Gullivers Travels

B Log Entry...09JAN2012 HAPPY NEW YEAR! The holidays are over and the boat continues to take shape. It has been two years to the day since Joann and I had our first look at the Willard Vega Horizon rotting away at the Patrick AFB marina. We actually purchased it on January 22 and had it hauled a few weeks later, but it was on January 9th that we took that first step into the twilight zone and certain bankruptcy. However, since that first day on board, we have not had any second thoughts about taking on our “project boat”. It has been a very interesting two years. We have learned a lot, had a ton of fun tearing her down, and had lots of discussions on sailing trips to come…Dry Tortugas, Bahamas, Virgin Islands…ahhhhhh. But, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.

When we last reported on the progress of the still un-officially named motor sailor we described the disaster we had with the failed tarp and a boat with lots of water on the wrong side of the hull. After pumping it out and leaving it to dry for a couple of months, I was finally able to pour hydraulic concrete into the bilge area in the engine compartment. The concrete is about ½ to 1 inch thick and filled in all of the dips and cracks from the failed ballast that we spent many hours removing one handful at a time. We purchased a rubbery sealer to go over the concrete; however, it must be used within a couple of days of opening the can or it goes bad. We need to also use it up on deck where people walk so we will hold off sealing the bilge until we are ready to do the decks, which should be pretty soon. Also, last time we B-Logged, we mentioned that we finished the hull up to the primer. Here it is in its current state under our big top.

Good news on the engine and transmission. The marine shop did a full inspection of the engine and gave it a “thumbs up” for overhaul. They will literally replace or rebuild everything that is bolted on. The compression checks were above 400 psi in each cylinder and the rest of the engine looked very healthy. As soon as we gave them the go-ahead for overhaul they sent the transmission out to be reworked. That is done and back with the engine. As soon as the shop receives and installs the re-machined head and assorted parts, they will be bringing it back our way. Remember how difficult it was to get the engine out of the boat? Well, as Joann and I were working on the pilot house exterior we realized that the roof comes off. It weighs a zillion pounds but it unbolts so the engine can be hoisted in and out of the engine compartment (below the pilot house flooring) easily. Good piece of information to have had earlier but we are not complaining. It should be very easy to return the engine to its rightful place. Now to get the bilge sealed and the engine compartment finished before the engine arrives.

With the engine in final repair and the transmission overhauled, we moved up to the decks to begin the task of repairing and refinishing all of the cracks and crazes in the gel coat. And there are many. During the Christmas break, the weather was fantastic and we spent many hours preparing the exterior (topsides) of the boat for refinishing. First we had to sand down and fill the entire deck. When the previous owner(s) thought they had leaks from the decks, they poured gallons of epoxy all over the decks, pilot house and cabin. There are supposed to be small channels running along the sides of the pilot house to guide rain and wave water to the scuppers. Some of the channels were completely filled with epoxy resin. After a solid 5 days of scraping, sanding, Dremeling, chipping, more sanding, and numerous cuss words aimed at the previous owner(s), we stood back and looked at our well prepared boat. It really didn’t look much different. Bummer.

Pilot House After Preparation

Last weekend we began refinishing the topsides. When a boat surface cracks, painting over the cracks will look great at first but the cracks will eventually come back. For a long term solution, you can either Dremel out each crack and fill it with epoxy (works most of the time) or to really repair it right, fill the cracks with smootz and cover the entire area with Dynell. Dynell is a polyester fabric cloth that essentially becomes a completely new skin when epoxied in place and smoothed out. We are Dynelling all of the smooth surfaces of the boat (not including the hull which we have primed and is ready to paint). On the walk areas, we will fill in all of those cracks and rough areas with the rubbery filler that we will use in the bilge with one slight modification. We will put rubber sand in the walk area filler while it is drying to act as a non-skid surface. Now mixing epoxy for the very large sheets of Dynell is a real challenge…especially when the temperature changes 35-40 degrees while we are working. The first batch I mixed cooked off so fast that it started smoking while we were trying to roll it onto the fabric. Joann’s roller was smoking, and I don’t mean because she was working fast. We tossed the roller, spreader, and tub of it overboard to keep it from burning us. Wow! Ok, let’s recalculate the measurements. The next batch worked much better and we were able to get a good amount of Dynell in place before it cooked off. The outside temperature started dropping and the next batch was too cold. It just didn’t want to set. We waited all of Saturday afternoon for it to set enough for us to trim the edges but it stayed pretty wet. We decided to head to dinner and come back later to trim under the lights. Great idea! Almost. Did you ever hear of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. Well, we could have done a remake of that movie called “The Moths”. Under the bright lights every moth in Brevard County decided to visit us on the boat. At first it was like, “Hey, look at this cool moth.” Then it was, “Wow, look at all the different types of moths.” Then it led to, “Run away before we are smothered by moths!” Now, moths in the lights of a football stadium are not too bad, but in the confines of the circus tent and the moths flying into your face, under your glasses, and in your hair; it can get pretty creepy. After beating back the moths, we got the edges trimmed, stepped back and looked at our well Dynelled pilot house. It really didn’t look much different. Bummer.

Pilot House After Dynell (notice the moth on the deck)

One last item. We need to hear from you. The boat’s original name was Surveyor. It has not been called that since its first owner had it back in 1974 to the early 80’s. A name is missing on all of the documentation since then. We need to name the boat. Here are some suggestions.

Travels – We have had two previous boats named Travels.
Gulliver – Joann likes this one.
Garden Ornament – Submitted by our good friend(?) Brent from down-under.
Surveyor – keeping it original

What do you think? Do you have a suggestion? Please…keep it clean.

Until next time, when Joann says, “Turn out those $%&@# lights!”

Kevin and Joann
 

B Log Entry...12SEP2011 It sure has been awhile since our last B-Log entry...sorry about that. We would have written more but how many B-Logs about sanding can you take. That is pretty much all we have been doing over the past several months. To be fair, we have been traveling a lot since May and when we are in town the weather has not been entirely cooperative. With summer in Florida comes afternoon storms and this summer has been no exception. As soon as the Nida end-of-day whistle blows the lightening, thunder and downpours begin. So, we have really only had weekends to work the boat. Or should I say...sand on the boat.

