Mojito

Got an email from the folks. They have a little less than a month left of their winter sailing trip. Currently, they're in St. Barths on their way back to PR. Sounds like they're still having a great time. Not much info on the sailing (which I hope means there hasnt been any more equipment problems) but it sounds like the people in St. Barths are really nice, the french food is the best and by looking at the pictures, the snorkeling has been a lot of fun. Here's a couple...


Mojito is the one with the blue hull, white bimini and american flag.

The sun is back!.

The kid and I went out to pull the tarps off the boat for a little investigation.


Looking at the sides of the cabin house you can clearly see the spline and where it has failed.



This is good because replacing this is an easier fix than if we had to rejoin the two separated boards. She seemed pretty happy about it.



The kid is looking forward to getting on/in the boat as much as I am, but there is still allot of glass dust to clean (from grinding out the chainplates) before anyone goes inside. Hopefully, I can get it all cleaned out so we can spend plenty of time inside before anymore rain comes.



*These are some turkeys that also came out to see the strange orange ball in the sky. They were patrolling the neighborhood at about 530am.

Still raining....

While waiting for better weather, I'm dreaming of ways to finish off the interior. I would like to keep it as close to original as I can but will customize it somewhat to suit us best.

Here are some interior shots of some, Cheoy Lee Clippers, and Flyers that I like..


Some sinks:

This first one is a little more than I need. I like the drawers here on the second one.



This is a clipper or a early Flyer. The sink is set up nice. It has the original wood trim and foot well and doesn't take up much room.



Above looks like a CL Offshore 26 or 27 (Newell Cadet), they are like a larger version of the Flyers.


Some Berths....

It would be nice to have two full length berths in the salon for my long legs but where would the bar go? Since our boat will be used mostly for just short day cruises and occasional overnights it would be nice to have a small sink area to do dishes in and to have a cabinet for stowage.


Above is another CL 26/27. The one on the left has a nice access door to the ice box.




Other shots...

I like the book rack on the one on the right. Looks like a early Flyer, no doghouse.


Dragon.

Head started

Since there's not much new to post these days, I'll put this up...

One of the less exciting projects so far has been dismantling and cleaning the head. I guess it has to be done eventually if I plan on using it on the boat. I think I could live without one, but I have a feeling I would be a very lonely guy if there wasn't one on board. The rest of the family would likely be following behind on Cicada or Elsa.

It came with a Wilcox Crittenden Junior.

The company still make heads but not this model. Fortunately, you can still get parts. This head is like an old Seagull motor... Not a lot of moving parts, dependable and when its eventually not dependable, it’s a no-brainer to fix. This one, like allot of the older heads is solid bronze. From what I’ve seen (and I have seen way too many toilets on the web lately) people seem to really like them and they can even fetch a good amount of money if I dont want it.

It was in about as good shape as you can imagine a toilet would be after 42 years. Covered with years of paint and other bits. (Sadly, I did take pictures). Taking this thing apart was quick and straightforward, cleaning though it has not been a great job. I think Maki was a little disgusted when she came down into the workshop one evening and found me and the "kid" (age 3 ½) wrestling with it. I had the WD 40 in one hand and a huge monkey wrench in the other. My daughter was at the ready holding a crescent wrench and a hacksaw (She loves her new red hacksaw Santa got her for Christmas). Maki was especially pleased when I found a dead mouse that years ago went in the head looking for who knows what and couldn't get back out. My daughter didnt see that, but the dog was really interested.

We only ruined a couple of bolts that were frozen beyond repair and will have to order them new, but the rest seems to be in pretty good shape. On the boat, there wasn't much to do except to remove the existing plumbing. I'll address the sea cocks later in the summer.

For anyone who cares (and I am sure absolutely no one does) I'll post some photos…..

Chainplates out...

Lately, the weather in NH has made it hard to get out in the boat and get any real work done.

It's warm and sunny one day, all the birds are singing and I'm looking for the flip flops again... then its 30 degrees, sleeting, I'm wearing big Sorrel boots and snow blowing the old lady's driveway next door. Just when I expected to be pulling the blue tarp back to work on the topsides and outside of the cabin house, I find myself driving to Stef's (Ace) Hardware to buy a new thick black tarp to cover up for the latest round of unseasonably lousy weather. I have been able to get out a few times since last week and the insides of the cabin house really look great. The water stains and discoloration from years of exposure are gone, or at least they were a few days ago... we'll see what has snuck in during the last storm. The cross members supporting the ceiling/deck also look good again and are almost 100% free of old paint and finishes. If I can get them really clean, I'm hoping to finish them bright. The really big news if that all six chainplates are finally out! They look pretty good for thier age but should be tossed. I've priced out their replacments which suprisingly, wasnt too bad and I've decided how to put them back in. I'll save that for when I post the next round of photos.



For now, I wait for better weather and more free time.




(Another reason not much has happened was a great Easter weekend playing cards and drinking in VT.)