Hello from Bob

[Wahoo Sails]

My first time using one of these message thingies. I own a Creekmore 27' which is mid re-fit / repair. I've been slaving away on this boat for 2 years .. and had reached the point where I was ready to give up, but persistence (and lots of money) have paid off ... there is light at the end of the tunnel. I hope to sea trial next Spring, with a planned departure for the Caribbean November of 2005. I have led an .... uh .... interesting (?) life, and will never be able to retire in the traditional sense, but hope to cruise into old age making and repairing sails & canvas.
I would truly enjoy hearing from any of you out there with similar experiences in loong re-fits ... or similar cruising plans. promise to reply to all!
Bob

[sinbad7]

Hi Bob.
Come to think of it, I also share your experience with an oh so interesting lifestyle with an oh so unprofitable retirement. BUT I DON´T REGRET ONE DAY!!

My early career as a ships navigating officer sailing the seven seas. First marriage in Jamaica to a scottish lass.
Then 20 years in London in the travel business. An off-shore charter company.
Then Norway setting up a print-shop and finally 7 years running charters in the islands with business groups on my 60´motoryacht.

Met a lovely lady from Sao Paulo, Brazil over internet and married her. Moved here last year where I bought a lovely house. The brazilians are very friendly and helpful people and cost of living is low which is as well on my received monthly MINIMUM pension.

I have many interests and projects on the go as you can see from my web-site www.yachtmarine.com.

Wish you luck with your retirement plans and should you find yourself in our waters, come in for a caipirinha or two. WELCOME TO PARADISE!!

[Wahoo Sails]

Hi Sinbad7,
Actually e-mailed you a few months ago about the jobs situation in Brazil.
I'm 52 years old ... and going on my 54th .. uh ..er .. is that 55th job Have done many dull things such as sell auto parts .. but in the inbetween, I've been a wrangler, fine woodworker, park ranger, jeweler .. etc. etc. Has been a wild & exciting life so far ... but leaves pretty much zero for retirement funds. No matter ...
Think Brazil would still be my first choice to relocate to (I have no plans to return to the USA) ... but there are 2 major problems, #1, I'm not prepared for major offshore work in this boat, and #2 ... the North Brazil Current. I suppose it's possible to put her aboard a freighter in Venezuela & brought around that way ... but I hear that the duty imposed upon arrival would be horrendous. For the time being, I'm planning to head South for certain ... will probably end up in Venezuela, depending on how their political situation plays out.
Bob

[29cascadefixer]

I've been at my refit for 13 years ! Gonna sail the Great Lakes when I get it done. If I get it done. Tell ya one thing though, ya sure do know how your boats put together this way.

[Wahoo Sails]

I couldn't agree more about knowing all the details of my boats construction ... good & bad. Fortunately for me, the vast majority of the construction was first rate on this boat. Most of the repairs that I'm making are due to the previous owner (s) failure to maintain her properly. Prime example, I'm installing aluminum toerail this weekend. Originally the boat had beautiful teak toerail, but the bungs over the screws were not maintained, and rain water got in under them ... and rotted the wood. Many people think of Florida as having delightful weather ... not exactly true, I will be working in a heat index of 100+ degrees, with a 40% chance of rain. The sun here destroys the best of varnishes in short order, will be stripping off whats left of the "Bristol Finish" and going to oil ... not a "better" choice, but I can apply a quick coat of oil every two weeks more easily than I can apply varnish every couple of months.
13 years? I have lived through MI winters, and realize that you are limited to working on the boat seasonably ... but ... 13 years ... WOW! I hope you consider it an enjoyable hobby!
Bob

[CSY Man]

will be stripping off whats left of the "Bristol Finish"

Hi Bob.

How long have ya had the Bristol Finish on the teak?

I use the stuff here in Florida and I keep getting about 2 years out of it....It is a pain to apply, but it beats varnishing every 3 months..