As the old saying goes, "One step forward and two steps back." At least that is how it felt over these past couple of months. We replaced the boat cover (reads tarp) with a new system that would allow us to get out of the sun while working on the boat. We devised two 16 foot 4x4 inch poles and buried them down 4 feet on each end of the boat. Next we strung rope over the poles and anchored them several feet fore and aft of the boat. So far so good. Next we bought a 40ft x 20ft "heavy duty" tarp and placed it over the rope like a giant circus tent. We formed port and starboard poles out of bamboo (actually raided our bamboo patch) and attached them to the sides of the tarp. When open the contraption provides us with a large shaded area to work under. When the side poles are removed, the rig provides a great cover for the boat in inclement. Well almost. Sometime during one of our trips, the Harbor Freight "Heavy-Duty" tarp failed to hold out the water. After two or three weeks of rain and no one to check on the boat, we arrived home to find the bilge, engine room (OK, it is really a compartment), and under floor area completely filled with water. How can one's boat sink when its not even in the water? It seems that both the port and starboard deck drain hoses came loose and dumped rain water into the boat instead of their real job of dumping it overboard. The tarp was supposed to prevent any water from getting on the decks but our expensive Harbor Freight tarp was actually pretty cheap. It took us 45 minutes of solid pumping to get the water out of the boat...again. Now this would not have been a problem except we were ready to seal the keel. Now we have to wait until the bilge and keel are completely dry again before we seal it up. No worries....

Circus Tent Up . . .

. . .Circus Tent down with Ominous Clouds Forming

The second step back was with the hull. Remember when we said in the last B-log that we were ready to give the hull a final sanding and then apply the primer paint? Well, during the final sanding Joann uncovered 19, count them, 19 more areas where the hull was incorrectly repaired. When she removed the final layer of old resin, the bad areas emerged. For some reason, a previous owner filled cracks, pits, and blisters with putty and then epoxy over them. Once the epoxy was removed the areas bled some kind of stinky oil and were still soft. So, Joann removed all the putty, prepared the surface, and fiber glassed every last one of those areas. The process takes several days because you have to build up the fiberglass in layers, letting each layer dry in between. Finally, after several more weeks of filling and sanding, we were ready to prime the hull. So with great joy and anticipation, Saturday morning arrived with a beautiful sunrise and a full day of final prep and painting. It was great! The first coat dried by Sunday morning and we then applied two more coats of primer. Sadly, we were so excited to see the boat make actual progress, we forgot to take pictures of the completed primer job. We will be sure to take some this weekend. The good news is that we caught the bad areas before they showed up after completely painting the boat. No worries...

Our Boat "Spot"

Joann Starts the First Coat of Primer

In other breaking news, we finally have the engine out of the Nida garage and at the repair shop. Judging by the condition of the boat as we have been working on it, we figured that we would trade in the old Perkins diesel for a newer model. We figured that the exchange would save us some bucks and we would be sure to have a good engine for when the boat splashes in the water again. We called a local marine repair shop and they came over to Nida to get the engine. At first look, the mechanic said that, although cosmetically it looked bad, internally it might not be a lost cause. He recommended that we let him do compression checks and "open her up" before we make our final decision. He said that we couldn't go bad with an overhaul and that the motor, if nothing internal was major, would provide us with many, many years of faithful service if it was brought back up to ship-shape. Now, our boat kitty (cash pot) fluctuates more than the New York Stock Exchange during an Obama speech so we jumped right on the idea of saving some cash. Rebuilding this engine would save us oodles over a new one. We haven't heard the results of the inspection but we are keeping our fingers crossed. The transmission, which showed signs of being under water (Hmmm) is going to a shop in Maitland for an overhaul so when we get them both back, we should literally have zeroed out the old Hobbs meter. We can't wait.

Sending the Motor to the Repair Shop

Easy Does It

Well, that's about it for this installment of the B-Log. As a quick note, we get a lot of fan mail from our automotive project friends asking "Why it is it taking you so long to finish your little boat project?" In fact, we have been the butt of some jokes from our "Out West" project people about how long we have been taking to finish our project compared to their vintage car projects. Well, we will take the ribbing. In fact, bring it on; however, when the big flood comes a roarin' down the warsh we will be waving to you desert folks in your quickly restored vintage cars from our well stocked and floating "Gulliver's Arc". If the pairs of animals don't mind, we might even invite you on board.

Until next time...

Kevin and Joann

[Sitrep 12]

B Log Entry...01MAY2011 Ahoy mateys! Shiver your timbers and prepare for some GREAT news...MSV Travels-ingly speaking. The fuel tanks are IN! Strike up the band and; can I get a "High Five". Yes, one of the reasons for pulling the boat out of the water in the first place has finally been completed. Following an interesting exchange of emails with Florida Marine Tanks (actually located in North Carolina?) to verify dimensions and tank angles we finally gave them the go ahead to build the tanks. Once built, since they were built to our custom specifications and could not be sold anywhere else, they were ours, correct or not. There is always a hesitation to give the "GO" for tank building when we get one shot and the manufacturer is 900 miles away. Fortunately, we talked to the engineers and everyone was confident that the pictures and drawings we sent should produce the correct tanks. Richard did up the drawings and Joann took pictures of the old tanks, tank hold, and everything else the engineers asked for. About 5 weeks later we were told that the tanks were finished and had shipped. Since Nida has a loading dock and the tanks were on a pallet, we had them ship the tanks to Nida. They came to us unblemished and shiny new.

New tanks arrived on a pallet.

Loaded in Joann's van and ready to get coated.

The original tanks were steel and painted with Rustoleum or the equivalent paint for the 1970's. You can see from past pictures (and the one below) that they had corroded over the years. The starboard tank was completely rotted and the port tank, which still held fuel, was badly pitted and probably ready to leak. The new tanks are aluminum which means that they need to be protected with some sort of salt-resistant coating. I had used undercoating to waterproof the bottom of the VW, however, when fuel came in contact with the dry undercoating it started to run. So, that wouldn't work. Joann found a local company that applied spray-on truck bed liners. When dry, the liners are plastic and completely adhere to the metal. The plastic material is salt, fuel, oil, and just about everything else you can throw at it, resistant. So, off to the bed liner company with our shiny new tanks. When they returned two days later the job was amazing. They had completely encapsulated the tanks in plastic. Put a non-skid texture on the top and smooth textures everywhere else. They were very careful about protecting the connections and even masked off the ID plate. Check them out...the brown tanks are the ones we removed (now in the dump) and the black ones are the new tanks. The picture makes the new tanks look bigger than the old tanks but they are not. They are actually a bit shorter...by 5 gallons each.

The old and the new;

the tanks ready for installation,

the fittings and ID plate (you can see how thick the plastic coating is by looking at the edges of the ID plate).

The next task was getting them aboard and fitting them into place. We did a dry run on each side before building the silicone bed that they will sit on. With some minor adjustments and a few shims, the tanks fit as advertised. Thanks to Richard's drawings and Joann's pictures/descriptions. We did have to make a modification to the aft pilot house bulkhead because the starboard fuel tank pickup connection fell right in the middle of the bulkhead. We had anticipated that since that hole was over the low point of the tank; however, we did not anticipate the height of the connector. So, with our magic tool in hand, the bulkhead was modified. By the time we finished the dry run it was getting too late to actually set the tanks. We would not have Richard the next day so Joann and I removed, prepped, and set the tanks by ourselves. It was like tightrope walking without a net. But, we did it. The tanks went in, a couple of additional tweaks were made, and they bedded nicely. Next we had to modify the floor plan a bit to accommodate some adjustments and then we set the floor beams. We stepped back and smiled at each other. THE FUEL TANKS WERE IN! Hopefully for another 40 years.

