Everything is Coming Together.....Finally

This past week quite a few projects have either been completed or are near completion.

On Tuesday, I visited the shop of Bruce Malboeuf, the craftsman that is constructing our flybridge seating group. They are almost all done. All that is needed is a few coats of paint and some stain, and they will be delivered to the boat and installed.
They look great, even without the paint. You can tell Bruce pays particular attention to detail.....and I guess, that is the art of master craftsmanship.

Port Bench

Starboard Bench

On Wednesday, the foam we ordered for new mattresses in the guest stateroom came in, and Dottie has choosen the fabric for the coverings. Mike and Antoinette Nicoletta are working on them now, and they should be ready by next weekend.

Thursday, our fiberglass guy came out to take a look at repaining a few cracks we have in the flybridge decking. Good news for us, it will only cost around $300.00.....ten times less than the estimate I had received back in October for the same job. Hopefully he will have this done no later than April 15th.

On Friday, our canvas guy, Mike Overbaugh of the Geordie Magee Canvas Company arrived at the marina to measure, cut and install the new aft curtains for the flybridge enclosure. When he arrived, I explained the new benches that Bruce had done, and Mike caught a major problem in the way I was going to lay them out. Apparently, once the radar mast was raised, the new benches had to be reversed. I had originally planned to have the "L" shaped seating on the port side, but that would not work for the way the canvas would have to be installed. However, if we put the "L" on the starboard side, there would not be a problem.
A quick phone call to Bruce to make the changes, and after a bit of thought, he figured out what needed to be done and by 5 PM today, he was finished making the changes.
Mike finished the canvas work today, and even threw together a new dashboard cover and a free bottle of Imar's Strataglass cleaner to keep the clear vinyl looking good. Mike does excellent design and construction work when it comes to marine canvas.

While the canvas work was being done, Wayne Robinson, marine surveyor, was at the Lucky Find II doing a pre-purchase survey for the new owners. His only negative findings were that the starboard running light bulb, and the stern light bulb were burnt out.

They have to be replaced.....other than that the Lucky Find II was in great shape.
No need to say, the new ower was happy to hear that the problems were minimal, and I was glad that those were the only faults that a surveyor could find.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we have an electrician coming aboard to look at what is needed to install 3 or 4 more 120v outlets. There are 10 outlets already on the boat, but they are either in inconvenient loctions or not in the right location for our needs.....so, this should be the start of a new project for next week.

The First Day of Spring....and the " 7 Year Itch"

It is finally here....The First Day of Spring.
Friday, March 20th, 2009.
I got to the marina early this morning for the annual ritual of removing the shrinkwrap. It was a bit chilly when I arrived, about 34 degrees, but the forecast was for a day in the mid 40's.
I started at 9AM and by 11 all the shrinkwrap was removed, and the bimini top was up.....it now looks like a boat again.
Getting the 7 pieces of side curtains installed took the most time, but all in all it is now offically boating season....at least in our minds.
I had plans of removing the shrinkwrap on the Lucky Find II, our 34' Silverton Convertible, today also. But those plans went by the wayside as I was exhausted and it was now 3PM by the time all the little things were done on the Lucky Find III. I let it go till tomorrow.

Saturday, March 21st....a day that will remain in our minds forever.
I arrived at the marina by 8:30AM to begin removing the shrinkwrap from the Lucky Find II. It was cold, 19 degrees but sunny. The weatherman promised me a day in the high 40's.
I had scheduled two appointments to show the Lucky Find II for today. One at 11AM and the other at 11:45 AM.
By 10AM, the covers were off and the bimini was up. Again, the LF 2 looked like a boat. Dottie arrived at 10:15 AM and we both waited to meet our first appointment at 11AM.

Well, 11AM came and went, and so did 11:15AM....we thought we had a no-show. The folks for the 11:45 appointment arrived 15 minutes early, so the day was not a total loss. Joe was a local Sodus Point businessman and he brought two of his friends.
We gave them a tour of the boat, pointed out all the good things and let them have free rein for the next few minutes.
Sure enough, our 11AM shows up at 12 Noon. This couple Moe & Bonnie, came from Rochester....along with 4 of their marina friends. After a few cordial introductions, we had nine people scurrying over the Silverton. Looking into every nook and cranny. Opening and closing hatches, holds and lazerettes.
At about 12:30, Joe and his friends bid farewell with...."I'll give you a call" and Moe and Bonnie and their friends remained.

