Wesley has been working quite a bit since she has been out of the water. I just wanted to show some pictures of the boat. We are trying to get her back in the water so we can take Braveheart out to remove the rest of his contents that we need for ATB. The weather has been great to work on her. Thanks to Pat and Lorin for coming out yesterday to see ATB! Also, I wanted to say hello to Chris, my fellow RRT for Northside. We saw him the other day, working on his boat that is next to Braveheart.
I know it has been a while since my, so I wanted to take a minute to fill everyone in on the progress of ATB.
ATB is still at the moment out of the water. We needed to sand the keel and repaint it. Wes has been spending some time sanding the keel. We have ordered the barrier coat- it is a primer for the boat to go on top of the fiber glass. So, we are trying to get this done so we can put her back into the water. It costs more to keep her ut on the “hard”, which is the ground then being in the water.
We have also purchased motor mounts for the engine to sit on so we can place the engine back into the boat. A company here in Cumming, GA was able to fill that need. Wes has also painted the rudder as well. Here are some pics of the before and after. The grey is a epoxy barrier coat, just like primer but for salt water. We need 3-6 coats of this before we can paint it.
I do not know if I told you guys about our other boat that Wes is completely gutting. Braveheart is a 25-foot boat and we have taken all of his electronics, teak, railing, and the mast from him. We just have a bit more teak to go and we will cut it up and send to the junkyard. Below are some pictures of Braveheart.
BRAVEHEART
I did not realize that I have not posted since Thanksgiving! Life marches on, school is almost done, the tumor came back but it is small, and I am on chemo every three weeks. But we are well, and I pray everyone is doing well!
Wow! This year has flown by! We have taken ATB out of the water! It happened sooner than we planned but that is ok. The doc where she was sitting was destroyed by a few recent storms. Not the entire dock just the uncovered portion. So, the marina told everyone on the uncovered dock that we had to move. Since ATB nor our other boat, Braveheart does not run they had to be moved by barge and lifted out of the water. Of course, I was in class and Wes was at work when they moved them both so no video. Ugh! I really wanted to see it, but she will be out of the water again. Here are some photos of ATB out the water. I really did not comprehend how big she was until she was out on the hard dock.
ATB is a full keel boat. That is one of the reasons she is a great open ocean cruiser. Our first job is to sand and repaint the keel. Wes has taken the rudder off and we are looking for bronze housing for the propeller shaft to go through. We decided to go up to north Georgia to what I called the boat graveyard. It was a junk yard for boats. That was an interesting trip. We had one of the employees take us through the yard to see if we could find an old bronze holding. It was creepy walking through there and it went on for miles but we did not have any luck so we will just have to purchase a housing.
O dock is our new home for Braveheart. It will be ATB’s home as well when we finish working on the keel. I cannot remember if I told you about Braveheart. He is a 37-foot Hunter. One of our neighbors on our old dock who originally owned Braveheart passed away and his son sold it to us because he lives in Michigan. We have stripped him of everything that we could get out of him- a toilet, lots of navigation electronics, teak wood, the mast, and the engine. So, we have gotten out money’s worth out of him and will be installing all of that into ATB.
Thanks to everyone who has donated to the beer cap wall! It looks great and though it is not finished yet I wanted to show you the progress.
Beer Cap Wall
I added some more pictures of the bedroom cabinets Wes has made and installed as well as the work he has done on the seats on the deck.
I wanted to mention our boat neighbors. We have some that live on their boat full time, and they are the watchers of ZI dock. They let us know if anything is going on. A while back, there were quite a few burglaries. Though the marina put up a gate at the beginning of the dock, that did not stop people from driving a boat up to other boats and stealing equipment, tools and whatever else they wanted to take. Very frustrating and it made us put all our tools in a locked cabinet on the boat as well as double lock the boat to the inside.
I went out to the boat with Wes after this class was over and I had some time off before my next class to hang out for a while. It was so nice. Quiet too. Our boat neighbor’s dog- Baby came to visit and Wes keeps treats on the boat just for her!
I know it has been a very long time since I have written an entry – so here we go!
It has been a crazy 6 months. As most of you know I had a desmoid tumor last year which almost took me out but by God’s grace I was spared and here we are. I am back at work and back in school, so it has been a bit busy.
ATB- She is looking great! Wes has been doing a great job and working on her. She is still at the marina, and we have not gotten her out of the water yet, but are getting there. Aqualand marina has had quite a bit of drama itself with broken docks, heavy storms, trees down, electricity and internet out as well as some of our neighbors boats sinking and on top of all of that burglaries. Whew! But as you will see in the pictures, the work continues.
Beer cap wall- so there is a blank wall in the galley(kitchen), that we have decided to put beer caps on the wall. We have been collecting them for about 3 years…and we still do not have enough! So, I am reaching out to you guys to help us get to our 1800 cap goal. That is a lot of beer! We are looking for tops that are not to dented and still have pretty good shape. So, if you would like to donate some caps, please let me know! The more the merrier! When Wes finishes the wall, I will take pictures and post them so you can see!
Bathroom #1- Wes has been diligently working on our bathroom with the shower. He has painted it and now he has tiled it! If you didn’t know tile is Wes’s specialty! He can tile anything. It is a skill for sure. He has added railings and doors for the cabinets and next we are looking to paint the galley. The counter top in the galley are tiled with brick pavers with epoxy on top.
Enjoy the pics!
Counter top above freezerNew Cabinet DoorsNew tile in shower
Well spring is finally here, and our world is going back to somewhat normal. I am back at work and go back to school in May. After a year of illness, it is good to still be here.
