More painting

     I went it out to the boat today just to make sure everything was OK and clean up a bit and got sucked in.  Probably a good thing seeing as i want to get this project to a point where I can enjoy the boat.  I cleaned out the engine box and put the outboard in there to give me some room.  This reinforced my idea about making the covers easily removable because it was a pain to wiggle it in there.  I marked up the covers where they need to be sanded and measured for the hinge I will need.  While I had it all opened I hooked up the battery charger that is installed on the side of the galley and hooked it up to the battery to charge.  Free electricity at the new marina so why not?  Then it was time to start some real work.

     I started by measuring, making, and installing the supports to hold the cut outs in the backrest.  After they were installed I figured I should finish them so I removed the whole backrest and sanded the corners of them down and primed them.  Seeing as I had the backrest out I swept out all the dust from making the cuts and cleaned it all up.  Then I went ahead and put the second (and last) coat of paint on the inside.  Nothing holding me back from re installing the backrest now, so back in place it went.  Then I went ahead and painted the above mentioned supports and cutouts because the primer was already dry and I already had a brush used with primer.  My justification for that was not having to buy another $1 brush.  Weak.

     At this point I was so disgustingly sweaty I couldn't bear the thought of doing anymore for the day.  My hat was actually so saturated by sweat that it was dripping pretty steadily from the brim.  I didn't think to take any pictures, but you can look at pictures earlier of the other side to get an idea if you want.  It is pretty similar, except in the aft the backrest goes down instead of up.

Back from our trip

     Well, we made it through the 8 day, multi-state, family vacation alive but a little beat down.  I got a little sailing instruction while in Newport, got to taste almost 100 different types of cheese and a bunch of local beer at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, and I also stuffed my face with a couple of lobsters while in Boston.  Food wise it was a pretty damn good trip.

     I know I said in the last post that we were going to wait until today to move the boat over, but we decided at the last moment that we should do it before leaving.  That way if there was a problem we would still have today to take care of it.  It was insanely hot so we didn't attempt any sailing, we just ran straight to the new marina.  Thankfully it went very smoothly and the boat now sits in its new home within sight of the local tiki bar.  That is sure to get in the way of at least a little progress this year.

     Today I probably won't get a lot of time out there because of house cleaning, laundry, and an assortment of other chores that need to be taken care of after a week of slacking off but I am hoping to stop out there just to make sure everything is OK and that I don't have any notices or anything hanging on the boat. Then tomorrow it is back to work.  Joy.

New Marina

     Well, I took the plunge and rented out a slip at a new marina today.  It is nicer, larger, has more amenities, and most importantly, is cheaper.  I went to the boat a little while ago to tidy up and was driven back home by the heat.  The temperature right now is 101 with a heat index of 113.  I'm not sure we're going to make it out tonight to move or if it will just wait until the 1st.

     I still have to mow the yard before leaving in the morning and that is looking like an insurmountable chore right now.  I'm not even sure I will be able to get myself back outside to go to the pool.

Backrest

     The photo pretty much sums up today's work.  I got the backrest sanded to fit correctly, temporarily installed, and the hatches cut out.  The cuts need to be sanded around all the edges and then primed/painted to match the inside.  I also need to install a couple of pieces of wood to act as stops so the bottom pieces don't fall back inside the storage area.  They won't fall out because the cushion will be in front of them.  The top cut outs will remain open like the port side with something across the center to help keep items from falling out.

     I also spent some time at the marina office today trying to get the price of my slip lower so I don't have to move.  They did come down, but only to match the price of the next marina over (which is much nicer).  I guess that means we are going to be moving.  The plan is to do it either on Friday or when we get back from our trip.  I can only imagine how out of place our boat is going to look at the chi chi marina.

