Happy Holidays!

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!  May your time with friends and family be merry and may you want for nothing!

 Here is a quick update before I go to work this morning from Monday's project.  As you know, I removed the bulkhead, but there was a trim piece on the junk bulkhead that I wanted to save.  It is a nice piece of mahogany and a single piece of wood.  It would be quite time consuming to reproduce, and the wood alone would cost a fortune.  So instead, I decided it was worth the time to try to salvage the piece.  It was nailed into place with little brad type nails which were flush.  To get them out, I had to chisel some wood out of the way so that I could get a pair of vice grips in there to pull the brads out.  I think the job was successful.  When I rebuild, I will be reconstructing the bulkhead with screws instead of nails so that if I (or the next owner) has to do this job again, it will be much easier to deconstruct.

I also had a good time screwing around with the Macro setting on my little point and shoot camera, and all of these photos were taken with the macro setting on.  Below are some photos of the rotten bulkhead in close.

If you were in doubt....

I have quite a bit to cover for today's work.  It was quite productive, even though it was short and I ran out of light.  In case anyone was curious, it was a balmy 23 degrees Fahrenheit with occasional snow flurries.  Sounds like a beautiful day in the State of Maine to me!!!!

Let us revisit last weekend's progress.  I had a short time to fiberglass the open through hulls because it was in the 40's.  The picture to the left should look familiar from last weekend.  Today, when the piece of plastic came off, there was a royal mess underneath.  Unfortunately I did not get the piece of plastic taped tightly enough to the hull of the boat, so the epoxy resin was able to run and pool where it was not supposed to.  That means that I have to now sand it off, and maybe try again.  We will see how it turns out once I get the excess epoxy off, and whether adding more glass to the through hull holes will in fact make them stronger than they are already.  I am hoping that with the bottom paint on the bottom, I might be able to chip the glass off, because the bottom paint is supposed to shed growth on the hull.  Maybe I will get lucky, but more than likely, I will have a lot of sanding to do.  That will be a project for another day. 

 Now we come to today's project.  If you were in doubt about how damaged some of the interior parts of the boat are, here is the photographic proof that I am not making this stuff up!  I removed the main bulkhead in the cabin today.  You can see it leaning up against my truck, and you might be thinking that it doesn't look so bad.  Take a peak at the picture below.  I made myself a cardboard template for when I get the plywood to replace the bulkhead.  I then laid the actual bulkhead that came out of the boat on top of it for comparison.  As you can see, a substantial portion of the bulkhead is missing.  This is because of major water damage, not just from water sitting in the interior of the boat while it was on land, but also because the chainplate leaked substantially down onto the plywood.  When I took the chainplate out after the bulkhead was removed, I saw what the issue was.  There were 2 screws missing from the chainplate bracket, and once that came off, I could see that the sealant that was used was gone.  These will be things that I will be modifying/repairing when I get there.  First things first though! 

In the above picture, it shows the inside of the galley cabinet with the bulkhead removed.  There are also lots of pieces of rotten plywood on the floor from the removal process.  The challenge that is upcoming is how to get an entire bulkhead into the space where it needs to go, since it was likely put in place with the cabin top not on the boat yet.  One possibility is to cut the bulkhead into two pieces and then scarf or lap (types of joinery) them together if the entire bulkhead will not fit. 

I have to give credit where credit is due.  I am not a genius that just knows how to do all of these things innately.  I have spent a lot of time reading as much as I can about boat repair, and I have spent quite a bit of time working on boats at summer camp and the local non-profit community sailing organization.  To be fair though, This Old Boat by Don Casey has been indispensable!!!  When I don't find what I am looking for in Casey's book, Fix It and Sail by Brian Gilbert usually has what I am looking for.  I also have to thank my dad for all of his help on this project, from going to look over the boat in the buying process, to letting me bounce ideas off of him, to letting me borrow his copy of This Old Boat while I work on the project. 

Thank goodness for global warming?

It was in the 40's yesterday, which is a bit unusual for Maine in December.  That being said, it was a good thing because it was warm enough to do some fiberglass work.  Since I will be using a composting head for the boat, I do not need the 3 through hulls that were associated with the previous traditional head on the boat.  That means I can patch the holes in the hull, and have fewer through hulls to maintain and worry about. 

