attachment 71608

Sailor we are in uncharted waters!

That’s so bad ass! So your cat doesn’t use sails or it’s a combo? Yeeeah… thinking a million is way out of my league for my boat. More like into the 100kish for a decent one like you recommended.

Ohhh shit I missed the part where you can’t live aboard them. So are these cats kinda of like what Kevin Costner had in water world?? Just a little ass cabin? Ohhh I just looked up Jimmy Buffets boat. Okay I was thinking those bigger sized Catamaran’s! Lol Not the fishing looking boats..
Ol Buffets boat looked pretty beast! lol

Agh.. well that makes me feel better about boats/housing there. Always videos of them far as hell inland because of the wind/surge and thought they’d be a total loss.

I’m not 100% sure yet but was thinking of moving in the Fort Meyers or Vero beach áreas. Cheaper housing and not as many people. I know they are two different sides of the coast about kinda what in looking for. As I’m getting líder I’m getting crabbier and don’t want to have people inmediately near me like for town somewhere. Also want to be near an international airport for quick flights to South America etc.

I obviously need to do more research in the fishing life as I could see buying right the first time will save time and money Down the road.

Essentially, yes.

As I said, it’s all subjective. I hate dry, tar-like cigars. But some people like them.

I’m going to have to smoke both sides of that equation to see the difference.

 

[Selassie I]

@Corbin

No sailboats for me Brah! No fucking way LOL.

Now there are cat sailboats that are definitely made to live on... or at least stay on for extended trips. They are very roomy compared to regular sailboats, but they require boat slips that are at least 2 to 4 times wider than all the normal slips because of their extreme widths. In some cases it means you won't find a slip big enough and will be forced to tie up on the outer edge of the dock/marina, and that exposes one side of your boat and definitely is not ideal when bad weather rolls in. They offer extreme stability though in all water conditions.

I love Water World. That boat Cosner had in that was a cat... but it was like a giant Hobie cat with a tiny cabin as I recall... They make cat sailboats that are a lot more structured than that one.

My cat is powered by 2 outboard motors. Some of the bigger ones like the Freemans have 4 and they are beyond badass. In fact, most consider them to be the baddest outboard powered boats on the planet by far. My friend in the Keys took my sons out on his Freeman about 2 weeks ago. They went to the Dry Tortugas from Marathon (160 miles). They got there in under 3 hours. You better have plenty of $ to pay for gas in one like his though. Here's a shot of the motors and the helm on his 52' Freeman. That's one of my twins and his new fiancé chilling in the back.

If you're thinking about a big cat sailboat they are very cool. Not for me, but they always remind me of an older couple my wife and I met who lived on their's who we met over in the Bahamas years ago. We were just drinking on our boat one evening at the dock when a big ass red standard poodle ran down the dock and jumped onto our boat. It belonged to that couple. The wife came over apologizing and that's how we met. Her husband only had a few years to live and they were just sailing their big cat through the Caribbean for the rest of his days. It was a heartwrenching thought. They were lost trying to figure out how to catch lobsters... so I gave them one of my custom made pole spears and told em what to do. I told them that I was taking their beautiful poodle with long wild ass surfer like hair as payment. LOL. My wife and I decided then that we would have a big red poodle one day too after that day.

Years later, and then about 4 years after our schnauzer passed... we have a red golden doodle who is mostly poodle. So I do have a soft spot for cat sailboats because of that.

 

[Selassie I]

@Corbin

Fort Myers... very expensive and surrounded by geriatrics.

Vero Beach... dirt cheap.
People who live there call it Zero Beach because there's nothing to do there. I used to dive right off the beaches there all the time and have bagged some monster bugs there. One was my biggest ever and it was over 19 pounds. Very redneck and rural.

 

[Corbin]

@Corbin

No sailboats for me Brah! No fucking way LOL.

Now there are cat sailboats that are definitely made to live on... or at least stay on for extended trips. They are very roomy compared to regular sailboats, but they require boat slips that are at least 2 to 4 times wider than all the normal slips because of their extreme widths. In some cases it means you won't find a slip big enough and will be forced to tie up on the outer edge of the dock/marina, and that exposes one side of your boat and definitely is not ideal when bad weather rolls in. They offer extreme stability though in all water conditions.

I love Water World. That boat Cosner had in that was a cat... but it was like a giant Hobie cat with a tiny cabin as I recall... They make cat sailboats that are a lot more structured than that one.

My cat is powered by 2 outboard motors. Some of the bigger ones like the Freemans have 4 and they are beyond badass. In fact, most consider them to be the baddest outboard powered boats on the planet by far. My friend in the Keys took my sons out on his Freeman about 2 weeks ago. They went to the Dry Tortugas from Marathon (160 miles). They got there in under 3 hours. You better have plenty of $ to pay for gas in one like his though. Here's a shot of the motors and the helm on his 52' Freeman. That's one of my twins and his new fiancé chilling in the back.

