Boat trailer improvements

Jim’s been busy……first he added a bow support…without it….there is nothing to stop the boat when you load it.

and this is the result……..the scratched gel coat is on the list……and that list keeps getting longer.

The guides are permanent.

The fish camp where we want to launch has a short launch ramp. Our neighbor had his 40 ft pontoon boat loaded on a trailer at the same ramp ….the trailer had skids for when the wheels dropped off the end of the ramp…..so now….ours has skids. Should the wheels drop off the end of the ramp…..the skids will let the trailer slide up until the bottom of the tire can roll up the ramp. At least that is how it’s supposed to work. A few more coats of paint and the trailer will be finished.

Yukon Delta’s first launch 10.23.12

We finally had a day to launch the Yukon Delta.  At last….we’re headed for the water.

There was no one at the ramp …until we got the boat in the water….so we pulled it off the trailer and over to shore, out of the way.

Jim wanted to take his time getting the motor running and checking things out, and this way the ramp was open for others. There are no cleats to tie up to on the dock, anyways, and the far side of the dock was full of water lettuce….a very invasive water plant.

The motor kicked over on the first try. We’d already worked on it at home…in a trash can…so we knew it would run.

I got aboard…..and off we went.  Finally……the view off the bow is perfect…..water.

The wind started to kick up a bit and we didn’t see a gator anywhere. But this Great Blue Heron posed for me.

How’s this for a view. Looking forward from the ladder to the upper deck.

and from the bow.

We cruised up river for about 6 miles, figuring it would be easier for our dingy motor ( 2 hp)to get us back to the dock, (running with the current)  if the Johnson quit on us, but it didn’t .

We tossed out the anchor and had a quick lunch. Cold pizza and gatorade. I did try to use 2 black plates as a solar oven..but it only took the chill off…too many clouds…I guess. Here’s our lunch time view.

The launch went well….motor ran good…boat didn’t leak  (that was real good) and it handled a broadside wake very well when we were anchored for lunch.

AND THEN!!!!

When we  got back to the dock…….the wind had really kicked up….with a very strong cross wind in the same direction as the current, and the only side of the dock open was the downwind side. The small area where we had pulled up next to shore was completely filled with water lettuce and the wind kept pushing the boat sideways into it.  Getting the boat back on the trailer was a challenge. We ended up using 2 long lines from the dock to walk it on…….A  couple of guys came over to give us a hand, and we were able to position it on the trailer the way Jim needed it to be for the changes he wants to make.

I didn’t feel bad when a fishing boat had the same problem. I went over and grabbed a line till he got on the dock.

But…all in all….it was a good day. It was just too short. I kept wishing I’d brought along sheets and pillows so we could spend the night….Oh well……next time.

When we got back, we took the railing off the top. All the screws were loose and I doubt we’d be spending any time up there. After having campers and living in mobile homes…we know staying off the roof really helps prevent leaks.

So here is the new slimmed down look.

Surprise…Surprise!!!!

Jim had to stop work on cleaning the bottom of the boat for a few days……first to finish up the road and then we had to go to Titusville and see Slow Motion’s new owner and we were busy all day. He finally got to finish it today…..and what a surprise!

That is the end of a screw…..there were several. Most had been nipped off and then something like bondo put on them…but they missed this one. Our best guess is a previous owner “fixed” the floor. Guess they figured it was OK to screw it to the bottom of the boat. Who’d a’thunk it!!!   Looks like some bottom work we hadn’t planned on.

Here’s one of their patches. They were both covered with a lot of growth…so the boat evidently sat in the water for a long time, without sinking.

There is a spongy section in the floor near the rear door….Jim will remove it and see what work was done on it.  He measured the depth inside the bench seats and under the sink and the walkway is about 3/4 of an inch higher. Looks like they may have replaced or added plywood to the walkway. I guess we’ll find out. May just pull it up and lay some fiberglass over the screw holes.

Jim is pretty thorough when he starts something….good thing he wanted that bottom clean….may never have noticed the screws. We need to launch the boat to reset it on the trailer…so guess we’ll find out if they leak or not.

Bottom cleaning 10.17.12

Jim wants to put a few coats of Poliglow on the bottom of the Yukon Delta, but before that can be done, all this gunk has to come off. The shiny part behind him is what he has already cleaned. It has definitely spent some time in the water.

It would be much easier to put it in the water and have it lifted out and pressure washed…..but that gets expensive, and “elbow grease” is much cheaper, although not easier.

Jim is used to lying around under stuff…..but normally it’s an old car.

It’s starting to look better….but a long way to go.

Should make it more fuel efficient going thru the water once it’s polished up.

He took a short break for breakfast and went back to work….it progressed much faster on the back half. It still shows some staining but the muddy growth is gone.

Just as he was starting to back the trailer up on blocks….the first load of dirt for the road arrived……

 

Before that one was spread…..the second arrived.

