Ongoing Boat Projects

If we seem to have fallen down on our projects, it only appears that way. Since we arrived in Fort Myers Beach, the work on the boat has been constant. That doesn't mean we have not had time to walk on the beach, go for a swim in the Gulf, or sample the local cuisine. We have done all of that between working on the boat. Getting her cruise ready for the next big trip is always our priority. But every once in a while, we need to have a little fun, too. Some of the projects began while we were in Maryland, and some have been waiting for us to find a good deal on the right equipment. I suppose the day will actually come when we can say, "We are ready."


We began replacing the old bronze ports about 9 months ago. We posted the step by step installation on a previous page. At that time, we only replaced one and the others were sort of put on the back burner as other more pressing issues came up, and then there was the whole process moving the boat and us to south Florida. But now I have had the time to get back to them, and for good reason. With all of the current rains we've had, the ports began to leak. Here is a photo of one of the old ports in the forward cabin. It looks as disgusting as all of the other 30-year-old originals.

This is how it looks with the shiny new stainless steel port from New Found Metals. The only problem with these nice new ports is that they make the old wood around them look even sadder. So I guess that will move up the list. After the first one was installed, the next were much easier. Even with all of the repair work that needs to be done after the old port is removed, it only averages a couple of days to replace each one. That is while keeping one eye on the weather and knowing that by 3:00 in the afternoon, everything has to be finished for the day and the hole in the boat sealed up to keep the rain out. We now have 3 completed and the other two should be finished by the end of this next week.

The ports are not the only thing that has been ongoing. At about the same time, we are installing the new Icom 802 radio. Of course that will be our next project to post. Between boat projects, we need to make a few dollars to pay for all of this stuff. Susan is getting settled in with her new job, the new Navigational Notices for Marinalife are online, and members are now receiving them by email. We are all pretty excited about how well it's going and how well it has been received by Marinalife Members. If anyone wants to receive them, all you have to do is go on to the Marinalife website and sign up. It is free.