OK so I just wrote a big huge blog entry, and right as I was coming t the end of it I must have typed to fast, because it erased everything!
"Let me explain.....No there is too much. Let me sum up."
Day off: spent some money. I went to Sears to buy tools, and then to Home Depot to get some adhesives. My project for the day was reseating the stanchion bases. Stanchions hold the lifelines up, which in turn hold me on the boat if I lose my footing.
I wanted to reinforce them, so I took them off, used some Loctite Joining compound to seal it back down. I went to a hardware store to buy bigger washers, and longer bolts to use. I'm hoping now that the lifelines will be much safer, although I must admit I enjoy the wider decks without them there.
I finished reading my two cruising books. The authors seemed to contradict each other. Some say that the smaller boat is safer. Others say that a 55 foot boat is small.
As for me, I like my choice. It will allow me the most freedom. That's the great thing about sailing, it can free you from all the problems of the modern world. You only bring with you what you want to. You must learn patience because once you're out there, no amount of whining and crying will make the wind blow any harder. There is the escape from social obligations, from employment, and many others. Sails are quiet, and the wind is free. The sea does not discriminate. The nice thing is that most of the earth is water. On every other vehicle or mode of transportation you must either be strapped into a seat, or confined to roads, rails, or predetermined routes. I love the idea of the freedom out there; the opportunity to see who you really are when everything else is stripped away. But then again I'm speaking as if I had already been out there. These are just ramblings in anticipation.
I did find out that someone does own the land that my boat is one. I hope I don't have to move it. I guess we'll just wait and see. I've also gotten a few price quotes. Kelly-Hansen sails seem to be the most affordable right now. We'll see what JSI can offer me. I'd love to go with North Sails, but they are just too dang pricey.
As well a trailer custom built for my Bristol 24 would only run about $5,000. But when you consider I only spent $2,000 for the boat, it seems a bit out of whack. It all depends on money at this point. I can always make due with bare bones, but there are some things that can't be skimped on. Like safety.
Well thanks for reading, and clicking around.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Worth it
So today's weather was amazing, and so of course I was down at the boat. A lot of sawing and gutting. I had intended to wait until I had power tools to finish removing the cabin sole, but I couldn't take having half of it missing so I went to work with a hand saw. It was back breaking work, but I loved every minute of it. Every man needs a project I think.
So I was down in the bilge trying to figure out a way to rip out the plywood more efficiently. There is a long metal rod left over from something. Not sure what it is, but it worked very well as a crow bar.
I still have some cleaning up to do, but now at least it's all dry and ready to be rebuilt. I was thinking about putting in a wooden floor, but those tend to soak up so much moisture that years from now it'd all have to be redone. Also I want to make sure it's level. So what I think I am going to do is pour a whole lot of epoxy resin down there to make a level, solid, dry floor, and then maybe carpet over it. We'll see.
I had fun clamboring all over sanding down the wood work. I oiled the bow pulpit today, and introduced the boat to my younger brother and sister for the first time. I can't wait to get her in the water. But there's another $100 worth of cosmetics that need to go into it, then about $1800 for the right sails. We'll see how far I get before summer.
So I was down in the bilge trying to figure out a way to rip out the plywood more efficiently. There is a long metal rod left over from something. Not sure what it is, but it worked very well as a crow bar.
I still have some cleaning up to do, but now at least it's all dry and ready to be rebuilt. I was thinking about putting in a wooden floor, but those tend to soak up so much moisture that years from now it'd all have to be redone. Also I want to make sure it's level. So what I think I am going to do is pour a whole lot of epoxy resin down there to make a level, solid, dry floor, and then maybe carpet over it. We'll see.
I had fun clamboring all over sanding down the wood work. I oiled the bow pulpit today, and introduced the boat to my younger brother and sister for the first time. I can't wait to get her in the water. But there's another $100 worth of cosmetics that need to go into it, then about $1800 for the right sails. We'll see how far I get before summer.
 |
| Cutting out small portions of flooring |
 |
| My "crow bar" |
 |
| The nasty stuff under the floor |
 |
| Just about gone |
 |
| all the wood I removed |
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| Now I just have to put a floor in there |
Sunday, November 7, 2010
About the pictures
Alright below are some quick pictures of my Bristol 24. I know she looks rough in some bits, but that's why I'm working hard to restore her to her original glory.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Chores yet to do.
I was able to get over to the boat before all the dew had been dried up by the sun. I used an old towel to wipe the moisture away so I could begin work. A little bit more sanding, and another two coats of paint finished off the transom. It is now gleaming in "china white", and ready to have a name painted on it. I have decided on the name, but I'll explain that later.
I still need power tools to get the rest of the flooring up in the cabin. I can't wait to get down there and level it all out so I can rebuild the floor. I am looking forward to having another 2" of headroom, and a solid surface to walk on. I am also hoping that the musty smell will go away after I get everything vacuumed up and repainted in the engine compartment. While I was waiting for coats of paint to dry I curled up in the foreward berth for a few minutes. It was surprisingly comfortable. I let my mind wander a bit; I love thinking of when she'll actually be in the water heading off to distant horizons. I can just imagine diving off of the bow pulpit to help set a heavy anchor in the sand near a tropical reef. I'd love to bring a surfboard along wherever I go because you never know when you'll find that perfect wave.
