$3,500 we hope is a TOTAL waste of money..

Here is a photo of our bootie from the Seattle Boat Show. Namely: two survival suits, and an offshore life raft. Combined with the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) we got during last Thanksgiving Specials we are up to about $3,500 for equipment we hope NEVER to have to use. However, given that we will be heading to isolated areas with rather cold waters we felt it was just prudent to get some good survival gear.

For those who might not know, the Lift Raft is well a Life Raft. The Survival Suits are like rubber 'Gumby' suits that will give us several hours of life in the cold water, as opposed to perhaps 30 minutes without them. And the EPIRB will send a signal to a global network of satellites which will then inform a global network of emergency responders (ala the Coast Guard) to come and get us. This EPIRB has a built in GPS to guide help directly to it, and to us, assuming we keep 'it' near 'us'.

And we did get killer deals on all of it. In fact, the Life Raft was about ½ of the going rate due to a blow-out special the manufacturer was having at the Seattle boat show. (Going further to show how really lame the Portland boat show is..) And this life raft even comes with a 15 year warranty. Plus if we use the life raft within those 15 years they will give us a new one for free! Providing we let them publish our story, and ummm I have to assume we actually manage to SURVIVE . . .

Here is to money down the drain!

Arg, Stuff…

OK.  Stuff has been a common topic for the past year or so.  Even when one tries to reduce the amount of Stuff they have, there is still some Stuff that is rather useful..  Wallet, Clothing are useful.  Viking Star is a bit useful for where we are heading.  Anchors, Wife, Batteries-- all this Stuff is useful and appreciated (some more than others).  So, it always amazes me when that Just Oh I Need It Now stuff cannot be found.

We have a 45’ boat and a small apartment with a one car garage.  And yet, Stuff…

The Stuff of Focus this morning are the parts needed to refresh the Windlass.  Mostly the Seals, but also the chain stripper that I removed when changing the wildcat two years ago.  It has been carefully placed in a box to keep it all together.  It lived on top of the Alaska Yellow cedar planks in the garage at the house, and in the V-Berth after the house was not ours.

Now I could really use it, and it is nowhere to be found.

Arg…

Well, know what a good part of this afternoon will be about J

Here is a short list of what is being focused on at this time:

Anchor platform

Stainless Steel is at the welder

Need to cut the boards to complete the platform

Need to finish stripping the bow, and fit the base for the anchor platform

Need to reassemble the Windlass and paint it.

Counters

Strip and clean the galley sink

Reinstall galley sink

Set and install aft sink and counter

Cut fiddles, install and vanish

Pull forward sink, install new Formica, and reinstall sink

Propane

                Finish the galley stove install

                Install regulator and cut-off valves with switches

Drawers

Purchase, cut, then paint drawer faces

Purchase and install drawer pulls.

Cut, install, and varnish trim around drawer openings.

Steering Ram

                Parts on order for physical connection of new Ram

                Need to size and procure hoses for new Ram

Next up?

Doors and framing of same in aft cabin

Drill and install door locks on side sliding doors, aft cabin hatch as well

Cut Devil Seam filler blocks

Cut platform for aft cleats

Cut overhead panels, install later

Cut wood trim and prep sole (floor) for cork

Aft head?

Drawers A-drying

This photo is of the 14 drawers I built for the aft cabin cabinets.  Polyurethane paint is great stuff.  Tuff, thick and shiny coating.  I use Rodda Fast Dry Floor and Deck Poly paint by the gallons.  Over the years I tried ‘Boat’ Poly paint, and a few other Poly paints.  I find the Rodda paint to work well, wear long, and be economical at under $35 a gal.  I am sure there is something magic in the Boat Poly paint, but at $150+ a gallon, I just have not found out what it is…

There is a downside.  Poly paint takes a few days to dry, and in the winter like this, about a week.  And even after drying, it takes several weeks to harden up.  So, we are babysitting the drawers in the apartment while they cure.

They do not make the best of roommates. 

They smell.

Even after a week of drying in the garage, they still smell.  So, we have cracked the windows some and will tuff it out.

Someone ask how ‘The List' was coming.  Having been around Engineers most my life, I am somewhat used to this.  Guess those with a stong accounting background also like lists, and to bring them up every once and a while to Just Check.  Well, we are heavy into prioritizing.  We have about 2 months left, leaving a little wiggle room.  Drivers are (in priority order):

•        Must Do to Live/ Use:  Must have the water back on, Must have the propane stove back in, Must have storage completed.  Must have the anchor back installed.
•       Must be off boat to do:  new cork flooring is the obvious one here, Varnishing and Painting MIGHT fall into this, though I am sure folks Varnish and sleep on the deck..
•       Would be great to have:  trim and new Formica done, or large parts of it.
•        Need table saw for:  Cutting the overheads, cutting the new doors for the aft cabin, aft head…

These have been driving my actions for the past few weeks.  As we get closer, will decide what is in the Short Stokes vs. what will Just Not Get Done Before We Leave…  (ala:  Water maker)

Those who might be reading, there is lots to do.  Fridays are good days to drive a few loose ends to close ;-)

Chipping away,

This week have been focusing on the inside of Viking Star.  Specifically:  we ordered a couple of sheets of Formica and are replacing the counter tops, plus new tops in the aft cabin.  The pattern Kristi picked out looks very nice against the varnished Mahogany.  Am about 2/3 completed with this project, just need to finish up some banding on the main table, make fiddle rails for almost all, and do the forward head.

Have also been cutting, and now painting drawers to fit into the cabinet  frames I made last summer.  To date we have just been using them as shelves, drawers will make them much more efficient in their ability to hold stuff.  Made up 12 drawers.  It takes about 3 hours to put one coat of paint on them, and I hope to do the last coat on tomorrow.  Then give them a good solid 2 weeks to harden up before we start using them.

