It is time for the annual boat spruce up, but this year, there is a difference. This is because we are getting closer to giving up work – we can’t bring ourselves to utter the R word, unless it’s Run away or Run amok, or even Rejoice, or Recreate… But before we do (which incidently is still well over a year away) there is a long list of jobs…and you know what boat jobs are like: triple the time, triple the money!
The view from the top. Don’t make a wave!
Now that Take It Easy is back inthe Gippsland Lakes, we have had our appointment with the shipwrights in Paynesville to go through the task list. We also got the marine gas man to do an inspection, as we suspected our gas appliances were not exactly compliant. PPP-painful… So here is the list, which we will work through over the coming months:
Purchases and Installations
- New gas stove top – not only do we get a non rusty, shiny, smaller one, but it will also be compliant, whereas the old one was not (installed too close to the back wall).
- New spinnaker – we have to retire Big Red as we get a new puncture hole every time we launch it! But we like it so much we are getting it copied. Big questions: what colour will it be and what will we call it? Big Orange just does not sound as good as Big Red.
- New boom bag – to replace our faded, mouldy, torn one. Stop arguing, Wadie, we are getting another new bright orange one!
- Consider a new mainsail – Wade reckons there is still life in it, but I think it’s stretched and ragged. Negotiations are still in progress… Just think of how speedy we would be with a brand new main!
- New mainsail halyard (the one that goes up the mast) – last thing we want is for it to break underway… I like being winched up to the top, but not in the ocean.
- New big multifunction display screen for all the instruments – so we can actually see the chart plotter without a magnifying glass!
Repairs & Maintenance
- Sanding and re-varnishing of our beautiful internal timber work – the New Guinea Rosewood table and some of the wood paneling have suffered some wear and tear from a certain pussycat claws and the effect of the sun.
- Sanding and re-varnishing of cork floors which are showing sign of wear.
New Laminex on the galley benches – the existing laminate tops are looking very tired and the green specks in the lookalike granite clash with our colour scheme. Possible contenders for the new tops are shown here.- Installation of gas and CO2 sensors – for safety and compliance purposes.
- Data aerial up the mast for improved communication.
- Repair to port bow – where a fisherman in a tinny ran into the front of us at Port Albert.
- Remake of all deck hatches (x4) – they are looking a bit suspect and we don’t want any rot!
- Reinforcement of stringers under the bridge deck – a weak point in the boat.
- Hulls clean up and antifoul.
- Sanding and repaint of the decks and cockpit – we are sick of flaking paint.
- Polishing of the hulls so they look nice and shiny – bird poo and deck paint oxidization make for horrible white dribble marks on the blue hulls.
We are back… and so are the little poop machines!
Some of the jobs are for Tim and James, our Shipwrights, others are for us to tackle. Some can be done while we are at our jetty, other will be done when we haul the boat out of the water in November. So we have plenty to keep us amused during winter and spring… Our aim is to get it all done just in time for our next Summer Cruise. We won’t know ourselves once all of this is completed!
Sv-Anui 
Good luck! It seems the list of jobs on boats is never ending!
Quite right Viki!
What a list have fun with it. I like the laminate with the blue. The white will be too bland next to the white walls.
Hi Sue – yes the granite with blue specks is my favourite, but we are checking the other one which in reality has nice warm tones through it. Not sure re the cock floors… Might end up with timber slats, but will see what is involved.
Whether it’s a house, computer, or boat, the maintenance never ends. The only question is whether it is worth it;-) Rarely does the computer ever get the “Yes!” answer. Hope it all goes smoothly, looking forward to the stories that will come when the work is finished.
Thanks Robin… You are quite right – never ending but kind of exciting for us as we contemplate living aboard!
Wow, you weren’t kidding about the total renovation!!! Very pretty poop machines 😉
Told you! I really do like the poop machines… I should take a leaf out of your book and do a composite of them. It would tease both Wade (who has named them so) and Bengie who bleats every time she sees them.
Oh I’d love to see that!! You could really have some fun with the antics shallows get up to 🙂 They often sit in a row on cables and lines but having a series with the bird doing comical stuff all along the row would be great fun 😀 It’s an apt name for them! They really do 😉 There are always loads in Greece when we’re there and you know their favourite perches and the nest sites from the Jackson Pollocks on the paving 😉
It is true what ‘they’ say; owning a boat is like standing in the shower and tearing up $50 notes! (or is it $100’s?)
You know what BOAT stands for Elgar: Bring On Another Thousand!
Sounds like lots to do.
There is a fair bit!
Love the swallows, Chris, despite their “deposits.” I know the temptation to move towards the “r” word. I have moved from working full-time to working only three days a week and am starting to think of giving that up. Obviously you have lots to keep you busy–those lists are daunting. I’ve wondered what it would be like to wander about full-time, but suspect that I would do it on land rather than on water.
Hi Mike – we are progressing towards the R time. We’ve both been working 4 days a week 9 months a year. It gets harder to return to work every year after our big cruise…we dream of not having to come back but it’s also a bit scary!
That’s a big list! Good luck with it all! Why not just copy Big Red completely, color, name, and everything? Then you could use the fabric from the old one for patches if you ever need to!
Good thinking! Hadn’t thought of the patches, but it’s pretty ragged out. We are about to measure it all and get a couple of quotes. Likely to get a copy of it.
Big Orange may not have quite the same ring as Big Red (something to do with an extra syllable I suspect), but we are proud to call ours ‘Big O’…. and we think bright orange is a mighty fine colour for a spinnaker…….. both hues are, after all, reminiscent of the magnificent sunsets seen on the water. We look forward to seeing you on aqua soon.
Yes we noticed you did and like the sound of that!