Alright so while I was looking at the boat before I even bought it I noticed that there was standing water in the bilge (the lowest part of the boat....designed for collecting water really) and the engine compartment. I figured it was just excess that has trickled in through the main hatch in the time it had been up on land. The cabin sole (floor) was a bit unsteady, but I had planned on replacing that anyway so it would be solid and level. After I took delivery I bailed out the areas with water and made sure that all of the drain holes were clear. All seemed to be going well, and the engine compartment is drying out nicely. The problem I have run into is that water is collecting in the bilge again. It hasn't rained, and there isn't water stored anywhere else on board that I can see. Great, the boat isn't even in the sea and it's already taking on water! So I bailed it out again, and watched. There is a small, almost imperceptible, trickle of water that issues from the port side of the bilge wall (looks like foam covered in fiberglass). So as far as I can tell, water was sitting down there for so long that it soaked into the fiberglass, or the foam behind it, and is now draining. The scary thing is that it is now a race against time. Temperatures in Wisconsin drop rapidly, and if I can't get the thing bone dry before winter hits then the moisture will freeze, expand, and break something. I've been checking it every day, and it seems to be about a pint of water every 24 hours. I've opened up some vents, and left the bilge hatch open to allow better ventilation. Tonight I'm going to leave some newspaper sticking up out of the bilge to hopefully wick the moisture up and away so there will be no water sitting in there.
Online some say it could be the end of the world, and others say that their bilge is always wet and causes no problems. On the one hand, it's been like this for a while, and any damage should already been done. ON the other hand... I hope it's not bad. Any ideas or suggestions would be great.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Delivery
So this morning I was so worried that I wasn't going to get my boat this month at all since we had intense weather. The whole mouth of the harbor was engulfed in a single wave. One of the two piers here in sheboygan was under water! The weather report said that the wind was gusting up to 50 MPH. I had already prepared myself for the let down when I called Jim to see bout getting my boat delivered. As it turns out he was more than ready to move the boat even in the horrible weather. I'm sure someday I'll be out on the water in bad weather like this, but as long as I'm not near any rocks I'm sure my new boat will be able to take the beating. As I've been reading Blue Water, and Sensible Cruising: A Thoreau Approach I've realized just how well suited the Britol 24 really is to heavy weather sailing.
I wrangled up a couple of my brothers and headed down to the street by the boat yard where it was going to go, and waited. The wind was pretty strong, and many of the boats were swaying back and forth (even the ones on trailers). The drop off went without a hitch. I was so happy to finally see my very own boat here in town where I can work on it at my convenience. I feel like I'm not putting into words all of my emotions, it wasn't quite like christmas, I'm sure I would have been bouncing off the walls if someone had bought the boat for me; but since I've done this on my own I feel some self satisfaction, but I also understand that I have a lot of work ahead of me. My brother, Mitch, helped me carry the diesel engine off of the truck and set it down on a nearby trailer to wait while the rest of the equipment was being offloaded. After the stands were secured in place and I waved goodbye to Jim, I took my brother and his wife up on board to show them around. Maybe I hadn't explained that it was a fixer upper; but I can see the potential she has. After the brief tour they left, and I got down to work. It was a couple minutes after everyone left that I realized that I still had to transfer the diesel into my car. I'm not sure how much it weighed, but it definitely strained my back, and bogged down the rear end of my Honda Civic as I crammed it into the trunk. It seems to be solidly built. If only I knew why it was removed in the first place.
I spent the rest of the daylight hours opening up and examining every single compartment on the vessel. It was modified in all sorts of ways to make it more suited to cruising life. Right now I can't even think of what to type, I smell like 40 year old fiberglass and musty settee cushions, but it's all a labor of love.
I now know a lot more of what my boat has, and what it doesn't have. I'll soon have a list of to-dos that I can post for y'all to see. BUt for right now it's going to be a lot of cosmetic work. Cleaning, scrubbing, bleaching, varnishing, painting. Soon I'll start checking the wiring and ordering equipment that I might need. I'm just glad that I have a project and that I am one step closer to realizing my dreams.
Don't just think about it, go out and do it. No one is stopping you.
Thanks for reading I'd appreciate any comments or questions. Also I'm still in search of the perfect name. One recent suggestion is: Aida Let me know what you think.
I wrangled up a couple of my brothers and headed down to the street by the boat yard where it was going to go, and waited. The wind was pretty strong, and many of the boats were swaying back and forth (even the ones on trailers). The drop off went without a hitch. I was so happy to finally see my very own boat here in town where I can work on it at my convenience. I feel like I'm not putting into words all of my emotions, it wasn't quite like christmas, I'm sure I would have been bouncing off the walls if someone had bought the boat for me; but since I've done this on my own I feel some self satisfaction, but I also understand that I have a lot of work ahead of me. My brother, Mitch, helped me carry the diesel engine off of the truck and set it down on a nearby trailer to wait while the rest of the equipment was being offloaded. After the stands were secured in place and I waved goodbye to Jim, I took my brother and his wife up on board to show them around. Maybe I hadn't explained that it was a fixer upper; but I can see the potential she has. After the brief tour they left, and I got down to work. It was a couple minutes after everyone left that I realized that I still had to transfer the diesel into my car. I'm not sure how much it weighed, but it definitely strained my back, and bogged down the rear end of my Honda Civic as I crammed it into the trunk. It seems to be solidly built. If only I knew why it was removed in the first place.
