s/v Dreamboat Annie - A Westsail 32

Friday, March 18, 2016

A Little Make-up for Annie

I was going to put the mainsail up today but it was a little windy so I decided to continue with my painting of the deck and house.

I was a little concerned with how the house would turn out, so I was going to use a method called, "Roll & Tip." Basically, what that means is you roll the paint on using a high density foam roller and then, with a dry brush, you brush the paint with just the tips of the brush at a right angle to how it was rolled on. The result is a very impressive "sprayed on" look. I started with that method but it quickly devolved into rolling on the paint in some sections and using the brush (wet) in others. [You really need two people to do "Roll & Tip" - one to roll it on and the second person to immediately tip the paint].

Regardless, the paint was so great it still looks sprayed on! Here's the amazing thing... it's a cheap one part paint: Rust-Oleum Marine Topside Paint - Gloss White. Amazon has just raised their price on the paint from $15 to $25 per quart, but Lowes has it in store for $13 here in Stuart (check your store location to see if they carry it in store and check the price; different stores have different prices). In both Amazon and Lowes the paint has a 4.5-5 Star rating. This stuff is great when you're on a budget. Thanks to Peter Ryan on s/v Onapua for recommending it to me. I am very pleased.

Anyway, at this rate, barring rain, I'll have the deck and house finished by next Friday evening.

Fuji...? Yeah, he slept most of the day under the cool A/C and gave me the look when I interrupted his sleep as I came and went in the cabin. LOL

Sleeping Dog...

The Look... Disturbed Dog.

Fair seas and God bless.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Closer to the Wind...

The jib is now on.

It has been over five or six years since Annie's sails flew, so today was sort of a milestone in some way. Though she is not ready yet to actually fly her sails, that day is fast approaching.

The mainsail will go up tomorrow and then the boom will be appropriately rigged to match the reefing points. Soon after, the staysail.

She's getting closer to the day she'll actually ride on the wind again.

Fair seas and God bless.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Moving the Gates...

When I bought Annie she only had safety rails in the last section of the stern and they were used for my solar panels. I wanted the section forward to that to also to have safety rails because it would enable me to mount a grill there as well as other equipment.

Today, I added another section of safety rails and relocated the gates one section forward. Actually, it was a simple project. It was just a matter of measuring from one stanchion to the other, having the tubing cut, putting the ends on and tightening the screws. Easy Peasy.

I was also able to finish painting the forward deck. I'll move to painting the house in a couple of days.
I also added my roller furling line that will roll up the headsail.

And of course, my best buddy was there to help.

Fair Seas and God bless.

Friday, March 11, 2016

"Long Time, No See!"

I realize it's been a while since I have posted but I'm sort of in a transitional period in my life. Without boring you with all the gory details, it appears my time here in East Florida is coming to an end. Needless to say, I've been extremely busy planning and readying for my departure. (I'm not sure where I'll be heading yet but I'll post updates as time passes).

As to boat work, I have not been completely idle.

I got a great deal on a low profile roof top air conditioner that could be permanently mounted and I have installed it, (with the help of my friend, Denis... thanks Denis). It's 13,500 BTU's so it will freeze you out of the boat. As long as I am at dock, I will enjoy the cool and when I do one day get to go cruising, I can easily remove it and replace the skylight hatch, (which I will rework in the interim), or, because it's low profile, I can leave it in place.

I would have went with a "Marine" A/C that was water cooled but the cost was extremely prohibitive. The cheapest unit I could find was $1200 and was only 6,000 BTU. Once you add the thru-hulls, water pump, hoses, raw water filter, wiring, etc. etc., AND I would have to be hauled out to install the thru-hulls. In the end, you're looking at 2K minimum.

I've completely reorganized the V-Berth and eventually will remove the holding tank and lower the berth.

I also am setting all the running rigging and should have the sails installed within a couple of weeks.

I've also resumed painting the deck in sections now that the monsoon season is over here in South Florida.

Of course, My old faithful friend was there to help... unless it was nap time.

Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading.

Fair Seas and God bless.

Friday, January 29, 2016

Butcher Block Coutertop

When refitting Annie in Indiantown I decided to use Starboard for my Cooler/Icebox doors. (The reason was I had enough left over from another project and didn't want to waste any materials if possible). Since then, I discovered that Starboard is hard to keep clean - especially in the Galley. So I considered other options, tile, formica, plain old marine plywood varnished... then I saw something on Amazon, (my favorite place online), Butcher Block Countertops. I shopped around and eventually found a size that would work and ordered it.

In order to install the Butcher Block Countertop, I had to disassemble the previous install of Starboard and also modify the Cooler/Icebox doors. Worked all day and almost finished it... I still have to do some trim work, install my recessed latches, and purchase/install decorative hinges. I will upload those photos as soon as I have completed the job... so check back for more photos I'll add to this post later.

BEFORE...