View attachment 71619

View attachment 71620


If you're thinking about a big cat sailboat they are very cool. Not for me, but they always remind me of an older couple my wife and I met who lived on their's who we met over in the Bahamas years ago. We were just drinking on our boat one evening at the dock when a big ass red standard poodle ran down the dock and jumped onto our boat. It belonged to that couple. The wife came over apologizing and that's how we met. Her husband only had a few years to live and they were just sailing their big cat through the Caribbean for the rest of his days. It was a heartwrenching thought. They were lost trying to figure out how to catch lobsters... so I gave them one of my custom made pole spears and told em what to do. I told them that I was taking their beautiful poodle with long wild ass surfer like hair as payment. LOL. My wife and I decided then that we would have a big red poodle one day too after that day.

Years later, and then about 4 years after our schnauzer passed... we have a red golden doodle who is mostly poodle. So I do have a soft spot for cat sailboats because of that.

Honestly (at least in my head ) I've pictured having a sailboat/ on board motors for a duel purpose boat. I was have a scenario in my head where the engines goes out and you are stuck at sea, where with the sails you can at least get your ass somewhere safe and maybe extend your range to. Was kinda of heading in the direction of extended stays on board but not permanent living (2 or 3 days). I'll have to look into those, do you have any recommended boat brands/models that you think are great value?

When I was younger in Oahu Hawaii and Panama City FL me and my used to take a small cat out and sail, I think the oceans been in my blood ever since. I can't imagine combining traveling some with fishing and diving. That sounds like the life! lol

Yeah Water World is awesome! Even back then I think the price of that boat was a million dollars.

That's a bad ass picture of that Freeman! Tell me, do you have many problems with your engines? Are the expensive troublesome to have repaired/maintained/serviced? Are they reliable? I think I'd be more in your boat with a 2 engine set up tbh.

P.s. you have twins? Wait so @Ramrasta is one of the twins? That finally makes sense now that you said your other son is a Colts fan? lol wth?

That's a very bad ass story of that couple you met there regarding that cat sailboat. Man, that's hard to hear them trying to live it up before the end. Man life is crazy as hell and hope we went well.

@Corbin

Fort Myers... very expensive and surrounded by geriatrics.

Vero Beach... dirt cheap.
People who live there call it Zero Beach because there's nothing to do there. I used to dive right off the beaches there all the time and have bagged some monster bugs there. One was my biggest ever and it was over 19 pounds. Very redneck and rural.

Same with Vero Beach/ Fort Pierce areas. What would you recommend to get good value on housing etc. and be within driving distance from an international airport and things to do? Kind of hit the middle of that triangle?

Looking to get more bang for my buck, be away from people so it lowers the chances to have conflict, had to much in my life. Time to just enjoy the nature, good seafood, and drinks etc.

p.s. out there on the Vero beach side I can dive on some of those wrecks up that side of the coast. I'm going at the end of this year to take a few weeks and drive up and down and scout out the whole coast area. Looking for areas that stays out of the storm surge.

 

[Selassie I]

Honestly (at least in my head ) I've pictured having a sailboat/ on board motors for a duel purpose boat. I was have a scenario in my head where the engines goes out and you are stuck at sea, where with the sails you can at least get your ass somewhere safe and maybe extend your range to. Was kinda of heading in the direction of extended stays on board but not permanent living (2 or 3 days). I'll have to look into those, do you have any recommended boat brands/models that you think are great value?

When I was younger in Oahu Hawaii and Panama City FL me and my used to take a small cat out and sail, I think the oceans been in my blood ever since. I can't imagine combining traveling some with fishing and diving. That sounds like the life! lol

Yeah Water World is awesome! Even back then I think the price of that boat was a million dollars.

That's a bad ass picture of that Freeman! Tell me, do you have many problems with your engines? Are the expensive troublesome to have repaired/maintained/serviced? Are they reliable? I think I'd be more in your boat with a 2 engine set up tbh.

P.s. you have twins? Wait so @Ramrasta is one of the twins? That finally makes sense now that you said your other son is a Colts fan? lol wth?

That's a very bad ass story of that couple you met there regarding that cat sailboat. Man, that's hard to hear them trying to live it up before the end. Man life is crazy as hell and hope we went well.

Same with Vero Beach/ Fort Pierce areas. What would you recommend to get good value on housing etc. and be within driving distance from an international airport and things to do? Kind of hit the middle of that triangle?

Looking to get more bang for my buck, be away from people so it lowers the chances to have conflict, had to much in my life. Time to just enjoy the nature, good seafood, and drinks etc.

p.s. out there on the Vero beach side I can dive on some of those wrecks up that side of the coast. I'm going at the end of this year to take a few weeks and drive up and down and scout out the whole coast area. Looking for areas that stays out of the storm surge.

FIRST...My apologies to the fine cigar thread please!



HA... RamRasta is NOT one of the twins. They are his younger brothers. The one in the pic is the Ram fan twin.

The best outboard motors are Yamahas. There are some other quality makes though. Yamahas were the first to make a true marine engine though and they are the only motors I will ever own. Like any engine, preventive maintenance is required. I have mine done once a year.

Sailboats of good size don't use outboard motors though. They have small motors that are used when docking and maybe for short distance runs on windless days. I am not that familiar with sailboats though.