The Sheboygan Sea Scout skipper, Tom, just happened to be driving by. I showed him my new boat for the first time. He was kind enough to give me a few names of people who might be able to help me inspect the diesel engine and make sure it's ready to go. I've always wanted to have an inboard so I can charge up my batteries with the alternator, and so I don't have to strap an ugly outboard onto my freshly painted transom. There are pros and cons of every set up on a boat, but I think I've found the perfect compromise with everything my boat has.
I'm hoping to be able to borrow some tools from my grandma (cause we all know she's never gonna use a circular saw) to speed up the work. The chores I have yet to do are as follows (in no particular order): install dorade vents, buff out the plexiglass windows so their transparent again, oil all the woodwork and rub rails, remove the rest of the cabin sole, drain and dry the foam insulation, level the cabin floor support, rebuild the cabin sole, re-seat all the stanchions, repair and re-seat the veneer on my deck hatch box, caulk seams on some of the woodwork, clean and paint the engine compartment, repack the rudder bearings, inspect and install the engine (and all parts), clean the head [toilet], inspect the septic tank, mount bow stanchions and hand rail, mount the mast step, paint the bottom with anti-fouling paint, and then buff and wax the whole hull. It should be fun. I really am looking forward to it. A lot of it is just cosmetic, some of it is just preventative maintenance, and some (like the cabin sole) needs to be done.
Of course I also have to paint the name on her transom. I'll let y'all know my decision in a later post. I hope to get some before and after pictures up pretty soon as well. Thanks for reading!
I still need power tools to get the rest of the flooring up in the cabin. I can't wait to get down there and level it all out so I can rebuild the floor. I am looking forward to having another 2" of headroom, and a solid surface to walk on. I am also hoping that the musty smell will go away after I get everything vacuumed up and repainted in the engine compartment. While I was waiting for coats of paint to dry I curled up in the foreward berth for a few minutes. It was surprisingly comfortable. I let my mind wander a bit; I love thinking of when she'll actually be in the water heading off to distant horizons. I can just imagine diving off of the bow pulpit to help set a heavy anchor in the sand near a tropical reef. I'd love to bring a surfboard along wherever I go because you never know when you'll find that perfect wave.
The Sheboygan Sea Scout skipper, Tom, just happened to be driving by. I showed him my new boat for the first time. He was kind enough to give me a few names of people who might be able to help me inspect the diesel engine and make sure it's ready to go. I've always wanted to have an inboard so I can charge up my batteries with the alternator, and so I don't have to strap an ugly outboard onto my freshly painted transom. There are pros and cons of every set up on a boat, but I think I've found the perfect compromise with everything my boat has.
I'm hoping to be able to borrow some tools from my grandma (cause we all know she's never gonna use a circular saw) to speed up the work. The chores I have yet to do are as follows (in no particular order): install dorade vents, buff out the plexiglass windows so their transparent again, oil all the woodwork and rub rails, remove the rest of the cabin sole, drain and dry the foam insulation, level the cabin floor support, rebuild the cabin sole, re-seat all the stanchions, repair and re-seat the veneer on my deck hatch box, caulk seams on some of the woodwork, clean and paint the engine compartment, repack the rudder bearings, inspect and install the engine (and all parts), clean the head [toilet], inspect the septic tank, mount bow stanchions and hand rail, mount the mast step, paint the bottom with anti-fouling paint, and then buff and wax the whole hull. It should be fun. I really am looking forward to it. A lot of it is just cosmetic, some of it is just preventative maintenance, and some (like the cabin sole) needs to be done.
Of course I also have to paint the name on her transom. I'll let y'all know my decision in a later post. I hope to get some before and after pictures up pretty soon as well. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A good day's work.
Today was my day off of work at the dealership, so I slept in a little bit. I had a few delays in the morning (being called in to sell a car when they didn't end up buying it, voting, eating etc.) After I was finally all squared away and ready to work I stopped by Home Depot to see what kind of painting supplies they had. I could see all sorts of tools I'd like to have, and that I would put to good use but I had to limit the amount of money I spent today. They didn't have the right kind of paint, so I went to a local boat repair shop to get some. The stuff I was looking for was $41.00 per quart! I can't wait till I have to buy the anti-fouling paint for the hull. I was able to find some green paint that I thought would match the hull pretty well for $31.00/quart. I bought that and headed over to the boat. After a quick sample on the transom I decided that it didn't match properly, and that I wanted to have a white transom after all to contrast the dark green hull. After returning the paint to the marine shop I headed to the north side of town to Menards to see what they had there. I found the people in the paint department very helpful. Obviously they didn't carry marine grade stuff either, but I was able to find a hardcore primer that bonds well to fiberglass, and some hard wearing paint to put over that. I know it might now be the kosher way to do it, but for right now I just want to get the old patched up stern looking good again.
