Long, long, long boat projects

[model 10]

[QUOTE=skipmac;2192901]I
ission and engine), . Strong track system for the main.

I hope you saved that for the end. UV damage is real. Ours is 8 years old and the entire thing is covered in cracks. If you needed to remove it again it might break up. I's not about a slide breaking out of the track but you could never roll it up again because it would break.

[HansSolo]

Originally Posted by skipmac

By the way, I love the shower on your boat.

Thank you. It was designed for a claw foot bathtub and fit perfectly in place of the old. The faucet part comes in handy for filling large pots or the occasional bucket

Originally Posted by skipmac

Looked at your website. Seems like you had as much or more to do than I did. Reminded me of a few things I left off my list, most notably cutting 3"of corroded aluminum off the base of the mast and fabricating a new, 3" taller mast step.

That list is only the on the hard jobs that we did. Once we splashed we replaced the batteries and redid/redesigned that whole system including new solar and about 40-50% new wiring. Also new canvas, cockpit cushions, auto pilot, bimini, etc. There was no end in sight until we finally decided to call it good enough and leave. That alone was one of the harder decisions we had to make.

Originally Posted by skipmac

I took on a steel boat project myself about 30 years ago

You sound at as masochistic as me!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Yep. It all will take as much time as you have.

Asked about how much time by people who pay me to fix things I always make my best educated guess ... then pronounce twice what I believe I could need. This method allowed me to be late only once in many years of projects big and small. ... A number of potentials walked away telling me "too long". Sure.

;-)

Then again if you do it for yourself and if you like it, what the heck. Let it last.

b.

Time, yes it takes all the time you have or can devote to the job. In my case in between boat work I held down a full time job, sometimes 50-60 hours a week, dealt with four elderly parents and occasionally spent an evening home with the wife.

The best thing I did was to truck the boat close to home so it was only 15 minutes away. Saved me thousands of dollars in storage and hundreds of hours of commuting time.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by HansSolo

You sound at as masochistic as me!

Not sure if I'm masochistic, not very smart or just a slow learner.

[skipmac]

[QUOTE=Guy;2193060]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I
ission and engine), . Strong track system for the main.

I hope you saved that for the end. UV damage is real. Ours is 8 years old and the entire thing is covered in cracks. If you needed to remove it again it might break up. I's not about a slide breaking out of the track but you could never roll it up again because it would break.

I did save the Strong track. In fact that is still in the box. I'm going to break that out with the new main when I'm ready to take off and go somewhere.

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Regret to say I was so busy working I really neglected to take many photos of the work in progress. 20/20 hindsight that would have been a good idea.

Well then, you'll just have to show us your having fun with it sometime.

on your new roving life ahead!

[barnakiel]

Yes. And yet - it is done now!

You will have to look for another project soon, or else ... ;-)

Congrats, well done!
barnakiel

[sartorst]

Just the kind of boat owner I'm looking for ! Want to sale it ? HA HA You know how you read other members post and think that guy sounds like me ? I love working on boats Have fun now

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Yes. And yet - it is done now!

You will have to look for another project soon, or else ... ;-)

Or else....... Go sailing!!!! Wife retired and started collecting her pension. I semi-retired and went on the dole (well earned my piece of that pie) but still work part-time at home (or on the boat ) so there's a strong chance that some cruising might happen.

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Congrats, well done!
barnakiel

Thank you. There's still some loose ends to wrap up (literally as I still have to get the new wiring bundled and tied) but I can most of that on the way to... to someplace. After all, one needs something to keep occupied between bouts of relaxation.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by sartorst

Just the kind of boat owner I'm looking for ! Want to sale it ? HA HA You know how you read other members post and think that guy sounds like me ? I love working on boats Have fun now

Well if I charge about $0.50/hour for the time I spent working on the boat I guess I could take about $500,000 or so.

Yes there is reward in working on a boat but now it's time to reap the benefits.

[gamayun]

Sheez, Skip. I'm in complete awe and amazement at your commitment. Congrats!! As to my worst boat project -- three months of bottom work and mast work and no sailing. It about killed me.

[UNCIVILIZED]

I've a pretty good idea of what you're feeling. Though I'm pretty sure that a 7 year rebuild would kill me!

My first serious re-fit & rebuild of a boat comprised doing about 1.5-2x of that which you mentioned, solo. And by the time I splashed her 8 months later, I was beyond fried. As was my Visa card But she surely made a nice little private island, & sailed pretty well too. Maybe another's in the picture... someday.

