2011 Launch Goal Set

Yes, that's right.  I'm throwing down the gauntlet with a goal of having her in bristol shape by April 15, 2011.  It's official, I've documented it for the world to see.  I am NOT missing another season, even if I have to power this boat with a canoe paddle.

As the AwlGrip draws near...

I've finally reached a decision on the hull restoration and have outsourced the painting to Shumway Marine.  I'm having the hull prepped, primed, and then painted with AwlGrip.  I'm keeping the same color confguration, just making it shiny again.  I will still complete the barrier coat and anti-fouling below the waterline.  Shumway Marine will also be laying new gelcoat on the side decks I repaired.

I debated about spending the extra money to have the decks AwlGripped as well, but decided against it.  For one thing it was really, very, very, very expensive.  For another thing, I still think I may make tweaks to the deck hardware configuration.  Gelcoat is more forgiving to reconfiguration than paint.

And so it is that I have purchased a can of gelcoat, and I will be performing my own repairs of some stress-cracks as well as a bunch of minor chipping, mostly in the cockpit.  When that's all done I'll pick up a polisher and compound the whole deck to see how much life I can breathe back into it.

When does all this happen?  Next week they will begin work, and it's estimated to take them approximately two weeks.  During that two weeks I need to prep the toe rails and get the windows ready so I can get it sealed up.

My last act of defiance will be a mad dash to rewire the mast and get it stepped so it doesn't spend another winter on the saw horses.  We'll see if the budget holds out for new halyards or not...

Exciting times!