Gettin' down to the Dirty Work

Before teak cleaning

Teak After

Let the fun of serious deep cleaning begin. Started working on the teak deck using a powdered teak cleaner that is acid based . Wetting, scrubbing, rinsing and rinsing again and again till the wood comes clean and believe me with over 27 years of dirt there is some serious grime and dirt going on. I had gotten a quarter of the boat done before my back started not being happy. So trying not to make this as miserable as it could be... I do little bits, the pay off is seeing the before then after. Jim started working with the orbital sander to get to the gel coat off the hull. It took him about 6 hours to do one side of the boat. I started working with sand paper to remove the fake gold striping , can't wait to put real gold leaf there. It is hard work to sand it by hand so Jim suggested we use airplane paint stripper, thanks goodness it works. I will post that picture on the next blog.

Companionway before and after

The Work Continues, even on his Birthday!

V berth new mahogany 

  Sailing at Solomans Island on our day sailor and checking out other boats at the local marinas definitely sparks the need to get the boat complete.  When we got back, I asked Jim what did he want for his birthday. He said chocolate cake and to work on our boat. So all day I was his helper mate. We started by opening up the original fresh water holding tank, looked pretty good for 48 years old! Jim had already painted the outside so we closed it back up then re-installed it in the forward berthing area. At the same time we finished installing part of a new drain line for the chain locker, Jim's thinking he would like the excess water from the anchor chain to run into the drainpipe then flow into the bilge, less likely to create odor, we are hoping.   Then we put the braces back in, also he had repainted all the interior shelves, those were reinstalled. Jim got some mahogany plywood , we cut out new v-berth platforms.  We tried to get the old faucet out but it would not budge, Jim will have to saw it apart another day. It's coming along, very productive day!

Finally, Interior painting first coat

The interior painting has begun now that the heat has receded a bit. I helped Jim calk today so he can start working on a second coat. He is using Interlux bilge coat on the walls , boy that is some smelly stuff! Starting to look like an interior cabin you want to hang out in. Next we will sand some of the teak and varnish it. Not all of it because some of it is in pretty good shape.  Jim is having trouble with the sea-cock , he can't seem to get if off and it does not work. He needs it to work so he can put the new head in one day..He also removed some of the wiring for the depth and speed sensors, we need to decide where to put the gauges once we start putting her back together. He also discovered that he thinks water is coming in through the chain plates...we need to figure out why. Lots to do , but we are moving ahead!

Painting forward bunk/head area

Lowering her into place in back yard

It has been awhile since I posted any news on "Sprys" re-birth. Work has been slow, as Jim has had "real" work pulling him away. We had the opportunity to sail on a friends 42 foot Hunter a few weeks ago in the Potomac. We discovered how peaceful and laid back that part of the sailing world is. We have come to the conclusion that maybe we should start our new life on Spry in the Potomac for a bit to get re-acquainted with sailing and learning her. We will look more seriously in the next six months to see if we can actually make it happen. Jim is going to get to a point with the boat where he will need help. Stepping the mast, attaching the rigging, installing a diesel engine (or outboard, not sure yet which is the best way to go, they are both costly). We will need to move the boat to a marina for this to happen. Plan is to have it in the water October, November the latest. Finish her up through the winter and be sailing by spring ( best laid plans??)
Today Jim is removing screws from the hull that he used to attach the bulkhead tabbing, he applied epoxy last week, now that it is hardened (and he has time) he will remove the screws and prepare the interior for its first coat of Interlux Bilge Coate. I will need to start sanding teak to get it ready to finish and re-install. Lots of other little things to do, of course. A couple of months ago we had the opportunity to visit an awesome second hand sailing retailer in Annapolis called "Bacen Sails and Marine Supplies" we found a boom that will probably work with the new aluminum mast that the boat came with .The old boom will need to be sold, it is solid mahogany, gorgeous, but very heavy. The weather has been cooperating so we will hopefully can a long laundry list of things done on the boat this summer. Yeah!!

Working on Interior

The labor of love has begun on the interior, how anyone would want to be holed up in a dirty, stinky boat is beyond me,but Jim has taken up the job wholeheartedly! I think he is a brave man.  I am including a picture of the wood that has been removed. Once the interior hull is cleared out he will begin to sand the old paint. We are discussing options for interior configurations, we know that the v-birth will not work for us as a sleeping area. The head is located in the v-birth, talking about the head , Jim removed the old head, we are saving it just in case he can not find a similar one. We want a bigger bowl , but the actual plumbing needs to fit in that space. We are also in serious discussions about the engine.. electric or diesel, outboard or inboard? So many decisions and of course cost is the main consideration, we do want to get out on the water in the next year or so. We also discussed putting an outboard on and just getting her on the water for a time and then seeing how we like it and then deciding. The boom is wood and we want to sell it and find an aluminum boom.  Decisions,decisions....