Here are some basics for fiberglass.  I was using epoxy resin for yesterday's project.  It is the strongest, most water resistant resin out there.  It is also expensive.  I used it because where I am patching will be underwater, and therefore needs to be water resistant so that osmotic blisters do no occur on the bottom of the hull.  Osmotic blisters occur when water penetrates the layers of fiberglass.  This ruins the strength of the fiberglass, and is quite expensive to fix.  The epoxy resin gets mixed to a specific ratio (5:1 in this case), then the layers of glass fabric and mat get soaked with resin.  The layers get progressively bigger as you add them because then each layer will grab more of the existing hull and have more hold strength than if each layer is the same size, or the bottom layer is the biggest.  In this case, I had one layer of fabric on the outside of the hull, with 2 layers of mat and 2 layers of glass alternated on the inside of the hull.  Doing the repair in this manner makes for an extremely strong fix, which is important when patching the hull.  I will have to do some fairing (read: LOTS OF SANDING) of the glass layers after they have set and are hard.  This will make them basically invisible as fixes on the hull, and also make the hull smooth so that it cuts though the water very well. 

 Left: The layers of glass laid out in prep for soaking (aka: wetting out) with epoxy and application to hull.

Below: Plastic sheet taped to hull to form glass work to the shape of the hull so that less sanding is necessary, and less material will be removed in the process.  One through hull hole is still left to be patched due to temps dropping below 40 degrees.

A final note: The tailgate of the pickup makes a great work bench for doing projects for the boat.

Shins + Boats ≠ Friends

I know it has been a few weeks since I have done an in depth post.  The reason is because I spent 2 weekends working on car problems, followed by having to buy a new vehicle.  It was also USA Thanksgiving recently, so that made work on the boat go on hold. 

First, I have to talk about my truck.  It is a wonderful vehicle, and a wonderful replacement for the Outback I had.  When I transferred the "essentials" that I generally keep in my vehicle from a station wagon to a regular cab Toyota Tacoma pickup, it was an exercise in downsizing.  I still don't have it all worked out.  I generally carry a toolbox (mostly because I have had cheap, unreliable vehicles so tools were a necessity), jumper cables, extra oil, windshield washer fluid, ice and snow scrapers (yes, even in the summer, because you never know!!!).  There is generally a lot of other junk that accumulates in my vehicles because there has been space for it.  In the Tacoma, there is not.  My toolbox occupies the space where a passenger's feet would be, and the other "essentials" are tucked into whatever space I could make them fit into.  There were also many things that could not fit, because there is so little space in the cab.  You might be asking yourself, "Why don't you use the bed, since it is a pickup truck, after all?"  Here is why:  I live in a small city with many homeless, transient, impoverished people.  Anything thing that is not locked will disappear.  A cap for the truck isn't in the budget at the moment either.  That means if I can't fit it in the cab, it goes into the apartment.  Also, even though it hasn't been acting like it, it is winter here in Maine.  That means that its raining/snowing/sleeting/etc. on a regular basis.  Those are not good conditions to keep things out in.  With those things being said, I do have to say that I think that the truck is going to be a better solution to schlepping my stuff around, since in 4 months or so, I will be putting the boat in the water, and therefore moving boat stands, sails, dingy, moving out of my apartment, etc.  The pickup just makes sense.  Plus, having a rear wheel drive, standard transmission vehicle in the winter is a lot of fun!! 

Meet Yoda, the Toyota.  ;)

Hatches in the bed, moving them to the shop for rebuilds

Sandbags in the back for weight 

Now, on to boat related things.  This weekend I was able to take a quick trip to the boat and remove 4 out of 5 hatches to take them to the shop so they can be rebuilt.  All of the hatches are junk, and have to be rebuilt.  I was also able to clean up a bunch of junk left by the previous owners that I have no use for/don't know what it's use was.  I have not decided what I am going to do for all of the hatches, but I have a few ideas.  I know that I would like the forward hatch to have a clear Lexan (name-brand composite material used for windows, portholes, display cases, etc) cover to let light into the v-berth.  I will have to see what the budget looks like to see if that will happen.  I might also make the lazarettes (hatch) in the cockpit out of foam and fiberglass, but again, we will see. 