Above: Hauling them aboard (I couldn't of lifted the steel tanks by myself),

making slight modifications to the bulkhead with the "magic tool",

and Joann maneuvering them through the cabin.

The starboard tank is bedded and the deck support is in place,

view of the starboard tank as it comes into the cabin under the bulkhead, the old paint is finally sanded off of the hull.

Although the tanks are the big news, we have been making progress on the rest of the boat. Second in excitement but first in the amount of blood (see last b-log), sweat, and tears (from sanding dust in the eyes) is the boat hull. Joann has completely stripped all of the old paint off the boat from the rail down to the water line. Next we will be doing a final sanding with lighter paper and then putting several primer coats on the hull. That should make it look better than the spotty hull we have now. We also filled in all of the below-the-waterline thru-hull holes that we will not be using. This required layers and layers of fiberglass, resin and schmootz. For those not in the nautical business (and those who are), schmootz is a mixture of epoxy, hardener, filler, and Cabosil (a white, very fine, epoxy powder). The mixture is thicker (like peanut butter, smooth not crunchy) than straight epoxy and is easier to work with. When we glass, we get schmootz everywhere. It has become quite a joke and we spend hours getting the hardened stuff out of our hair, off our legs, and off of our hands (even when we wear gloves, schmootz seems to find its way to the hands). When schmootz dries on clothes it is like steel. Joann sat in some schmootz and didn't get it all off. The shorts were like wearing a cardboard box the next time she tried them on. They went in the trash along with several tee shirts of mine. If schmootz falls on the deck, drips down a bulkhead, or gets put anywhere it is not supposed to be, the only recourse is to sand, sand, sand. You gotta love schmootz...but it does do an excellent job of filling cracks, holes, and thru-hulls.

We also ordered and have received our water tanks. They will be installed closer to launch time and are currently sitting in the computer room. They were custom built to fit our boat from a company that really was located in Florida. Since the new water tanks are larger than the originals, we had to move the filler holes on the aft deck forward by a foot. We filled in the old filler holes and cut new ones. While we were filling things, we filled in the holding tank pump out access, also on the aft deck, since we will no longer be using that kind of toilet. We also cut out the deck area above both fuel tanks, replaced the wood, refiberglassed the area, and cut the filler holes for the diesel fuel fillers. We did this on both sides of the boat since the decks were a bit rotted from leaking fuel filler connections. The leaky fillers were probably the source of the tank damage as well.

Lastly, for this boat log, we removed the main cabin Plexiglas windows and filled those holes in. This took 1/2 inch plywood and many layers of fiberglass. We are replacing the old Plexiglas, non-opening windows with new glass opening ports. The ports will provide better air flow, they come with screens for bug control, and should last forever. They will be tougher than the original windows so heavy winds, rain, and squalls should not affect them in the least. Or at least that is what the not-from Florida porthole company says.

Well, we will be taking a break from the boat for a couple of weeks while we do some Nida work in Europe. When we get back we hope to get the hull primed and start working on the topsides exterior.

So, until next time...

Kevin & Joann

[Sitrep 11]

B Log Entry...21FEB2011 Hello all and Happy President's Day. I am working an aviation competition in Las Vegas this week while Joann is home repainting the kitchen, den, and utility room from top to bottom. Well, actually, she is supervising the job. Nida's element of the competition (aircraft power distribution system troubleshooting event) is all set up at the convention center which gives me a couple of minutes to catch everyone up on the latest Travels news.

In my last B Log, Sitrep 8, I may have alluded to the fact that with the fuel tanks out we were at the end of the destruction phase of the overhaul. Well, I may have spoken a bit too soon. Enter Richard Blackford...destruction master extraordinaire. With the fuel tanks out and the tank area cleaned up, Richard recommended that we take a close look at the thru-hulls. Probably a good thing. It turns out that our bronze thru-hulls were attached to brass valves. In a salt environment, well in any environment, these two metals don't get along. Every thru-hull below the water line was completely corroded and welded together. No way of removing them with conventional weapons (tools). We ended up having to cut all the thru-hulls apart with our magic all-purpose tool. We decided to reduce the number of below-the-water thru-hulls to two. That means we will be filling in and fiberglassing 4 others that are no longer needed. The remaining thru--hulls will serve the engine cooling system and a salt-water wash down pump. Since we decided to remove the existing head (toilet) and replace it with a composting head, we will no longer need the three thru-hulls for that system. The composting head will also eliminate a macerator, holding tank, and a host of wye valves.

So, with the thru-hulls removed, that should have been the last of the destruction. Again, enter Mr. Blackford. Rich was showing Joann some pointers on sanding the hull when he decided to try his planer to smooth out some of the thicker paint. Just the act of putting the planer (at zero setting) on the hull started to shake the existing paint off the boat. It looks like a previous owner had completely epoxied the hull and then put what appears to be house paint on it. The paint flaked off the epoxy like ice from a Dallas stadium roof. Once he started stripping that part of the hull there was nothing left to do but completely strip it down. On the bright side, we did find the original waterline and we found that the blisters we were working on were about all there was on the hull. Very good news.

Now the not-so-good news. With the hull paint stripped, Joann went to work sanding the epoxy on the hull to get it smooth enough to get a base coat on it. To get on and off the boat, we had been using the upper half of an old aluminum extension ladder. It was typically placed directly on the stern so we could hop on and off over the stern rail. Joann was working on the starboard side of the hull, aft of center, sanding away blissfully. It was a particularly windy day and a large gust of wind caught the ladder, sending it down and around the starboard side of the boat. The end of the ladder hit Joann on the head and cut her pretty bad and you know how head wounds bleed. The cut wasn't a gash as much as it was a skinned knee thing. The end of the ladder scraped her head as it bounced to the ground and the wound bled like crazy. I grabbed a tee shirt and we put direct pressure on it. She held the shirt to her head while I cleaned up the area, covered the boat and tied it all down. By the time we got her home the tee shirt looked as if it was red tie-died...but the bleeding slowed down for the most part. We cleaned the wound area and found that besides direct pressure and ice, there wasn't a lot we could do since a scrape, albeit a serious one, cannot really be stitched and Joann did not want that part of her head shaved. So with TLC and a couple days of taking it easy, the wound healed and soreness wore away. Well, that was it, the first serious injury on Travels. We are glad that it hit her head and not her face or eyes. I guess it could have been worse but it sure was scary for a moment. We have since replaced the ladder and do not work on the outside of the boat in strong winds.

