Gotta Love Being on the Hard

[capngeo]

My third back-to-back 12 hour day in the yard.... Knees hurt from a thousand trips up and down the ladder re-doing the britework, shoulders hurt from compounding and waxing, the skin on my hands looks like Frankenstein's from the Ospho on the stainless... My checkbook also hurts, because THIS old man is smart enough to pay the yard to sand the bottom!

[JPA Cate]

Capnego,

Yup, ladders take their toll, for sure. How wise of you to pay someone to prepare the bottom for the paint. One marshalls one's energies for the chores one wants most to do.

Cheers,

Ann

[markpierce]

Prefer having my boat in safe waters.

[hpeer]

Yesterday afternoon I watched a guy put up his genoa, on stands, amidst many other boats. Wind was light but gusting to maybe 10.

Makes you wonder.

We are into a refit, sandblasted the hull, a bit of replanting, turned keel into integral tanks, etc, so on and so forth. Fabricated brackets for a new day tank over the weekend.

Engine goes back in Friday.

Thank God it was Mothers Day and we took a break.

I can't do 12 hour days anymore. Don't know if it's the body or the soul that wears out faster.

[mbianka]

Lucky my boat is back in the corner of the yard with a beautiful view of the harbor. Easy to get into staring mode with the overhead view and a cold beer. So the days are not always as productive as I planned. Don't have a choice as far as bottom painting goes boatyard contract say they do it period.

[sailorboy1]

Been 2 weeks since I did the bottom and waxed my boat and my knees STILL hurt. So I feel your pain!

[oldragbaggers]

We have just started a refit of our C-25 that was seriously neglected (3 years in the water with owner out of country and no one taking care of her). We figure to be on the hard working on it this whole year. Spent this weekend stripping the bottom, opening up about 50 blisters, cleaning the interior and removing some of the interior wood. BUT we also walked the docks, ate lunch at the local crab house, and took breaks to just sit and enjoy the fact that spring is finally here. We are both pretty sore today, but it's worth it.

[IdoraKeeper]

When the boat is in the water we are all individuals. When the boat is in the yard, we are all in the same boat. Yesterday I took Idora up and dropped her off for a new forestay and furler, also a new bobstay...all this interrupts bright work progress. Arrrhg!

[minaret]

Going for day 536. Only days off have been Christmas Day (twice), and a few sick days. So close...

[IdoraKeeper]

Minaret, when you finish the work there are alot of us who will want to get a look at the best Nauticat on the planet.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by capngeo

My third back-to-back 12 hour day in the yard.... Knees hurt from a thousand trips up and down the ladder re-doing the britework, shoulders hurt from compounding and waxing, the skin on my hands looks like Frankenstein's from the Ospho on the stainless... My checkbook also hurts, because THIS old man is smart enough to pay the yard to sand the bottom!

Add another 12' and 10 years to that, you'll see what I went thru, when the weather permitted, to get this old girl in shape. And I did my own bottom work.

The good thing is it kept me in good shape going up an down the ladder, especially in the last spring doing the interior work. Cut a panel & up the ladder to fit it, down the ladder to recut, up the ladder to fit it, down the ladder to recut, up the ladder to fit it...........

After a while one gets use to it. Now, I kind of miss it. It became the norm after 10 years. Just keep after it, you get'r done!

[colemj]

Originally Posted by capngeo

THIS old man is smart enough to pay the yard to sand the bottom!

That right there is the single most meaningful thing that differentiates noobies from old salts!

I was a noobie for many years until I wised up. Up to this year, it was the only thing I ever paid to have done to our boat. This year, I paid to have the topsides compounded and waxed.

But in my defense, I was very busy adding new sterns to the boat at the time.

Mark

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by colemj

That right there is the single most meaningful thing that differentiates noobies from old salts!

I was a noobie for many years until I wised up. Up to this year, it was the only thing I ever paid to have done to our boat. This year, I paid to have the topsides compounded and waxed.

But in my defense, I was very busy adding new sterns to the boat at the time.

Mark

Are you back in the water yet?

We've decided to slide over to Cartagena for some extended time on the hard (for the boat at least).

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by colemj

..................... I was very busy adding new sterns to the boat .............

Capngeo, Hang in there,- there's great reward ahead!

Mark, I took a double take at this statement quoted above! Bad ass times two, but then I looked at your avatar and saw the cat! It's as if you guys do everything twice! How can we ever catch up!

[flagorio]

I was just in Charleston and observed a guy standing, watching as his bottom was sanded and painted. Not knowing the worker from the yard, I enquired and found the owner had hired a temp from an industrial temp agency. He said it was cheaper than the yard rates!