I spent the rest of the daylight hours opening up and examining every single compartment on the vessel. It was modified in all sorts of ways to make it more suited to cruising life. Right now I can't even think of what to type, I smell like 40 year old fiberglass and musty settee cushions, but it's all a labor of love.
I now know a lot more of what my boat has, and what it doesn't have. I'll soon have a list of to-dos that I can post for y'all to see. BUt for right now it's going to be a lot of cosmetic work. Cleaning, scrubbing, bleaching, varnishing, painting. Soon I'll start checking the wiring and ordering equipment that I might need. I'm just glad that I have a project and that I am one step closer to realizing my dreams.
Don't just think about it, go out and do it. No one is stopping you.
Thanks for reading I'd appreciate any comments or questions. Also I'm still in search of the perfect name. One recent suggestion is: Aida Let me know what you think.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Change of Plans
So, I called Jim to see about getting my boat shipped. Originally I was hoping to be done with it all by the 19th, but because he had to be in Florida, Chicago, and New York it wasn't really a possibility. We rearranged to have it delivered on Tuesday (my day off) at 1:00PM. I am so excited to actually have this all coming together. The problem was when he said that there was no way he was going to get his semi-truck and hydraulic trailer (65' total length) down the small alley behind my mom's house and into her back yard. I told him I'd get it sorted and then began brainstorming other options.
There is a storage facility 10 minutes north of my house where we stored our furniture and stuff till we found a house when we moved back to Sheboygan. The problem was that they charge $30/mo. That's no problem, but free is always better to me. And since they needed a security deposit I knew that was out of the question. (I am now down to $1 in my checking account).
There is another boat storage facility 5 minutes away that we keep our sea scout boat at during the winter; it even has a heavy duty davit for putting boats in the water. We had a Catalina 22 stored outside the fence till it sold. This area is just an abandoned public road that no one uses except for parking boats that are being bought or sold. I called up our Sea Scout Skipper, Tom, to ask about this area. He said it was fair game, but that I need to understand the risk of vandalism. He said we haven't had any problems yet, but that I should definitely lock up at night.
So tomorrow afternoon I'll have the boat dropped off there. How I'll get it the 75' to the water will be an entirely different ordeal. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
For now a big decision is in the naming of my vessel. I have all sorts of nice names in mind, but I fear that it may end up just being called Duck, or Potato. We'll see.
Please leave comments, and any ideas for names... thanks!
There is a storage facility 10 minutes north of my house where we stored our furniture and stuff till we found a house when we moved back to Sheboygan. The problem was that they charge $30/mo. That's no problem, but free is always better to me. And since they needed a security deposit I knew that was out of the question. (I am now down to $1 in my checking account).
There is another boat storage facility 5 minutes away that we keep our sea scout boat at during the winter; it even has a heavy duty davit for putting boats in the water. We had a Catalina 22 stored outside the fence till it sold. This area is just an abandoned public road that no one uses except for parking boats that are being bought or sold. I called up our Sea Scout Skipper, Tom, to ask about this area. He said it was fair game, but that I need to understand the risk of vandalism. He said we haven't had any problems yet, but that I should definitely lock up at night.
So tomorrow afternoon I'll have the boat dropped off there. How I'll get it the 75' to the water will be an entirely different ordeal. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
For now a big decision is in the naming of my vessel. I have all sorts of nice names in mind, but I fear that it may end up just being called Duck, or Potato. We'll see.
Please leave comments, and any ideas for names... thanks!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Getting closer to delivery
Well it's official, I have paid off the rest of my boat. I went down to the yard the other day and paid the nice woman behind the desk the last bit and tried to set up for when it can be delivered. I told her it would be sitting in my mom's back yard while i work on the boat over the winter. She said that I should check with the city alderman to make sure that the neighbors can't complain about it being an eyesore. We'll see how that goes. I'm not moving her twice. I have some friends and family who seem enthusiastic and supportive of my trip. Others seem to think that I won;t be ready in time for next season. We'll see on that one too.
While I was out at the boat yard I got to clamber all over this completely derelict Chris Craft motor yacht and scavenge what I could. I ripped off the stainless steel bow rail. I had toyed with taking some of the cowls since I need new dorade vents, but the heavy metal ones wouldn't fit. I hope the soft ones don't get too expensive.
