Progress Report

We have been working on the boat for three days now and are making real progress. I started sanding the hull. I want to take it all the way down to the Gelcoat. 37 years of paint is a lot of paint. I started at the bow so I would be ready to put the bow thruster in when my brother Scott got here. He arrives tomorrow along with my friend John. I will try to work them like dogs but don't know how much luck I will have with that. I talked to a welder yesterday about modifying the rudder. I made a temporary extension last year and put it on while the boat was in the water. Now that she is out of the water I removed the rudder and ordered the steel today.

Today I cut in the bow thruster tunnel and removed all the through hulls except one which is under the water heater. I will tackle that one tomorrow. Through hulls are openings with shut off valves below the waterline. They feed various things like the engine, generator, toilets and A/C units. We had seven. When I am finished we will only have one. It will feed the engine and A/C unit. I do not like having holes in the bottom of the boat.

The sanding begins.

Bow sanded to prepare for the bow thruster.

In the hold detaching the rudder.

Success, the rudder is off.

Prepping the inside for the bow thruster. It's going to be a tight working space.

I marked and drilled a pilot hole one each side of the bow and then ran a piece of allthread through.

I then bent the allthread and taped a pencil to it to mark my holes.

Port side cut out.

Cutouts complete and tube inserted to mark where it needs to be cut.

Inside the Vee berth.