Conference unifix::sailing

    Instead of thinking about all your tasks as a huge single project, try
    prioritizing and breaking your work into "phases". To make bottom
    painting less time consuming, do all the preliminary work in the fall,
    and paint in the spring. Work on the projects that must be accomplished
    with the boat out of the water, and finish jobs that can be done after
    launch. My new 20 year old boat is going through a full restoration
    that I estimate will cover 5 phases or years. Our deck was a top
    priority so that is where the time is being spent. The bottom is next
    year, so I'm going with old paint. I'm trying for a May 28th launch
    date. The season here starts on Memorial Day weekend. Keep to positive
    thinking, and get that boat on the water to enjoy it! Half the fun and
    pleasure is tinkering, upgrading, polishing,...messing about.
    
    Have fun!

    It's time. Now. In fact, it was time two weeks ago. Then.
    
    I'm always late getting this sort of thing done.

    what worked for me:
    
    1st priority: keel, bottom, rudder, thruhulls, prop, propshaft
    
    2nd priority: exhaust, topsides, engine, batteries.
    
    Launch it!!!!!!!
    
    then:
    
    1st priority: Standing rigging, spar, boom
    2nd priority: Running rigging, sails, instruments,
    
    Can daysail now............................
    
    Ongoing, whip the intereior into shape, get the deck up to par.  I
    finished rebuilding the last of eight winches yesterday.  I have been
    sailing since 4/9/94.  
    
    It's easy to say, I know, but I did work out my work plan in January. 
    When the Feb thaw hit, I was ready.  In two 55 deg days, I got all the
    way up to the gunwales. (2/18-19) Then it was back to -22deg for the
    next 2.5 weeks.
    

    
    
      I started out last October estimating a date I thought I would be ready 
    with a large list of projects. Compared to work, this was kitty litter, but
    it is good to estimate the time and cost and multiply by 2 to get an
    appromiation.
     
     I started out in Nov when the boat got pulled. Worked every weekend
    after shoveling the snow except for a couple of really cold days.
    Stripped and painted the inside, rewired the entire electrical system,
    replaced the lifelines, removed some useless hardware and
    refibreglased/gelcoated the holes, remounted the winches and several
    cleats, varnished any teak and rubbed out  the outside hull after
    removing and repainting the boot and cove stripes. Of course, new
    bottom paint was added.
    
    Yesterday we ensured the new jack for the CD player works and the 
    bar-b-que mount is angled properly.
    
    Tomorrow it shall bob again come 1:30 with only the sails needing to 
    be rehanked and the new cushions slid in. I might get around to adding
    rear cockpit mounted controls, but probably will wait till next year
    as I am not so sure I still want to do it. Haven't added the bills yet,
    no reason to pull the smile from my face. ;>)
    
    Funny how a lot of boats sat till 2 weeks ago when the owners showed up.
    the guy behind me was tapping on the deck yesterday with the worse kind
    of look on his face. He just noticed the deck is mushy, and it will
    take the entire summer to cut out the bad wood between the fibreglas.
    If he had done a good inspection last fall, he would be sailing this
    week too.
    
    	See ya out there.....
    
    
        john

re .4:

Ah, memories. I used to work that hard on our boat, but now after 15
autumns/winters/springs I'm finding that I'm kinda resenting the 
necessity of working on the boat so much, most especially the annual 
drudgery of bottom painting, varnishing, and other maintenance. The 
warm glow of boat ownership grows dim after a while. 

Now I try to keep the "absolutely must be done" list short (bottom 
painting, engine maintenance, any safety-related work, etc), the "really 
ought to be done" within reason (install new GPS, etc), and not worry 
overly much about the "be nice to do" list. If that gets done, good, if 
not, well, next year (which is why our topsides haven't been polished 
and waxed in years). 

I think it is necessary to keep a bit of balance in life, as in "there 
is more to life than sailing". Gee, I can't believe I just said that. I 
must be getting old, or more sane. 

Alan

    Re.5
    Gee Alan, sounds like you have been away from it too long. You need a 
    a good sailboat ride.   ;>)
    
    Actually, I knew the first year there was MAJOR work to do to the old
    Ying Yang. As another note of mine shows, 1993 was to make boat float
    with some sort of confidence. Cost a small fortune, but it had to be
    done.
    
    This year was to make it look and feel really good. My wife never
    appreciated the beach cats' appearance since she loathed the things.
    This boat she likes, so I am willing to put some time into it to make
    her happy for the couple of nice weekends between June and September.
    The costs were much lower, but about the same amount of labor was
    needed to accomplish the job.  Like jointery, there is no substitue for
    time with a sander/ poisher when it comes to a finish.
    
    What is helpful is the folks who crew for me help work on the boat all
    through the off season, though not every weekend. I supply the beer and
    food. Gives us something to do and keeps our minds on sailing. A
    hundred bucks is a hundred bucks whether I go skiing for the weekend
    with the wife or use it to work on the boat. And with the boat, I have
    a chance to recoup at least 10-12 dollars of it at resale time. ;>(
    
    Next year is nothing more is planned other than checking out the mast
    and bottom paint/wax. Hope to pull late November and go back in Mid
    April. (hows that, I am not even in the water and I am planning next
    year!) If I get rid of it at the end of next year (I ussally get 3
    years to a boat), I will lose money on the deal, but I learned a ton
    about boat construction having gone through every bolt, flange,
    seacock, wire, and sheet. An MBA from the school of hard knocks!
    Hopefully I will get that back on not missing something critical on 
    the next one.
    
    I was going to buy a brand new one, but there is something about having
    a well maintained older boat. With my new 500 page Practial Sailor boat
    evaluation book, I am already starting to  narrow down the short list
    of the boat to be resurected. After all this, Wanta bet the odds I'd
    buy a boat with lots of exterior teak and jointery and no know source
    of OEM parts ? 
    
    john
    
    ps In .4 I spoke too soon. Darn winds have my dunk date on hold. Maybe
    tomorrow.....  Goes to show a plan always comes together only on the
    A-Team television show

WEll, after all that encouragement, I am ready to get the boat on the 
water!  I actually was biting the bullet and said the boat was going on the 
water this Sunday whether it liked it or not.  That was before I learned 
about the trailer brakes needed to be replaced (the grease seal blew and 
got grease all over the shoes).  So, I figure Friday night of memorial 
weekend should be as good a day (or night) as any.  Now, about that four 
hour drive, after work, to launch the boat . . .  

    The simplest solution to this problem of when to launch the boat is,
    leave it in over the winter! Since bottom and deck paint were new on
    Dulcimer as of last July, we decided to just bring it into the
    community pier. Thank goodness for bubblers, though--the Magothy river
    froze solid for a month and a half!
    
    Barring that, we have usually launched as soon as we could slap on
    bottom paint, then do most of the work in the water. We remove
    brightwork, outboard engine, etc, and work on it at home, then replace
    it in springtime. For our big projects, we space them out, to conserve
    time and money. Since we have owned the boat (1963 Pearson 26) we have
    done the following:
    	Year 1: necessary repairs to deck, replace bulkheads, fix leaks.
    	Year 2: install new cabinetry and head.
    	Year 3: paint topsides.
    	Year 4: paint deck.
    	Year 5: install stern pulpit and swim ladder.
    
    Plus many medium-sized jobs interspersed. It seems to me that the work
    *never* gets done, so as long as the boat meets safety requirements and
    can sail well, don't let it keep you from sailing!
    			Jim B.