Life in the Boatyard

We hauled the boat out on October 14th. It has now been a week living here in the boatyard.  We have been working long hours to get all of the things done that are on our list. The largest project is the teak., but here is a list of what we want to get done before leaving the yard. 

1. Scrape and sand all of the outdoor teak on the boat.

2. Do at least 2 coats of varnish before going back in the water. The other 8 will be done as we go. 

3. Rebed the chain plates. 

4. Service the outboard for the dinghy. 

5. Clean all of the canvas.

6. Clean all of the running rigging. (ropes that run the sails)

7. Use wire brush wheel on drill to take old paint off of the prop. The prop is the correct size for this boat. 

7. Sand bottom, and repaint with new ablative paint. (To be completed by the yard)

This is the best shot I have of what the teak looked like. The old varnish was blistered from the sun and salt water. It all had to be stripped off and sanded to create a surface to varnish. 

This is kind of a before and after. The bowsprit forward has been sanded and the rail at the bottom has not. 

Propeller all cleaned up and ready for special paint to help with barnacle growth. It was a problem last year. 

Here is one of the chain . plates that needed to be rebeded. You remove the 4 screws and then remove the old sealant. Then you add Sikaflex sealant screw it back together and clean it up. All have been completed. 

After three 12 hour+ days from both Kim and I, we have the entire boat sanded and ready for varnish. 

Bowsprit

Looks pretty good. The ropes are the running rigging that are drying on the life lines. 

Our life in the yard has certainly been different. We sit about 10 feet above the ground. That gives us a nice view over the surrounding sea of boats. Some of the boats are very sad. All are someone's dream. I would love to know the story behind each boat. We purchased a small refrigerator. The only place to put it does not allow us to use our table in the salon, so we take most meals in the cockpit. Here is our view at mealtime. 

We wish that Semi was not behind us. We would be able to see the water. We understand that the driver has COVID and the yard owner is allowing him to keep his truck here.

We can see one small part of water and the marina.

This ketch next door was once a beautiful boat. She is badly in need of some TLC.

I like to walk around the yard and talk to the other folks working on their boats. I love the beautiful all wood Grand Banks. 

Here is a final shot for this entry of SHIFT on the hard with no lift around her. She is sitting on big wood blocks and 8 screw stands. It is very strange living in her like this.

I am sitting here in the boat writing this entry as the first coats of paint are being applied to the bottom. Kim decided to change to a different color. I am going to go down and take a look. In my next entry, I will tell you what I think of her new color scheme.