Evicted

So, I was away for one stinkin' weekend and I got kicked out.

Last weekend, I did something very foolish and crazy which was to rescue another Pearson Triton from being cut up. #385 needed a new home quickly and I couldn't let her die a horrible death so I have taken her in. I have no idea what to do with her.

When I started looking for an Alberg boat I found #385 sitting in my cousin's boatyard. When I asked my cousin about it he forbid me from investigating. The boat had come to the yard ten plus years earlier and had not moved since. The yearly storage fees continued to be paid promptly. He was not about to let that cash cow go. It was the easiest income he had. I had to look elsewhere for my Triton.

Unfortunately for #385, she was set in the corner of the yard and forgotten. She sailed in in apparently decent shape but was then left with the rig up and uncovered for over ten years. Ten years of New England snow and ice. Ten years of hot scorching summer sun. Whatever was good about the boat was lost. The decks are soft and to the point of being unable to stand upon. The deck and cabin skins are a maze of stress cracks. Water appears to have pooled up in the cabin. There is a nice blowout under the ballast pig through the bottom of the boat. All that is left is a disassembled engine, some ancient sails, and some bronze hardware.

The owner of #385 was finally persuaded to part with the boat and in the past few years has gone through a few owners with ideas of restoring her.

I knew she was in rough shape. She is probably rougher than I thought even. I have no idea what to do with the boat but I wasn't ready to let another Triton get cut up.

For now #385 is safe and is well blocked and covered. What comes next is anyone's guess.

And that is why I was away last weekend which resulted in my eviction.

You see, while I was busy saving the world, one Triton at a time, a young mother, very pregnant, was in urgent need of a safe place to raise her children. In my absence a nice quiet and safe spot turned out to be the top of my ladder that was left upright alongside the cockpit of Jenny.

Now my ladder is home for a young morning dove and two new eggs. I can't move the nest for fear of disturbing the mother into abandoning her chicks. I can't work around the new inhabitants because the ladder is only a few feet from where I need to be and frankly, my winter waist is still too big for me to fit comfortably through the fore hatch.

Anyone know how long it takes a dove to hatch her chicks and send them out on their own?...

For this weekend, at least, I think I will work on some other boat projects at home and catch up on some car and house maintenance while I am at it.

I have been stopped by 8 ounces of fluff that only wants a safe quiet place to raise her young. What can I do?

Buckets of Goop

After dealing with a bunch of real life stuff Saturday and Sunday morning, I finally managed to get a few hours Sunday to work on the boat.

With temps in the 60's, it seemed like the perfect time to install the cabin sole that I have been talking about incessantly for months. I know everyone, including me, is just thinking, 'hurry up and put that thing in there would yah?".

First though, the tabbing holding the undersole was thick enough to raise the bamboo plywood sole up over an eighth of an inch which left a gap between the undersole and sole around the bilge access holes and would make fitting the hatch lids a pain. The solution was provided by a blog reader who suggested filling in the low spots with more tabbing which would provide a level surface for the sole to rest upon. So that is what I did.



I didn't get too picky with the fitting. Then I started pumping out resin with West System pumps; and I pumped and pumped and pumped. I have an excuse, perhaps, because it was the first epoxy job of the season but I underestimated the amount I needed by about half and had to go back and do it again. I was using slow speed hardener so I had the time though it was still getting warm in the bucket before I could get it all applied. All told, about 90 pumps of resin and hardener were used plus nearly a full gallon container of thickener. I also applied unthickened epoxy to the underside of the plyboo sole and the topside of the plywood undersole.



It was a bit tricky manhandling the sole into the boat as the epoxy was still sticky on the bottom side. Somehow I managed not to spread epoxy over everything as I squeezed the sole into position. When placed in its final resting place, the plyboo sole settled with a satisfying squish. I used buckets filled with water to weight the sole down.



There was some squish out around the edges but not complete so I had to go back and fill the edges a bit more.



Then I gave everything a wipe down with acetone and pulled the tape.



With a three quarter inch plywood undersole and another three quarter inch bamboo plywood sole I am pretty confident that my sole won't sag and squeak like it used to.

I didn't really plan on this much material. I installed the undersole back when I was planning on using a teak and holly veneered plywood as a cosmetic finish. The idea for the plyboo came after the undersole was tabbed into place. Headroom is a little bit tighter than planned but I, personally, have standing headroom and that is really all that matters after all.

So not a lot got done but an important step was accomplished and I can move on. I still have some filling in and cleaning up to do. The sole isn't finished yet but a big part of it is at least.

Any progress is good progress

Warm sunny temperatures tempted me with a cabin sole installation.

Unfortunately, reality also made itself felt. I spent the weekend fixing household and automotive stuff mostly. The plan was to use five gallon buckets filled with water to weight down the sole but the boatyard has not turned on the water yet. It is 80 degrees today but last week it was freezing.

I made some small progress by washing the interior and installing the settee locker shelving which needs to be in before the settee backs are installed.







Sorry about the lighting. Despite the sunny warm temperatures the tarp is still over the boat for now. I am waiting to see how rainy April turns out to be before I start dismantling the boat cover.

Not much but I guess any progress is good.