Update!

Buying a cheap boat makes a lot of work. But the work is finally starting to pay off. And the boat is just about ready to put into the water. Only a few more little things need to be done along with a good wash and wax.
Ive been trying to document the stuff I have done to the boat, but sometimes I just get into the work so much that I forget to take pictures and stuff. So here is just a small rough log of whats been going since the quarter ended. There are so many little things that had to be done on the boat its not funny. This is just the short list.

Picking up the boat in Michigan

The ship: A 1975 Cape Dory 25. I had to rent this beast to haul her home. She doesn't look that big but she weighs a lot thanks an 1800 pound lead keel. It took a long time and a lot of hours driving and searching the Internet to find a decent boat that was in good enough condition as well as being the right price.

Huge crack at the rudder skeg After taking a closer look it turns out there is a lot of work that needs to be done one the boat. This here crack at the bottom of the rudder skeg is first priority.

The repairThis is my repair job of the crack. The area that is grey is where the hull suffered from some pin hole weeping. To stop the weeping I sanded the paint bottom paint off down to the gel coat and then applied this Interlux brand epoxy paint sealer. This should stop any moisture from making its way in...from this spot anyway.

Cockpit seat/hatchThe port side cockpit seat/hatch cover was completely rotted out from the inside. The seat or made be taking a piece of balsa and laminating it with fiberglass. Well over the years water has seeped in through the screw holes where the hinges are mounted causing the balsa wood to rot. I repaired this by drilling tons of holes into the bottom side of the seat and the drying out the seat. After the seat dries I filled all the holes with epoxy. Now the seat is really strong and sealed properly at the hinges.

Going solar I have to get my power somewhere. This is an 80 Watt Sharp solar panel. I went from thinking about wind power to getting a gas generator and then finally choose to get a big solar panel. This guy makes more than enough power for me and my power hungry lap top. Check out the custom aluminum mounting. It turned out pretty nice and sturdy.

Fresh bottom anti-fouling paintBefore and after new bottom paint. This antifouling paint slowly wears away like a bar of soap, so that no sea slim or barnacles make there homes on the bottom of my boat.

Here is a more detailed list of whats been done:

Fix rudder skeg

Check all lines and rigging

Sand and paint bottom

Install solar panel

Install charge controller

Install new cockpit seat hinges

fix port cockpit seat

Re-wire mast

Install new LED anchor light

Install new masthead running light

Replace port nav light

Design and build mast raising system

Install new LED cabin lights

Install new VHF radio antenna

Install new VHF radio

Rig flag raising system

Install new chafe guards

Reset life line poles

Reinforce mask base

Fill all unfilled holes drilled into cabin top

Re-attach aft teak work

Paint lower unit of outboard

Tune up outboard

What still needs to be done:

Install new circuit breaker control panel

Install 12 volt plug outlets

Finish painting bottom aft

Sand and oil all teak

Clean the boat

That's all for now. This brings everything up to date.

Until next time...don't step on anything soft.