So, my two-month refit of our Islander 36 appears to be stretching to four months. Which, when you consider that most of the reasons is simply we’ve been sitting around doing nothing waiting for parts is not all that bad. I’d be surprised if I’ve actually done a month’s labor when all is said and …
A couple of days ago we jettisoned the hard dodger on the Islander and the boat now looks a lot better. Granted, I will have to do some sort of minimal dodger but that can wait til the Holidaze have passed. The downside of removing the dodger is that the coach roof really does need …
Most everything, interior wise, in the Islander 36 is overbuilt. So, I’m going to really enjoy replacing a lot of heavy interior with lighter weight monocoque replacement units. Why anyone would use 3/4″ plywood when 1/4″ is available is a mystery to me? Meanwhile, this in the green-washing department makes me wonder how some folks …
I’ve taken a break from monitoring potential VolksCruisers for sale but from today’s cursory glance there is no shortage of boats for reasonable money available. As to the Islander: work continues but most of the tasks are fairly easy and the difficult parts is in resisting the urge to throw money at needless things. The …
We caught the lower edge of Tropical Storm Phillipe which was mostly just rain. The good news was that down here we’ve been in a drought situation so rain is no bad thing in general. That said, for a lot of folks being flooded they might decide to differ. We’d actually been hoping for a …
Every project in my experience has a “day from hell” or something like it and yesterday was the Islander’s day from hell. Funny though, it started as a day with high hopes with no problems foreseen. In fact, it was a day of high expectations with nary a sign of a problem at all. One …
I’ve got fifteen days left to get the Islander sorted out so I can leave this marina and get back to being at anchor where I belong. Which leaves some rigging, replacing the tricolor, checking the sails and organizing the running rigging. Of course, there’s still a lot of playing “Where does this wire go …
I’m on So It Goes today sorting out a CARE package to take back to the Islander to complete the various projects. I’m also waiting for some cable and cable lugs. It’s amazing just how work grinds to a stop when you don’t have all the bits and pieces in hand. That being the case, …
In one of Lin and Larry’s books they talk about their yearly purge of getting stuff off the boat that is not needed or not earning its keep. One of the best bits of advice I’ve encountered where boats are concerned. Just this morning I spent several hours going through boxes of the previous owners’ …
It’s amazing just how much space water can take up on a boat. Our Islander has two twenty-gallon water tanks in the salon area and it’s a bit frustrating because it’s the space I’d choose for tools and camera gear. I’ve been thinking of moving the two tanks elsewhere but it’s a good location for …