Paint & phone work

     The little bit of time I spent at the boat today was filled with painting.  I got the first coat of paint on the area that will be behind the starboard side backrest, the shelves in there, and the backside of the actual backrest itself.   Unfortunately, I think it is going to need two, if not three, coats to cover well.  Bah.  Even with everything opened up the smell got to be horrific.  Between that and the fact that I couldn't do a whole lot working around wet paint I decided to call it a day out there. That and it is just plain out hot this week!  Tomorrow I am going to have to temporarily install the backrest.  It will be easy enough to pull back off for the next coat of paint and it will make what is coming up that much easier.  It will also allow me to mark out the cutouts to access the storage areas.

     I came home and spent a while on the phone with different marinas.  My slip fee is up at the end of the month and I really don't feel like paying what they want.  I have a bunch of different quotes from other places in the area, some of which are much nicer, that I plan on taking to the office tomorrow to see if they will work with me.  Cross your fingers for me.  I would really like to stay where I am because of the location and people I have met there, but if I have to move to save a grand I will.

     Come this weekend the wife and I are making a week long trip up north to visit family.  While I'm looking forward to getting out of this heat for a week it means all this marina fun is on a bit more of an accelerated pace than it should be.  If I have to move in the next couple of days I have a lot of work to be done.  Not only do I have to clean out a whole bunch of tools, plywood, and other assorted building materials, I also have to get a bunch of stuff back on the boat.

     That means it is time to go out to the barn and start digging through all the junk I pulled off the boat at the beginning of this thing and find some stuff I will need.  Flares, life jackets, anchor, chain, etc.  Well, maybe after this beer.  It is still hot out there!

Weekend

     I had the whole weekend off with the wife so very little got done on the boat.  Actually, only one thing was done.  We took the outboard over and put it in place.  Then we used the marina's pool for the rest of the afternoon.  Pretty productive eh?

Busy Day..

...but no pictures.  Forgot my phone and the camera.  Oh well.

     I got the new backrest sized and cut out.  It will need a little bit of sanding on the top to line it up correctly with the edge of the shelf, but that was done on purpose.  I also got the shelves cut out, sanded them to fit, and installed them.  Once this was done I got a coat of primer on the hull, the supports, the shelves, and the back side of the backrest.  I was hoping to go out tomorrow and get the first coat of paint on it all, but as I typed this I realized that I am going to need to caulk off the edges of the shelves and let it dry before I can do any painting.  Going to make a short day at the boat tomorrow unless I can come up with something else to work on.  Something tells me that isn't going to be a problem.  

     Today, with the help of a few marina friends, I installed the main sail and cover for it.  One step closer to sailing!  The genoa is next, but I figured one sail was good enough for today.  Plus I need someone to explain the roller furling to me before I attempt it.  I did discover a couple of broken pieces in the rigging that will need to be fixed as well.  One thing always leads to another doesn't it?

     Working  inside the boat didn't last as long as I was hoping for today.  It is too damn hot to be stuck inside that cabin for very long.  I was sweating bullets.  I did get a little bit of work accomplished though.  I got the bottom half of the two backrest supports epoxied in place as well as getting the shelf supports cut and put in place.  A couple pieces of cardboard were used to make the shelf templates but I didn't actually get those cut out yet.  I am planning on using the old backrest, but first I am going to be using it as a template for the new backrest so I didn't want to cut it up yet.  I need to prime everything before putting them in place as well so no biggie.  I  want to use the part that has 234 engraved in it; I figure it would be kind of nice to leave it.  Who knows, maybe in 20 years or so someone else will be redoing the boat and get as excited to find these numbers as I did.

Organizing Sails

     This post actually should have been up yesterday but the wife decided we should go swimming and have strawberry daiquiris instead.  Who am I to argue with that kind of logic?

     Earlier in the day we started going through all the sails trying to figure out what we had, what was good, was wasn't, and what goes where.  There is a brand new genoa and main sail in the black bags on the right of the picture.  I  brought those and three separate jibs out to the boat along with the main sail cover.  All the other stuff I tried to organize a bit and put back in the barn.  I know some of it is trash and should be thrown out, but I am a little leery of doing so right now.  I don't want to get rid of something I might need in the future.

