Visit our Popular Forums

29cascadefixer · 02-02-2005, 16:05

In my brain dead state ! Snow on the ground. Pneumonia in the lungs. A job with benefits and hours being cut back. And a six pack mostly opened , drained , and reading this site ! And Crazy as He!! me, thinking should I use solid mahogany for the cockpit backrests or go with Fiberglass. I am thinking that I need mental help. Gord May is holding forth on practical sailing. Jeff H is teaching us about Naval Architechure. Various Dudes' and Duddettes' are regailing us with Sunny climes and Hedonistic life styles. I despair of me !

I, no matter how I try to justify it, I am/are delusional. I have worked on a SAILBOAT for coming on 13 years. If I were sane I would have cut this hole in the water up with a chainsaw and giggled while I was doing it ! If I were sane, I would have recognized that even sailors , those who are addicts to the max, would have strapped me in a straight jacket and packed me off to the home if they had heard my tale . And done it gladly. But Noooooo. I still gotta see this thing float !
I worry about me! I keep having this thought that this idiotic endeavor of mine is meaningfull . Of all the endeavors that can inflict mankind with non-ending effort , restoring a too old sailboat has to rank up there with whacking a bomb with a sledge hammer ! Can someone with a modicum of sense explain to me the point of floating an antique, short of pointing a finger and giggling ?
Now don't get me wrong ! Cascades' are good boats. Not fancy, but dependable. But where is the point where a really sane person would cut up/ burn/ blow up the fixation called a boat ?
I will pop another brew, scratch my belly, and wait for a sane person to cuddle me !

**irwinsailor** · 02-02-2005, 16:28

I can pick it up on saturday if that is any help to you.

**Alan Wheeler** · 03-02-2005, 01:57

Cascadefixer, thou art truely eloquent with word.
But to answer you, you indeed have already answered yourself. Whilst in your poorly state, your thoughts are still drawn toward the boat, and that final hour of when the toil and sweat of your brow will reward you with many hours of relaxation with the calming and gentle lap of the wavelets against the hull.

Just don't go falling off a ladder before then eh.

Amphibian · 03-02-2005, 06:29

Ah – this I can relate to. Sounds like a severe bout of “cabin fever”, and definitely too much snow. There always seem to be too much snow. An ideal remedy would be to get sick-leave, and crew a boat in the Caribbean for a week or two. You need to thaw and to experience boats in their right element to get some inspiration. All work and no play iznot good.

If you can’t leave the premises, be aware that 2/3 of the winter is behind us. Late autumn and early winter is uphill struggle, but after the winter solstice it’s downhill skiing. In another two months the blessed green stuff chases away the frosty stuff, and the sun is warm.

Try some red wine. Works well for viruses and blue moods. For ensuing hangovers take two aspirins and sleep some more. Find something on TV with sunny golden beaches and blue seas, and/or magazines with pictures of same. Pull bedcovers above your head and daydream about sailing until pneumonia is gone.

BC Mike · 03-02-2005, 07:34

Here I sit broken hearted, planned on sailing but only ???
Take a look at postsecret.com.
The days are getting longer, it will get warmer and suddenly it will be launch day. Might I ask what you have been doing to the boat over the years? They are good boats and once in the water and sailing you will quickly forget the amount of work.
Michael

29cascadefixer · 03-02-2005, 13:58

Well, settle back, this'll take time. Lets see. Nothing sharp around with which to hurt myself . Ok. here goes.
1991 buy early '70s Cascade. Have surveyor go over boat before hand to check it out. He passes it. I sign papers on boat, make a trailer to bring it home because all thats wrong with boat is cosmectic, I think ! Wrong. I am on deck one day and drop a tool on the deck near chainplates. It goes " Soft thud". Not "Hard thud". I think, " Oh no". Take the butt of my clasp knife and sound entire deck. Get soft thuds on about 40 percent of deck. I drive a chisel down through the fiberglass and hit wet wood. I am able to push chisel through the wood with no problem. Heart sinks.
I go below and get to deck shelf. I am able to push a knife blade through the deck shelf across the grain no problem in a lot of areas. I am crest fallen . Then I get angry at surveyor. I think of sueing, but the cost of the lawyer would not be worth the amount I would get back. So, I decide that I will take my time and repair it and get the boat paid off. At least I have it at home so it isn't running up storage fees.
To make a long story short, I have replaced forty percent of the deck and supporting members. I will be replacing all the wiring because the last fella decided that twist and tape was sufficient. I have replaced one bulkhead and the bottom of another because of rot. This will also entail replacing the heads sole and supporting members because of rot.
Oh ! I forgot that I had to replace the deck an support area under the stem head fitting. One day I grabbed ahold of it and was able to move it around easily by hand. That was bad news.
All in all, it has been an experience. Trying to do this, plus the normal job, plus restore a 100 year old house and bring it more or less up to date, means a lot of years have gone by. I have thought of selling it, but , in its' present condition, I would get about $49.95 US. So000, I do repairs on it by dedicating a month or two during the summer to work on it.
I will stop here. I will go get another six pack and swill beer, and scratch my belly. I would scratch my head, but I did so much of that last summer working on this boat, I now have a sore spot.
The only thing that keeps me going is that just about retirement time, I will be done.