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!