Woodwork

While I primed half of the mast, Ralph has been making the wood work look better and better.

Check out the pictures here.

More inside paint

I finished painting the inside cabin roof today. It looks great so far even though it may need some touch-up or another coat. It's not easy to work inside the boat already, and then it's not easy to paint upside down. I got the hang of it about half way through.

Ralph did a few more coats of laquer on the cabin door-boards and tiller, both look great. I forgot to get some pictures, but the once grey wood is now deep red.

In the mean time, check out the cabin paint pictures.

Some inside paint

I painted a section of the cabin interior roof today. Not much but it looked great with a fresh coat on. I'll be going back tomorrow to get the rest and to get some pictures of what it looks like.

Now I just need to find a better way to clean my brushes.

Rain Delay

It's been very rainy these past few days so no work on the boat. The good news is I got confirmation of the T-Bird plans and they should arrive any day now.

Still sanding

Still doing sanding inside the cabin. I've started on the roof and will work my way down until everything has a paintable surface.

Ralph has been doing work cleaning the various panels we could remove from the boat, along with the cushions. He's also rebuilt at least one of the winches.

Paint Stripping and Tiller

This morning we took a drive to West Marine for some primers and paints. No outside paint yet, but we've got what we need to paint the inside and mast. Enough to keep us busy for a good while.

I stripped a lot of paint from the inside of the hull today. The closer to the keel the more paint comes up. Probably generally wetter there.

Ralph sanded down the tiller and repaired a long crack with epoxy. The wood looks pretty good underneath and the till will probably be fine with a coat of varnish. The cabin hand-rails also look like they'll clean up well.

I also borrowed a random sander and air compressor from my Uncle. They'll come in handy, but I'm not sure when.

See the pictures here.

Back from vacation

Well we're back from our weeks vacation in the Caribbean where I witnessed my sister get married. I've gained a new brother-in-law I'm looking forward to and a slight sun-tan. Everything is so easy down there it's hard to leave. But on to the boat news!

While there, Ralph chartered a 38' sloop named Gypsy Spirit II for the day and we both got a chance to do a little sailing. It was a great boat and lots of fun to work on. I got some valuable hands-on experience with sailing a boat. Things I remember are: 1) There are two speeds on a boat, cruising, and balls-out. There was no faster-than-casual or slower-than-now. 2) The bigger boat gets right-of-way, usually by surviving the game of chicken longer. 3) Hold onto your hat if you let me tack. If you don't, get a more experienced captain to turn around and fish it out of the water. We've got lots of pictures but none available right now. I'll post some when I get them from the trip.

My first day back at work on the boat was a weak one. Just a couple more hours sanding the mast before it got too late. We went out for burgers and to discuss paint options. Right now it's looking like it could be White, Red, and some Gold. I'll keep you posted on that. This is what happens when you discuss paint colors at dinner.