We are continuing to destroy our home, getting things boxed up and shipped off for repair. Every time we pull something apart we find two other things to fix, we knew this going into it…we’ve done this before… All is going pretty well despite some minor setbacks. We just keep telling each other it’s all for the greater good!

Windlass is boxed up and ready to go:

Hot water heater is out. The heater was installed under our bed and roasted us out all the time. We are moving it out under the cockpit somewhere:

It was stewing here under our berth (bed), no more:

Stove is out. We need to clean, refinish the wood, etc. etc.

We yanked the refrigeration out of the ice box. Although it worked ok, we want to add insulation and a new refrigeration unit that is more efficient and up to date:

The head (bathroom) was straight out of the 70’s. We removed all the wall paper and “decor” and will redo everything. We pulled all the trim for refinishing and will add new stainless ports (windows) and all new fixtures:

Any damaged wood will be replaced, there’s not much at all. We are replacing the ports, refinishing the wood and adding new lighting. Here’s the head completely trashed:

We will insulate the ceiling and hopefully add some recessed lighting:

We removed all the trim from the aft companionway so it will not get damaged when the engine is removed:

Almost all the wood needs to be refinished, some need to be replaced:

Tanya everything is going to be alright, we’re not in over our heads: 

It’s unnerving tearing apart your home, but in order to fix some minor issues and ensure a better home, we have to. On our trip North we found a few leaks in the “roof” so we have been removing pieces of trim, we’ll clean them up, then reseal and install them. Hopefully we will stop most of the leaks, they’re not bad just annoying.

The forward entry, or companionway, was the largest leak. We completely removed the entire thing, now we have to clean it, seal it and reinstall:

We removed the ceiling panels to insulate the ceiling, add some lighting, and replace a couple that were water damaged:

Bob has the engine ready to pull. We are replacing the fuel tank which is behind the engine. Although the engine runs well we’re 99% sure we are replacing that as well. Deep breaths…

Right now we are focusing on removal of everything getting replaced or things needing to be removed to facilitate replacement of an adjacent item. Once everything is removed and the interior cleaned we will start repair and eventually reinstallation.

We have been busy tearing the boat apart, removing everything, stripping the bottom (or trying), pulling the V drive, preparing the engine for removal, and many other things.

Removing the bottom paint so we can add a barrier coat, to prevent any moisture absorption. We plan to be in the water for a few years:

We used environmentally friendly strippers which worked well but there were so many coats of paint we will have to resort to sanding.

 I pressure washed the bottom before and after stripping:

Bob has the engine ready to pull. That was a lot of work, thanks Bob!

We covered the floor with paper and cardboard to minimize damage:

Pulling out the forward AC unit. Thanks again Bob:

Tanya removing cabinets, and doing a million other things! Thank you Tanya, you’re awesome!!!!!!!!!:

Removing the drive shaft and the V-drive. The V-drive is the blue gearbox, we’re sending it out for a check up:

That’s it for now. We’ll post more in a couple of days!