So close I can taste it!

[Figment]

I just realized that THIS weekend is memorial day weekend.
There's nothing like a surprise 3-day weekend to elevate one's spirits.
Three whole days of boatwork! Of course, rain is forecast for all three days, but no bother. I've enough work to do belowdecks to keep me busy.

But really, not so much..... I'm nearing the end of my once-insurmountable "ESSENTIAL PRIOR TO LAUNCH" list.

A large mental milestone was reached this past weekend with the final installation of the new thru-hulls. Theoretically, she can float now.

This weekend should see the completion of the bulkhead project with the final installation of the beams and posts, though I'm going to hold off on the paintjob until after the insurance company gives word on the survey. Nevertheless, with the installation of the chainplates, she'll theoretically be capable of stepping her rig.

I still haven't gotten the engine to fire, but I finally bit the bullet and ordered an entirely new suite of ignition parts from Moyer, so I gotta think that this will soon be remedied as well.

Damn, suddenly it's down to brightwork and bottompaint. How'd that happen?

ok, so it's not just brightwork and bottompaint.
mount fire extinguishers.
install bilgepumps and blower.
reassemble mast.
Install VHF.......

Or maybe I just have the bug because the boat is on the hard 40' from the lift bulkhead, and last sunday's boatwork was accompanied by the music of FOUR launchings. (trust me, that's a LOT for one day at this yard. I gotta remember to post a pic of their "travelifts" for you guys)

And then of course, there's The Rigging Adventure. I haven't actually participated in the rigging of a keelboat in over ten years, so that oughta be interesting! I'm sure I'll spend this first season with turnbuckles upside down and genoa cars backwards, at a minimum.

oh, man I can taste it!

[Tim]

Boy, there's nothing like the period just before launching to get you going! The anticipation is a killer. The more work you've done, of course, the more excitement--and nerves--there is/are to be had.

Good luck knocking off the rest of your list. And when you launch, keep that digital camera handy!

Is it too soon to guesstimate your launching date?

Tim

[Figment]

all along I've been saying "mid-june", and that still looks like it might happen, BUT because I've been telling myself that, a lot of stuff has been put off until just after then, which means that the second two weekends in june are marked for non-boat committments.

Basically, if it doesn't splash before 6/12, I'll be lucky to get it in for 4th of July weekend.

The yardworkers HATE me. They're ready to splash me yesterday. Because I arrived in mid-January with a foot of snow on the ground, the only spot they could plow open for me is right at the crux between the only entrance to the yard and the travelift. I'm in the way of EVERYTHING, and I'm going to be the last boat launched. Last weekend I got the "so are you EVER going to take that cover off?" from one of the yard guys as I was closing up for the day. It also doesn't help that I'm one of the few WAFI's in this 95% boston whaler/grady white yard, and therefore subject to scorn by default.

Anyway, 7/4 won't be so bad. Around here, 7/4 is the unofficial kickoff of "no-wind season", which lasts until labor day. There's some wisdom to getting used to a new boat with a thousand ???'s in light airs, I think.

[grampianman]

I can but appreciate what goes into the sailing equation further north. Here in Florida, I have been able to keep on sailing, of course whilst dodging thunderstorms, etc. I took my son out for the Memorial Day weekend and we had a most enjoyable time. We sailed off the Southwest coast, off Estero and Sanibel islands; our fishing lines at the ready, fillet knife sharp, no fish; simply lovely weather until the faithful outboard started really acting up. Turns out contaminated fuel got aboard and blew the head gasket. (The engine, like my Grampian, is 'mature'.) So my boat is tied up at a dock miles from home, leaving me feeling somewhat like you chaps during the winter.

With regards to the thunderstorms, I am trying to find out the best way to ground the mast in case of a lightning strike. It is quite a sight to see a lightning bolt strike within 100 feet of your vessel. (Your heart has to make the requisite recovery after the thunderclap!) I have read about wiring the chainplates to the keel, attaching heavy gauge wire to the shrouds and dropping the end into the water, but haven't read anything definitive. Funny, here I live in the lightning state, but there is very little about boats and lightning.

Cheers all,
Ian,
Humble user of an old plastic craft

[dasein668]

Basically, if it doesn't splash before 6/12, I'll be lucky to get it in for 4th of July weekend.

