We have been working on this boat for over a year now. These first posts will focus on our progress to date. I’m going to start from when the boat arrived in Texas. Later I’ll add posts talking more about the quest for the boat, and the boat itself. I should also add that prior to starting this project neither myself, nor my wife had ever worked on a boat before.

This is the boat immediately after we unloaded it in Texas. The unloading process really served to illustrate something that’s become a recurring theme with this project. Nothing ever goes as smoothly, or as quickly, as you expect it to. We bought brand new boat stands for the project, and when we bought them we sized them based on the size, and draft of the boat. Unfortunately we discovered, as the boat was hanging under a very expensive crane, that the boat stands were too tall. To clarify: the problem was probably more the restricted pivot range of the pads on top of the stands, but the effect was the same. The problem was solved by cutting down six of the eight stands with a sawzall, and blocking the boat up about eight inches higher than we’d planned on. To be honest blocking this boat was a stressful experience for me. Where it’s stored the boat is fairly exposed to the wind, and for the first six months I pulled in to the lot fully expecting it to be laying on its side. I suppose now, a year later, I can officially add boat blocking to the list of boat skills that I can claim a modicum of competency in.

One thing I was adamant about when I was looking for a project boat was, no teak decks. I was prepared for a major project, but I didn’t want to deal with a poorly maintained teak deck, and the core problems associated with it. So what did I end up with?

Not only is that a lot of teak, but it was extremely worn, and there was a large part of the foredeck that felt distressingly like a trampoline. To illustrate the wear here is a picture of the windlass switch on the foredeck.

Unfortunately any project of this size has to be a labor of love, and when we’re in love, it changes our outlook. So first project on this boat, deck repair.