I love being flat broke. I went from the boat yard to my girlfriend, Jenna's house, but had to turn around and head home after only 15 minutes there to be at a meeting that I thought was going on. I got a speeding ticket on the way home, (No fun) but the police officer was nice about not ticketing me for having no insurance, or for going 72 in a 55 zone. He wrote it up like I was only going 70... so thanks for that. Anyway, now I have emptied the piggy bank...(well actually it's one of a classic mini that a friend from England gave me) and my checking account has a grand total of $4.78 in it, but hey that's what adventure is all about. Sacrifice, and not knowing what's over the horizon. I checked out a couple nice books from the library. I'm sure I'll reference them later on. Well, it's closing time, so I get to go home. I just hope that everything comes together soon.
While I was out at the boat yard I got to clamber all over this completely derelict Chris Craft motor yacht and scavenge what I could. I ripped off the stainless steel bow rail. I had toyed with taking some of the cowls since I need new dorade vents, but the heavy metal ones wouldn't fit. I hope the soft ones don't get too expensive.
I love being flat broke. I went from the boat yard to my girlfriend, Jenna's house, but had to turn around and head home after only 15 minutes there to be at a meeting that I thought was going on. I got a speeding ticket on the way home, (No fun) but the police officer was nice about not ticketing me for having no insurance, or for going 72 in a 55 zone. He wrote it up like I was only going 70... so thanks for that. Anyway, now I have emptied the piggy bank...(well actually it's one of a classic mini that a friend from England gave me) and my checking account has a grand total of $4.78 in it, but hey that's what adventure is all about. Sacrifice, and not knowing what's over the horizon. I checked out a couple nice books from the library. I'm sure I'll reference them later on. Well, it's closing time, so I get to go home. I just hope that everything comes together soon.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
My First Post
Alright, so this is my first post of my new blog. I'll try to keep it current and be accurate with everything. This is going to be one way that I keep track of where I travel to, how I get there, and what happens along the way. I have big plans for the future, and like many people I'm starting off small and cheap. I've always loved boats, and after reading a few National Geographic magazines when I was younger I decided that I wanted to travel to the Galapagos Archipelago. This must have been when I was 12. I later became interested in Sailboats. In the town of Sheboygan, WI there is a pretty good maritime community. I used to spend hours sitting on the pier watching the boats go by. I wished that I could be out there. I was under the impression that I needed to get a 40 foot boat at the bare minimum or I'd be going nowhere. I had no money, and no clue how I was going to get into sailing. But I read all that I could on the subject.
In my junior year of High School I was introduced to Sea Scouts. This is a great organization and an amazing way to use other peoples boats to gain experience. I was hooked for life. I spent as much time as I could spare sailing and working on the boats. Anyway, to cut to the chase... I moved around a lot. I've always had a love of travel. Growing up I rarely stayed in the same house (or city for that matter) longer than 3 years. And after moving back to Sheboygan I decided to take my desires for adventure and travel up a notch and actually buy a boat. After lots of research I determined what type of boat would suit my needs for blue water cruising best, and then examined my budget and found something that fit both criteria.
I inspected a couple of boats and decided on a 1970 Bristol 24 that I found on Craigslist.com and Boats.com I'll explain more of the pros and cons of her in a later entry.
My plan is to fix her up over the winter, and be ready for a trip next summer. I'd like to be in the water by May 24th. (My 23rd Birthday). And then I plan to sail out the Great Lakes Chain, across to Ireland (the land of my heritage), then over to Wales and England (where I served as an LDS missionary for 2 years), then over to France and Spain. I intend to hit the Azores on the way home, and then work on completing bigger trips. Anyone that wants to sponsor my endeavors, or would like to know more, feel free.
Thanks!
In my junior year of High School I was introduced to Sea Scouts. This is a great organization and an amazing way to use other peoples boats to gain experience. I was hooked for life. I spent as much time as I could spare sailing and working on the boats. Anyway, to cut to the chase... I moved around a lot. I've always had a love of travel. Growing up I rarely stayed in the same house (or city for that matter) longer than 3 years. And after moving back to Sheboygan I decided to take my desires for adventure and travel up a notch and actually buy a boat. After lots of research I determined what type of boat would suit my needs for blue water cruising best, and then examined my budget and found something that fit both criteria.
I inspected a couple of boats and decided on a 1970 Bristol 24 that I found on Craigslist.com and Boats.com I'll explain more of the pros and cons of her in a later entry.
My plan is to fix her up over the winter, and be ready for a trip next summer. I'd like to be in the water by May 24th. (My 23rd Birthday). And then I plan to sail out the Great Lakes Chain, across to Ireland (the land of my heritage), then over to Wales and England (where I served as an LDS missionary for 2 years), then over to France and Spain. I intend to hit the Azores on the way home, and then work on completing bigger trips. Anyone that wants to sponsor my endeavors, or would like to know more, feel free.
Thanks!
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