This brings me to tomorrow.  SPOILER ALERT!!!!  Because the weather is supposed to be 45 and sunny, I can do some epoxy work on the hull and glass over the through hull holes in the head.  I thought that for certain I was going to have to wait til spring for that to happen.  Who knows what else I might get accomplished tomorrow as well.

I will finish with an explanation of my title.  Anyone who has sailed knows what I mean without explanation.  I spent four years racing dingies on the college level.  During the sailing season, I was black and blue from knee to ankle.  Several years later, my shins still bear the bumps from the 420's I spent so much of my college sailing career in.  I also remember as a child going out on my dad's boat.  We all ended up with inexplicable bruises on our shins.  Apparently it is just a part of sailing.  Over the weekend, I was getting off the boat, and tripped on something, nailing my shin on a ladder.  My shins have taken so much abuse from college sailing, it did not hurt so much, but ended up with a pretty substantial bruise.  Even without racing, being around the boat gives me bruises.  This is why shins and boats will never be friends! 

Pause for Thanks...

...because life is a crazy adventure where anything can happen!  I would like to take a moment to thank my family and friends for their support in this project.  I would not be as far along (or maybe working on this project at all) without their (your) help, support, and cheer-leading! 

In other news, life threw me a curveball, and I have to purchase another car.  I think I have it worked out to where I can make it all work and still have the funds to finish this project on time.  In the mean time, though, I will be living even more Spartanly than I already was.  I will be very happy when the major renovations are done and the boat is in the water this spring. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving (those of you that celebrate it)!!!!

Please Pardon My Perspective

I have been thinking about lack of useable flat surfaces inside the boat.  Many boats have fold out tables to facilitate having a table, but not taking up space.  I think the C-26 was pre-fold out table in the world of boats, or at least a design feature that was not utilized.  The boat also lacks a chart table for navigation, mostly due to size restrictions in the cabin.  I think I may have come up with a halfways genius idea for the counter space/chart table issue (even if I do say so myself)! 

Okay, so here is the explanation to go with the picture.  The black sharpie is the current design of the port galley cabinet and port bunk.  The red sharpie is the proposed new/rebuilt bunk.  It will be raised 6-8 inches above where the bunk currently is to facilitate a better sitting position when the table is not in the stowed position (stowed in the bottom right of the picture).  I will be adding a second vertical support, as I will be sitting there, and I am not exactly the smallest of people.  Plus it adds strength to the bunk as a whole and will allow me to add a chart draw under the bunk/seat.  Raising the whole bunk will also give me a substantial boost in storage space aft of the added second vertical support.  The blue sharpie is where the table will rest in the up position.  There is a sketch of how it will be supported in the upper left corner.  I was also originally thinking of having it open up, but then realized that to get to whatever is stored in the table/box, I would have to pull the cushions off, then lift the lid while likely holding the cushion out of the way with one hand.  This didn't seem really practical, so I thought instead to add a side opening draw so that in the down position, the draw is still accessible without moving anything. 

I have to say thanks for this post.  Thanks to my room mate Sarah for having sharpies!!!!!!!!  Thanks to Matt for turning me on to The Tiny House Blog, which has given me a few ideas!!

More importantly, if you have any ideas about this project, please feel free to leave comments and suggestions about how it might be better accomplished or designed!  Thank you!

Space, the Final Frontier!

Ok, maybe its the bleach and simple green cleaners in enclosed spaces getting to me, but I've really started thinking about space issues on the boat.  Maybe it is just that I spent 2 days scraping and scrubbing in all the recesses of the boat, which made me realize how little space there really is.  I have some major reconstruction to take care of, but I have also been thinking about what I can do to get more useable storage space out of the same sized space.  This is always the question when it comes to micro-housing.  First, pictures!

