International Seawind Pilots Association

Ecstasy

----- Original Message -----
From: Bud Gustin
To: ISPA
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 10:05 AM
Subject: "ECSTASY"

[Dear ISPA Friends,]

The picture is that of "ECSTASY" our Cherubini 44 design which I built as a 7 year project when we lived in Lansdale, Pa.

We launched her in 1983 and moved aboard in Sept.1985 when I retired. We spent about a year in the Bahamas and then went down island, spent about 6 months along the coast of South America (Venezuela) and then returned home in June of 1988.

We had about 7-8,000 miles offshore with the longest leg of 1200 miles. It was a good life and we snorkeled a lot of the reefs at all of the islands and that¹s what I feel I miss the most after 2 1/2 years of living aboard.

The vessel was very well equipped with everything you would need to live aboard and be safe for navigating the waters in the Bahamas and off shore ... all this with the best cook and companion you could ask for.

"ECSTASY"
44 ft on deck   51 ft overall lgth
12 ft beam
Displacement  loaded for cruising  35,000 lbs.
Working sail area 1133 sq ft - #1 genoa add 755 sq ft
Hydraulic anchor windlass with 200 ft 3/8 chain
Hydraulic driven scuba compressor to fill dive tanks
desalinator driven from hydraulic system also
Full electronics including radar, depth sounders, VHF radio, high frequency sideband radio
Sat-Nav, Loran, ect, Alden weather FAX,  ADF radio
Hot water shower
Freezer 100 lbs cap.
Complete galley
Refrigerator, pressure kerosene cook stove with oven
Kerosene bulkhead cabin heater
Aft stateroom with double ( small)
Double in forepeak,
4 berths (convertible) in main salon
Perkins 4-108 40 HP diesel engine.
105 gals. fuel cap.
125 gal freshwater tankage 

Bud & Betty Gustin

Bud and Betty Gustin,
A brief Bio. (Edited)

My wife and I live at Eagle Roost Airpark in Aguila, AZ, which is almost 100 miles west of Phoenix out in the desert. [...]

I have very little flying experience and that was in 1957-60. Raising a young family and paying for flying didn't mix. I was in the US Air Force 1951-55 and went through A & E school and B-47 Specialist maintenance school. I didn't fly in the air force.

When I left the service I went to engineering school at Pennsylvania State University and after had to go to work at a serious job. In 1964 I went into the industrial crane and hoist business. We had a shop. We designed, built, and installed cranes and monorail systems in foundries, paper mills, steel mills, etc.

I retired from the business and sold it in 1985 and went sailing on the yacht that I had built over a period of 7 1/2 years. We cruised and lived aboard for 2 1/2 years in the Caribbean and when we returned to the states I sold the boat.

I became interested in the SEAWIND and went to Halliburton, Canada and visited the works there. The folks at the plant told me that there was a man building one near where I lived and upon return I visited with him. This was Dick Silva in Kimberton.

Not long after that, Dick took over the rights to the airplane, and in a whirlwind situation he began to build and ship kit parts. He hired engineers, an aircraft mechanic, and tried to keep the interest in the SEAWIND alive. He has put a lot of time and money into this idea [...] This whole situation is an enigma as he's had to fight off predators that wanted to take the design for themselves.[...]

He told me that I could build a kit in 1600 hours; [...] After spending the time to build the yacht (see attachment) I knew that it was going to be a bigger project than that [...]