Another Yacht Update

I got an e-mail this afternoon from my boat broker explaining that our 32 foot Bayliner was sitting in the B & J fiberglass repair shop and that the inner core wood of the transom and a couple of other specific places had been replaced and the fiberglassers were about ready to start their part of the job. He wondered if I would like to have them fill in some of the other holes and a couple of other places that needed fixing on the hull? I called the shop and arranged to come down immediately.

When I arrived I found our boat balanced on jacks and looming above the shop floor. Her lines below and above the waterline are so beautiful. I met the owner of the shop who took me around to the transom to show me the work underway. All of a sudden another face rose up from behind the transom. He introduced himself as the current owner of the boat, Jim. We hit it off well and had a wonderful conversation about the boat and boating in general that went on for some time.

Meanwhile, the shop owner climbed into the boat and started counting holes, mostly screw holes from previously removed parts of the boat. In all we counted 28 unnecessary holes needing patching as well as a couple of other spots needing attention. I agreed to have these spots fixed while the boat was still in the shop which would significantly reduce the cost of having it done. The timeline for the work is for it to be finished by August 12th so that our surveyor can finish checking out the boat and sign off on the completed work.

We may also need to do a couple of things below the waterline that the surveyor may find or suggest while it is still out. Then we'll put it back in the water and head off on a sea trial. If all goes well the boat should finally, officially be ours around the week of the 17th. We still need to change out the batteries which are barely functioning and there is a long laundry list of other items on the survey which will need to be done a little at a time. Nothing else that absolutely must be done before we even think of taking her out.

We have also signed up for the Coast Guard Auxiliary boating classes which run two nights a week for 6 weeks in September and October. Along with that I have requested that the boat be inspected by the Coast Guard so I can have a list of their recommendations for making her a safe boat. When those items are taken care of the boat receives a sticker for its window and we will have crossed another hurdle. Money? Yes, it is costing us that, but in the end we will have a boat that will not only function at its best but will look darn good sitting in the water.

Our plans for the not too distant future include adding a propane BBQ mountable on the aft rail, a couple of crab and shrimp pots, a winch for hauling in the pots, some basic fishing gear, a second anchor, more life jackets (PFD's), and to fix a couple of nav lights currently not working. Other than that my winter plans are to remove certain exterior corroded engine parts so they can be cleaned and repainted, replace a couple of engine hoses, really anything needing work on the twins. If those engines aren't maintained and kept looking bright and shiny, we can't depend on them living out a full and healthy life which should easily be another 19,000 hours.

So, lots of work, money, time, love and we should expect years of fun for the family exploring the San Juans, the Canadian Gulf Islands and ports further south and or north. Who knows, maybe Alaska?!