Ft Pierce and Vero is a great place to get big bang for your buck because there's nothing really there. No real jobs. A few years ago, the Wendy's fastfood restaurant went of business in Ft Pierce... I didn't even think that was possible. From what you've said... that area would be right up your alley. West Palm is just south on 95 if you need to step back into reality.

You said you like old Spanish fleet stories. Do you realize that there are COUNTLESS old sunken boats from the Spanish fleet all along the beaches in Ft Pierce and Vero? That area is called the Treasure Coast because of them. The fucking treasure hunter boats go along those beaches sucking up sand with their giant vacuums and find shit daily. They used to be in my dive spots at times and would fuck the visibility up bad. I've actually found 2 different old Spanish gold coins accidentally when diving there. They even have a treasure museum there displaying some of the amazing stuff they've found. Those boats sank along there a lot and they're buried under the sand close to shore. Sometimes after a hurricane, the sand is shifted so much that new old wrecks get exposed and all kinds of treasures with it. I hate those treasure vacuum boats though. That place is made for someone who loves the Spanish fleet from the 1700's.

 

[Corbin]

FIRST...My apologies to the fine cigar thread please!



HA... RamRasta is NOT one of the twins. They are his younger brothers. The one in the pic is the Ram fan twin.

The best outboard motors are Yamahas. There are some other quality makes though. Yamahas were the first to make a true marine engine though and they are the only motors I will ever own. Like any engine, preventive maintenance is required. I have mine done once a year.

Sailboats of good size don't use outboard motors though. They have small motors that are used when docking and maybe for short distance runs on windless days. I am not that familiar with sailboats though.

Ft Pierce and Vero is a great place to get big bang for your buck because there's nothing really there. No real jobs. A few years ago, the Wendy's fastfood restaurant went of business in Ft Pierce... I didn't even think that was possible. From what you've said... that area would be right up your alley. West Palm is just south on 95 if you need to step back into reality.

You said you like old Spanish fleet stories. Do you realize that there are COUNTLESS old sunken boats from the Spanish fleet all along the beaches in Ft Pierce and Vero? That area is called the Treasure Coast because of them. The fucking treasure hunter boats go along those beaches sucking up sand with their giant vacuums and find shit daily. They used to be in my dive spots at times and would fuck the visibility up bad. I've actually found 2 different old Spanish gold coins accidentally when diving there. They even have a treasure museum there displaying some of the amazing stuff they've found. Those boats sank along there a lot and they're buried under the sand close to shore. Sometimes after a hurricane, the sand is shifted so much that new old wrecks get exposed and all kinds of treasures with it. I hate those treasure vacuum boats though. That place is made for someone who loves the Spanish fleet from the 1700's.

DON"T WORRY! There will be a happy ending for the Cigar thread with lighting one up off the coast of Florida one day on a boat!


Dude you got to many damn kids for me to keep track of! lol

Good to note on the sailboats. Shit I need to do some research on them, however leaning towards a boat similar to your type of boat.
I'll keep those Yamahas in mind, last place you want problems is in the middle of the ocean especially without a volleyball to make into Wilson!


Good to note! About 3 hours to Miami INTL or 2 hrs to Orlando from Vero, however from what you told me Ft Pierce/Melbourne might be more realistic from what you're telling me. I like to be able to go to the store and buy a variety of products like at Sams/Costco etc.

And Yes! The 1715/1733 fleet sunk 11and 22 ships respectively and I've been obsessed with them since I was a teenager! I'm not choosing those areas for no reason! lol Diving/fishing and close enough to take a flight if you get bored with that for a while to go party some. Are there a lot of independently owned vacuum boats or are they more part of the Fisher fleet down there? I need to go to those museums when I'm down there!

ps @Selassie I can i have the year make and model of your boat?

 

[Selassie I]

DON"T WORRY! There will be a happy ending for the Cigar thread with lighting one up off the coast of Florida one day on a boat!


Dude you got to many damn kids for me to keep track of! lol

Good to note on the sailboats. Shit I need to do some research on them, however leaning towards a boat similar to your type of boat.
I'll keep those Yamahas in mind, last place you want problems is in the middle of the ocean especially without a volleyball to make into Wilson!


Good to note! About 3 hours to Miami INTL or 2 hrs to Orlando from Vero, however from what you told me Ft Pierce/Melbourne might be more realistic from what you're telling me. I like to be able to go to the store and buy a variety of products like at Sams/Costco etc.

And Yes! The 1715/1733 fleet sunk 11and 22 ships respectively and I've been obsessed with them since I was a teenager! I'm not choosing those areas for no reason! lol Diving/fishing and close enough to take a flight if you get bored with that for a while to go party some. Are there a lot of independently owned vacuum boats or are they more part of the Fisher fleet down there? I need to go to those museums when I'm down there!

ps @Selassie I can i have the year make and model of your boat?

Here's the website for my boat. There are several different lengths you can choose from. Normally you can't find owners selling them used... it's rare. So to get what you want you may have to buy new. Especially if you want a Prowler.

Renaissance Prowler | Custom Offshore Fishing Catamarans

Custom power catamarans by Renaissance Prowler represent the next step in offshore fishing boats.

www.renaissanceprowler.com