Old boat fun means old boat work!

[BubbleheadMd]

Daydreamer-

That commute is going to kill you. Time is money. I'd either move the boat closer, or stay in a cheap hotel for the weekend so your husband can get sleep while working on the boat.

Once you get the boat cleaned up to a point, you may be able to sleep on it overnight on weekends while you're fixing it up, saving more money.

If you can't stay with the boat for the weekend due to household duties, then yeah, moving it closer is probably the real solution. The money and time you're blowing in commute costs is no worse than the $1200/year the powerboat place wants.

In fact, ask if you can get a lower rate from them if you promise to rent the space for longer period of time.

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by daydreamer92

So people make their own plugs then?

-------------------------

Anyway, the New Old Boat Owner experience marches on.

Today I mulled a lot about distance.

One thing going against us with regards to boat work is that we can only manage one day a week really; this is due to where the boat is relative to where we are. It's a 120 mile/2 hour drive one way. My husband works third shift and often pulls overtime which is hard to say no to and its been challenging to fit a long drive into a schedule that lets him sleep at some point in the day.

To that end, I am considering moving Tigress up to where we live. That's yet more money that I don't have at the moment. Also, I live in a townhouse, so don't have private property to put a boat onto. Finding a *close* place that has storage costs we can afford *and* let us work on it is... challenging. We're also a good hour inland from the ocean or other significant boating body of water, so its' not like there are boatyards around.

That makes it really difficult to get bigger projects done, since chopping them up into short periods of time can often make it harder to get a lot of progress done, since a larger percentage of time is spent cleaning and prepping.

There is one marine shop, pretty much dealing in powerboats on trailers that I assume people then haul off to one of the various lakes up north, but he wanted 100/month + 25.00/mo in utilities. That's steep. (to me)

Oh well. Storage at the current yard is paid until end of June. I have until then to sort things out.

$100 per month is relatively cheap for marine storage prices... and the $25 for utilities isn't bad if it gives you access to running water and electricity as you need it.

We went to Home Depot today, got a couple inexpensive items to help us continue our demolition. An angle drill thingie to get at things in places jabbing in your basic drill won't fit and an adorable screwdriver set to help take out -- you guessed it! -- screws.

Yes, I said it was adorable.

We also purchased a Black and Decker Mouse sander. We have our eye on a larger variable speed one, but expenses being as they are, we're starting small since we have small things to sand too. This has a finger attachment thing to get into narrow nooks. I know from looking already there are narrow nooks.

A multi-tool would probably make some of the work ahead easier. Fein seems to be THE ONE TO GET, but that's a bit out of our price range.

There are some less expensive models that will do the job... but the Fein is awfully nice to have. Rockwell makes a pretty decent one.

I'm also wondering that with the plethora of people who have replaced their Tartan 27s chain plate knees, if there isn't a template for the plywood knee available. I don't think we're gonna get a solid piece of anything out of this one, it looked like soil on the end of the bit. We'll see when we cut it open though.

Getting a template would be nice, but not necessary in many case.

Also am chasing down fun things like insurance (gotta have liability for the yard and what not), and documenting. I was gonna see if Boat US could help us with the documentation, but it seems they slap a pretty hefty fee on the top of the normal USCG fees. I don't see that the paperwork is $175.00 hard to be honest.

And other thing -- why does one have to measure their boat if it's a standard make/model? Shouldn't the USCG have at least one Tartan 27 already documented by now? I'd think in the age of computers and databases, someone could just tap in "Tartan 27" "1964" and see if it meets the size requirements.

Anyway, that's all this the stuff between Round 2 and round 3 coming up.

I'll remember to bring the camera Friday. Supposed to be quite nice of a day!

Depends on what your time is worth? BoatUS can really simplify things, especially if the boat has not be documented before, since that requires a bit more work.

[christyleigh]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

That makes it really difficult to get bigger projects done, since chopping them up into short periods of time can often make it harder to get a lot of progress done, since a larger percentage of time is spent cleaning and prepping.

Echo that..... I live 100 miles from my boat and by the time I get there, load the tools etc.... from the car to the boat, I just want to kick back and have a beer Then its measure, take pictures, bring it all back home, make templates, next week try the templates that came out wrong after a few hundred more miles of driving....... and on and on...... all winter

[daydreamer92]

Originally Posted by BubbleheadMd

Daydreamer-
That commute is going to kill you. Time is money. I'd either move the boat closer, or stay in a cheap hotel for the weekend so your husband can get sleep while working on the boat.

That would be nice, but we have dogs at home. We can't just leave them in their crates overlong; they gotta pee and poo and eat and what not. Silly animals and their necessary bodily functions!

Regarding time vs. money, I really do agree with those of you who say time *is* money. Without trying to sound impoverished, its the hauling costs that's hard to swing.

(Unless one of you nice people knows someone with a truck and a trailer who will haul for beer, pizza, gas money, and/or general good will.)

We shall see. It's something to work towards, like anything else. At least I don't HAVE to move it right this instant. That's one positive.

[BubbleheadMd]

Yeah, that's rough. I have a dog too. I've learned that a sailboat is a real commitment. I'm very fortunate to have my boat within walking distance from the house so that neither the boat nor the household duties are neglected.

It's good that you have time to come up with a plan and I wish you luck!

[mstern]

daydreamer: The Tartan 27 is one of those boats that just makes me smile when I see one. Thanks for letting us vicariously enjoy your restoration work. Please, keep the thread going.

[carl762]

Best of luck. Hope you resolve the time/distance issue. $100 a month is pretty cheap, plus $25. Go for it.

[bljones]

Originally Posted by daydreamer92

Today I mulled a lot about distance.

One thing going against us with regards to boat work is that we can only manage one day a week really; this is due to where the boat is relative to where we are. It's a 120 mile/2 hour drive one way. My husband works third shift and often pulls overtime which is hard to say no to and its been challenging to fit a long drive into a schedule that lets him sleep at some point in the day.



There is one marine shop, pretty much dealing in powerboats on trailers that I assume people then haul off to one of the various lakes up north, but he wanted 100/month + 25.00/mo in utilities. That's steep. (to me)

Do the math: When you add up your total transportation costs, you are already spending much more than $125/mo just getting to the boat, and getting a lot less done. Besides, sooner or later, as your projects get more complex, there will be one time that you get allll the way to the boat, and realize you forgot a tool, or a part, or something, and what should be fun becomes an exercise in frustration. The sooner you get it moved the better and cheaper your life is going to be, and the more you will get accomplished.

[daydreamer92]

Funny how $125 sounds so cheap to everyone but me.

Tis a super gorgeous late winter/early spring day today. Wish I were at the boat.

Oh yeah, we were talking about storage.

There is a storage facility -- you know, buildings with doors that lock and open spaces for RVs, etc. -- just around the corner from us. Maybe five minutes away.

They have a couple spaces available. They are willing to let us work on the boat and even to use the electricity. If the electricity runs high, they'll add on a charge, but the space (35 x 14 or so, out of doors of course) is only $78/month at the internet rate.

We took a look and went ahead and reserved the spot. So storage space is achieved. Now to get it up here...

Anyone used uShip for moving quotes? If you did, find that satisfactory?

(p.s. I got This Old Boat today, the Don Casey book. Stuff to read!)

[bljones]

If you think the $125/mo storage is expensive, wait until you price teak and bottom paint and GOOD sandpaper and a good buffer and rigging and SS screws and....