Girls only?

Hours invested to date: 17

Today marked the first day of many plastic surgery facelifts, as the rotted transom was hammered, sawed, and pried out of it's frame - sounds simple enough right? Well, it was! My secret weapon however wasn't the Milwaukee sawzall, or the termites which may or may not have helped loosen up the wood a bit, but rather my friend, Tim. Tim, who is a phenomenal craftsman and woodworker in his own right (Seriously. He can build you anything you'd like, and even build a box to put it in), offered up his talents to help me through the tedious surgery of ripping out the transom, and only the transom. :) To say the least, we had a blast!

Going into this project, Kayleen and I were fully aware that the transom, at some point would need to be ripped out and replaced. If the skylighted holes and the soft exterior didn't give it away, the sheer smell of rotting and wet wood did. As Tim and I sawed into the delaminating plywood layers, the stench of gasoline and wood rot filled the air - we joked that perhaps the gas soaked wood was really a long forgotten, failed attempt at bon-firing the 16 foot barge...

About 75% of the way complete. Our tactic: cut out sections and hope for the best!

And it's out of here!

 To some, this project might appear to be a debatable disaster. A chaotic mess even. However, through my eyes, it is a project undergoing the remarkable stages of progress. Next up: a trip to Edensaw (which I hear is better than Disneyland) to purchase new marine grade plywood to rebuild the transom.

High Five

Port seat and middle brace sanded.

The late summer air, warm with a hint of fall, blew through my hair as I untangled the extension chord from the ladder which rested against the starboard side haul. In that moment, I realized that I am my element. The used sandpaper and mahogany sawdust strewn about the floor signifies that progress is being had, that I, in some small way am aiding in restoring this boat, not for the boat's sake, but for mine. For me, there is something about working with my hands that just translates into instant therapy. I feel this is the case for arguably most of the population; the need to zone out and concentrate on something that requires an intricate juggle between your phalanges, and say a sander against the bow of a 1956 Skipper Craft. As an individual with WebMD diagnosed ADD and OCD (Kayleen just confirmed this for me, so I guess it must be true), I find myself thankful that this boat project has found it's way into my lap, and also puzzled as to how anyone could possibly use their hands to complete a project via dialing a 1-800-do-it-for-me company. Over time you will forget the struggle that manual labor exposed. Instead, what you will be left with is the story of your accomplishment. The endless victory lap of completing a dream. The experience of pushing yourself to dig deep and learn you're more capable than you once settled for - and honestly for me, nothing is sweeter than witnessing yourself be elevated to heights that you never thought you'd reach - in all, that's really the purpose of The Boat In the Woods, isn't it?

The Makita Lifestyle

Hours invested to date: 12

As I look around my home, I realize that I am having a difficult time resisting the temptation of working on the boat. My mind races with all of the possible future adventures that await us. Emily has written the blog thus far and keeps saying, “Kayleen, you need to write something.” In my sarcastic style, I respond, “Something” – more frequently in the form of a question. 

Yesterday, Emily enjoyed a day of boating with the family who loves her, in spite of her addiction to this vessel commonly referred to as “The Boat in the Woods." With her out of town, I only spent three hours sanding on the boat yesterday afternoon. The side rails, from aft of the bracket for the side windows to the stern were heavily varnished and appeared to be in fairly good shape. I sanded them with my new Makita random orbital sander (a gift from my husband, Jeff), rounding the edges as I sanded.  They are bright and beautiful. I also started sanding the trim piece around the bow. It is not in as good of shape and may need replacing. 

An “ah ha” moment occurred when we realized that the board that runs the width of the boat forward of the transom was actually the backrest to an original bench seat. I was able to finish sanding the forward facing side and the top edge.

The small pieces of wood on the bow forming the chevron pattern do not sit level with the longboards. When I look at the beautiful bow, I am instantly drawn to the difference. We will need to look to make sure that if I sand that area down, we won’t lose structural strength.

The windshield trim base brackets were also sanded on the outer side. We had waited to sand these as they seemed a little weak and we thought we may need to replace them.  The boat had dried out enough so I gave them some attention.  There were some very rough areas where sanding or sawing had been done before leaving some relatively deep scarring of the wood. I was able to get the majority of those scars sanded out.  

I don’t always feel like the accomplishments are great, but when I step back and look at the before and after pictures, I am amazed with how much we have been able to do since Wednesday night – while still maintaining our daytime jobs and life. For the record, Emily could not keep her eyes off of this boat from the moment we saw it.  I would have never attempted a project like this without the expertise of the girl who grew up hanging out in marinas.  

Winner! Winner!