     One of the neat things I found was the old main sail.  It seems to be pretty beat up and in pretty rough shape but I love the additions on it.  It has the #234 on it as well as the Triton logo up above it.  I would love to remove these and have them put on the new sail.  I have no idea if that it feasible or not but I think I'm going to look in to having it done.  Either that or maybe new copies.

     The wife and I took all this stuff out to the boat and then used the marinas pool.  I hate the thought of having to re up the contract here because of the price but I sure do like having the boat and a pool so close to home.  The slip fee is due the first of the month if I want to keep it here.  Time to make some decisions or win the lotto.

Backrest supports

     Today was spent cutting out, shaping, and starting to install the backrest supports for the starboard side seating area.  I'm getting pretty good at this cardboard template to plywood thing; I only had to make a couple of minor sanding adjustments before they fit in place.  I used the old back rest to hold them in place while I epoxied the top of them to the hull.  Once that cures I can do the bottom half that I couldn't reach today and start working on the shelves.

Odds & Ends

     This is where the picture of my work would go if my phone would cooperate and upload the photo.  Oh well, it wasn't too exciting anyways.

     I started off today by finishing the track replacement.  It turns out all I needed to hold the goose neck in place was a machine screw with a rounded head instead of the flat.  Nothing like something so obvious to make you feel a little stupid.

     The second job done today was sealing off the drain in the icebox with some silicone.  Now it should be waterproof, but I don't want to test it until I finish the shut off valve on the drain.  That shouldn't be too hard to do, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

     I then moved over to the starboard side seating area.  I have tried so many things to get the left over funk off the side and nothing has worked.  Today I broke down and bought a 80 grit sanding disk thingy that attaches to my grinder.  Messy as hell, but it sure took that funk off.  Now I have a bare slate to stick stuff to and paint.

     With that done I laid the old backrest in place to use as a template and worked on sizing out the supports and shelving that will fit behind it.  Back to cutting cardboard.  The whole thing will be similar to the port side, but instead of having a piece coming up for the electronics, there will be a cutout in the rear that will allow use of a trash bag or small trash can without having to open any hatches.  That is the plan anyways, we'll see how it works out.

Gooseneck track

I found a 7/8" piece of track to replace the one I removed at a local consignment shop for $2.00.  Sold!  It is a different style but the dimensions are correct.  Of course the holes didn't line up so I had to drill and tap new holes.  A little sealant, a little lock tight, a couple of new screws and it is back on.

Now for some reason though the boom just slides right off the bottom of the track.  I can't remember what used to hold it in place.  I walked around the marina looking for anything similar but couldn't find anything remotely like mine.  All newer and flashier boats.  Not many 50 year old boats around here it seems.

I was hoping on getting a bit more done today but it is just too damn hot.  I decided to go home and find something to do in the AC.  I'll leave you with the pictures of old vs new.

One of those weeks

     Last weekend was taken up with the 2nd annual Crab-B-Que at the house.  It was a smashing success, but no work on the sailboat.

     Yesterday was supposed to be spent on the boat, but life got in the way.  It seems my dog got sick the day before, leaving presents all over the house for us. Unfortunately the wife and I were both at work all day.  Great timing dog.  So instead of working on the sailboat I spent the day renting a carpet cleaner, moving furniture, and cleaning all day.  It was so much fun.  Ask me about it sometime if you want to hear me vent for a bit.

     The plan for today was to fix where the boom attaches to the mast so we could attempt to go sailing this coming weekend.  I'm sure you can guess how well this simple repair went.  Here are the before and after pictures in case you lack sufficient imagination.  There is also a broken off screw in the mast that I need to figure out how to remove.

