Friday 2/5/10

My tarp leaked about 10 gallons of water into "The Beast" so the day started off with water removal. Next I used a "flap-pad" to remove more of the fiberglass tabbing then I attacked the paint on the hull (the grinder works much better than a chisel) and within two hours my arms didn't work anymore. With a gig in Houston tomorrow and the Super Bowl on Sunday I will probably be back to work on Monday.

Wednesday 2/3/10 and
Thursday 2/4/10

RAIN HAS BEEN FALLING FOR TWO DAYS NOW AND THERE IS NOTHING NEW TO REPORT. We need this rain, in drought stricken south Texas, but I'm ready for some sunshine. Our new orbital sander arrived so I have a new tool to break-in, the exterior paint will be coming off shortly.

Tuesday 2/2/10
It's another rainy day in Geronimo, Texas, but I was able to work on the interior removing more tabbing and the final floor timbers. Using my grinder and a cut-off wheel I made short work of the fiberglass and was also able to remove the last bit of bulkheads. Now, if I can find the specialty wrench for the grinder, I'll switch over to the "flap disc" sanding wheel and smooth out the rest of the hull. Tonight is my "Open Mic Night" in San Antonio so it will be a short day.

Monday 2/1/10
It rained last night and my plastic wasn't in place, so I had to get the boat covered again (in the rain), the boat collected a little water and I had more clean up to do. I spent the rest of the day trying to work this blog.

Sunday 1/31/10
To start the day I asked my bro-in-law if he would help drop the mast to the ground, sorry but there was no one available to take pictures. I removed the forward port lights and found that the cabin had cracks in it and all the structural plywood was rotted (surprise, surprise). I removed most of the wet wood and some of the deck hardware then called it a day.

Saturday 1/30/10
I cleaned up some more and dove right in for tab removal. Safety glasses and face mask were little defense against the glass particles, so next time I will wear swim goggles. I was using a new 60-grit "flap disc" (sanding wheel) because it gives you more control and doesn't gouge like a grinding wheel. I got a phone call from my band leader telling me that we needed to practice for a gig next Saturday in Houston, so work was halted immediately and I jumped in the shower.

Friday 1/29/10
I started the day thinking that I would be able to save most of the forward V-berth but reality hit when I found that the water damage was more extensive than first thought. It all came out and was added to my pile of "yard art", then I prepared for cutting and grinding away all the fiberglass tabbing on the inside of the hull.

Thursday 1/28/10
I began the day in the head, removing the head platform, floor, and secondary bulkhead. I took two bags of rotted wood out today and things are starting to look better (it couldn't get much worse). I chipped more paint off the hull but I decided that my grinder would work better than my chisel, I'll try that on another day.

Wednesday 1/27/10
Today I pulled out the sink cabinet, the starboard settee, the radio cabinet with all of it's associated little wires, and the mast step support post. With an assortment of bolts holding it in, I worked on the support post for about an hour and then it magically fell out (I think I said the magic four-letter-word). I cleaned up enough that I wouldn't trip over anything while removing the main bulkhead, 5 mins. later the bulkhead was gone thanks to a magic wand called a sawsall.

Tuesday 1/26/10

I tried to chip some more paint today but my arms still don't work right, so I switched to demolition inside the saloon. The large port settee was the first to go along with some of the rotted cabin sole (floor). This revealed completly rotted floor timbers that have to be replaced. Next, I moved to the starboard side and removed the chart table/cabinet and all the shelving to make ready for removal of the main bulkhead.

Getting Started

We got "The Beast" home sunday 1/24/10 in the evening so I didn't have much time to do anything but I planned to get started first thing in the morning.

Monday 1/25/10

I started by taking a bunch of photos for some "Before & After" pictures, then I grabbed an old wood chisel so that I could pop off the chipping paint. Some of the fairing compound was coming off with the paint and I couldn't stop myself. Every job has it's perfect tool and I am here to tell you that a chisel was not "it", however I am known for my persistence in the face of adversity (or idiacy). Four hours later I couldn't lift my arms over my head so I took a break. A pet emergency took up the rest of my day.

A NEW DAY ... A NEW LIFE

Let me begin by saying this is my first attempt at a BLOG, so bear with me.

I have over 25 years of experience in the construction industry, my current specialty is interior trim and cabinet making. I have been a fan of Wooden Boat magazine for over 10 years because of the amazing examples of fine wood working combined with the adventure of sailing and deep sea boating. Well, the following presentation will be the chronicles (saga, escapades, follies) of my endeavors into boat restoration. I will try to include pictures and explanations of my daily progress.

My first victim is a 27' home built fixed keel sailboat made of C-Flex (a fiberglass building material). My brother-in-Law found a great deal on "Craig's List" for this "project boat". It came complete with : mast, boom, main & jib, two Lewmar 2-speed winches, a small mast winch, two anchors and a trailer. The good news ends there because, due to both small and large leaks in the deck, she filled with 16"-18"water. The interior was so rotten that we decided that "Everything Must Go".

This first group of pictures include the overall look and general damage that made her such an affordable purchase. I should also tell you that Joe-1 built the hull, Joe-2 built the cabin and finished out the interior, Joe-3 inherited her and ultimately sold her to Joe-4 (my bro-in-law). Now the task becomes one of re-fairing all of the un-fair surfaces (everything from stem to stern), repainting everything, rebuilding the deck and the interior, and to transport this new boat we will also rebuild and repaint the trailer.

I'm having a problem getting the pictures to load so I'll have to get back to this. THANKS !!!