Repair and rebuilding continues but we're getting close to buttoning up that phase of the restoration and readying the boat for....drumroll please....installing stuff!
Pat has removed all the "fuzzy wood" and interior rotted sections.
Sara has painted the bare wood and old painted surfaces with mold inhibiting paint and is painting engine room shelving with bilge paint. No more clams!
After weeks of chipping, cutting and cleaning, Pat installed insulation in the pristine engine room to ensure a quiet ride.
Cameron from SEA Marine has taken up residence in the engine room, replaced or repaired rotten stringers and bulkheads and installed new marine plywood panels for added strength and stability. With several coats of glossy, bright bilge paint, this will be the prettiest engine room around!
Will & Gabby got in on the fun installing insulation--we're not above putting family to work!
Pat tore out the old galley cabinetry, which wasn't original, to make way for our new interior layout.
Painter, Sean, has been patching, sanding and fairing the hull, getting it ready for new hull paint, barrier coat and bottom paint.
Jeremy, Pat, Cameron, Elton & Bob figure out what goes where in the (for now) clean slate of the engine room.
We have ordered light fixtures, systems and appliances and, as those goodies arrive--though we're still a long way from the finished product--we can begin to visualize it. A total boat restoration takes a village of highly skilled technicians and craftspeople (and folks like us doing the ugly stuff). Those at SEA Marine are incredibly knowledgable, resourceful and creative. We haven't yet met a challenge they can't handle.
NEXT UP...finalizing layouts, wiring, installing hatches, repairing and rebuilding the flybridge, sanding, sanding and sanding...ugh, and much more! Every step gets us closer to an afternoon in a peaceful San Juans harbor, relaxing with a cold beer in the cockpit :)