A quick pit stop at Subway, and a few minutes later and i was back on my boat. I sanded, taped, primed, waited, sanded, primed, waited some more, and then got one coat of paint on the transom today. Tomorrow morning I want to go clean up the lines a bit, and put on two more coats of paint. Instead of being bored sitting around I decided to go to work ripping out the cabin sole. I did as much as I could with the hand saw that I bought, and a piece of bar stock steel as a makeshift crow-bar. Now the starboard half of the floor in the cabin is out; which is good cause it was squishy plywood not strong enough to support me. The fiberglass underneath is solid. I need a circular saw to get the port side floor out so I can level the fiberglass, and build a new sole. One nice thing about this project is that I can make the floor a couple of inches lower so I have better headroom inside.
On board someone had left some WestMarine Teak Oil. I went to work oiling up some of the woodwork. I was planning on varnishing all the wood, but in Blue Water the author says he oiled all of his wood cause it's less maintenance, and repels water just as good. The pieces I did are a bit darker than I would like, but it's ways easier to just dump some oil on wood and wait for it to soak in, than it is to varnish, sand, varnish, sand, varnish, and then know that I'll have to do it all again next season.
All in all I'd say it was a pretty good day. Things are coming together on the restoration part of the boat, soon it will be the outfitting of it all.
Thanks for reading, feel free to explore the rest of my blog, and leave comments.
A quick pit stop at Subway, and a few minutes later and i was back on my boat. I sanded, taped, primed, waited, sanded, primed, waited some more, and then got one coat of paint on the transom today. Tomorrow morning I want to go clean up the lines a bit, and put on two more coats of paint. Instead of being bored sitting around I decided to go to work ripping out the cabin sole. I did as much as I could with the hand saw that I bought, and a piece of bar stock steel as a makeshift crow-bar. Now the starboard half of the floor in the cabin is out; which is good cause it was squishy plywood not strong enough to support me. The fiberglass underneath is solid. I need a circular saw to get the port side floor out so I can level the fiberglass, and build a new sole. One nice thing about this project is that I can make the floor a couple of inches lower so I have better headroom inside.
On board someone had left some WestMarine Teak Oil. I went to work oiling up some of the woodwork. I was planning on varnishing all the wood, but in Blue Water the author says he oiled all of his wood cause it's less maintenance, and repels water just as good. The pieces I did are a bit darker than I would like, but it's ways easier to just dump some oil on wood and wait for it to soak in, than it is to varnish, sand, varnish, sand, varnish, and then know that I'll have to do it all again next season.
All in all I'd say it was a pretty good day. Things are coming together on the restoration part of the boat, soon it will be the outfitting of it all.
Thanks for reading, feel free to explore the rest of my blog, and leave comments.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Whew!
Yeah the newspaper didn't work at all. But after a few days of bailing I decided to go check the drain holes that had been cut in the keel by the boat yard. After clearing the gunk out of one of them water began to trickle out. The next day when I stopped by there was no water in the bilge! So there's still water in the boat, and I should proabably clear out the old foam insulation, I'm just glad to know that it's not going to pop over the cold winter. I still don't have any power tools to use, so I'm removing the cabin sole by hand. The work is going slow since I onlty really have one day a week that I can work on the boat, and since that's my only day off work, it's the only day that I can do a lot of other things. Hey I'd reather be busy than bored any day.
I do like just sitting on the deck of the boat, or lying out in the cockpit to just relax. I can't wait till I'm actually out there living the dream. I can just imagine myself struggling through the rain and swells in the cold rough times, but also snorkeling in transparent waters, and tanning in the good times. There are just so many possibilities that having this boat opens up for me. Maybe someday I'll get my coast guard captain's license so I can be the skipper on a charter vessel. That would be a fun way to make a buck in the bahamas someday. For right now it's all just a dream, but they're not going to stay that way for long. The dreams that are so forceful that they get into your waking thought can't be left alone until they are realized and turned into memories of things you've actually done.
Still looking for the perfect name. Maybe Aequitas. I like it. Let me know what you think, and feel free to explore around the rest of my blog. I'll try to put more detail in here as I write from time to time.
I do like just sitting on the deck of the boat, or lying out in the cockpit to just relax. I can't wait till I'm actually out there living the dream. I can just imagine myself struggling through the rain and swells in the cold rough times, but also snorkeling in transparent waters, and tanning in the good times. There are just so many possibilities that having this boat opens up for me. Maybe someday I'll get my coast guard captain's license so I can be the skipper on a charter vessel. That would be a fun way to make a buck in the bahamas someday. For right now it's all just a dream, but they're not going to stay that way for long. The dreams that are so forceful that they get into your waking thought can't be left alone until they are realized and turned into memories of things you've actually done.
Still looking for the perfect name. Maybe Aequitas. I like it. Let me know what you think, and feel free to explore around the rest of my blog. I'll try to put more detail in here as I write from time to time.
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