[Wahoo Sails]

Let me start by saying we sell this stuff where I work (the Marine Trading Post) and I have the replies to that answer from not only myself, but also dozens of customers. I got about 10 months out of it before it started to fail. For the record, I mixed this stuff very carefully, and applied 8 coats (using the wet on wet method) over well prepped teak. My customers suspect that quality control is the problem. One chap does brightwork for a living (15 years in the trade) and he told me that he did two boats, across a canal from one another ... the first, Bristol finish failed in 4 months the other was still looking good after 18 months! Everyone agrees it simply looks great when first applied ... longevity is the issue, I have heard of it failing as quickly as 4 months, and lasting as long as 2 years. I figure with an oil finish, I'll simply apply a quick coat every time I wash the boat ... and be done with it.
Bob

[Greg B]

HI Everyone

We've been boating in Lake MI for 18 years and some of my best work has been done under the winter storage cover with the sun warming things up nicely. I too am looking foreward to heading south soon as I get my last kid is in college. Hopefully in october of this year, Jane and I will head to the Tennessee River. That will be the first time in our boating lives that we have not hauled out for the winter. We will of course be back in Michigan again in the spring but one day when all are graduated we will continue on south to FL where we purchased a lot with a boat dock a few years back.

As for brightwork finish. I have used Sikens on my teak for years and have had VERY positive results but that has all been in Lake MI. Has anyone used that product in FL? If so would you please share your experience with the group? My boat used to have Teak rub rails but a number of years ago I replaced them with Pao Lope (IPE). The original two coats of Sikens lasted 4 years then I just sanded and recoated. Man what a great move. You can't tell it from Teak but it weighs and feels like iron, is practically indestructible, and finishes beautifully. It is so hard that when I wrapped a piece of it around the bow curve I had to get the marina to lean the fork lift mast against it to help with the bend while I screwed it down. It had a lot of screws around it (One every 6") but then I covered it with the SS rub rail, TIP: Be sure to space your screws in your new wood accurately because the SS is pre drilled 6" OC and you don't want those holes to conflict with the screws holding the wood in place. (I learned that the hard way and to this day there are some holes in my SS with no screws in them.)

Happy Cruising

Greg

[Wahoo Sails]

Hey Greg,
Cetol is the finish of choice in this area (at least that's been my experience) because of longevity VS price ... and ease of use. Sit down for this one though ... 7 coats of Cetol topped with a coat of their "gloss" product lasts 12-18 months here. Our UV index is simply through the roof. There is another product (the name escapes me at the moment) that will last several years ... but is ugly in the extreme (again .. my personal opinion) looks like wood colored paint.
The sun's harmful rays chews up other things as well ... if you have canvas made insist that they use Technora, Gore-Tex or (my choice) Sunguard thread ... Sunbrella lasts 5 full years (or more) as their garuntee states, but "normal" thread will fail in less than 2 years. One of my favorite products is "Protectant 303" for anything plastic or rubber ... the stuff really works as advertised. I have a blue polyethelene kayak, that has sat in the sun for 3 years, and looks like the day I got it thanks to this stuff.
I do my own canvas work, and in certain areas (like the top of my dodger & my mainsail cover) I create a "sandwich" ... two pieces of Sunbrella with a layer of mylar in between ... the sun readily passes through the Sunbrella, but the mylar stops it cold.
I'm considering redoing my teak with multipe coats of UV stabilized epoxy ... this should prove the ultimate finish for our area ... the downside being, should it fail, it will take a chisel or a torch to remove the rest!
Bob

[Bruce roberts]

Hi Bob, I am new to this board also. We are planning a refit for our boat also. We bought a Bruce Roberts, which was never finished. But we wanted to finish our own boat our way. So now we have a chance. Good luck on your refit. Hope it doesn't take too long.
Greg B., hope you enjoy your trip down the river. We bought our boat in Florida and brought it across the Gulf Of Mexico and up the TomBigBee and to Lake Michigan. Was a great trip. Now to get to the refitting job. Then onto Iceland.
Fair winds and smooth sailing.

[Wahoo Sails]

Iceland? The very name begs the question .... why?

L S/V Eva Luna
Bob

[Bruce roberts]

If you are going around the world shouldn't you include Iceland? We live in Wisconsin so we figured we would make Iceland our first destination, as it is cold up there also. We want to swim in the natural hot tubs, see a glacier and to be able to say we were in the Arctic Circle. And if I can tolerate it we are going to go to Spitzbergen! Now doesn't that sound like a good time? After we get all the cold climates out of our system then we will go to the warmer climates. Adventure!!!!!!!
Fair winds and smooth sailing!