Screens 10.29.14

We now have screens for a bug free over-night….or two.

This is the forward hatch screen.

It’s in place but not a very good picture.

I made the companionway screen in two pieces. This way we can have the sliding hatch closed and just screen the entryway. ….or have the hatch board in and the sliding hatch open.

I left enough screen to hang over the bottom screen or hatch board. You can just see it near the top if you look close….about 6 or 7 inches.

I just tucked the screens in place for the picture…but they will be a bit more secure when on the water. Should make for a nice comfortable night at anchor….

We have windows 10.28.14

Starboard side….

Port side……

and the inside….

and the master installer…..

We decided to go with tinted windows…..hard to see in from outside so no need for curtains…just turn off the light if you are undressing…and it should be cooler inside.

A few more things to finish up…then we will try stepping the mast and see what else we might need. Carl kept the sails and sheets, lines etc in the garage and we hope all are good.

I’ve finished the forward hatch screen and am working on the companionway screens….then we can spend a night or two on the water when everything is ready.

San Juan 21 with wood inside installed 4.23.14

Port side…..bolted to the box at the bottom and to the plate that comes through from the side stay.

This is the side you would go through to go into the V berth so they only had a small piece here.

Jim made the cover for the box. We can put a small cooler in it. The sides are a lot thicker than the one on the starboard side so we figure this must have been intended as a cooler.

Starboard side….This was a full wall but only bolted to the mast support at the top and to the box in the lower R corner, so we didn’t make it a full wall. I will be sleeping on this side and want air flow. It is also bolted to a brace that goes through the roof to the side stay…same as on the port side. You can see the bolts. He also made the cover for this side. The hole in the side of the box was for the toggle switches for running lights and interior light. Jim is going to close that off and move it to the side so it wont be hit during the night.

Looking through to the bow. Looks like a lot of room….don’t let it fool you. This is only a 21 ft boat….I don’t think I could stretch out in the V berth.

This is where the keel with the ballast cranks up. You can see the winch. It takes up a lot of space inside but makes for much shallower draft if up. Definitely going to be an knee and ankle banger till we get used to getting in and out. All though…Jim has had a lot of practice the past week. Seems like every tool he needs is in the shop and means another trip up and down the ladder and in and out of the boat.

The fan is sitting on the port berth…that is where Jim will sleep. The starboard berth is a few inches shorter.

Windows need to go in and I have to make a screen cover for the forward hatch and one for the companion way hatch. Then we’ll be good for a night on the water without bugs.

We will step the mast here in the yard and make sure we have good rigging and all lines necessary for the main sail and the jib….then we’ll launch and see how she floats. Can’t wait!!  It wont be for a few weeks. We have a Hudson meet this weekend and will spend next week getting the windows installed. They have arrived and look great.

San Juan 21….still working on it 10.23.14

Jim removed the 4 windows. The frames were cracked in several places and covered with years of repeated caulking.

Looks better already. It cleaned up real good around them. Since the boat sits in the truck port we don’t have to worry about rain.

Since the windows were out it was a good time for me to paint the inside. Did not do the ceiling through out the boat but all the side walls and walking surface. There had been some standing water in the bottom and it was stained pretty bad. It is now a bright white inside.

Jim had to make and replace the side rails for the sliding hatch.

        

Right now he is working on putting all the wood back inside. He had to make new divider walls. They are necessary to keep the side stays of the mast from pulling just on the roof. They help distribute the energy strain across the top and are secured to the molded boxes inside.

San Juan 21….. day 2 10.13.14

All those little specks are ants….this is what Jim has been fighting for 2 days. Every time he thinks he’s got them all ….more show up. Once he’s done with the washing and rotten wood removal. We’ll move the boat into the shop and I’ll put some  “food” in for them to take back to the nests that are sandwiched between the fiberglass and do them all in….I hope. Works in the house….and it worked on the Adventure Craft when we beached in the evening to walk the dogs. While waiting for them to take care of business, I looked down and the deck was black with ants. We rinsed out all we could but some got inside. I put a few drops of “Protexall Ant-Kill” behind the cushions etc. and within minutes they were dining….and the next day….gone.

