This is a blog of our projects and journeys leading up to and after our departure from the idea of living the dream to actually living the dream. Dirk and Nancy along with Butters will soon go in search of beautiful beaches,& sunsets in the Bahamas then into the Caribbean.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Maintenance weekend
This past weekend was maintenance weekend for us. At times I really wish we could save all this kind of stuff till fall and winter, but we really want to do this while we still have that urge to make things nicer. I like to piddle down below finding new ways to use odd spaces. Plus I would still like our boat to have a home like feel to it as we will be living aboard her one day. One thing we have done is to install a shower track in the head so we don't soak down everything when we shower. I was using the marina shower when we first got the boat but have found that I really don't mind taking a shower aboard. Our marina shower is such a long walk from the boat that you are completely soaked with sweat by the time you walk back. Anyway, like I said, we installed a shower track to keep from soaking everything. I then rigged up a little system so that I could have both hands free. I put two Velcro strips along the ceiling. When I want to shower I just attach the shower head to the ceiling.
In the galley I had Dirk make me a cutting board/food prep area for more counter top space. We had bought a piece of the marine lumber on sale one day. I believe that's what its called. It's the white plastic type of material that many people use as cutting boards. Dirk traced the outline of the raised stove edges and routed it so that it slips down on the edges and does not move. Its amazing how much extra room I feel I have in the galley now.Dirk spent the weekend experimenting with rubbing compounds, waxes, and cleaners on the boat. When we purchased the boat she had not had a really good cleaning in a while. The gel coat is fairly oxidized and makes our boat look like its "battleship grey" After alot of sweat Dirk thinks he has found a good combination. The only thing is though that the boat in the water is very hard to clean this way. He gets in the dingy and pulls himself along. We really don't want to have it pulled just for us to clean it as it cost an arm and a leg to do so. Perhaps this project will have to wait until it cools down a bit. Another thing that Dirk installed was a Raymarine C-80 for the nav pod. This was actually installed very soon after we got the boat but we have been having problems with it. We kept losing our satellites. After trying this, trying that, talking with tech support, West Marine swapped out the antenna. Must have been a faulty antenna as it is working like a charm now. Oh geeze, did I just curse us? Aside from the above we just had little issues here and there to deal with. We did however find time to have dinner with the couple that sold us the boat. They are still on the search for their new boat and miss being on the water. But it is nice seeing them, catching them up on our projects. Many of which they had planned on doing but had not gotten around to it yet. On the way home Sunday we picked up our new teak & holly flooring. Now it sits in the game room waiting for us to start working on it. This next weekend is play weekend.
What a great idea to keep this journal! I guess you just like making the rest of us poor, unfortunate souls envious. We will come see the boat (is that what you call it, or is it a yacht?) shortly. If I can help you do anything, you know my phone number.
O'Day 40 Year 1988 LOA 39'7" LWL 33'6" Beam 12' 71/2" Draft 4' 11" Displacement 18,500 lbs Water 107 gallons Fuel 42 gallons Engine Westerbeke 46 HP
About Us
Dirk was born and raised in Hamburg Germany. He moved to the states when he was seventeen and a couple years later joined the Army. His 23 years in the military took him all over the world to many a location. In January of 2007 he retired and is now an instructor of blackhawk systems at Fort Rucker Alabama. As for myself, I was born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in the small town of Natchitoches Louisiana. I spent most of my time in and around photography. Starting off in small 1 hour labs printing, working as an assistant for photographers, and finally found myself as a photographic retouch artist. In June we moved aboard and began prepping Tybee Time for our eventual departure. November 2, 2009 we will began our travels down the west coast of Florida. From there we plan to head to the Bahamas, eventually finding our way heading down south to the Caribbean. We will be bringing Butters our cat with us on the journey as crew.
In the galley I had Dirk make me a cutting board/food prep area for more counter top space. We had bought a piece of the marine lumber on sale one day. I believe that's what its called. It's the white plastic type of material that many people use as cutting boards. Dirk traced the outline of the raised stove edges and routed it so that it slips down on the edges and does not move. Its amazing how much extra room I feel I have in the galley now.
Dirk spent the weekend experimenting with rubbing compounds, waxes, and cleaners on the boat. When we purchased the boat she had not had a really good cleaning in a while. The gel coat is fairly oxidized and makes our boat look like its "battleship grey" After alot of sweat Dirk thinks he has found a good combination. The only thing is though that the boat in the water is very hard to clean this way. He gets in the dingy and pulls himself along. We really don't want to have it pulled just for us to clean it as it cost an arm and a leg to do so. Perhaps this project will have to wait until it cools down a bit.
Another thing that Dirk installed was a Raymarine C-80 for the nav pod. This was actually installed very soon after we got the boat but we have been having problems with it. We kept losing our satellites. After trying this, trying that, talking with tech support, West Marine swapped out the antenna. Must have been a faulty antenna as it is working like a charm now. Oh geeze, did I just curse us?
Aside from the above we just had little issues here and there to deal with. We did however find time to have dinner with the couple that sold us the boat. They are still on the search for their new boat and miss being on the water. But it is nice seeing them, catching them up on our projects. Many of which they had planned on doing but had not gotten around to it yet. On the way home Sunday we picked up our new teak & holly flooring. Now it sits in the game room waiting for us to start working on it. This next weekend is play weekend.
What a great idea to keep this journal! I guess you just like making the rest of us poor, unfortunate souls envious. We will come see the boat (is that what you call it, or is it a yacht?) shortly. If I can help you do anything, you know my phone number.
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