     I went to all the nearby marinas to buy a replacement.  After many false leads and lots of running around I came to the conclusion that my life sucks.  It turns out that this is a 7/8" wide piece, and all anyone can order (let alone has in stock) is a 1".  Time to scour the internet.  If I can't find one I can replace it with a 1", but then I have to replace the part that slides onto it as well.  No, I have no idea what that piece is called.  I'm a fireman, not a sailor, so leave me be.

     Seeing as that wasn't going to get fixed today I moved to the inside for a bit.  I got the drain for the icebox installed after much cutting and fitting.  I didn't get the area around it filled with foam because the top of the can of good stuff broke off when I tried to use it.  Notice a theme for my day?  Lovely.  I also did some finish sanding on the top pieces and got them (temporarily) in place.  Next time I have need for some 4200 or something similar I will glue them down.  They aren't going anywhere for now anyways.  They fit so tightly in place that I had to use a little persuasion with my hammer to get them installed.  The two lids don't fit like I want yet, but thankfully the are a little too big rather than too small.  I can work with that.  Right about them is when my phone died, so no pictures.  Use your imagination, it is a top on a box.

     Not ready to go home yet I moved on to the starboard side seating area.  I tried to sand off the sticky fuzzy crap but it just gummed up the paper in a matter of seconds.  Instead I used some natural paint thinner on it, let it sit for a while, then went to town with a scrapper.  I can't say I got it all off, but I did get most of it.

     Now I have moved my work to the air conditioning to look for parts on the net.  That and have a well deserved beer.  I also had an idea for a name today.  The previous owner was going to name her "Firefly" from a TV show; sticking with the theme I am thinking about "Serenity".  That is the name of the ship from the same show and has a much better ring to me.  Let me know what you think.

Back at it

     I know I have been absent from this for a while.  Life seems to have been pretty busy in the last couple of weeks.  We had a visit from the wife's dad, had to unexpectedly replace a car, and went on a week long trip to visit my family in Michigan.  Yesterday I did absolutely nothing, but today I jumped back in to the boat.

     I put the third and final coat of paint on the inside of the icebox and the bottoms of the top pieces.  After getting the drain installed I will be able to seal it up and give it a test run.  It's hot out there and  it would sure be nice to keep some cold beverages on hand for when I'm "working".

     After painting I decided to see if I could get the drain in place.  Of course I couldn't.  The first problem was the drain tube.  During all my fiberglass work I seemed to have filled it with fairing epoxy.  I tried to chisel it out, but that wasn't happening.  I ended up having to cut it out from the side leaving a nice big hole in the insulation.  After I get it back together I will fill it with some filling foam.  Once I had the whole piece out it cleaned out quickly and easily.  I then tried to install it only to figure out that the hole where the top piece of the drain fits had grown smaller with all the epoxy work.  It shouldn't be a big deal to widen it out a little bit but I didn't want to do it while the paint was still tacky.  I guess it will just have to wait a bit.

     I wasn't ready to go home yet so I started doing some picking up and organizing.  I had put it off for a while now and it was starting to look pretty bad.  While picking up I started moving my supplies and tools over so I can start working on the seating area on the starboard side. With this done I had a nice big open area in to start with.  The first step will be to sand everything down and fill the multitude of old holes created by who knows what.  Then comes the priming, and then I can move on to building out the backrest and dividers.  I'm actually looking forward to that part.  Crazy huh?

     Before I can start sanding I had to remove an old covering of some sort from the side.  Most of it seems to have been cut off at some point in the past, leaving only a piece running behind the backrest from the galley to the forward wall.  It seemed to peel off pretty easily, but left a nasty residue of some sort.  I'm sure it is from the adhesive origionally used to hold it in place.  I'm hoping that it will come off with the sander, but I ran out of time for the day so I will have to wait to find out.

I know...

I know it's been awhile since the last post.  Life has been pretty hectic with not much time for the boat.  I have done a little bit of work though.  Tomorrow I will try to remember to take a picture or two and update my non-existent readers.