Me and My Boat: The Under

While the boat was up on the sawhorses, I not only painted the hull, but did all of the necessary repairs to the bottom and worked on the keel; the keel being the biggest issue.  It seems that the keel hadn’t had a decent inspection in some time and the rather large cracks in the plaster molding around the cast iron core were in bad shape.  So much so, that as I sanded the keel for painting I was able to pull off a relatively heavy block of the material.  This left a deep crater in the port side of the keel, which would affect the performance of the boat if not addressed. 

Divit in the keel

We used glue to reaffix the plaster divot to the keel and then covered the whole area in Bondo.  That was sanded smooth and then a layer of fiberglass resin was added to theoretically seal the area.  That was sanded and then everything was painted.  Wah la, good as new.  I can only hope that the keel doesn’t desert the ship on a future voyage. 

While under the boat we also addressed the cable connection on the keel; replacing the “U” bolts with crimping gaskets or whatever they are called.  This was an effort to reduce drag on the boat and provide a more long term fix.  The “U” bolts were originally put on back in August, just to get the boat on the water.  You can’t sail, at least in my boat, unless you can raise and lower the keel.  The crimps will hopefully last for the duration and reduce drag.  That extra .00005 miles an hour will make all the difference.

I took another week of vacation from Christmas to the 4^th of January.  Ten days actually.  During that time is when all of the painting and hull repair was completed.  The boat was up on the blocks for approximately two weeks.  During my week of vacation, I was working on the boat about six hours daily to get it done.  I am of the opinion that if I had not taken the time off to work on the boat I would not be anywhere near where I am on the refurbishment at this point.  Considering that between my Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations I have probably put in around 100 hours on the project.  Hell, I might still be sanding the damn boat at this point if it wasn’t for my dedication to the project and my time off.

With everything repaired and painted it was time to start reassembly.  Oh, did I mention that I also stained and varnished the woodwork during my time off.  I did.  So, time for reassembly.  

Last weekend, Tim came over and we started to put her back together.  That was January 9^th, 2010.  I have been working on the boat for just over three months up to this point, and am starting to see the transformation from a dilapidated old crappy sailboat, to a revitalized and completely refurbished sailing vessel.  It’s a great feeling of accomplishment for me and I have really enjoyed the project.  I am also very much looking forward to actually being able to enjoy the fruits of my labor.