19 COVID Boat Projects

So OK...I don't know if we've done 19 projects yet but it sure feels like it. Guess I was just looking for a catchy title.

As things were getting serious with the Rona we decided to travel back to the boat which is in a pretty low population area in NW Alabama. Figured we'd get some more projects done on Chasing 80 before heading out for a summer cruise. Well we dove in head first and really got some things done in a couple of months.

We started off fairly easy with a new microwave install. The old one was original 1986 vintage and beginning to sound louder every time we used it. 

Next we decided to repaint the forward hatch since we had some Hatteras Off White left over from painting the back door. The prep was pretty easy since there was no paint left on the aluminum anyway.

Next it was time to break out the buffer for a coat of wax. This is a week long project in itself. 

And we wax on..... I'd almost forgot about the new horns till I saw this picture. The old ones mainly squeaked when you honked them.

 

So while we were working on the hatch and waxing I kept looking at the decks which had been bugging me for a couple of years. Jill was a bit skeptical when I told her it was time to repair and repaint all the non skid but I assured her that I had watched several YouTube videos and was sure we could pull it off!

I ordered all the materials from a company in Maine so had a bit of time to do more research. Frankly, I was terrified I was going to screw something up.

We decided to do the bow pulpit first since it was the smallest area and had no defects to repair. This gave us a chance to learn the technique of working with the product. The company recommends 3 thin coats. We removed what we could and taped the rest and got it cleaned up for painting. Just like most projects the time is spent in the preparation. We went with a more "sand" color to give the decks a bit of contrast.

With a bit of concern after the first 2 coats I called the company who suggested switching from a foam roller to a short nap (their directions call for foam). I was very happy after the 3rd coat and we decided to press on. 

 

The pulpit was the easy part of the project. Next we were about to do what really scared me...taking a Dremel tool to the deck!! The deck had several dings and chips from 30 some years of traffic and they had to be fixed before painting.

First you have to grind out the defects.

Then fill with epoxy fairing compound.

Next you sand most of it off to get a smooth surface.

And apply primer and sand again.

Last step is applying miles of masking tape.....

But again, it's all about the prep to get a great result! We are both very happy with the way it turned out.

The only downside to this project is matching the 34 year old Hatteras Off White to the current color on the shiny parts of the Toe Rail. This is turning out to be a bit of science project adding a drop or 2 of color tint to the base color trying to get close. We're closer but not quite there yet.

Several of the other projects involved changing filters and impellers on the engines and generator to get ready for the season. One thing that was above my pay grade was pulling the injectors and having them rebuilt. We had a bit of unburned diesel fuel in the exhaust of one  engine at the end of last season and I felt the injectors were the problem. Luckily I found that we are docked right behind the famous Diesel Don and happened to run into him on the dock. He wasn't busy (which is rare) and was on the boat a few days later. The next week all injectors were re-installed and the valves adjusted so we're ready to roll.

 

After the work we actually got away from the dock to test things and she ran great. Best of all, no more fuel in the exhaust.

We also had some "fun" projects along the way. While getting ready to wax the hull we decided to rehab the CCC badges from the front. They were looking pretty sorry including one missing tip from a gulf crossing that was rougher than forecast....

Before,

And after...

Jill also decided to rehab our trusty "Shut the Box" game that lives on the flybridge and has seen many years of sun.

And since we had non skid paint left over it was time to finally remove the old davits from the swim platform, repair the holes (arrow) and paint on.....

So there you have the latest update on projects, did we make 19? I didn't even mention the new shower pumps (x2) or the ice-maker install or washer/drier door repair or the re bedding of deck hardware.....no pictures=didn't happen ;)

We're now touching up a few areas with wax and waiting for the return of our windless (it'll get a separate entry). Hopefully everything will be complete and we can get moving around July 4th. We plan to start with a trip down river to visit our old friends at Green Turtle Bay and we'll see where the weather and virus takes us from there....

2019 Wrap-Up

I guess we've left you all waiting long enough for an update. With a blog that's supposed to be about our boating adventures, 2019 is one I'd rather forget...so would my wallet. I guess that's why it's taken so long to catch up, at least that's my excuse.