Just as well….scrubbing the bottom of the boat is back breaking work…..now he can have a few hours of riding up and down the road. Right now….I don’t think we can get in or out…so he’ll be at it until it’s level. Scrubbing will wait till another day.

10.18.12

He finished the road today….and the tractor has been returned.  He did a great job.

The mailbox is just for looks. It belonged to his Mom and Dad. They had it at their camp in Kirkwood, NY.  We don’t get mail out here….all the boxes have to be at the end of the road and they make good “jousting” targets. They don’t last long.

Maybe we can get back to working on the important stuff….THE BOAT!!!!!!

We’ve started working on the boat….finally!!

We brought our new (to us) Yukon Delta home from OH and had to park it and load the camper for the 3 day car show in Tampa. Had a great time….lots of beautiful cars…..mostly street rods. There were a few that were near original…including our 1928 Buick Landau. It’s pretty much original except for the fuel system. Jim has all the parts to put it back to original…but we need it to be reliable for driving. We trailered it to NY and VT this spring and put over 1000 miles on it. Here we are crossing a covered bridge in VT.

We got back from the show late Sunday, then Jim had to go to his brother’s to pick up the tractor so he could work on the road into our place. Had a few pot holes so big, you could almost float the boat in them.

We are waiting for a few loads of dirt to spread on the road, so Jim worked on cleaning out the fuel tanks and putting in fresh fuel. I replaced all the screens. They had big holes by the window slides. The cord was still good and we had the correct size tool.

So now I have all new screens. May not seem like a big deal to some….but here in FL it’s a must have.

They look so much better…and I can leave them open during the day for airing out the boat and not have a bunch of mud daubers moving in.

She’s titled and registered…..the motor runs…..now….if we can get caught up on our other projects…we’ll get launched for a day and see how she runs.

You are looking into my butterfly garden….actually…it’s a caterpillar garden. I have lots of milkweed growing in pots.  I bring the caterpillars inside and then release them when they become butterflies. Check them out on www.wildlifearoundus.blogspot.com  

YUKON DELTA 1980 25’

We decided to sell the Albin 27 and get something we could launch just down the road from our place and not have to run the toll road to Lake Monroe each time we wanted to go out.
This is our new boat. A Yukon Delta, 25 ft long and shallow draft.

The blue cover on the bow is to keep the rain out of the open bow during storage…..great idea here in FL. I did find, I have to unsnap the corners and fold them up for air flow or it gets very hot under it. I’ll make a lighter version out of sunbrella for protecting the open doorway when anchored out at night. It will go from the top front to the bow…no sides.

the hard top on the back needs some work. Once that is finished, I’ll make screens to enclose it. It’ll be a great place to sit in the evening, listening to frogs, gators and other night life.
The interior needs work too. No stove or fridge. I think it had a propane cooktop, at one time. There is a regulator on the roof and it is plumbed to below the countertop. We may put a 2 burner cooktop in there. The open cupboard had a small cube fridge. We moved it to the floor for travel, but will remodel that area for a microwave. It also needs a faucet and water pump.

We are considering putting the fridge in the closet area. That’s the door with the mirror. It would cut down on clothing storage but I’d like a little apartment size fridge and have it on the floor…to keep the center of gravity low.

We camped over night in it on our way back from OH. The base of the couch slides out easily to make a bed big enough for both of us and Jim is a bit over 6’.
The Captain’s seat is pretty big for the area so we’ll see if it is comfortable enough to keep.

The head will probably have a larger porta potty that can be plumbed to a pumpout. We had one on the Macgregor 26X sailboat and it worked great. Has it’s own 5 gallon holding tank. No shower in the head….not sure if we’ll put one there or just put it on the back deck. Winter time we’ll just have to shower during the day when it is warm….
All these changes are our first thoughts…we’ll go out and spend some time on it before hammering away…..other than installing the fridge. With that we can stay out for several days…we have a butane stove we can use for cooking for now. It worked well on the Albin along with the alcohol stove.

The dinette will give me a place to have my computer set up.

Jim wants to do some work on the trailer. There is no bow support or guides. I guess he’s planning to do some traveling too. Larry and Diane, our boating buddies from OK, want us to do the Arkansas River with them. Sounds good to me!!!
We hope this is our last boat…Jim can walk front to rear and only have to duck his head going in and out the doorways.
If launching at the fish camp works out….we’ll spend a lot more time on the water. Maybe not months at a time …but as often as we want.

I’m looking forward to attaching an umbrella to the railing on the top and sitting there gator watching. Should be a great place to get photos from.
Jim had the 25 hp Johnson outboard running. We may try to launch it next week. We are anxious to see how well that little motor will push us along and need to reset the boat on the trailer so he can weld on the stuff he wants to. It will only be an afternoon outing…..but at this point…..that’s better than nothing.
Still haven’t come up with a name…
So…..check back once in awhile….maybe you’ll see us on the river.

We are looking for a spare wheel for the trailer. This is what they look like. If you know what they are....let us know.