Quick Update

Lately we have had the opportunity to pass along this blog to other Skipper Craft enthusiasts (finding anyone who has heard of Skipper Craft is like spotting Bigfoot at Starbucks - its an amazing discovery, where the stories and conversation are endless!) so I thought it crucial to make a quick update, as our progress has surpassed our last update.

Kayleen's version of physical therapy 

The port side, right before fiberglassing 

The beginning steps of fiberglassing the port side 

Half of the port side done, with only the bow remaining 

The port side completely fiberglassed and sanded

With the port side finished, the only preparations left before we can crack open the blue paint is to finish sanding the starboard side, fiberglass the transom, and go back over the entire boat with another coat of resin to smooth out any remaining imperfections before paint. Stay tuned! 

Did We Find The Home-Stretch??

This blog in itself has become a project all its own - a realization that a friend of mine unknowingly pointed out as they asked how Kayleen and I decide who is going to write the next entry (sparse as they are - sorry about that Lenore). Instead of sorting things out like civilized people, we more or less duke it out over dropped hints, threats (not really, but I needed to add some excitement here), and my personal favorite, "I wrote the last one, the next one is yours." Known more commonly as the, I-took-the-trash-out-last smack down. So, due to our lack of attentiveness towards the blog and your undying curiosity for progress updates, please enjoy this landslide of photos and commentary!

If time travel were possible, I would book myself a round trip ticket to January, where I would then tell Kayleen and myself that the quick sanding job of the bottom that we were about to embark on was merely Pandora's box of hidden headaches and frustrations, camouflaged by green paint. With countless hours and weekends worth of sanding paint, laying fiberglass, resining (resin fumes - truly a good time), and sanding once again to smooth out the surface, the bottom sanding job has FINALLY come to a close.

With the structural and cosmetic work of the bottom complete, paint was our next task. After much debate and deliberation, we both decided on a rather patriotic color scheme: royal blue hull, white boot stripe, and a red bottom (or as Kayleen calls it, the "Tommy" Hilfiger look). 

If I ever see a sander again, it will be too soon

Fiberglassed and leveled, ready for paint

Lisa, our co-worker and the wife of the boat's previous owner came to watch us paint

RED! It is difficult to tell from this picture angle, but the fiberglass fibers are nonexistent, and the paint leveled out nicely

Not long after the paint was dry, we called upon our team of brains and brawn to help lift and flip the 600 pound vessel over. Flipping a heavy object over is a task in itself, but flipping an almost 60 year old boat, that is awkwardly shaped? Nerve wracking to say the least!

Notice our super human strength as Kayleen and I literally flip the boat with one hand

Success!

Next up, Kayleen and I will be fiberglassing the port and starboard sides and completing the exterior paint job. Once that is complete, we have a deck to build, a windshield to reconstruct, and an interior that needs varnish. In comparison to where we began this restoration, the next few months should be a breeze! 

The One-Armed Wallpaper Hanger

It's been a long time since I have written for the blog about the most incredible project – learning curve- I have ever embarked on.  It never ceases to amaze me how just a little time can make such a remarkable difference!

Kayleen clearly mastering the "fiberglassing stance"

Emily has been pulling the project almost single-handedly (I was the one working with a single hand.) for the better part of the past two months.  I am grateful that she was patient and waited to fiberglass until I could be part of the fun!  With some on the spot problem solving with cutting and piecing the fiberglass together for the perfect fit on the bottom, we have managed to glass the entire bottom of our boat.  Emily has sanded half of what we have done and we have reapplied resin.  This was not the original plan….

When we started sanding all the paint off the bottom of the boat it seemed like it was taking forever.  I had the great plan to use the reciprocating saw with the scraper to "muscle" the archeological layers of paint from the wood.  That went well until my right hand started revolting and I would leave "shark bites" on the wood.  Emily would just say, "We can fix that." She did. I convinced her that we could use marine paint stripper – what a time saver.  The removal of the layer after layer of paint was done!

The bottom is now completely fiberglassed!

Then it was fiberglass time!  After applying the resin to the glass and seeing some waviness, I said, "This boat is going to look so nice super smooth and shiny."  I thought Emily was going to lose it. She must have been exercising self-control because she said nothing.  Deafening NOTHING!

We waited for it to dry and then fully able-bodied Emily started sanding so that we could work towards the super smooth and shiny boat. You see, the original plan was one coat of resin.  I quickly decided that the plywood bottom would have some natural waviness just as a characteristic of 50+ year old plywood.  That's how the second coat of resin became reality!

As we break bread together every time we work on the boat, we talk about colors, names, and how beautiful this old boat will be when she takes her first voyage after restoration.  Is there a remarkable difference?  Absolutely! ​

Progress. Finally!!

I vividly remember sitting on Kayleen's deck last summer, ranting and raving at the tops of our lungs about a pine needle buried, Pacific Northwest moss covered, forest entombed boat. In fact, I can still hear the faint echo of Kayleen sealing the boat partnership deal with, "we will look like Poulsbo Hollywood out there in the middle of Liberty Bay!" Perhaps it was sun stroke setting in, or just the adrenaline high of surviving a walk through stinging nettle laden woods in shorts, that really solidified that this project contained all of the elements for the perfect adventure. Earlier this week my suspicions were affirmed as the aromatic waft of resin filled the air - to put it lightly, we have rounded the corner.

Kayleen using her cast as scale for the world's largest resin run :)

As with any project (let alone a boat restoration), set backs are bound to happen. Be it due to the weather, a busy schedule, or because of a boat partner who has needed back-to-back hand surgeries over the course of the last few months. In her defense, her injuries were preexisting to the start of our boat project, however I'm nearly convinced that she is either a.) Under the impression that multiple surgeries accrue flyer miles or b.) That she gained more enjoyment out of watching me struggle with the task of sanding the bottom until it was "smooth and pretty", than anything else. In all, the bottom of the boat took roughly 10-15 hours to sand, with 5 of those hours spent in debate over Kayleen's intentions for the bottom to be completely smooth (thus the pretty factor), and my desire to see how far I could throw the sander into the woods.

L-R: Lisa, Eric, Emily, & Kayleen

To rabbit trail for a moment, last night Kayleen and I had the privilege to show off our restoration work thus far to Eric Brooks, the Skipper Craft's second owner of 25 years, and more famously, the man who let us drive away with the boat for a mere $100. His reaction was anything but stoic. "I kept this boat around for 25 years with the intentions to do what you girls have done in only a few months. This is incredible!" We went on to explain the progress we've made, what we still need to do, and how oddly enough, the moment that we pulled out the rotted transom, the entire garage was engulfed by horrendously strong gasoline fumes - Eric's eyes sparkled and a grin found his face as he said, "it would have made an awesome bonfire!"


So, what to watch out for: fiberglass! The center, where the boat is joined together has been fiberglassed, and within the next couple of days the remaining real estate will be covered as well. Once this step is complete and the resin cured, we will then be able to paint the bottom, enlist the help of our strongest friends, and flip the barge back over! For those of you who need a reference point, we are nearing the 70% completion mark. Cast and all, we are more excited than ever to watch our progress morph 57 year old plywood into a master piece!