If you were wondering why the boat was so cheap, take a look at the following pictures.  The first picture shows the precautions I had to take to clean the boat.  The entire boat WAS covered in mold, but it is no longer.  The second pictures is the port (left) bulkhead that the chain plate is bolted to.  This holds up the rigging (mast, sails, etc) so is very structurally important, and is VERY rotten.  There are large chunks missing that I pulled out with my bare hands.  That shows how structurally unsound the bulk head is.  It will be completely replaced, which will be quite the project. (Yes, pictures and how I did it will accompany that [or those] posts.)

The third picture is one of the bunks in the main cabin (port side).  As you see, the vertical surface is missing.  That was also removed very easily with bare hands.  This brings me back to space.  This bunk has to be rebuilt.  Obvious enough, yes?  But in the rebuild process, can the original design be modified to make more useable space?  I think so.  Since I will be living on the boat, and therefore cooking, eating, sleeping, etc. on the boat, I need some areas, for example, to cut up and prep food for cooking.  Currently, there is NO place to do this.  That also means that there is no space for a chart table for navigation, which is also important!  So, during the rebuild, I will maintain a bunk, but will modify it so it can be rearranged into a chart table/counter that extends off the side of the stove/ice box cabinetry for convenience.  Another thought popped into my head while I was working on sketching out my idea.  If I have a cutting board that bridges the gaps between the two galley (kitchen) cabinets, then I will have useable counter space there also.  As a bonus, should I be cooking under sail, by not allowing myself to stand between the galley cabinets, it is much less likely I will be scalded by a pot coming off the stove top due to a wave or excessive heeling (tipping) motion.  I will try to come up with a sketch that I can post so that it is easier to visualize what I mean.

In other news, I am done scraping paint and cleaning for the moment.  That means that I can move onto other projects, and not worry about getting sick from being in the boat.  Replacing the bulkhead is probably priority number one.  Building new hatches would be priority number two.  Rebuilding/modifying the bunk is a toss up for third priority with putting in new through hulls where I will be keeping them, and glassing over the places where I will not be.  Unfortunately, glassing is temperature dependent, and I think I used up the last of my good weather to clean the boat.  I might get lucky, but probably not.  It is Maine in November after all.

Yes, the floor is still a mess, and probably will be for a while, but as you can see, cleaning the rest of the boat made a BIG difference in the appearance of the interior.  I do have to say though, while it took me 2 days of cleaning and a day of scraping paint, I can tell you that I am VERY VERY glad that I only got a 26 foot boat, instead of a 36 or 46 foot boat.  Cleaning something just 10 feet longer would probably have doubled my cleaning time.  I have to thank my mother for that insight!

In my cleaning, I also found the manufacturer's I.D. plate.  So the boat Formerly Known As is hull 213 from Columbia Yachts.  I would like to see if I can find anything on her on the net or though an owner's forum or the like.  As you can also see, there was an option for an inboard engine, but this specific boat (and not many others of this design) did not have one.  They were a very expensive option, and as I found when I was boat hunting, very expensive to maintain.  I looked into several other boats with both gas and diesel engines, but all needed serious overhauls or total replacement.  That would start around $1,000 for an overhaul that was not very extensive, to $10,000+ for a brand new, drop in diesel, plumbing, tankage, etc.  By skipping the convenience of an inboard, I have saved myself thousands of dollars, and that makes it more reasonable to achieve this whole dream.

In case you were wondering, the drain hole was KEY to cleaning this weekend.  Here is the picture to prove it!

YOU DID WHAT????!?!?!?!???

So I started out my day of work on the boat by drilling a hole in the bottom of it.  (Yes, insert post title here!)  Here is the reasoning for my seemingly crazy action.  It is winter in Maine now.  That means water freezes.  When the bilge (where water collects in the bottom of the boat) fills with water, and quite a bit of it, then freezes, that is a serious problem.  It can lead to cracking of the fiberglass, breaking the mounts for the ballast/keel, or even pushing a hole in the boat.  The man I bought the boat from had already drilled a hole in the boat to keep it from filling with water, as the hatches are not water tight (or really intact at all, for that matter).  However, when the hole was drilled, it was about a foot above the bottom of the bilge.  That means there was a lot of water that could still collect in the bilge.  When I used a manually operated bilge pump (as I do not have a battery system yet), I filled two 5 gallon buckets with really gross water, with a little water remaining in the bilge.  10 gallons of water turning into ice in a confined space is a recipe for disaster.  So what was my solution? Drill another hole.  You can see it below the original that has the brown streak marks.