Opinion following: Put her in on 6/12. Drop everything that can be dropped, get done what absolutely must get done, and splash her. Deal with everything else later. I doubt you'll regret it.

That's the way it was for me last spring. I was going in on May 16 come hell or high water. Yeah, a week before the boat was supposed to splash I still had 5 holes in the bottom... and no shaft... but I was not to be deterred. I figured as long as I got my seacocks in, and the shaft at least reinstalled in the log and packed, I would float. Nothing else mattered...

And I still had tons to do when I went in. But I definitely didn't regret it!

Just my $1.02.

[Figment]

hey, man, I'm tryin'!

If only life would quit getting in the way!!!!

A lady here at work is in the beginning stages of divorce. She's getting hit pretty hard. Hocking her jewelry to pay her lawyer. She asked me for a quote to move her to her new apartment (Moving is a little side gig I do for cash). Now I don't want to charge her anything, but that means I can't use any of my regular guys, so I had to recruit other help from around the office. The only time these guys can help is right smack in the middle of PRIME saturday boatworking time!!! eh, whaddayagonnado? If the weatherman's correct, I wouldn't be able to get much done in the monsoon rains anyway.

I swear I'd feel 200% better about this whole thing if I could just get the friggin engine to start!!

[Tim]

I swear I'd feel 200% better about this whole thing if I could just get the friggin engine to start!!

Here comes another opinion: launch without the engine running. There's time to get that figured out later. I went through this same thing at the end of my restoration, when the clunky old Yanmar refused to run. But there was no way that little thing was going to delay my launch, so in I went. It's better to fuss with annoyances like this with the boat floating. It doesn't eliminate the frustration, but it changes the quality of it!

As if you need all of us telling you this stuff you already know. But then, isn't that the beauty of online forums?

Launch. Boats do no one any good being on the hard.

[Figment]

Yeah, but boats floating around with no chainplates and therefore no rig don't do anyone much good either!
No one but myself to blame on that front. I decided to continue the OverKill by overboring the chainplate bolt holes, filling with epoxy, and then redrilling to eliminate the bolt holes as a point of entry for water. The filling took two passes, therefore eating a weekend. All set now, though.

I'm not planning on letting the engine delay the launch. As humiliating as it will be, I can get my brother to tow me out of the river with his jetski until I get it figured out. No, sailing out is not an option. The channel is 40' wide and makes two right-angle bends with high trees on each side stealing the wind.

So what's left?
-bottompaint
-fire extinguishers
-infill of gaps at vberth and shelves
-general wholesale cleanup and trim reinstallation
-anything else requiring the use of power tools

As much as I generally dislike them, I think I'm going to need to invest in a good cordless drill/driver so I can continue work while afloat.

[Tim]

(Regarding Cordless Drills)

As much as I generally dislike them...

OK, I have to ask: why do you generally dislike them?

[Figment]

in "Tools and Techniques".

[Figment]

I decided that a little bit of deadline-motivation was in order, so I made the call. I'm scheduled to launch one week from today.

I put an APB out for all the boys to lend a hand this weekend. No responses yet, but I'm optimistic. I'm about to go to lunch with a guy who owns a sweet 6" RO portercable sander......

Now if only I could get some of these surveyors to return my calls ;)

[Figment]

With the m'n'f'ing cover gone, and the bottom painted all one color.... gosh, Gepetto, it looks like a real live boat!

Actually, it looks completely ridiculous without a bootstripe, but there were barnacle husk marks halfway up the old stripe, so I decided to let this first season tell me the waterline before I bother with a bootstripe.

The boys came through in fine fashion. I had a crew of 4 on saturday, including a mechanic. Sunday got knocked back to 2 (pansies!) but that was still enough to take care of all remaining critical items. Yes, I managed to tom-sawyer others into doing the bottom.

I still have some weeknight work to do. Primarily electricals, but I'd also like to get some varnish on the coamings if weather permits. oh, and I may need a new motor. Little stuff.

[dasein668]

I decided that a little bit of deadline-motivation was in order, so I made the call. I'm scheduled to launch one week from today...

Good work! There's nothing like an impending deadline to get ya out there and working!

Now if only I could get some of these surveyors to return my calls ;)

Yeah, those surveryors sure are an irresponsible bunch, aren't they? hehe

[Tim]

Congrats on setting a launch date! Things are looking up. Glad to hear things are rolling along as needed.