After some weeks away from the boat for Anne to work in Minneapolis and for us to attend family events, we returned to North Carolina in mid-June. For the past month or so, we have been focused on boat projects. Our initial projects were feasible while Tilia was in the water. However, we also had a long “to-do” list for maintenance and upgrade projects below the waterline, so we had Tilia hauled out of the water on June 30th.
While Tilia was still in the water, we accomplished some tasks, including:
- Replaced the trampolines. Our trampolines were original to the boat and were over a decade old. While we were in the Bahamas, we realized some of the stitching holding the trampolines together had failed; eaten by the sun. We knew we didn’t want to fall through! After multiple trial-and-error efforts (we laced and re-laced about five times), we now have beautiful, strong new trampolines. Our new nets are black rather than off-white and it is MUCH easier to see through them down to the water. This will be nice when we’re deploying or retrieving the anchor.
- Solved a leaky hatch. Our hatch over the helm seat started to leak about a year ago and had gotten steadily worse. No fun to be dripped on while underway in the rain, and we don’t like the instruments getting wet.
When Tilia is out of the water, we don’t have air conditioning, water usage has to be kept to almost nothing, and all access to and from the boat is by ladder. We decided to stay in an AirBnB, instead of on the boat, while Tilia was in the yard. Being able to get into air conditioning after working on the boat was a nice treat!
While Tilia was hauled, we knocked down some items:
- Cleaned the hulls. After a power wash by the yard that hauled us, we scraped both hulls to remove residual barnacles. Tilia has a copper coat on the boat to prevent barnacle growth, but it is close to the end of its life span (another boat job in our future), so we had some barnacles to remove.
- Cleaned and greased our propellers, and removed barnacles from the propeller shafts. The propellers can be feathered to reduce drag when we are sailing. This mechanism has to be greased regularly.
- Replaced our zincs. Dissimilar metals corrode quickly in salt water. The zincs are sacrificial components that will corrode before anything else nearby does, protecting our propellers and propeller shafts. The zincs get used up over time, so we have to replace them occasionally.
- Replaced our boat name decals. While we loved the design of our previous decals, the boat name was too small for Tilia’s size and too hard to read at a distance. We are really excited with the new logo, and it’s so satisfying to place them ourselves!
- Installed line cutters. One of the hazards we watch for is getting a propeller entangled in crab or lobster pots. The line cutters are razor sharp, serrated blades designed to cut any ropes that get wrapped into the propellers. We will still keep a close watch, but the line cutters will be an extra layer of defense.
- Replaced a dripless seal. The dripless seal allows the propeller shaft to turn while keeping water from entering the boat where the shaft exits if. Our starboard seal had started dripping and so had to be replaced. This involved disconnecting the propeller shaft from the engine, sliding it part way out of the boat, removing the old seal, installing the new seal and then reconnecting the shaft to the engine. We took this opportunity to upgrade to a more robust seal, as well.
We’ve been asked if we could hire this work out. We could hire much of it out, but it can take some time to find skilled workers, and waitlists can run weeks to months. Besides saving money and choosing our own timelines, doing the work ourselves ensures a quality of work we want and helps us learn a LOT about the boat systems. It’s worth the sweat equity! However, we did hire out a few things:
- Stainless loops welded to the stern arch. These will allow us to easily tie the dinghy securely to our boat for ocean passages. We were making it work with lines and knots, but this is a better long-term solution.
- Polished and waxed the hull. Tilia hadn’t been polished and waxed since we bought the boat and was looking a bit worn. This gives her a nice shine!
- Re-upholstered the cockpit cushions. The old fabric was wearing out. We found a shop in the area that did a nice job. As a bonus, the new cushions bring a little bit of color to the cockpit.
Our idea is to take Tilia across the Atlantic next spring / summer. All of this maintenance and upgrade work will help make the idea a reality.
We haven’t been only working of course. With the heat (typical days brought heat indices between 100-105 degrees), we usually worked all morning and then took a break for the afternoon and evening. We’ve enjoyed catching up with local sailing friends, exploring the area, and catching up on non-boat work.
We’ll head back to Minnesota now for some more work and family time and then return in late August for a couple of months of cruising in the Northeast. Can’t wait! The effort over the past weeks will pay off, we know.