The boat has not been without improvements despite the continuing destruction. We have built the floor supports and floor panels for the pilot house sole. The sole has been redesigned so all of the panels will be removable to get to the fuel tanks and other important items. We have also ordered and received the water tanks. Since the tanks were gone when we bought the boat, Richard had to design them from scratch using measurements that we took under the deck. He came up with drawings for two 70 gallon tanks that can be filled from the aft deck fillers or via rainwater scuppers when away from potable water sources. The tanks looked bigger than the area where they go when they arrived but we did a dry fit and they will work perfectly. Joann has sourced custom fuel tank manufacturers and, again with Richards help on the drawings, we will be ordering those in the next two weeks. To accommodate for the new pilot house sole and supports, we shortened the tanks making them 45 gallon tanks (each) instead of the original manufacturer's 50 gallon tanks. The shorter tanks should help with vent lines and fuel quantity senders; not easily accessible on the original tanks. We have also started replacing the port and starboard deck areas above the fuel tanks. Those areas were a bit rotted from the leaking fuel filler holes. So, we are making headway on the reconstruction.

We had a number of B Log visitors since our last boat log. Jack and Judy Olsen, from Cookeville, TN came down with Ron and Marilee Kluge. They are Joann's aunts and uncles and have been following the B Log for most of the year. I guess they wanted to see Travels at its low point and we did not disappoint them. In addition to our Tennessee group, Bruce McCalister, a long time friend from back in my high school days, came to visit from Leadville, Colorado. He went from 10,400 feet to near sea level making him the highest altitude visitor to the boat that we have had. We also were visited by Tom Klein of Clearwater, FL. Tom is another good friend from high school. So now Travels has been visited in the rough and I cannot wait for all of our visitors to see her again on launch day...not coming to a marina near you any time soon. Unfortunately, those of you who visited do not get your name in the boat helper log unless you grab some sandpaper and spend a few intimate hours working with the boat. Needless to say, no one who visited made the helper log. No Katie, chipping one tiny speck of paint off the hull does not get you helper status. I do think, however, that given more time, everyone would have donned a face mask and started sanding. It is that kind of project that is easy to get involved with. Joann and I thank all of our visitors for your words of kindness and encouragement. We would thank Richard also but I don't think he has finished with his destruction phase.

Until next time...

Kevin and Joann

[Sitrep 10]

B Log Entry...28DEC2010 Tomorrow it will be exactly one year since we first set eyes on Travels (had no name then). In the past year we have had many adventures on the boat despite the fact that we have logged zero hours (or minutes for that matter) of sailing or motoring under her own power. We have had a fire, pulled the boat from the water, set her "on the hard", and stripped her almost completely. I am very happy to report that as of December 17, 2010, we have disassembled the boat down as far as it will go. We have (drum role please) successfully removed the transmission and both the port and starboard fuel tanks. Short of removing the boats structure, there is nothing more to remove...thank goodness. From this point on, everything we do to the boat will be working towards bringing her back to life.

We have had an absolutely miserable winter thus far in Florida. As all our Florida readers can attest to, the temperatures have been ridiculously cold. Not great conditions for working on an exposed boat. Friday, December 17th, however, was a beautiful day of balmy temperatures and sunshine. I just returned from a quick trip to Australia so I was a bit out of sync with the time but Joann's brother, Richard, was in town and it seemed like a great opportunity to learn how to pull fuel tanks. As you recall from previous B Logs, Richard has lived aboard Slow Dancing, a 44 foot sailboat, for over 18 years. If anyone would know how to remove fuel tanks he would.

We started out by assessing the situation over a steaming cup of coffee. Coffee always stimulates the boat destruction brain cells. After a careful assessment, Richard suggested that we cut out the sole (floor) of the pilot house and rebuild it after we get the tanks out. He indicated that the new pilot house sole would be much better and stronger than the existing sole. He also promised that he would design it so we would have better access to the engine, could remove the tanks without cutting in the future, and would have a sole to be proud of. Heck, with promises like that, Joann and I eagerly agreed to the plan.

First up; however, was removing the boat's transmission. Although not as heavy as the engine (see SITREP 7) the transmission weighs in at close to 200 pounds. It is sort of round with no logical places to grab for lifting. We fashioned a lifting strap out of some rope that Nick gave us from his rock climbing. With the lifting harness in place Richard and I were able to slide the transmission forward to the engine compartment opening and together lift it out of the engine room. We strained and grunted it out of the cabin and up on the aft deck. From there, we were going to lower it using the rope to the ground. Balanced carefully on the aft rail, we were about to attempt the lowering when I remembered the Nida tractor. I jumped off the boat (while Richard kept the transmission balanced on the rail) and brought the tractor around to the boat. We inched the tractor bucket tine through the lifting harness and, waalaa, the transmission was off the boat.

Next came the port fuel tank. After carefully removing all wire harnesses, cables, and tubing that could possibly be cut during the extraction process, we adjusted the skill saw and began cutting into the 3/4 inch sole. Richard left about a two inch gap from the cut to all bulkheads and structures which would later be used to secure the floor board supports. As I cut into the first section Richard commented how much he liked cutting up other people's boats. The look in his eye gave me the chills and I am not sure if he was rubbing his hands together sinisterly because he was cold or...

Making the first cut from the engine hatch. Richard points the way.

The port fuel tank is exposed (looking forward)

With the first cuts complete and the section of sole removed, the port tank was ready to come out. In the original boat construction process back in 1974, the tanks were set in the hull before the deck was attached to the hull or any bulkheads were installed. The manufacturer laid the tanks on ribs that were thickly coated with rubberized silicone. This would keep the tanks from moving and give them some cushion in heavy seas. The silicone was firmly stuck in place and it took crowbars and a bit of muscle to release the tanks from their beds. There is also a horizontal stringer running fore and aft at the inboard edge of the tank. The tank has two 6 inch long by 2 two inch deep steel tangs welded to it that rest inside the stringer. This keeps the curved tank from slipping inboard during rough seas. Not a problem on the port tank because we had at least two inches of vertical clearance to lift the tangs over the stringer.

If you look in the first picture above, I am facing aft with the saw. To the left of my left shoulder is a bulkhead that runs on top of the last 1/4 of the starboard fuel tank. There is no clearance for lifting a tank over the starboard stringer due to the bulkhead on top of the tank. We got out the sawsall and carefully cut the tangs off of the starboard tank by slipping the blade between the tank and the stringer. With the tangs removed the tank should of slid inward...which it did not. A vent fitting was constructed so that it came off the top of the tank at the very back and the bulkhead was built around it. Again, using the sawsall, we gut a section out of the top of the tank and bent the vent down into the tank. We then had to cut the tank in several places to assist in bending the tank into itself and finally get it freed from its 35 year resting place.