Today I also got 5 of the 7 through hulls out of the boat, and will be glassing over the holes when I get a day that is warm enough to do so (think: spring).  I will be glassing over them because the boat no longer has a marine head, as it is illegal to pump waste overboard unless you are 12+ miles offshore.  Since I will likely be living in a marina, I won't be 12+ miles offshore, so need another solution.  More to the point, however, is that with many through hulls, you now have more places for water to breach the hull.  If you notice, there are 3 through hulls all placed together, with one being 2-3 inches in diameter.  Should that through hull fail, you now have a 2-3 inch diameter column of water spraying into the boat.  That equates to THOUSANDS of gallons of water per hour, possibly tens of thousands.  It would only take 20-30 minutes to sink the boat at that rate, if you're lucky.  So removing (glassing over) holes in the boat is a great idea, because it lessens the chance that the boat will spring a leak. Plus, I may be able to sell the seacocks, which are brass, and in relatively good condition, to make up for switching to more modern tech.  More on that later.

Most of my day consisted of scraping paint.  The boat had water inside it for two weeks this spring because the hatches were not water tight, hence, the holes drilled in the bilge/keel.  Because the water sat in the boat for two weeks, the paint peeled off the hull and wooden structures within the boat.  Some of the structures in the boat have been destroyed by the water damage, and have to be rebuilt (pictures to come soon).  Others seemed to weather it okay.  Unfortunately, it means A WHOLE BOAT LOAD of paint scraping for me.  I was planning on scrubbing the remainder of the boat, but realized that it was a better plan to get rid of the paint flakes first.  Tomorrow should be washing day, assuming nothing else comes up, like it did today. 

I got a tip today that there was a lumber yard that had gone out of business, so there was lumber to be had for free.  Obviously I jumped at the chance since I have hatches and an interior to rebuild and am on a budget.  I spent a good chunk of the afternoon rooting through all the crap wood to find a few good boards that might work for building hatches.  For the price, I'll go with it.  If they don't pan out, at least I'll have an idea of what not to get next time! 

The Sea is a Strange and Wonderful Place!

So, while not live aboard related, it is interesting.  I work at a fish market.  I see fish on a regular basis.  They don't impress me much any more.  My least favorite fish to handle is the monk fish, also known as the angler fish (it has a lure on its head that it fishes for other fish with).  Usually we only get monk tails, but today we got whole fish.  All I can say is, these are creepy looking buggers, and I would not want to get bitten by one of them!

You'll have to pardon the poor photo quality, I don't have an iPhone....

You're rich?

I would like to put to rest a few misconceptions that I have come across as I tell people that I am working on the boat I picked up and am blogging the experience.

1)  I am NOT rich, unless you mean I am rich in the fact that I am living my dream.  I didn't think that's what you meant.  ;)  I bought the boat for $800.  No, that's not an exaggeration!!!  It was so priced because it needs about $2000 worth of work and retrofitting for living aboard for the summer months, with more required for the winter months.  I came to the $2000 number by estimating parts and material needed, not in labor costs.  I will be doing just about everything myself to save myself the labor costs.  I will also be living as lean as possible in the rest of my life to accomplish these goals.  It helps that most of my time is spent working or working on the boat. 

2) This is going to be a VERY intensive build.  I work 2 jobs (about 60 hours a week, over 6 days), so I really only have a day and a half a week to work on the boat.  That means in reality, I have about 30 days to prep the boat to go into the water in April, and it is now winter.  That means I cannot paint, fiberglass, or even clean what is left to clean (aka- most of the rest of the boat).  Ice in the boat is a serious concern because it can break the fiberglass hull, which will further delay, or maybe terminate, my live aboard schedule/dream. 

3) Yes, I plan to live on the boat in the winter.  Yes, I will be heating it, but with electric only, as I do not want CO2 or CO issues that come with heating with kerosene or any fossil fuel.

