This is what our shed looked like this weekend. We were alone here just two weeks ago but now that the weather is nice, everyone has arrived. Ahead is Tom's Egg Harbor. That's his wife and daughter painting the boot stripe. Next is a 28 ft. Luhrs that desperately needs a new deck. Don't know the owner but he his been here (and has needed a new deck) for years. Next on the left is a 1936 Wheeler, owned by Larry, a home improvement contractor. Larry's Wheeler is absolutely beautiful and when we first met him, his kids were little. Now, his teen age son works on the boat with his dad.
Next is a 31 ft. Silverton. Don't know who owns it. It stayed in the shed last summer. To the left is Mike's 1984 Silverton 34C. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is very well kept. Mike owns a machine shop of some kind and says that his wife loves to boat, as long it is tied to the dock. At far left is a Trogan 32 that appears to be a nice one. This boat has been in the shed for several years so who knows what's going on there.
There was little left to do on Saturday except keep on waxing, so that's what we did. We're compounding first and then waxing. It's amazing how much crap comes off the hull once you apply the compound. The cloths used to take the old compound off are clogged and dirty after just a few feet of the hull. Luckily, we hit the Dollar Store for a bunch of cheap towels and they work great. As soon as we get home, we throw them all in the washer and then hang them out to dry for the next day.
The Connecticut River is behaving nicely. The water is high but not flooding. Our in-water date is scheduled for April 23, but that's not going to happen. There are lots of big boats here and once spring arrives, some of the owners of these boats flip the crew $100 or so to get in the water ahead of those of us who have put our names on the schedule. We're used to it. It's just the way things happen upriver.
There are two boats in the water. A good-sized motor sailor and a 32 ft. Nordic Tug. As we took this picture, the owner of the tug came out and yelled, "Do you want to buy her?" No likely.
No damage to the boat yard to speak of over the winter. Here are two spiles (pilings) that broke off at the "scum line," which is where the poles exit the mud of the river bottom. The little old guy who comes up the river every spring to replace broken spiles is now long gone. Sorry we didn't get a picture of his barge, pile drive and mini-tug.
We did get the new water deck fill installed, finally. There were problems in locating the new fill in the old hole in the deck and we had to fabricate a new mount out of a piece of PCV. Looks okay and now it can be opened without a wrench.
Didn't take any pictures of us polishing. Too boring. We guess that all this compounding and polishing is good exercise. The results aren't all that great. The hull is now very smooth to the touch but the hull isn't glassy smooth. We may have to live with that.
As we left, we couldn't help but take one more picture of spring at Portland Riverside.
Back again soon, hopefully in the water.
No comments:
Post a Comment