The tanks were finally out! We wrestled them out onto the aft deck and tossed them overboard.

Cutting the tangs off the bottom of the starboard tank

Cut and bent, the starboard tank was finally muscled out.

Next up is the rebuilding of the pilot house sole. Once that is completed and the tank areas are cleaned, we can take the measurements for the new tanks. We will be replacing the starboard tank with a slightly smaller tank to give us a bit more clearance over the top of the tank. The loss of 10 gallons of diesel shouldn't affect our long range plans too greatly and the space we gain will be well worth it. Joann has been doing some research on fuel tanks and we are having trouble finding plastic tanks that will fit our boat. Most plastic tank manufacturers will not build custom tanks for a single boat so we will most likely have aluminum or steel tanks made to replace the existing tanks. You can see in the pictures below that the existing tanks are beyond repair. The starboard tank is completely rotted (no wonder it wouldn't hold fuel) and the port tank is badly pitted in several areas.

On Saturday, following "Tank Removal Day", it was rainy so Richard, Joann and I went to Fort Pierce to look through a boaters warehouse. This place purchases new equipment from boat building companies that discontinue a boat model and have extra materials left over. It is like a candy store for boaters. Remember the electrical fire from SITREP 1, well, we found a replacement for the DC and AC electrical panels. It is brand new from a boat discontinued several years ago and cost half of what the panels would have cost us through a catalog. I think we will be revisiting this place on a regular basis.

Since Nida is closed between Christmas and New Year's, Joann and I will have a whole week (weather permitting) to work on the boat. We are looking forward to working with Richard and learning the fine art of boat building/repairing as we put Travel's back together.

Scraping what's left of the starboard tank out of the hold.

Starboard fuel tank...bottom. Why wouldn't it hold fuel?

Repairing the upper steering station.

Until next time...

Joann and Kevin

[Sitrep 9]

B Log Entry...15NOV2010 Just when we had lost all hope of ever getting the 650 pound Perkins diesel out of the back of the boat... Well, let me back up a bit. If you recall from SITREP 3, we had removed the boat's motor from the engine room (small compartment under the pilot house sole) and scooted it on 2X6 planks through the cabin and out the aft hatch. It has been sitting, somewhat in the way, on the aft deck since March. Our original plan was to get the lawn maintenance guy to lift it out of the back of the boat with his cherry picker. After all, he owed us one since his crew ran into our last boat with a lawn tractor and did a bit of damage to stern not once but two times. So, it was natural to think that as remorse for causing all that damage that he would graciously help us with removing the motor. No such luck. Apparently the cherry picker was in Vero Beach or somewhere and never around when we were. So we have been working around the motor while we sand and prep the boat for months.

Nida has a tractor; however, it has not worked in over a year. No one around Melbourne works on this particular type of Chinese tractor. Well, two weeks ago, Nida found a guy in Winterhaven who works on this type of tractor. The tractor was returned to Nida this past week. So, with the tractor repaired we had a chance at getting to the motor. Now the rail of the boat, when sitting in a cradle on land, is probably a good 8 feet up in the air. The motor was sitting down on the aft deck about 3 feet below the rail. The tractor, with the bucket raised as high as it goes just clears 8 feet...by inches. There was no more lift in the tractor to raise the motor 3 feet up to get it over the rail. This situation was labeled "Problem 1". The tractor, since the great flood of 2008, has been a little unpredictable in the clutch area. When the clutch is let out, the tractor thinks for a while and then decides if it is going to move or not. With the right encouraging words, we found it responds better to Mandarin Chinese, it usually moves. It just doesn't say when. For the bucket to clear the rail, the tractor must drive towards the boat as close as possible. I think you can see "Problem 2".

On Saturday; Chris, Joann and I (Chris was the only one brave enough to attempt this) decided it was time to go motor moving. We inched the tractor to towards the boat with the bucket as flat as it would go. After some choice words in Chinese, the tractor cooperated for the most part with its forward progress. With Chris in the boat and guiding me in, we barely cleared the bucket over the rail. Once over the rail, we were able to tilt the bucket down by 90 degrees. This put the tines of the bucket almost on the deck. With a little muscle and a lot of grunting (from me) we maneuvered the motor so it bumped up against the bucket. Next we chained the motor to the bucket. With Chris still in the boat (very brave man with me at the tractor controls) we tilted the bucket back up to straight. This forced the chained motor to lay on its side in the bucket. We slowly eased the tractor back and, again, just cleared the rail. The motor was free of the boat but the 650 lbs wanted to defy gravity. Just touching the bucket-down handle caused the bucket to bounce almost bringing the rear wheels off the ground...or at least that is was it felt like. The collective gasp by Joann (on the camera) and Chris (still in the boat) confirmed that it was not my imagination. I was able to gently feather the handle to bring the bucket down slowly to just above ground level. There was a collective sigh of relief and we all cheered joyfully and triumphantly!

Bucket at the top of its lift

Figuring out how to attach the motor

The motor is clear of the boat

I am sure that the only reason that Joann records these evolutions is in hope to someday win the $100k Funniest Home Video's prize. We escaped the shame of showing our video on AFHV, but it is nice to have our progress recorded.

The Motor

With the motor out of the way, Joann and I returned on Saturday to continue the sanding, fiber glassing, and filling holes, dings, dents, cracks, and places where hardware was removed and never replaced. Our plan, and there is no rush to this plan, is to send the motor out for an overhaul or replacement. While the motor is out, our next big project is to remove the fuel tanks. With Richard and Beth only a few hundred nautical miles away and getting closer every day, we hope to be able to report new fuel tanks in the next B Log.

Until then....

Kevin & Joann

[Sitrep 8]

B Log Entry...22OCT2010 Can you believe that it is almost Halloween already? It has been a long time since I have provided a B Log entry so I thought I would take some time and catch everyone up on the steady (but slow) process of renovating Travels. In the last B Log we had stripped the deck of hardware, removed the pilot house steering console, and began working on the decks. Working topsides in the Florida summer heat is challenging. Working inside is like working in an oven...or visiting Arizona. We decided to help our cause by setting up one of those "quick canopies" over the cabin. It works pretty well and actually dropped the temperature inside the boat by over 10 degrees.

While Joann continued work on sanding the decks, I began to tackle the cockpit steering console and the rub rail. The rub rail is an inch thick ring of teak that encircles the entire boat. The rub rail is screwed into the rail with gigantic stainless steel screws that have been recessed into the rail and finished with teak plugs. They are not visible to the naked eye...or any other eye for that matter. So, to find these screws one must look for a spot in the teak where a plug is present, drill out the plug without drilling into the screw, and chipping the 35 year old glue out of the screw head slot. We managed to find 95 percent of the screws with some success. Next, to remove the rub rail, we needed to cut the putty, caulking, resin, fiberglass, tape, and whatever else was used over the years to seal the rub rail to the rail.

