Elbow Grease

OMG... I hurt. There, my kids will be happy, I used a new millennium word.

Owning a boat is hard on the body. And I am not getting any younger. No offense to the folks over 42. Serena and I spent the better part of 5 hours scrubbing the topsides to get rid of the years of staining on the gelcoat. I eventually had to go out and get a rubbing compound in order to get out the really bad stuff, and to get the last remnants of the old name off of the transom and both port and starboard bows. We had to get her cleaned up as best we could, as we have decided to paint the decorative hull stripes and the boot stripe. They are currently brown, and that color is not available around here without mixing, and using stock colors makes touch-up so much easier. One of the previous owners had painted the stripes around the letters of the name, a cute effect, but a pain now that the name is changing.

So that done, we put all the ground tackle gear on deck to see how it was going to fit. About the best spot I can find for the windlass is right on top of the anchor locker door. So bye bye door. Actually, I am going to cut the door in half, beef up the front half with plywood and epoxy, and leave the back half opening. The trick will be in getting the front half stiff and strong enough to carry the windlass with all the pressures on it. Then I will pipe the main anchor chain down into the cavernous area below the bows, and the secondary anchor rode will stay in the locker at deck level. Sounds kind of ambitious, even to me, but it is the best solution I could come up with.

Also noticed while I was crawling up in the bow that someone previously had cut two holes in the furthest reaches of the bow in order to get access to the bolts holding the bowsprit, presumably, however, I can see light around the holes, so my guess is that they are leaking. Another thing to add to the list. I'll probably have to remove the trail boards to get access, ugggh.

Built a makeshift frame, and got the tarp on. So, worst case scenario, we are ready for the winter. The tarp is full of little holes, but it should be sufficient to keep most of the moisture out. I may yet buy another tarp to put over this one. Just one more for the list. Buying old boats is exactly the same as buying old houses. You never know what you will find, and you always spend extra time and money fixing up someone else's screw ups.

Today we start cutting up things. I once heard a guy say that the only difference between him and most people when it comes to refitting, is that he wasn't afraid to take a saws-all to a boat. And although I am not really afraid, and am always a little concerned when ripping something apart, because it can never go back to the way it was. Of course, if it was okay the way it was, I wouldn't be changing it, right.

Until next time.

Rob