Wesley has been really motivated and has done a lot more work on ATB. I keep going back to or original photos of her because it is amazing how much she has come along.
Amazing!
Last weekend Wes spent his time with the second bedroom. He replaced most of the rotted wood that was on the walls and placed a light as well. Here are some pics of the new wood he put in.
New wood in the second bedroom
I really need to go hang out with him while he works on her, but it is not my thing. I have been banned from power tools- last spring I nearly knocked my front teeth out from holding a drill the wrong way. I had to go to the dentist to make sure I did not break anything because it hurt so much. But I was good, just had to wait for the pain to pass.
But living on the boat and sailing I will not have a choice but to become more of a mechanic as well as know how to work the boat. I am looking forward to the challenge. It is something new and it is always good to get out of one’s comfort zone.
Especially since being out on the ocean our main goal is not to capsize and drown. Just saying.
I am excited and nervous at the same time. But what I have read about people who live on boats and sail the world that if you did not feel that way then something is wrong.
I know it has been a while since my last post, but life happens with all its ups and downs. Since August I have been dealing with a desmoid tumor and have not been able to work or go to school. Fortunately, now I am back to normal and excited about posting again!
ATB is coming along. Wes has been working on her on and off, but now that the weather is getting warmer, he can spend more time putting her back together. So, what has he done? Well, he has labeled all the water and electrical lines and which way they go, which I have read in other blogs is extremely helpful when in a rush. I am so happy about it because it will be immensely helpful to me should anything happen, and he is not readily available (on hand). In addition to this, Wes has almost finished gutting the smaller boat we bought. Everything from cushions to electronics and even teak wood is being removed for use on ATB.
We were out at the lake yesterday to check on her as well as to fit a new sink that Wes made specially for her. What a relief he has decided to put a regular head in since I do not like dealing with the compost toilet at all. Yeah!
Below is the new sink in the second bathroom that Wes built himself. The faucet is from the smaller boat.
This year has bought many changes to our normal lives! Sometimes I do believe that everything happens for a reason and this extra time with our families is a gift.
But sorry for the delay. School is online and work has been terribly busy for both of us.
There have been many changes at Aqualand Marina where ATB is on Lake Lanier. They installed a wake wall to help with the wake that we get from all the boaters going by. We have new neighbors as well. That has been the biggest change. But we are handling the changes and thanks to all for coming by and giving us advice about boats. It is a never-ending project.
ATB is coming along! I cannot believe how good she looks now. I had to go back and look at the photos of when we first got her. One reason why I wanted to write today is because Wes did a fantastic job on the ceiling in the pilot house. Now he said it was quite a bit of work so it will only be in this room. Which is fine because most people will only see this room. Wes has combined different types of wood with some original parts to make this room special. We are not using teak because of the cost but oak and cedar work just as well.
The old with the new
We have electricity as well as water! We will use the tank water for showers, cleaning and use bottled water for drinking and food.
Another addition is that we have a stove! It is a propane stove that is used for camping. It fit perfectly and though we will probably not use it as much because it does heat up the galley, Wes attached a grill outside so we can use that as well.
Recap on the compost toilet. So, Wes has used the toilet but only for poop! He made his own compost mixture made from kitty liter and sawdust. There is no smell and if you do pee and poop, it soaks it up very well. A few people we have been watching on You Tube change theirs out about once a month. In the other bathroom which is basically for pee- it can go straight out into the ocean. Now do not quote me on this- we shall see how long this will last. But for right now it is working well.
Since it was such a beautiful afternoon, we decided to go out to the boat and take Onyx. Since you guys have not met Onyx yet, she is our beautiful baby girl! She is our 7-year-old black lab who is large and in charge!
I wasn’t too sure how she would do out on the boat, but she has sea legs for sure! She was quite comfortable on the boat. We just have to figure out how to get her inside the cabin. I am sure Wes will come up with some way so she can get in and out of the cabin with ease. He is good like that.
Everything you see is recycled from old jobs that Wes has doneShower
So, in my last post, Wes was working on the toilet but today he showed me where he hooked up the shower and how we have hot water for the shower. We are still working on the compost toilet.
I must admit that I was impressed with his shower idea. The water …hopefully will be placed in this galvanized can with a 12-volt heating element to heat the water. Really?!?!?!
I would have never thought about that. I thought maybe use some propane tanks but that is extra storage on the boat. Storage is sacred and if we can use something else, why not. There is a 4th room that we can use for supplies and maybe even the 3rd bedroom we can use as well.
Wes has installed more lights as well. ATB is coming along,
and she is getting noticed on our doc. She was in a sad state when we got her,
but she is looking better.
I hope everyone got to enjoy this glorious and beautiful day!
February is almost gone! Wow this year is moving along and we are moving along as well with ATB! Wes has been diligently working on one of the bathrooms. As I have mentioned before, we are moving towards compost toilets. Which is great and environment friendly. Now he got this idea from Sailing Uma on You Tube. I love the fact that others are more than happy to share their adventures as well and make videos on how to get stuff done on their boat! It has been a rough couple of months out at the pier where ATB is docked. Between the snow and all the rain, the pier is now almost under water in some places. The marina has also shut off the power due to the high water.
The bathroom with the new sink and the bucket!This is the showerWes made the counter top.
I hope everyone is having a good start of the year. As usual we are busy, but I do not think there is day that doesn’t go by that we do not talk about life on the boat. She is surely becoming a part of our life.
