bow repair complete, almost

Comment

Comment by Ted Daniels on May 25, 2009 at 9:55pm

Bob:

I should add a couple of points. We have not painted the repairs above the waterline (as you can see in this shot of the bow) as have a lot of other minor fixes to do where fiber has cracked around fastening heads. She will be hauled out again in 2-3 months when I have finished the decks and cabins to do the whole hull above the waterline.

One other more general point is we had to undergo an inspection by the boatyard before they agreed to hoist Moonfleet out of the water. They and many others have bad experiences of wood hulled boats just collapsing when hoisted. Many marinas will not accept them at all.

So not only did we get the haul out and all below waterline repairs, scrubbing and painting done for $5000, including 11 days onland, but I now have real nice moorings at $175/month, including electric, water, showers and toilets and permission to live aboard while I finish off the top sides.

I won't want to take her sailing until all the gunwales are repaired - some time after second haulout, as the main backstay mounts are loose and the deck around the bowsprit is soft. So will have to postpone the final enjoyment until late summer or the fall. I reckoned about 6 months of repairs before sailing. By that time I'm sure Justine will be on my case to finish up making her look pretty all over. My real interest lies in functionality and safety but I know I'll get beat to death unless I really finish her off well.

Ted Daniels