4) No, the boat will not have a shower.  It won't even have a flush toilet.  The boat does not have the space to facilitate those desires.  I will have a composting toilet, and I will be showering in the Marina bathroom (or maybe at work, as there is a shower there).  In the summer, I may run a solar shower (like you would use for camping) but that is yet to be determined. 

Trade beer for.....?

So I did not get so much accomplished today, but what I did get done was important.  Unfortunately one of my boat stands was a victim of the 10/16 earthquake.  It was already weak from corrosion, but it got bent when the earthquake shifted my boat a bit.  So today, I dropped by a friend's house, brought some beer, and traded it for some welding! 

Hopefully I will be able to get more done tomorrow after working the AM shift (3:20-8:30.....ugh...).  Through hulls should be coming off tomorrow, and more cleaning and deconstruction in prep for reconstruction and retrofitting. 

Open mouth, insert foot....

After hearing all about how bad Sandy was in NJ and NY, I feel it is appropriate to make an apology for my callous comments that the media hyped up the storm.  Obviously, with 157 people dead, it was a serious storm, and those are 157 families that are missing a family member.  I heard of a police man on Staten Island that rescued his family and a total of seven people from a flooding building only to be drown in the process.  I can't even begin to imagine what that family is going though.  I feel like my anger over media hype was poorly timed, and more importantly inappropriate.  I am sorry for that. 

Hurricane? Psh......

So I am home from work at the airport early because we had very little freight to move, so I thought I would take the bonus time to give the weekend update, and maybe more topically, my thoughts on FRANKENSTORM!!!!! 

Lets start with the boat.  I spent Sunday with a respirator on, rubber gloves, and scrubbing like mad with a fun chemical concoction to make the mold that covers the ENTIRE interior of the boat go away. Unfortunately, its going to take several more solid days to get the boat's interior clean.  All I got done was the V-berth (so named because of its shape).  Below, you'll see why it took so long....

It was thick and gross, and also really stuck on there!!!!

Starting the cleaning process on the starboard (right) side

As you can see, the paint peeled off the hull in big sheets.

There is still A LOT of cleaning to do, but at least I am making a start on it.  I just have to get it all done before we get freezing weather.  I also need to take a paint scraper with me next time and scrape it before I start cleaning, so that I can easily sweep up the paint chips.  

I also got the boat recovered and the A-frame system reinforced for FRANKENSTORM!!!   The  boat now has a cover that covers her completely, rather than leaving a 2-3 inch gap along the toe-rail.  

As you might notice, my car is absolutely STUFFED with sails and cushions from the boat.  The idea was to get them off the boat to get them dried out, but also so that I could have some space to work in the cabin with out competing with the cushions and sails.  I also had the opportunity to hang them up in my parents barn to let them air out.  While I was hanging them, I got to check them over, and they are in great shape.  One jib (the front sail, also referred to as a head sail) has a small hole in it, but other than that, they look great!  Plus, this will give me an opportunity to learn how to patch the sails, which is an important skill to have.  Here's the new sail loft!

3 jibs, a main sail, and a spinnaker (#213)

I also got the opportunity to take the broken spinnaker pole to my parents house and epoxy it back together.  It is not going to be a great fix, but it is a quick, dirty, short term fix that will at least allow me to use it when I get to that point.  As you can see though, it is still missing a big chunk out of it, which will make that the new weak point.  We will see how long it lasts....

Wrapped with surveyor's string and epoxied into place

Now, on to FRANKENSTORM!!!!!  First off, really??!? Frankenstorm?  But second, I think that there is more hype than there needs to be about this storm.  I understand it is supposed to be a record low pressure system for the eastern seaboard, but so what?  I understand giving people information so they can make informed decisions about preparations for the storm, but it seems like the media, as is par for them, has blown it into a storm of The Day After Tomorrow proportions.  Granted, it is not over by any means, but I just wanted to voice that I think it is ridiculous. 

Sometimes the sea giveth....

