Out of everything that needed to be done, 3 items were of the utmost concern to me: Standing rig, chain plates, and seacocks. It's funny that atleast 3 boat people told me the chain plates would likely be fine but at 30+ years old they needed to go. Upon disassembly we learned that most of the bolts holding them in turned to dust or fell apart when a wrench was taken to them.
While new plates are being made I might just roll on an extra coat of West System for added insurance.
We opted to put the crapper tank under the v-berth as opposed to the dining area for obvious reasons.
And thar go the timber.
The final project before splashing the boat will be to remove all the old through-hulls and Groco seacocks. This is a job I do not want to do but if we are to eventually sail to the Med or across the Pacific then it will have been necessary. I used to be of the mindset that most things can be rebuilt, but in this case they are cheap enough to justify the replacement. And there is no better security offshore than new seacocks.
We also ordered a new anchor windlass as the original was kaput. When living on the hook it's important to have a good strong windlass. In most conditions I can pull the anchor by hand but in an emergency or if I were to become incapacitated from too much insane partying, there'd be no other way to retrieve the anchor and all of its chain. With this thing we can just push a button and up she goes.
Also while the boat is hauled, Jenny and I are going to paint the topsides. Normally this is work left to the professionals but I'm confident we can do a good job. We've painted a few of our past boats with success and are looking forward to this little project to do together. Besides that it will save us about 4 grand which is always nice nice. The paint is beyond compound buffing if that's what some of you were thinking. Even one coat of new paint will preserve the glass for the future. And we'll also muck on a couple more coats of anti-foul even though the bottom was painted recently. A little extra won't hurt a thing, except the barnacles.
Once back in the water we'll finish up with a couple of creature comforts like a new double drawer refrigeration system. The fridge that came with the boat was beyond any hope of ever working again.
And maybe some new counter tops and teak flooring. There are other miscellaneous projects but these are the major things we are working on. Before heading offshore we will eventually instal an RO system and hopefully a new diesel generator but we'll see. And central AC so I don't have any more flashbacks from Nam.
Meanwhile it is fun in the sun up North. Jenny and the spawn are enjoying their time with friends and family at the summer cottage in Michigan.
No greater treasure than a dead snake.
And wild turkey feathers.
Pontoon boats have come a long way since hill billies first invented them with empty oil drums and plywood.
Uncle Brian caught a Great Lakes Piranha.
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