Am about to finish up on the design of the anchor platform, and the welder says he might be able to get started on it in two weeks.  Need to replace the seals in the Windlass, as well as paint it.  Then ‘just’ the matter of installing it all back together!

This weekend Kristi and I are going to the Seattle Boat Show.  Based on the really poor Portland boat show (it was like walking through one of those movies where everyone was taken by aliens, and just the things were left…) not sure what to expect.  But we still need to get immersion suites and a life raft.  Then I am off to San Jose for the week to make some $  (Got to pay for this stuff somehow).

And final, we ordered the cork flooring to use on the soles.  This will take about 6 more weeks to come in, so figure the 1^st part of April will be Cork Weeks! 

And well, that should be about it for stuff that NEEDS to get done before we leave.   Oh, and perhaps a couple of doors for the aft cabin:  Cabin door, and head door J

Oh, and stuff the rest of our Stuff onto Viking Star. 

And does anyone know where I can get a Metric hose barb?  M10-1.25 --> 10m hose?  Tuff to do here in the states it seems...

A bit of bragging.

Ok, have been into this Boat Thing for a while.  And one thing I have always valued is training (not that training alone is sufficent, one does need to get out there and get their feet wet!).

This week I received the following placard highlighting the highest level of acheivement available in the United States Power Squadron, their Educational Achievement Award.  This in short means I have taken ALL the classes offered by USPS and am considered one of their highest members.

It has taken about 10 years to get to this point, and I will say I am a bit proud of it.  Combined with the experience we have had with Viking Star, and much more to come, I feel Kristi and I are off to a good start.

FYI:  Kristi has also taken many USPS classes.  In fact, she has taken through the Advanced Piloting, plus Weather.  These two levels will be a good match for any of the cruising we do within 50 miles or so of  the shoreline, or shall we say most of what we are planning on doing in the near term.  If we take a trip to Hawaii, well, I guess my Navigation training will come into play :-)

Two dates: April 19th, and August 23rd

Schedules can kill. In the maritime world, weather is perhaps the biggest variable that WILL determine comfort, speed, and most of all, safety of any voyage. Commercial vessels are often driven by schedules and this is reflected in their vessels, crew, and a vast support system. Ships must ship, Crabbers must go out during Crabbing Season (winter), and so on.

Perhaps one of single biggest risks to recreational boaters is a date. ‘We NEED to get to Vancouver by June 12 to x, y,z’, or ‘We only have one week of vacation, let’s go to..’ One of the advantages of a cruising life style is they have the opportunity to adjust their timing. If a passage looks snotty, well, just stay put. Or, as Kristi once responded ‘Why?’ to the statement ‘Hurry up, they are forecasting Gail Winds in the straight and we need to get going’. (That day has some good stories out of it..)

See, we have often told folks there is always room for guests, you tell us the When, we will tell you the Where (and that might change).

Yes, Schedules can kill.

Having said all that, last night we selected two Dates. . .

April 19^th à This is the target date for us to finally ‘pull the plug’. On that date (or very soon after it) we will have moved out of the apartment, sold the cars, given back all the furniture we have borrowed (or some other way of getting rid of it), drop the lines and leave our slip for the last time. Our intention is to take a leisurely cruise up river to Lewiston Idaho which is the furthest point up river one can navigate without using a jet boat. 5 weeks and we will be back in the Portland area in time for a 1^st Birthday of one of the grandkids.

Then we will float around the Portland area being River Gypsies. At least until:

August 23^rd à The weekend just prior will be the USPS D32 Cruise. Our idea is to attend that, then when it is over, slowly make our way down river and turn Right. Will see, am told August can have some Fun winds, so…

Yup, Dates can be dangerous. But after 10 years of this, perhaps it is time to set a couple.

Bringing on the Big Ones!

The new 85-29 cell vs. the old L-16 battery

It has been 10 years that I have been working on Viking Star, Wow...

One of the early decisions was about the electrical system. I decided to go primarily 12v, with a good inverter to cover Hair dryers and the Refrigerator. In researching batteries I compared normal flooded lead-acid, AGM, VR, and even looked at some Telco-type batteries. In the end I decided to go with old-fashioned lead-acid. This was mostly due to cost, and seeing as I have good access to the battery compartment, I could easily keep up on their maintenance.

The other decision was which ones? Golf cart batteries are very popular. I personally like the L-16's better if you have the height. Typically folks look at batteries just by cost per AH (Amp Hour, the amount of energy a battery can 'store'). But if one also puts in the number of cycles a battery is designed for it brings new light. Those golf cart batteries are designed for 3-400 cycles over 4 or so years. The L16's, maybe 6-700 cycles over 7 years or so. In the end I selected Industrial Cells, these guys are designed to give 4,000 cycles over a 20+ life span.

I hade been using two L16 for the past 6 years - that gave us (barely) enough stored electricty for a weekend. Here you can see a picture of the old L16's we have been using for the past 6 years, and one of the new cells. A bit bigger, but should point out the new ones are 2v cells while the L16 is a 6v battery. A more apples-to-apples photo would have 3 of the new cells in comparison to the old L16!

All Ready for the new ones!

Dan the Electric Man!

Careful now!

Hum...

Up and Over

Down she goes

Half way there (Well, more like 2/3rds...)

Ok, these are a bit over the top. That is true. But one thing I like is quiet. These new batteries should allow us to sit at anchor for 4-5 days without having to run the generator. Then we can recharge the batteries with the main motor in 1 hour of moving the boat for each day we were at anchor.

That is why I picked these batteries.

However, do have to tell ya, if something goes wrong with these beasts - I am selling the boat!