As I recall we left you with the promise to pick up in New Orleans for the 50th anniversary of Jazzfest. It was a show where they pulled out all the stops and went over the top...until the Rolling Stones had to cancel. Maybe that should have been an omen for us. It was a great fest anyway and well attended as always.

We had made plans to return this year before heading back to the boat but plans have changed in a hurry for everyone. I imagine if they held it as scheduled it'd look more like this...

Sorry, too soon??

Anyway. after another great NOLA visit we made our way back east on the Mississippi Sound to Mobile Bay and Dog River marina to prepare for our trip up the Tenn-Tom waterway to the Tennessee River. We were treated to a lovely sunset the night before we left which seemed to be a good sign.

Unfortunately by the following afternoon this was still where we were. Not the way we wanted to start the next leg.

As we were leaving the marina and heading out the channel toward Mobile Bay we struck something submerged with the starboard running gear, it actually healed the boat over to port as we went over it. After cutting power and checking for leaks we resumed course and applied power only to find a serious vibration so we returned to the marina for repairs.

Once hauled out I was relieved to see no visible damage to the prop.

However, further investigation revealed the shaft was no longer straight!!

It soon became obvious we wouldn't be going anywhere for awhile. It took a long 3 weeks to get a new shaft made after they assured me it couldn't be repaired. Apparently some shops are less honest than others.

After a long delay our shaft came in and we were put together and on our way. At least we weren't charged for docking while we waited.

We were finally on our way in early June. As we prepared to anchor on the first night out we found that our windless was not working! I'd checked it at Dog River before we left...now what? After checking everything we could think of with no luck we resorted to the old "arm-strong" method to deploy and retrieve the anchor. Not optimal but do-able. Maybe Chasing 80 didn't want to return to fresh water after a couple of years in Florida?

Somewhere along the Tenn-Tom as I was passing a tow and being sure to give him plenty of room I managed to find the bottom with the port running gear!!! Luckily we were able to continue without vibration at our normal speed, however after getting anchored for the night I saw obvious damage to the port prop. We decided it was safe enough to continue our trip to our planned destination on the Tennessee River. Without further incident we traveled to Guntersville AL and came back to the house for a much needed break.

We were back to the boat in late August and moved her to Goose Pond Marina in Scottsboro AL where they have a travel lift and repeated the process....

We had a much better outcome this time even though the prop and shaft were both bent. Having a car we were able to drive the prop to a shop and the shaft to another where both were able to be repaired for a fraction of the cost of the job in Mobile. Finally, and honest and speedy repair facility!!

With everything back together we started to feel better about boating again...I was beginning to feel cursed somehow!

We next took a quick road trip to Cincinnati to meet friends at Oktoberfest. It was a nice break from boat projects...however....upon our return we found that our refrigerator had died while we were away! Well, with our much improved outlook on boating I remembered that I never liked that fridge anyway and secretly hoped for it's demise. We found a replacement that allowed us to make better use of the space and it was actually a bit roomier.

All-in-all we were happy with the marina at Goose Pond and decided we would winter the boat there.

We have gotten a ton of projects done, just didn't cruise as much as we had planned that fall. Jill being the "detail queen" decided to tackle the ship's bell again.

I finally got around to changing most of the 12v lights to LED which was a great improvement.

We did take a short cruise up to Chattanooga where we were lucky to get my 2 sisters together at the same time. That never seems to work these days! It was a great weekend and a nice cruise.

On the trip back we passed an interesting flotilla. How many boaters get to pass the Nina and Pinta on the "1 whistle"??

So our cruising season ended on a high note and we are looking forward to a less stressful 2020 once things return to whatever normal will be.

We returned home to Ft. Myers to spend the whole winter here for the first time. We do miss having Chasing 80 here but we are looking forward to river cruising this summer. We did take a road trip to the Keys to meet up with our boating family that were staying there. We were lucky enough to snag a ride with friends out to a fantastic sandbar afternoon. We were with Best Mate, OLOH, Trust Me and Knot Sew Easy (via RV). Thanks everyone for inviting us CLODs.

The "plan" for now is to return to the boat in mid April and isolate there for a few more weeks while getting a few more projects done. Hopefully by sometime in May we'll be able to start traveling but that will remain to be seen.

Maybe I'll post a list of what we've accomplished on the boat over the past year...it's not like I'm doing anything else right now....