Prep Work Begins

Today, we began preparations in earnest for the MAIN EVENT (recoring the flybridge). Shawn disconnected all the wires (yep, the ones we replaced in November) from the flybridge panel. AND the new steering line. I was responsible for pulling them all the way back to the flybridge wings. And untangling them and coiling them! This is my first rodeo doing all of this, so I am an inordinately proud of the smallest accomplishments! I also unbolted all the flybridge rails and the flybridge ladder.

Then we began to brace the floor of the flybridge with 2*4 so that we can walk on it while we recore.  A side effect of the bracing was the water that began to steadily drip from the floor through the ceiling as the bracing squeezed the accumulated water from the sodden core.

I began to remove the letters from the transom. They came off pretty easily due to the heat of the sun, so I decided that was something I could do after work one day. We stowed our stuff and left our girl safely ensconced in the boatyard.

to the railway...and beyond!!!

The day is finally upon us! We checked with the boatyard this morning and they have a spot for us! Even though today is drizzly and grey and the wind is blowing some, we determined we could take our YellowBird up the Bay a couple of miles to Cockrell's Creek to Jennings Boatyard.

We left about 3 in the afternoon and the water was a bit rough at times with low visibility, but Shawn ensured that we arrived safely at our destination! I even got to drive a bit....with autopilot!! :)

And now our weekends and any free time will find us at the boatyard working on our projects!  The dock looks very empty without our YellowBird there!

Spring Repairs Begin

Now that the warmer weather is here, it is time for us to begin our repairs in earnest! We have a mental deadline so that we can FINALLY have boating time together this summer...what we have been waiting for!

In March, we removed the lifelines and stancheons. We could see that the underneath the backing plates was green and funky from improper sealant, so we scrubbed and temporarily sealed the holes with silicone. We will devise a more permanent seal solution after we fiberglass the flybridge.

We also (well....Shawn) put in a second bilge pump just in case we need it!

And now to wait for an opening in the boatyard (railway)!

Repairs February 2017

February may be a short month, but we still completed some work on our YellowBird!

We had some nice days to begin the process of dismantling in order to complete our MAJOR project of redoing the flybridge.

We removed the bimini top and framework first. Then we removed the windshield. While not difficult at all, it was a bit time consuming. Who knew how many screws and bolts are needed to mount a windshield! We removed the helm chair and covered it (black yard & leaf bags worked great! and cheap!) to store until we can mount it on the NEWLY redone flybridge. We removed the other seat bolts and through bolts. We decided to leave the railings on for now for when we take it to the railway later this spring.

The hardest part is deciding WHAT to do next when there are so many little items that need attention. The biggest items we know have to wait until consistent warm weather. AND we always still find time for some brief outings!

Repairs January 2017

Whew! A busy winter for our trawler even WITHOUT cruising!

We began doing "minor" non-cosmetic repairs in January. And by "we" I mean my wonderful Captain, Shawn. I (Liz) am the apprentice, able to follow directions and accomplish some of the mundane tasks as directed!

As the pictures below show, the water pump pictures bearings and seal were bad

We removed water pump. We replaced it with a rebuilt water pump from TransAtlantic Diesel.

The charging issue was probably due to loose wire at an unsatisfactory Mainship grounding junction.  Shawn tightened the wiring and we will correct this issue by replacing the grounding junction with a ground terminal block.

And we had some snow!