Refit Almost Complete

While having Beto in the water for a month last Fall, I had a few things I wanted to change up before heading to the sea where I have no garage to work. Moving hardware around, building the cedar deck, making some net lashing strips, and installing dodgers are a few of the things on the list. The non-stop rain here in the South has really lengthened the time I thought I would be working. 

However, I should be finished up with all of the refit changes by Sunday night. That means we will be in Florida by next weekend ready to cruise! Ali had off of work until the end of May, but her boss decided to force her back at the end of March. Due to this hiccup, she'll only be sailing for a month or so and I will be looking for another crew member in April/May. The HUI is at the end of May this year, and we damn sure will be there this time!!! After the HUI, we'll sail up to Pensacola where Beto will be moored for the hurricane season and used for weekend and day trips. 

I ended up making some hardwood lashing strips for the net. They are all epoxied. Tomorrow I'll varnish and install them. 

After an hour of scrubbing black death bird shit off of her. I had the cover off for three hours, and with my luck the birds decided to strike. 

Tested out the stain for the deck. The stain company advised to wait at least a month before staining to let it all dry out properly. We can't wait to apply it!

Changing Hatch Design

The previous hatch design I worked out allowed for a little more leaking than I would have wished. I changed the slider style to that of the Tiki 26, using "A Roamer" from Barefoot Boat Bums as an example. Now the forward part of the hatch is notched and connected to aluminum rails in order to slide but also be held down so to speak. I will have a line on the underside of the hatch and a jam cleat to lock the back end down when slid forward and another jam cleat inside to lock the hatch down when closed for sleeping in sketchy places. I still need to epoxy it and all, but here is a snapshot.

A Stable Cockpit

After sailing on Little Cat, Ali has been begging for a platform in the cockpit. I didn't want to spend $90 a sheet for the three additional sheets of Okoume I'd need, so I decided to go with a slatted deck. A slatted deck will also drain much better if we take a breaker over the deck. I'm using cedar 1x6 boards, so the whole thing is very light but strong. Some rigidity in the cockpit would be a nice change for daily life, especially when it comes to cooking, raising the mast, and sleeping on deck. Today I got the deck fitted to the crossbeams, and all that's left is working out the lateral support system in between.

It was getting dark when I took the photos, so I'll add some more later on.

Reunited

We just finished a two month road trip put West. I have a couple of things to do on Beto, and if that goes to plan we will start cruising her in March. She still looks good for two months of winter under a tarp!