We also found that the rub rail pieces are connected to each other approximately every 6 feet with even longer gigantic screws...also recessed and plugged. Each section had no less than 4 mega screws horizontally screwing the sections together. After almost 10 hours of work, we finally removed the last section of rub rail. Most of the rail is in pretty good condition; however, the section on the stern and one section on the port side are quite rotted. The port section was severely damaged at one time and had a four foot repaired section. That was the section that rotted on that side. It would be interesting to know the history behind that repair.

Joann sands the cabin top

The bow deck with rub rail still attached

A look under the rub rail

The rub rail is now in our garage and is being repair, refinished and/or replaced where necessary. Joann began cleaning the boat rail which is now exposed for the first time in probably 35 years. We realized why the boat had some leaks when it rained, all of the seal where the deck meets the hull was completely dry and cracked. Joann spent the day cleaning out the seal area and preparing it for repair and resealing.

There are friends, there are good friends, and then there is Steve Furgerson. Steve came to stay with us during his recent transition to the North. While with us Steve volunteered (I swear; he really volunteered) to help work on the boat. Now many of you probably don't know this, but Steve was the one who attempted to build a boat from scratch in my garage when we were stationed in North Carolina. He also was a partner owner/operator of the very famous "Banana Split", an 18 foot yellow sailboat which we sailed (?) on the Pasquotank River. So Steve was no stranger to my previous boating hijinx (spelled projects). And he is now no stranger to this one. Having another "beef on the rail" I decided to remove the steering station console. When we started it looked like an easy job. Six bolts and some sealant and it should come out post-haste. Four hours and a many choice words later, it finally came free. Apparently, the console was installed prior to the pilot house horizontal support beam; a huge beam that keeps the sides of the boat from collapsing in. The beam covered some of the bolts making it impossible to get to them. When we turned the nuts on the console side, the bolts just spun in place. With nothing to grab to stop their spinning, we ended up cutting off the bolts as close to the console back plate as possible. Then it was a matter of muscling the console off of the very close tolerance bolts.

"Why is this bolt just spinning, Steve?"

Console removed: a proud moment for the conquerors

When the console was out and in my garage, the next step was cutting the rotted wood from under several of the ports inside the cabin and v-berth. While I worked on that, Steve tackled the job of removing the cockpit bench which runs around the entire stern cockpit of the boat. That was another major undertaking because a lot of the wooden partitions under the bench were rotted and the bench had no less than a hundred well painted over screws. Chris volunteered to bring his pickup truck over to the boat so we could move the bench to our garage. I guess we mis-calculated what a 10 foot wide bench looks like in the bed of a Toyota Tundra; but, that bench was not going out on the road. It was as wide as a traffic lane. So, there it sits, under the boat, waiting for us to refinish it there. (Sorry, I don't have a picture of that). As for Steve, I think we scared him off because he left the State in a cloud of dust. If you ever want to get rid of friends, buy a project boat. Friends will scatter like rats from a sinking...what?

Rub Rail Removal 101

The canopy really helps on a hot day

Cutting out the interior wall lining under the head port.

Well, that's about where we are in the project. Still in the teardown phase. On the plus side, Joann and I are ordering the fiberglass to begin restoring the decks and cabin top. We will also be ordering paint so we can start painting the items that have been removed from the boat but will need to go back on as soon as the deck is painted. This weekend we should be rebuilding the panels under the ports and doing the final filling and sanding before we fiberglass. After the Nida tradeshow season, which runs throughout November and into December, we hope to have some time to make some serious progress both inside and out. By the way, if anyone knows where we can find one inch thick teak boards (8 foot by 8-10 inches wide) let us know.

Until next time...

Kevin and Joann

[Sitrep 7]

B Log Entry...23JUL2010  Welcome to another installment of the MSV Travels B Log. While Joann and I were traveling the mid-west supporting our aviation community and the National SkillsUSA contest in Kansas City, Rich & Beth arrived in Melbourne from the Caribbean. Richard thought that he missed going over our project boat with him; however, sitting on the dining room table was a two page list of questions. I don't know if you remember from the last B Log, but Rich and Beth have been "live aboards" for the past zillion years aboard the 44 foot Slocum, Slow Dancing. I'm not saying those two are salty, but cows keep coming up and licking them. Richard and Beth went over to Nida armed with our list of questions and Rich, being the great guy that Richard is, decided to let the folks at Nida know he was out back. Instead of introducing himself as my brother-in-law, he told our sales manager that he was from the County and was there to investigate a complaint about a derelict boat. That starts an avalanche of panic and I get a call during the middle of a Skills competition. Richard eventually comes clean and lets the Nida gang off the hook. He and Beth proceed to the boat to do a quick survey and address our question list.

Team Nida, not to be out done by some wise-cracking, salty, brother-in-law of Kevin, grabs a bullhorn and secretly works their way over towards the boat. When they get within a few yards they hit the bullhorn siren and blare in their most mechanical voice "Step Back From The Boat...You Have Breached The Nida Security System And The Police Are On The Way." They quickly moved to another location and repeated the process. A somewhat startled Rich and Beth came up on deck preparing to be arrested (probably not for the first time). All in all, everyone had fun with the boat. Rich and Beth eventually got down to the business of question answering and filed a 14 1/2 page review of the boat. It is GREAT! They provided tips on removing the fuel tanks, refinishing the decks, redesigning the interior, and replacing windows; along with a host of other time and money saving ideas, fiber glassing instructions, and product recommendations. The listing is invaluable. A great big THANK YOU from the crew of Travels to the crew of Slow Dancing!

So, armed with the list of tasks, Joann and I set about stripping the boat even more. I removed the pilot house console and started making sense of the wiring mess. Joann began stripping the decks of hardware (a very tough task in the baking sun). We shared the job of removing the pilot house windows; me working the inside and Joann working the outside.

Wire mess with the mold cleaned and the console removed.

Mast removal with Nick (on the bow)

Window removal

Before we could start working on the exterior, we had to remove the mast from the boat. We enlisted the help of Nick during one of his weekends back from Jacksonville and built a cradle for the mast to sit in. The removal was actually easier than we thought it would be and we had it off the boat in about 30 minutes. So now the top was stripped, windows removed, mast cradled and everything topsides ready for rework.

