For shame, for shame- I really need to keep up this blogging more regularly. Well, it's April and we worked on her throughout the winter. Sometimes only 1 day a weekend- it's pretty darn cold on the Chesapeake in January! Here's what's happened since our last chat.
Winter Project List Plan:
1) Remove old Thru-Hulls (goodbye old gate valves, hello new ball valves = no blowouts!)
2) Re-bed port windows (goodbye leaks & buckets to catch said leaks)
3) Re-bed chain plates (same as #2)
4) Make new cushions & curtains with fancy new Sailrite machine (I know- girly but hey!)
5) Service Cutlass bearing & Dripless seal on shaft (= no blowouts!)
Launch May 1 or before! Woo Hoo
Reality:
1) Removed old Thru Hulls (Yeah! Check off list- making progress- here we come May 1!)
2) Tried to service shaft- found it to be frozen into 6 inches of water...hum...problem...poured anti freeze on ice and went home- waited several weeks until all water frozen, sucked it out with shop vac, came down next weekend, found more water....hum....
3) Found head of shaft to be fused (no pun intended) to the motor mount with 30 years of rust...hum.....
4) Tom decides we also need a new engine. Gulp...oh boy...may day, may day...now looking more like June or July...sigh....hum...
5) Start to trace wires on the boat so that we can remove them from engine. Find multiple instances of red to black to orange to....nothing...hum....this is not going well. End up ripping 80% of all wires out and starting over. Patience...patience....
6) Cheryl is hanging out in starboard lazarette tracing wires and decides to "look around"- silly me. Unfortunately I find "SURPRISE" #10246 (or so it feels with this boat). There is rot in the cored floor around the emergency tiller opening. Shit...that's gonna have to be fixed...aaaahhhhhh!!!! I have to admit that I did play around with not telling Tom. After all, he can't fit under there- he would never know...hum....The next day "Randy" the fiberglass guy was up on our boat and we are awaiting his estimate. This should be interesting...
Fortunately, admist all the setbacks, we had the great pleasure of spending our heard earned Saturday nights in March & April with our Marina friends Lynn & Ian. They rented a cute little place on the Rock and welcomed us (and Buffett too) into their abode. It was great to spend time chatting with someone who has the same dream we do. They get it~!
April 15th- we have the motor removed- good news is that another Bayfield 32 (1981) owner purchases said motor from us and comes to the Rock to help remove it. Takes it away in his car- neat and tidy- nice!
April 16 & 17- I get to start the tedious and back breaking process of cleaning 30 years of grease, grime & just general dirt out of the bilge and engine area. Ewww...yuck....gross!!!....Why do I always get the cleaning jobs? Oh that's right- because I don't know how to do much else yet! At the end of a hard day though, it looks great! Bonus! Time to sand and paint and it will look like new.
April 24th- Easter weekend but no rest for the weary- Tom spends the day measuring for the new motor. After 7 hours, he still is not decided....Patience...patience.... It was a day with beautiful skies and big puffy clouds; and a massive thunderstorm around 5:30 pm. We stood under Lynn & Ian's boat (did I mention they are also on the hard right now as well doing some upgrades to their beautiful Figi yacht?) and watched it rain. The reward? A beautiful rainbow filled the sky and also our hearts with renewed hope- it's going to be a great boat!
So what about the plan? Well, let's just say, I'm learning to fiberglass this weekend and then we will see how it goes. :-)
