It's Done!

It's done! It took more than a couple of hours to do the hatches, but it is done none the less. It all turned out really good. I put a hing on the other hatch so that they now both have hinges. I think that is one of the best improvements we have made to the boat. While I had the hatches off I weighed one of them. They weigh 52 lbs. each. That is why the floor was so scratched up. Over the years people would take the hatch off to get to the engine and lay and or scoot it across the floor. They should have had hinges on them from the factory, but then a lot of things should have been done from the factory. I can't wait to get started on the rest of the main saloon. I definitely have enough to keep me busy.

Floor

     Well I worked all day and still didn't get done. I got close though. The main floor is done, but I am still working on the hatches to the engine room. It went pretty good. I have the hatches covered and glued, but I have to wait until the morning after the glue dries and use a router to finish the edges, then reinstall them. A couple of hours max.
     The problem with doing one nice thing is that then it makes everything else look old and in need of refinishing. Which I plan on doing anyway, but now maybe sooner rather than later.

Started a new project today.

     Well I started a new project today and found another to add to my "to do" list. I started in ernest on the flooring today. I had already removed some of the built in furniture from the factory to make way for Sharon's favorite chair. When we took out the factory furniture we found they did not run the teak parkay flooring under it. That was no big deal as I hated it anyway. So it was a good excuse to cover over it. We found some vinyl flooring at Home Depot that we really liked. I had to add some subflooring to make the area where the furniture was removed level with the parkay flooring.
     The previous owner had put a hing on one of the engine room hatches. I like that system alot better as the hatches are heavy and awkward to lift off so I put a hing on the other one today. It is so much easier to open a hinged hatch than it is to pick one up and set it somewhere without scratching something. I love how much access I have to the engine room.
     While I had the built in furniture out and had easy access to the top of the fuel tank I took a good look at it. Before we bought IQ I new we would probably have to replace the fuel tanks as they were made out of steel and are now 35 years old. But I hoped we wouldn't have to. The inspection today revealed it is a must do. The top of the tank is very rusty. I started scraping on it to see if I could get down to good metal. I stopped because I thought I was going to go right through the top of the tank. IQ has two  175 gallon tanks which gives us a range of about 1,400 nautical miles (1,600 statute miles). The tanks won't be cheap, so we may be here a little longer than expected. On the up side I did check the tank level and we have about 120 gallons of diesel in that tank.
     I will post some pics of the new floor as soon as I get it done. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day providing I don't take a nap, which has been know to happen.

Rust, rust, and more rust.

Hinges installed.

Original parkay flooring.

Most of the prep work is now done.

Most of the prep work is done, I will start laying the new floor tomorrow.

Amazing Feeling!

     Well I don't have some amazing cruising story to tell you this morning, and I probably won't have for awhile. We are pretty well stuck here in the Keys till at least April, and maybe longer. But, there are worse places to be stuck. When we sold Morgan and bought Island Queen we knew we would have to stop and work awhile to pay for her and all the upgrades she would need to cruise comfortably. We have done alot of work to IQ, but she is still nowhere near ready. I need a couple of more good months of insurance work for that to happen. All good things take time.

     To continue cruising is our dream, but living on the boat while getting ready is the next best thing. I woke up this morning and made coffee and pancakes. Sent Sharon off to work, then went down to the Tiki hut and talked with friends for awhile, then came back to the boat and oiled the teak rails. The weather is beautiful and life is good. Just to get up in the morning and be able to do whatever you want to do is an amazing feeling. Especially after being in New Orleans for so long. My to do list is as long as my arm, but I don't think I am going to get too excited about it. It all takes time, and I seem to have plenty of that.