One of the items I mentioned last time was the fuel tanks. Tapping on the port tank with a wrench echoed some amount of fuel in it. Tapping on the starboard tank was a thud...full of fuel (or something). Off to Ace Hardware and the helpful hardware folks set us up with a small hand pump. The pump is designed for removing oil via an engine's dip stick but a customer in the store said that he has used one to siphon diesel fuel. Ah...the helpful hardware customer. So with pump in hand, I began the process of emptying the port tank while Joann lugged the cans on deck as fast as I could fill them. 2 hours and 20 gallons later the port tank was dry. Now, what to do with 20 gallons of iffy diesel fuel. The weekend before removing the fuel, Joann and I cleaned up the garage to make room for more boat stuff that could be worked on away from the boat. We gathered up a bunch of old paint, oil, car fluids and such and took them to the Brevard County Recycling Center. They have a big bowzer of oily fluids. Great place for spent diesel. Joann loaded up the 4 five gallon diesel containers and headed to the recycling center. The attendant took the fuel and then told Joann that she had reached her limit for the year. Each household could only bring in 25 gallons a year. We had never previously donated fluids so I figure we should be good for 12 years worth...wrong. So with no plan of disposal, we began the task of emptying the starboard tank. It holds 50 gallons (that's two friend's or family's year's supply at the recycling center) and the tank was thudding. I put the siphon hose down the filler neck and began to pump. 5 minutes later I was still sucking air. The tank was empty. Not sure why it thudded but I am not complaining.

Pumping diesel from the port tank

Taking a break after attacking the pilot house windows.

Now back to the windows. I had mentioned in the last B Log that Joann and I had included trips to marine centers when we visited England. We found some window people and were prepared to contact them now that we had dimensions of our window openings. Before we could do that I received an email from Richard (now at a marina in Portsmouth, VA) alerting me to a commercial boat window company in Oregon. I contacted the company and they do indeed have windows that can be custom built for our Willard Vega. The existing windows were Plexiglas with cheap plastic rings and seals. The rings were sun cracked and the Plexiglas was sun baked and crazed. The new windows are glass with aluminum rings and rubber seals. They should last a lifetime. Joann and I did additional rough measurements and sent the company the type of windows we need and the rough sizes. We plan on replacing some of the windows and ports with bigger sizes and we are looking at a partial pivoting window for the front center pilot house window. A pivoting window will provide airflow through the cabin when we are at anchor. We haven't actually been quoted prices yet...but we are hopeful.

Well, that's about it for now. I haven't had any takers on the "Boat Sanding" lessons we are offering; but, if you are in the area, do not hesitate to drop by.

Until next time...

Kevin & Joann

[Sitrep 6]

B Log Entry...02JUN2010 It has been way too long since we have been able to update you on the continuing boat restoration project of Travels. Unfortunately, April and May were heavy travel months for me so I was not able to get too much accomplished on the boat. However, here is a quick email to bring you up-to-date.

Even "on the hard" (on land) the boat takes on a bit of water. After every rain storm Joann and I are swabbing out the cabin and sponging water from almost every nook and cranny. Finding these pesky leaks has been a challenge. I was able to remove the starboard pilothouse bulkhead to reveal the spaghetti tangle of wiring. To get that wall out, the pilothouse steering station had to be disassembled, the 1970's autopilot (85 pounds) had to be removed, and the hard wired console had to be cut to allow for the wire bundle to be freed up. Again, we found lots of rot at the bottom of the bulkhead but this time, we found one of the culprits. The starboard fueling port (located up on deck to the right of the pilothouse) was leaking around the filler neck. Actually, the filler neck was almost completely gone. We removed that assembly and siliconed a plastic plate over the hole. We next removed all the switch panels, breaker panels, and electrical meters to finally free up the bulkhead enough to remove it. Behind the panel was a mold farm that Alexander Flemming would have been proud of. Many of the wires were melted together and we had to physically separate the AC wiring from the DC wiring because of the "Great Meltdown of 2010". So, the entire pilothouse deck is now exposed and ready for fuel tank removal.

Since we were hunting down leaks and removing all damaged interior sections, our next move was to remove the galley panels that were either damp or damaged. Sometime during one of our trips away from home, a contingency of carpenter ants decided that Travels would make a very nice home. We could tell they were carpenter ants because they were about 1/2 an inch long and we could see little tool belts on some of them. When we started to remove a small cabinet behind the stove enclosure, thousands of ants swarmed. It was now a battle of epic proportions. They had gotten behind the cabinet and had laid hundreds of eggs. Armed with wasp spray, we didn't have any ant spray (go figure), we waged battle for nearly an hour. They had moved into the sink area, were hiding under sponges, were in the ice box (which we left cracked open for ventilation) and basically had taken over the galley. In the end, Joann and I prevailed and sent the survivors packing. A lone trumpeter could be heard off in the distance. We figure that the ant colony climbed up the keel and entered through an open thru-hull fitting to escape the rather wet grounds of Nida. We have since plugged up all of the thru-hulls. At least we found the source of additional leaks...which were holes in the cap rail above the galley that were dripping on to the galley. Armed with a silicon gun, I worked from bow to stern temporarily filling every hole, screw head, and fitting seal I could find. Bottom line, we will be removing the teak rail all around the boat and re-fiber glassing the cap rail.

I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at the ITEC conference in London in mid-May. Between the presentation and our exhibit booth, we would be in England for around 7 days. Joann usually goes on these types of trips with me to "man" the booth while I am presenting. We decided to add a bit of a vacation to the trip and did some cycling/backpacking in northern France along the Normandy coast the following week. So, the boat work would be delayed once again. Just before we left for Europe, we scrubbed down the boat and cleaned out the blistered sections one more time. After the expo in London, Joann and I took a train down to Portsmouth from where we would ferry across the English Channel to Normandy. Portsmouth has been a key port for the Royal Navy for over 500 years. After touring several historical vessels, we walked along the Portsmouth waterfront. Because of the extreme tides in Portsmouth, fishing boat captains bring their boats close to the wharf during high tide and let them set on the bottom when the tide goes out. They have several hours to work on the boats; cleaning and painting the bottoms, cleaning the props, and fixing those rascally thru-hulls. We had an opportunity to talk with several of the fisherman and learned how to repair rails, lay up fiberglass on new plywood, and even got a chance to talk about boat windows...which we are still trying to work out on Travels. One suggestion was to take the ferry across Portsmouth harbor to Gosport where there are a number of marine repair companies. So, at 2 pounds 40 each for round trip tickets to Gosport we ferried across the harbor and visited several companies. All were very helpful and we came back armed with lots of window contacts. So, even the trip allowed us to do some work on the boat.

After a return trip from France that took several days due to weather and Delta mechanical problems, we finally arrived back home. Melbourne had been drenched by heavy rains each afternoon (normal during this time of year) so we were expecting to have to do some serious dewatering of the boat. To our total surprise, when we opened up the cabin door and went below, the boat smelled good, the bilge was dry, and there was only one small puddle under the pilothouse hatch. We had finally sealed the boat!!!

