Me and My Boat: Increase The Value of Your Boat, by Burning it.

“I’m going to increase the value of your boat, by burning it,” Tim replied to whatever snide remark I had said to him.  It stopped me in my tracks.  Wow, that was a monumental insult of epic proportions.  I looked at Tim with what must have been an expression of shock and awe on my face.  Looking somewhat surprised with himself he said, “I don’t know where that came from, it just came out.” I told him that I was quite impressed at the nature and magnitude of the comment.  We both started laughing.

I guess the profound effect of the comment was due to the vast effort that has gone into the boat thus far, or Tim was thinking in terms of an insurance policy.  That would increase the value of the boat by burning it.  I could then go out and buy a new boat and hopefully skip the refurbishment aspect. This episode occurred last Saturday, January 16^th, 2010.  It was uttered in the midst of the regular banter that takes place as we work on the boat.

The Bow Locker

I had been cussing up a blue streak earlier as I crawled into the extremely tight area of the bow to secure the bowsprit to the boat.  There just wasn’t any space to maneuver and manipulate the bolt assembly.  I had to work blind because I couldn’t turn to look at what I was doing.  The cussing seemed to help.  At any rate the bowsprit is now affixed to the boat. 

The bowsprit was the major project for the weekend.  Well, that and the electrical.  I managed to wire the boat or at least place the wiring in the general location where it will be mounted. 

I had just applied glue to the wooden mounting board and was about to screw it into place when Tim called me.  He said he was going to Menards and asked if I needed anything.  Funny you should ask.

I had cut a piece of plywood to fit just inside the cabin on the bulkhead.  I would mount it, and to it I would mount all of the electrical gadgets; these being the three way switch and wiring terminal.  All nice and neat.  Once everything was connected and mounted, the boat’s electrical system would be ready for the high seas. 

The only obstacle at this point is putting the wires in place.  My thought is to use some of the industrial glue and carefully stick the wiring to the bulkheads.  This could prove to be messy, but may be my only option.  Everything I saw in Menards was geared towards having wiring mounted to wooden framing. That works great for a house but not so well on a fiberglass boat; especially in the thinner sections of the hull.  I was also trying to avoid having to drill hundreds of tiny holes to mount screws in, I.E. brackets held in place by screws, and nails are out of the question.  I guess I’ll have to make another run to Menards and see what I can come up with. 

Due to my zealous attempt to install the electrical system I had to put the interior painting on hold.  I also held back because of the bowsprit, not wanting to mess up a new paint job while I’m struggling to secure a long plank to the front of my boat.  However, I did get started; a good portion of the cabin is now painted; some of the overhead and most of the bulkheads.  Once the wiring is secured I will paint over it.  I suppose I could now do the decking, but I will have to sit on it in order to mount the wiring.  I’m screwed.

The real work was cleaning out the interior to make it ready to be painted.  My boat accumulated a lot of dirt and other debris between when the interior was built this last weekend.  It took me a good couple few hours to sweep, vacuum, wipe, vacuum, sweep, vacuum, and wipe down the inside of the boat. 

The best part is that my youngest son came out to help me and wore his dirty snow boots into the cabin, tracking mud all over the decking.  After I convinced him to remove his footwear prior to hanging out on the boat; he then helped me paint.  That was neat; at least one of my kids is into working on the boat.

Today is Monday and I have opted to take a night off, hang out with my family, and just relax in front of the TV.  After all, as I pointed out to Tim this last weekend as he hounded me to go back to the hardware store and buy a chain for the bowsprit; its only mid-January, there’s no rush.  I have at least three months before I can even get the boat in the water.