So I scored a free fender for my boat today.  One of the perks of working on the water front, and it being the slow season, is that I get to hang out on the wharf checking out the action of the day.  Today a fender (a bumper to keep the boat from getting damaged from the dock, pier, another boat, etc) lazily floated down next to the wharf and was deposited by the sea wall when the tide went out.  Luckily no one else had the same idea to climb down to grab it.  On the other hand, it is all covered in sea slime, scales, etc., so I guess I should not be surprised.  While I know it was just luck, I expect there to, at some point, be a post entitled "...and sometimes the sea taketh away".  Hopefully it will be equally as minor. 

I raise my glass to you Neptune.  Thanks for the fender!

Weekend Update...

Hello followers!  This is what I got accomplished this weekend (aka-today). 

 

It may not look like I accomplished much, but this was one of the most important steps to getting the boat on the way to being liveable.  Currently the topsides are not totally watertight, so everything inside gets soaked.  That makes it hard to get things cleaned (un-moldy, un-smelly, etc) and then start on the repairs.  Unfortunately the tarp I bought was too small.  I will be going to find another one this week, and hopefully next weekend I can start cleaning and preparing for the real work to begin. 

I have to apologize for the poor quality photos, I only had my cell phone to take pictures.  Better pictures next weekend, as I will hopefully remember to take my camera. 

HOLY MOVING EARTH BATMAN!!!!

I would like to note that I have had my boat for one day, and after getting it set in place yesterday, we had a 4.something  earthquake tonight.  That was NOT a problem I was expecting to have. Like any adventure, there are always unforeseen events that change how your adventure goes.  I will feel much better when the boat is in the water, and I am living on her. 

The Boat Formerly Known As....

Meet the boat formerly known as Bird Shaman! 



This is her being backed down the road to her winter home.  She's a Columbia 26 built in 1964.  Shes a rescue from Northeast Sailboat Rescue.  Think animal shelter, but instead of animals, its for sailboats.  Michael, the owner of the Sailboat Rescue, deliver the boat on his trailer.  It was quite the process of getting it off the trailer and on its stands.

This reminds me of when I helped a friend (Kyle) move his boat and get her ready to launch, and how I was not nervous about any of it.  Now that I have gone through a similar process, I understand what he was feeling. When you see your own boat being held up by 2 stands as the trailer is being pulled out from underneath it, it is a really tense moment.  The boat is not exactly in it's most stable position at that moment, and I have been around boats enough to know that. It would not take much in that situation to knock the boat over, and then the dream would be all over. 

Now that the boat is in her winter home, the process for repair, renovation, and restoration can begin.  The first thing to do is get a cover on her so, regardless of weather, work can progress.  Then the priorities are (in this order) building new hatches, removing the damaged part of a bulkhead and repairing it, replacing the through-hulls (places where water can drain out of the boat) and seacocks (valves that open and close the through-hulls), and then rebuilding the other interior parts that are damaged. 

A little more about why I refer to the boat as "The Boat Formerly Known As..."  I think that it is a real way for someone to really connect with their boat.  My dad named his boat after his daughters (my sisters).  I subscribe to the idea that boats are female, and that might offend some people.  I think it speaks to the fact that traditional seafaring men realized that the women in their lives were the foundations they could come home to, and more importantly, the ones that would weather the storms that rolled through.  When you're on the water, you're a member of a team, with the boat being one part of the team, and you (and possibly crew) being the other.  If you treat her well, and with respect, she will usually do her part to keep you safe through the storm.  There is something really quite amazing about tradition and the seafaring culture in general, but that is more for another time.  Here are a few more pictures of The Boat Formerly Known As in the Rescue boatyard.

What did I just say about free boats.....

I know, I just wrote a whole post on how free boats are really expensive, and what did I go do?  I found myself a free boat!  It's just a dingy, it's sea worthy, and came with oars.  That being said, it weighs a solid 300 lbs so will not be really manageable for me on my own, but it at least gets me started on my way to having all the equipment that I need for the $800 Live-Aboard. 

Here is the cool thing about this dingy.  It is one of 3 prototypes that my aunt's second cousin made.  I have a thing for old and unique, and this fits the bill on both counts. I am still waiting on a call back from the seller so I can go look at the 26 again before I put my money down.  I hope he calls this week so it can get moved this weekend, and the real work can begin! 