So, what's next. Well, the fuel tanks are still on board and the diesel engine is still sitting on the aft deck. Joann's brother, Richard, will be coming to Melbourne in a few weeks. Rich and Beth (his wife) have been living aboard Slow Dancing, a 44 foot Slocum cutter-rigged sailboat, for almost 20 years. They are currently returning from an extended stay down in Trinidad and the Dutch ABC islands. Rich said that he has some ideas for removing the fuel tanks. I can't wait to pick his brain as Joann and I have a 22 page list of questions for him.

So until next time, when we will hear Joann say to a blackened Kevin; "I thought you were going to remove the fuel before cutting into that tank."

Joann & Kevin

[Sitrep 5]

B Log Entry...31MAR2010   It is lunch here at Nida and I realized that I had not provided a B Log Entry since mid-February. Actually, I was reminded of that fact by a special dinner guest we had over last night; my favorite brother, Shaughn. He came over from a conference in Orlando to feast his eyes on our "work in progress"...and to feast (I think his per diem ran out) I guess it was good for him to see the boat in its current condition because I hope that this will be the low point in the overhaul cycle. Next time he sees it there should be much improvement. Melbourne had torrential rains for the last week so getting to the boat, despite being on land, was a bit soggy. Most people here at Nida think that I brought the boat over here in preparation for the next big flood. I am not sure about that but I have noticed animals lining up two-by-two at the stern ladder.

The last picture we sent you was of the boat on the hydraulic trailer at Nida. The following week Vic, the tow guy, put the boat on blocks and jack stands and removed the trailer. The boat is steady as a rock and doesn't move in the slightest as we walk around on her. After the first rain, we realized that the boat was pitched a bit too far forward. The deck drains were not at the low point and there was a lot of standing water on the port and starboard sides. Nick and I used the jack screws on the stands to raise the front of the boat while lowering the rear. Since the boat was on blocks, we first had to raise the rear to remove one layer of wooden blocks from the aft section of the keel. The boat weighs 15,000 pounds, I weigh a bit less than 200 and Nick weighs in at a whopping 150. Needless to say, despite the cool weather we sweat bullets trying to raise the boat. He worked the starboard jacks while I worked the port jacks. After about an hour of grunting and groaning (that was coming from me, not Nick), we raised the bow, lowered the stern, and leveled the boat. Rain water was now draining nicely. Whew.

The next challenge was to remove the interior of the boat. We knew the starboard bulkheads were rotted and needed replacement so that's where we started. After 10 hours of drilling, unscrewing, and scratching my head, the boat's head (bathroom) walls finally came down. I am amazed at the quality of workmanship in this boat. The original trim and wood pieces were all screwed in with stainless steel hardware, each recessed into the teak, and filled with teak plugs. Finding all the plugs in the trim and walls was a challenge because they blended in so well with the wood. The walls were cut to such an exacting fit that Joann and I had to break some of the rotted pieces to remove them. Next, I moved to removing the forward bulkhead and chain plate bulkheads in the salon while Joann started on the exterior hull blisters. The wood connected to the starboard chain plate was completely rotted (we knew that) and was actually pretty easy to remove. Once that was out of the way, the forward bulkhead was also easy to remove. We will be replacing all these walls and bulkheads with 3/4 inch marine plywood covered in laminate or veneer. I finished the interior gut work by removing all of the overhead trim pieces, window trim pieces, and pilot house trim pieces. The living area of the boat now looks rough and dingy.

We had arranged with Vic (the tow guy) to remove the engine, which he did. The Perkins 4.108 diesel weighs 650 pounds and is located under the pilothouse deck (floor). It is accessible by a large hatch cover. I am not sure how Vic did it but when I returned from a trip, the engine was on the back deck of the boat. I have arranged for the Nida lawn guy to bring his cherry-picker over to Nida to lift the engine out of the aft deck and into the garage. Once the engine was removed, I was able to crawl down in the engine room (actually it's a small compartment but engine room sounds so much more impressive) to remove some more rotted bulkheads and sort out the engine wiring.

We knew we were going to have to repair the starboard 50 gallon fuel tank because the previous owner said that it had a filler neck problem. As I removed the walls on each side of the engine to gain access to the fuel tanks it quickly became apparent that we would be replacing both tanks. The starboard tank was rotting and the port tank was also broken at the filler neck. Bummer. This meant that we now had to remove the remaining bulkheads on the port side, the pilot house steering station, the instrument panels, and cut the fiberglass pilot house decking to fully access the tanks. Last Saturday, while Joann continued grinding out the blisters, I set to work on the port bulkheads. I hated to do it, but several nice pieces of teak had to be removed to access the fuel tanks. I carefully began the process of locating the wooden screw plugs and carefully drilling them out, cleaning the screw heads, and removing the screws. As I slowly worked my way to the port chain plate, I realized that the port chain plate bulkhead was also rotted. This area could not be seen with the port chart holder in place. Those pesky chain plates...they must have been leaking for decades. I removed the port chain plate bulkhead, port galley nook, and chain plate teak covering. That pretty much takes care of all the interior wood bulkheads.

Meanwhile, on the outside of the boat; Joann found that the blisters above the water line (touch wood there are no visible blisters below the waterline) were actually repairs that had gone bad. It appears that a previous owner filled dings, dents, and gouges with putty and then gel coated over them. The putty was pliable and did not harden. Instead, it separated into a chalk and an oily substance. The oil is what expanded into the gel coat creating the blisters. As Joann would cut through the gel coat, the oil would run down the hull. It smelled a bit like linseed oil. Joann also found that the epoxy hull was repaired in places with poly resin, which also failed over the years. She suited up in her sanding/grinding garb and has been grinding blisters, old repairs, and new dings for hour upon hours. We think that she has found all the blisters and we will let them thoroughly dry out before we repair them with fiberglass and epoxy resin.

This weekend (well, Easter Saturday anyway) we will be back at the boat and continuing our quest. Joann has decided to do some fiberglass repair work to the bow before getting up on deck and removing all of the teak rail pieces for refinishing. While the rail teak is removed, we will fiberglass the top rail to stop a host of leaks from that area. I will be back in the pilot house removing the steering station and instrument panels. Once those are removed, I can remove the electrical panel bulkhead (we had to replace a lot of wiring anyway so this will make it MUCH easier to get to the wiring) for final access to the decking above the starboard fuel tank.

As soon as we get the interior of the boat completely gutted, we will send some more pictures. In the meantime, if you find yourself anywhere near Nida, bring your old clothes and sandpaper. Help is always welcome. I noticed that Shaughn did not bring any old clothes with him when he visited. Maybe he isn't my favorite brother after all...hmmmm.

As always, if you do not want to receive the B Log, let me know. If you are a first time recipient and would like the first two additions to bring you up to speed, also, let me know.

Until next time...cheers and a very Happy Easter to you.

Joann and Kevin sends.
 

[Sitrep 4]