Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it has all finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed, and you will ask yourself, "How did I get through all of that?"
~author unknown
The past month has been a tough one. Lots going on in my personal life that drew my attention away from the boat (the quote above is meaningful to my work on the boat, as well as my personal life).
Then one day, while driving along with the top down and the music on, my phone rang. I did not recognize the number, but I answered. It was someone who has a boat at the marina where my boat is. To sum up the conversation, one near-quote, "I kept talking about your boat and the work you were doing, and finally my wife asked, 'so are you going to help her with this boat, or what?' So, I'm calling to see if you would like me to work for you on your boat." He is a contractor (I have seen pics of his work, and it is amazing), he used to build boats (he lived in Seattle for a while), and his passions are his work and boats. Could there be a better scenario?
I spoke with my other contractor (who had some things come up that took him away from working on my boat), and he agreed it would be a good move.
So, I have a new contractor, who is really taking initiative and pushing things forward at a time when I lost energy. It has been amazing, and I am so thankful. This contractor calls me to remind me of the things I need to do.
Speaking of my new contractor, I HIGHLY recommend him if you are in the Cincinnati area and have need of a carpenter that does finish work (and pretty much everything else). His name is Jerry Williams and his company is twin hills construction, LLC (513.293.7744) or jwilliams209@cinci.rr.com. Here he is making plans with Bruce, the previous owner of the boat (also the electrician):
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| Bruce is on the left, and Jerry is on the right. |
Now on with updates on the boat...
The fuel tanks and holding tank have been installed!
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| In this pic, you can see the USCG approved fuel grade hose rather the old galvanized steel pipes. |
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| And the new through-hull vents have been installed (and double-clamped) |
The fuel tanks fit like a glove, but the holding tank was about 1/2 inch too long.
To make up for the extra length, we cut pieces of plastic deck lumber to cradle the tank. We actually did this for the fuel tanks as well, to add to the stability:
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| You can see the plastic deck lumber to the right of the yellow tape. |
The boat has her first holding tank. Kind of sad that she has never had a holding tank--but she does now:
The company that made the tanks for me were wonderful with which to work! They were very helpful in walking us through the installation, as well. If you need anything built of metal, give them a call: http://www.speedytanks.com/.
The stringers have also all been welded back into place. Gould Metal Works was able to come in VERY quickly and bring a transportable welder right onto the boat in the slip. It was very helpful that we didn't have to move the boat (http://www.gouldmetalworks.com/):
The keel had some leaks when we pulled her out of the water (in King's Craft boats, the keel serves as a fresh water tank), so I decided to purchase a plastic water tank. We found one that will sit very near the center of the boat. It is 100 gallons (8.33 pounds per gallon, so around 830 pounds). Here is the tank I ordered: http://www.plastic-mart.com/
A fun surprise! My neighbor, Irv, across the dock also owns a 1971 King's Craft, which he bought new. He photocopied the original manual for a 1971 King's Craft and brought it over to me. It has a diagram of the interior, all the measurements, a list of options and prices. Very fun...and very sweet of him!
We are officially ready to build, and I couldn't be more excited. In a few months, I might have an interior and working light switches! Later, I will look back on this adventure and wonder what made me take the leap. I'll laugh at all the pain, time and hard work--just like so many other areas in life. Then I'll go sit on the deck of my finished boat and watch the sunset.
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