Free Boats

I've been surfing craigslist.org for the last few years looking for cheap/free boats to start my adventure on.  The issue is, free boats are REALLY REALLY expensive, unless of course you know someone really wealthy that has taken immaculate care of their boat, and just decided that you deserved to have it.  Let's be honest, that doesn't happen for us mere mortals. 

If you're wondering why I said free boats are expensive, here is why:  Its not the boat itself that is your major expense, but rather all of the equipment needed to make it liveable.  A small sailboat can have many of the amenities of a house, like an oven, microwave, flushing toilet (head), stereo system, and electric lights.  Some of these items are significantly more expensive for the marine versions vs. their land based counterparts.  Lets take the oven for example.  An oven with stove top for a home can be bought for approximately $300 for something that is not the bottom tier.  If you want a 2 burner stove top with oven for a boat, expect to spend something close to $1000 before running the tubing for a propane bottle, as well as the appropriate regulators and warning systems for leaks.  If you want all the amenities of home, you'd better be prepared to shell out the major money to make it happen. 


The boat I am looking into is a Columbia 26.  It was built from 1963-69.  Its old.  In okay shape, but its still old.  That means things need to be fixed, replaced, or retrofitted.  These all cost money.  The boat currently does not have a head (marine term for a toilet).  To bring it up to standards (aka- not pumping raw sewage over the side), a holding tank has to be put in, a head needs to be acquired, the pump out fittings have to be installed, and the hoses all run. Or, another option is to go with a composting head (expect more posts on this topic!!).  Yes, they are available!  It also makes taking care of the waste more manageable, especially since there is no sewage line or leeching field to hook up to.  Both will run into the high hundreds of dollars, maybe more, and both have their pros and cons.  At $800, this boat is pretty much free, and as you see, expensive.  If I took some time and saved some more money, I could buy a boat for $3000-5000 that would be basically finished and need nothing or very little.  To me, that means putting this whole adventure off for another year or two, and that's no fun!  There's no adventure to buying something that is already finished. 

Hopefully, I am going to go take one last look at the boat to do a final check to make sure I did not miss something catastrophic, like a mast with a hole in it.  More updates to come!!!

If you know me, then you know I've been sailing my whole life.  It started with a 20' day-sailor that my dad picked up cheap.  It then moved onto a 40' that my family had on the Chesapeake Bay for 10 years.  During that time, I was also sailing at scout camp, on the river in the summer time, and when ever I got a chance.  While I was studying at the University of Southern Maine, I joined, and eventually captained, the USM Sailing Team.  We raced all over New England against some of the best college sailing teams on the East Coast (think Coast Guard, Navy, Maritime Academies, etc).  I've also taught sailing at camps and racing on a high school and college level.  I do not profess to be the best sailor, have the encyclopedic knowledge of some, or the repair skills of a professional.  That being said, this is a new adventure into sailing for me.  I have wanted to live on a sailboat for about 6 years.  I'm sure I professed to this when I was a child, but started to seriously look into finding a boat and the funding to make it all happen.  I've realized that I do not sail NEARLY enough to satisfy me, but do not work a job where I make the money to have an apartment and a boat.  The thought is to combine them, and then I can get the best (or maybe the worst) of both worlds!  Only the adventure will tell! 

This is all an adventure in finding a cheap boat, fixing it up, learning a lot, and eventually (spring 2013) beginning the living aboard adventure.  Did I mention that its all going to be on a shoestring budget?  The way I see it, why not put some (read as: A LOT) time and effort into a boat to fix it up and make it yours?  You'll learn a lot, and really figure out if it is something that you want to do.  Plus there is always pride that comes from fixing/building something yourself.  There is also the idea that if you've done the work yourself, when something goes wrong, you probably have a much better idea of how to fix it.  That becomes really important when you're 15 miles offshore and there is no one to help you. 

That is the premise for the blog.  The next entry should be pictures of my "new" (1960's era) boat and the move to the winter location, followed by progress on the refit/restoration and considerations for living aboard.  Please stay tuned for more from The $800 Liveaboard.