Jim is hard at work.

Anchor locker in the V berth.

Port berth still needs a final wash….

as does the starboard berth. Looks to be plenty of room for us to stretch out and spend a night or two.

Rotten wall removed….boy does that open up the inside.

Jim will have to put something back in for support by hopefully it wont have to close the whole thing up. We like air-flow.

It looks so nice and big inside without those walls…

Final pressure wash inside done….all bailed and vacuumed out with the shop vac. Got lots of ants too. Backed it in the truck port. I've fed the ants….we’ll let it set a day or two and see if it worked. It is for grease and sugar eating ants. These are little guys and it may work on them too.

I wonder if Jim will decide he prefers the Yukon Delta houseboat after spending several days inside this little guy.

Once we have all the ants out we might take it out on the river for a day just to see if the trolling motor will move it along. Cant wait to get on the water…even if only for a day.

I hope my next post will be from “Meander” and we are out spotting gators.

The Project: San Juan 21 10.12.14 ……till it’s done?

Jim tilted it up so all the water would run out while he was pressure washing. Except there is no drain plug so all the water ran to the back and had to be bailed out.

He’s started washing…..

Doesn’t look too bad…..

Can you see a difference?

It’s slowly coming off…..

He was really pleased with how the teak hand rails came out. The windows leak and have a lot of old caulk around them. Looks like they will have to be removed and recaulked.

Now for the inside…..it is full of ants. Just when Jim thinks he’s got them all he finds more. Thankfully they are not fire ants.

The plywood walls were also full of ants. They will have to be removed because of all the rot.

Once everything was removed from the inside he  pressure washed that  also….only way to get some of those ants out.

I’ll have to make new covers for the foam cushions. Ants and damp had ruined the covers.

Starting on the inside.

Once it was washed inside we used the manual bilge pump to get most of the water out.

Tomorrow’s another day….

Carl’s San Juan 21 leaving the weeds 10.9.14

The lake that Carl lives on has been low for the past few years. His sailboat has been sitting in mud most of that time.

Since he’s busy and the lake has only come up enough to float the boat he decided he didn’t have time to sail so he gave it to Jim and I.

This boat would be easy to launch on Lake Jessup at the ramp just a couple miles from the house. We’d be able to go out for a night or two whenever we had a chance.

Jim is bailing….

Carl has a friend with a boat who is willing to try pulling us out.

Jim is still bailing…and finding ant nests. They’ve had the boat to themselves for a long time.

While waiting for Carl’s friend…..they decided to see how far out of the weeds they could get.

A little pulling…….a little poling…..

a little more pulling and a little more poling……

After all that work….they had managed to get the bow a few feet past the end of the dock…then we heard the boat on it’s way.

Carl and I are going to ride in the boat to the pull out spot. Cant really call it a launch ramp….ramp doesn’t reach the water.

This is our view as the boat started through the weeds.

The trip through the weeds went well….and the boat actually floats. 

We checked this ramp out earlier today…Jim will have to back into the lake to get the trailer in the water.

Even with the trailer backed in almost to the boat the bunks were not in the water. It’s a tilt bed and that made it possible for them to load it.

Carl’s friend, Joe,  spent most of the time in the water. Here he is turning us to face the trailer. Hope he’s not looking for a gator cause I have to jump in the water too.

You remember how thick those weeds were in front of the boat at the dock?….he jumped right in while Carl tossed a string over to him to attach to a rope for Carl to pull  back and hook to our boat.

Jim’s in water to his knees unlocking the tilt.

Cranking it on…

I got off the boat so I could get some video of Jim hauling it out….

You can see how far he had to back into the lake….the exhaust pipe was just out of the water.

The winch cable broke….had to tie it on for the trip home.

We took it real easy going home.  Trailer had old tires on it.

This is what one looked like this morning…but it held up to get here.

So here she sits….waiting for her “face lift”.

This video shows us getting pulled out of the weeds and on the lake to the ramp and then Jim driving out of the lake with the boat.

Another project….Jim doesn’t hardly get one done and he’s looking for another.