One thing that becomes glaringly obvious when you do a rebuild & or refit like this, is that it's easier to build much of what's broken, from scratch, than it is to rebuild things the way that they were. Plus you learn a whole new vocabulary of foul words & thoughts to direct your frustrations at the previous owner(s), as well as the builder. Regardless of whether they're living or dead!

Though, too, you also learn a Huge amount about how boats are put together, & multiple techniques & materials to use to fix them, etc. As well as how under-educated you were about boat maintenance, & construction prior to doing the tuneup at hand. Even if you were an "expert" before. Then, ironically, a few years later you cringe when you think of some of the work which you did during the rebuild, as you then know so much more than you did when you finished the refit.
It's Crazy!!! But I truly value the knowledge gained from it.

You also learn that one variant of Hell involves sanding a hull, over, & over, & over again, solo. While wearing; coveralls, rubber gloves, a respirator, a sock hood, safety glasses, & hearing protection. So that you're in this "bubble" which completely isolates you from the world. And at day's end, you look like the Pilsbury Dough Boy, due to having 98% of your body covered in white paint/primer dust. So that all anyone can see of you is your lips & nose, from where the respirator covered those bits of skin

Oh, & I learned that Duct Tape is great for removing the tiny fiberglass fibers which get into your skin when grinding glass. As well as when a cold shower makes more sense than a hot one, or vice versa.


So... I'm VERY glad to hear that you've finally gotten her wet. And don't worry, you're almost at the end.

[redhead]

We are in year 2 of our refit. As I've said elsewhere the priority list when we started looks nothing like the priority list now. Ahhh, the naivete'.

Done -Deck leaks (actually toe rail leaks). ALL leaks done. New battery system, new charging system, new alternators, hoses, belts, 2 new heads 2 new showers, new galley floor, new sail covers, new lazarettes, new engine hatch.

Still to do - all cosmetics (upholstery, cabin woodwork, cockpit wood refinish, new gray water tank, some rewiring, power supply to windlass.

Also done - new skills, new friends, new part of the country, same husband (which may be the most refreshing/surprising of all).

We have some more electrical to do and then everything else can wait. Your completion gives me fresh incentive. Pictures please! And enjoy your sail!

[Don C L]

See? This all really argues well for the virtues of owning 2 boats! One to work on in the morning and one to sail in the afternoon! ...Nah, I don't think my wife will buy it...

[Jolly Roger]

I’m nearing the end of a major refit of my 1977 Down East 45 which I bought five years ago - at least I hope so .
I not only photographed all my projects as I went along, but I also wrote about them and have so far sold ten articles to The Good Old Boat Magazine. This has earned $4,800 which has helped off-set a bit of the costs thus far.
Modifications and improvements so far are:
Changing the rig from a ketch to a brigantine schooner. (A whopping job).
Designing and fabricating a 24 foot long yard on the foremast with a square sail, which rolls up inside the yard.
Changing all four sails to roller furling with new sails.
Re-routing all control lines into the cockpit – including the square sail control lines to new self-tailing winches.
Replacing the ten foot wooden bowsprit with an aluminum spar, and modifying the bow roller.
Fitting a new Maxwell windlass and re-routing the chain to make it self-stow.
Installing two 35,000 btu marine air conditioners.
Remodeling the aft bathroom and installing a full size bath with spa jets and a heater. Also a new electric head.
Remodeling the forward bathroom, with a new electric head and shower.
Remodeling the aft cabin to make a queen size bed and seats.
Remodeling the galley, including a washing machine and deep freeze.
Ripping the mucky old vinyl head liners out, and refitting plastic paneling throughout, replacing the side panels in the saloon at the same time.
Restoring the teak and holly cabin sole throughout.
Completely replacing all the old water pipes.
Fitting new pistons and bearings in the three cylinder generator engine, along with a new 6.5kw generator end.
Ten new batteries and heavy duty rewiring throughout.
Remodeling and re-positioning the davits.
Making an electric dinghy hoist to replace the hand tackles.
Installing a new HD radar.
Building a center console in the wheelhouse for all new instruments.
All these are described in detail at Schooner Britannia, renovation of a Brigantine Schooner
I still want to remodel two more cabins and the chart table, but you can go on for ever with a boat.
We hope to do some ocean sailing after the hurricane season finishes in Florida. If we manage it you will certainly see us coming.