Inspiration (and a peek into the future)...

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  ~Lao Tzu

June 3, 2012

I thought I might bring out the crystal ball and take a peek at what she will look like some day.  This is the general look I plan to achieve:

The floor will be mahogany rather than the teak and holly floor of this pic.  The walls, cabinets and furniture will all be light (beech or birch) wood.  The ceiling will look very similar to the one in the pic, with beams that are stained mahogany to match the floor, and panels that match the walls, cabinets, furniture, etc.

I wanted black granite counters, but they are too heavy for an aluminum boat, so I am looking for something similar in black that is not as heavy.

On the outside, I plan to paint the dark green stripes orange (yes, orange).  I looked at a houseboat with orange trim, and I really loved the color.  For just a bit, I considered blue, but a friend brought to my attention that the majority of the boats in the marina are blue.  And anyway, what better color for a boat of mine than orange? 

In case you are having a tough time picturing a houseboat with orange trim, here are some pics of the one I looked at:

I will get a new Bimini top in orange canvas, and orange mesh that goes around the railings.  The mesh will add some color, and also serve the very important purpose of helping the pups learn boundaries (and not go sliding into the river)!  Here are some boats with mesh on the railings--the orange mesh would be similar to this:

 

On my boat, the mesh will only be on the bottom half of the bottom railings.  I may add the mesh to the other two decks next year:

Here are some canvas colors (I like both shades, and I'm trying to decide if I can incorporate both without looking too colorful--but if not, I will probably go with the darker shade):

I have also found orange lines and fenders, so she will be a very color coordinated vessel!

~~~~~~~Enough dreaming about what will be, let's look at what has been done.~~~~~~~

Back to reality...we finally bolted down the bridge and reconnected the railings and stair for the upper deck.  When she was painted 4 or 5 years ago, the bridge was removed to get her into the building for painting.  All of her hardware was also removed, and none of it was ever put back in place.  

When putting the railings back in place, making it watertight was imperative.  To do that, we bought a sheet of gasket material, and cut the gasket to match the size and shape of the feet of the railings.  We then put some 5200 in each screw hole, put the gasket in place and screwed the railing in place:

Once the railings were all in place, I went around with a razor knife and cut all excess gasket from around the railing feet.
In this pic, you can see the railing in place, with excess gasket sticking out:

 And here it is after I trimmed the excess:

And finally the bridge is bolted in place and the railings and stair are in place:

 

The next two things I plan to conquer are:

1. Finishing the engine compartment (I want to have this finished before Bruce starts working on the engine and puts the generator back in).  The steps I plan to complete:
• Cover the carburetor to protect it from chemicals and water,
• Spray the engines with Simple Green and let it sit for ~5 minutes,
• Spray the engines with water on the 'jet' setting to remove grease, grime and debris,
• Paint the parts of the engine that I am able to paint (black),
• Paint the floor of the engine compartment with something shiny and gray!
• I WANT A 'WOW' ENGINE COMPARTMENT!
2. Sealing the seams in the top deck (bridge) of the boat.  The top deck is made of interlocking, 6 inch aluminum beams.  There is some leaking at the seams of the beams.  Steps I plan to complete:
• Score the seams of the deck with a razor knife,
• Sandpaper the seams just a bit to scuff them,
• Put a bead of automotive urethane seam sealant down the length of each seam,
• Use a pre-cleaner to run down the bead of sealant to smooth it out,
• Let it cure for 3-4 days.
• Eventually, I will roll on another layer or two of the deck paint.

I am also hopeful that my new air conditioners and window tracks will be installed this week.  Fingers crossed!

It is nice to dream of what she will look like--it reminds me what we are working toward. 

In the meantime, I will keep taking each single step toward that goal.