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!