They must have liked what they saw, because by 1PM Bonnie had her checkbook out. They gave us an offer, and we accepted.
Bonnie wrote the deposit check, we went over the details for closing and then we went aboard the Lucky Find III to seal the deal over a few shots of Crown Royal. Well, at least Moe and Dottie did....afterall, this deal was between them. Bonnie and I don't drink.....Crown Royal, that is.

Both Dottie and I were very happy for selling the Lucky Find II, but down deep we knew we were gong to miss that boat. She served us well over the past 7 years and we really enjoyed her. But we knew that Moe and Bonnie would take good care of her and we wished that they enjoyed her as much as we had.

We wrapped the day up around 3PM and headed home....with check in hand.

Then it dawned on me....March 27, 2002....one week shy of the day we took ownership of the Lucky Find II 7 years ago.....So this is the "7 Year Itch" we have all heard about. Unbelievable!

Thank You....Craig's List!!!

Another Weekend of Preperations

This past Saturday and Sunday were spent getting the salon, galley and staterooms in order. The weather has been cooperating also, with temps in the high 40's and low 50's and bright sun.
On Saturday we loaded up the mini-van with boxes and those Rubbermaid bins of all the things you need to make a boat a "home on the water."
A large amount of the things we brought aboard is what is commonly known as "Lady Litter"....you know, all those little things that make your house a home. Pictures, placques, and other decor items.

Dottie spent Saturday polishing woodwork, dusting, and cleaning.....and transfering everything in the van to the engine room.

On Sunday we went through all the boxes and bins, and started emptying them, one by one.
We stocked the galley with all the dishes, pots & pans, glassware and silverware. Then on to the salon to lay down the scatter rugs, put in the new wicker chairs & cushions and just go through any storage lockers, loading them with the necessary items you need to have on board.

Then into the head, first for a thorough cleaning and then hanging up the shower curtain, stocking the towels and all the health & beauty aids.

It is unbelievable, the amount of stuff you can mange to collect over the years....and more unbelievable is being able to find a place for it all aboard a boat....but we did it.

This coming week, I will sort through the engine room supplies, and find a place for all the spare parts and tools.

Next weekend it will be getting the shrinkwrap off, and setting up the flybridge enclosure. We need to get the flybridge done in order to clear off the beds with all the canvas and sidecurtains. Once that is done, then we can get to the two staterooms to make up beds, and load the dressers with clothing and whatever else we can make room for.

We have 5 major outside projects to do during the month of April, so getting the interior done now will leave those days open for completing the outside projects. The outside projects include:

1. -Getting new aft curtains made for the flybridge.
2. -Repairing a crack in the flybridge decking.
3. -Installing the new bench seating on the bridge.
4. -Removing the old name from the transom and adding the new name.
5. -Finally, painting the bottom and getting it ready for launching.

Both of us can't wait to get started on these projects and look forward to having her splashed.

The Beginning of the Spring Ritual

This past weekend was a good time to start "cleaning house" and getting the boat in order for a timely spring 2009 launch.
Weather was warmer but overcast. On Friday (March 6th) I was able to get the engine room and bilge cleaned out. The prior owner was a bit of a "packrat", and saved just about everything he ever replaced on the boat, including an old macerator pump, a seized fresh water pump and numerous empty boxes, hoses, etc. They are all gone now.
Saturday was a day spent just cleaning the salon, galley and guest stateroom. (Dottie was in Syracuse visiting our daughter Karen and grandson Mitchell).

I ventured to the marina to wash floors and walls and dust & vacumn.
While doing so, I managed to get a CD disc stuck in the radio, and cannot get it out. So, I am now in the market to replace that radio.
Sunday, I was visited by my marina friend, John Finnigan. He wanted to check on his boat and do a few things. We went to lunch at Captain Jack's in Sodus Point, Dottie met us there, and then back to the boat with him to just hang out and talk.
Finished up some odds and ends, got some great advice from John, and went home.

All in all it was a productive weekend, and if the weather cooperates, maybe we can get the shrinkwrap off within the next 2 weeks.

It feels good just to be aboard the Lucky Find III, although on the hard, and getting things ready to go. It has been a long, cold winter.