Little Side Job...

If you've followed my blog from the beginning, you know I have LED lighting inside Annie's main cabin and in the V-berth. At first, I used the multi-colored LED's but they could only be controlled by the IR remote controllers that came with the strings and the controllers started malfunctioning within a few months. (I think the salt-water environment was the culprit).

I moved to 5050 plain white LED strings with upper and lower dimmer switches and they did fine... BUT... the lighting was reflected light and sometimes, a little too dim. I needed something overhead to supplement the LED's...

Amazon to the rescue. (Amazon and Home Depot should sponsor Annie considering the amount of merchandise she carries that came from them). After a quick search, I found exactly what Annie needed, RV Boat Recessed Ceiling Light 4 Pack Acegoo Super Slim LED Panel Light DC 12V 3W Full Aluminum Downlights Warm White. (Amazon loves descriptive looooong names).

Had to remove a little bit of trim work to run the wiring between the vinyl Wainscott I used for the headliner, but after a couple of hours, the lights were in and the cabin is as bright as day.

Just a little side job on this short Thanksgiving week. (BTW, Happy belated Thanksgiving).

Fair seas and God bless!

Rudder Repair... Check!

The rudder repair is now complete.

There were numerous cracks in the rudder at the two lower hinge points, (I detailed this problem in this post). I completed repairs on the rudder as well as reinforcing all three hinge points with numerous layers of fiberglass cloth and epoxy, and repainted as needed.

Tomorrow, if I can round up a couple of dudes from the boat yard, Annie will be back in one piece and capable of steering. I'll add those pics to this post once the rudder is reattached.

Fair seas and God bless!

BOSE in the House!

While visiting my sister and brother-in-law last Sunday afternoon, I caught my Bro. cleaning out his workshed. Like most guys, he had accumulated a wide variety of stuff... stuff that you know you'll one day need, especially in the coming Zombie Apocalypse.

While talking with him and my sister, Steve pointed to a wood box that contained four indoor/outdoor mini Bose speakers and asked if I wanted them. I IMMEDIATELY replied, "YES!" (If you know anything about speakers, they don't get much better than Bose). I grabbed the speakers, thought of a good excuse to leave and got out of there before he had a chance to change his mind... LOL... (Just kidding - Thanks for the speakers Steve, you're the best).

When I got home that evening, I started shopping Amazon for an AM/FM Bluetooth 7" Touchscreen Radio. To my surprise and pleasure, Amazon had one for less that $70 bucks! Ordered.

Today, I installed the radio and speakers. I'm still trying to figure out how to install the reverse camera in the cockpit so I can flip a switch and see who's knocking on my door. I am also looking into routeing my VHF radio through the AUX feature of the radio in order to utilize the four Bose speakers and make it possible to actually hear the VHF when motoring.

All in all, there is only one word for the whole setup... "AMAZING!"

BOSE is in the house!

Fair seas and God bless!

Set Back... Rudder!

Last week as I painted the bottom, getting ready to splash her this week, I discovered two extended surface cracks at the two lower hinge points of the rudder. Now, considering these cracks are below the waterline, they HAD to be repaired just to avoid water intrusion, not to mention possible structural issues that could lead to major component failure.

Once I removed the rudder, (thanks to Mike and Paul for your help), I discovered many more cracks hidden behind the pintles. ALL of these issues have to be addressed. So, Set Back... Rudder.

I will spend this week repairing the rudder and then next week, I'll finish the paint, boot stripe, name, and splash by the end of the month, barring any other unforeseen issues.

(It is what it is and ya gotta do what ya gotta do).

Fair seas and God bless!

Bottom Paint is On

Today I was able to paint Annie's bottom.

No much to say about painting the bottom other than I got as much on me as I did on Annie.

I'm still waiting for the topside paint to dry enough to buff and remove a couple of runs and some orange peel. Afterwards, she will get her boot stripe and her name put on.

Fair seas and God bless!

Here's the pics...

Waiting for the Paint to Dry...

As most of you know, I have painted Annie's topside with a beautiful navy blue paint.

With the help of a friend, I "Rolled & Tipped" the first coat and sprayed the second coat. Now, I am not a painter, nor the son of a painter... sooooo, I had a couple of runs and some "Orange Peel" on the second coat. In order for me to correct the runs and eliminate the orange peel, the paint has to be dry.

I used Jamestown Distributor's Totalboat Wet Edge Topside Paint which got a five star rating on Amazon. This paint is great BUT it is a polyurethane paint which can take up to four weeks to completely dry. So......... I am waiting for the paint to harden enough to buff out the runs and orange peel.

While I am waiting, I am finishing the bottom prep work for her bottom paint and some other odd jobs. I'll actually paint her bottom tomorrow and if the topside paint will harden up, she'll be back in the water by Thanksgiving.

Fair seas and God bless!

Backing Plate for the Winches

Backing Plate for the Winches

Closed Thru Hulls 

Light Bottom Repairs

A small crack in the Rudder needed attention

Removed the Underwater Lights