Hours invested to date: 9

It could not have been later than 6 p.m. yesterday, when I was interrupted from cleaning the boat by the sight of a small black dog (all names have been changed to protect the guilty...I mean, innocent), dart a crossed Kayleen's drive way. The dog, whose valiant speed only indicated a sense of urgency, was clarified when I saw the look of fear in the chicken's eye as it was carried, teeth over paw past the port side. In disbelief, I looked over my shoulder to see the full extension of the chicken's wings viciously flapping on either side of the dog's head, as it blazed it's way through Kayleen's rhododendrons. To say the least, I am slowly realizing that although this boat project is exciting, the real entertainment lies in what is happening around it. 

I have always been intrigued by the undeniable argument of a good before and after photo. The difference between the two tells a wordless story of the effort and struggle one went through, to experience the accomplishment of the endings yields. So with that, sit back and enjoy!

Last Wednesday night when the boat made it's pavement voyage from Kingston to Kayleen's house, we excitedly sat down and drew up a to-do list of items that need to be completed, before we can risk life and limb out on the waters of Liberty Bay. Surprisingly, it's only one page in length. Piece of cake, right?

Kayleen took one for the team, when she spent several hours cleaning up at least 30 lbs of pine needles and perhaps even more spiders.

Once the boat was vacant of all eight-legged critters, I sprayed the entire boat with a 1:1 mixture of 30-Second Cleaner. For those of you who have not had the privilege of smelling this fine concoction, consider yourself lucky. 30 seconds with it, and your nasal cavity will be permanently paralyzed by the floral scents of what I can only estimate a morgue smells like. However, it's cleaning power is bar none.

Astonishing to think that this wood was cut some 50+ years ago. Looks great!

Although this picture doesn't show it, the entire exterior molding and bow has been sanded and is now ready for varnish. 

Jeff provided his talents by removing the false transom that was added to accommodate for a long shaft outboard engine. 

Please note Kayleen's impeccable style. She has really raised the standards on sanding attire!

P.s. Ralph Lauren, we are available for the Spring catalog...

The Beginning

The story leading up to how one finds themselves immersed in a bizarre, and complicated project is all too common: It starts out like a day like any other. The birds are chirping, the clouds have separated from their conglomerate puppy-guarding of the sun, and then BAM! Suddenly, and without warning, you stumble upon a project and/or an idea that you cannot help but fall head over heals in love with. Life as you know it will never be the same again.

The story of the boat in the woods began on a similar note. It was a warm July day, and my co-worker Kayleen, and I were riding together to meet our friend and also co-worker, Lisa for brunch at her home in Kingston, WA. Kingston is a beautiful seaport town, nestled into the Puget Sound inlet of Appletree Cove, intermixed with ancient Douglas Fir forests throughout.  As Kayleen and I turned right off of the main road, we felt the bump that instantly transitioned the city pavement to the world of back woods living. Almost without transition, our cell phone reception trailed off, finding ourselves off the grid and amongst a thick canopy of ancient moss ridden trees; we knew that we were in for an adventure.

After Lisa's tour around her handcrafted cabin, she offered to show us around the wooded trails - Kayleen and I jumped at the opportunity. Then it happened. As we crossed an old foot bridge, and rounded a corner nearly choked out by blackberry vines, BAM! There it was. The wooden bow of an old boat, and the blinding light shinning from heaven a la The Griswalds Christmas Vacation. Crisp lines, pine needle buried deck, and the timeless look of a 1950's wooden speed boat - I fell in love! Granted, I was practically born wearing a life jacket, so the notion of falling in love with boats is not a new trend for me - what surprised me most however, was who was drooling over the boat next to me. When Kayleen's eyes met mine, I knew exactly what was coming next, "Em, this is a beautiful boat! You should take this boat home and restore it!" For the first time in my life, I took a step back from a boat and said no. I couldn't. With a 30 foot sailboat restoration project obligation and a micro tug boat I build a few years ago parked in my drive way, the last thing I needed was another boat project.

Gracie, the new boat dog.

Hours after we walked away from the boat buried deep in the Kingston woods, Kayleen and I parted ways with Lisa and headed for home. It could not have been longer than 20 seconds down the dusty drive way, when Kayleen and I both turned to each other, instantly bringing up how beautiful the old boat was, and how badly we wanted to save it. We would spend the next several hours discussing with her husband Jeff, the endless possibilities and how it wasn't really in "that bad of shape." By the end of the night, Kayleen and I would partner up and acquire a 1956 Skipper Craft, with a name TBD.

For me, one of my most deep rooted passions in life is being out on the water - Nothing comes close to the rush of a wave-rocked adventure, coupled with the reality that open water is a dangerous scenery for those who do not respect it. I cannot wait to breathe life back into this old boat, and experience the memories that come with figuring out the kinks of turning this aspiration, into a wave breaking reality. It's going to be a blast!