Pangkor Marina, Marina Island, Malaysia
We've hauled Watusi 2 out of the water for a wee bit of maintenance and repair. She needs a spit and polish, bit of rust removal, a coat or 3 of antifoul on her underside and some new canvas topside. Quite the mini make over.
It's an interesting process watching the boat lift out of the water. Hubby had to steer it onto a huge trailer at the boat ramp. This trailer is equipped with long black air bladders that inflate to lift Watusi up and clear of the water. Also lift her high enough to clear the keel and rudder from ground level. Can't be scrapping her bottom on the cement ramp now. The driver then hauled the trailer out and positioned it where our boat would sit on land for the next several weeks. The marina yard lads used big steel stands to prop her up, the bladders were deflated, and voilà, Watusi is free-standing on land.
Ha! Famous last words on the 'mini make over'. Our boat is a slow work in progress. Just when we think work is getting done it all comes to a grinding halt for various reasons. Scratch the surface and find a whole list of extra jobs to do. And a pun on 'whole' as we actually found a hole. A decent sized one right on the waterline. Not where you want a hole, that's for sure. What we thought was a bubble in the painted stripe was, in fact, a large circle of rust that had eaten all the way through. Another job on the list. Check.
So this nice big hole in our hull is getting plated and welded up. It's amazing what extra work you find when you start sanding or poking the hull. The boat outside has several jobs on the go. Hull sanding, prop shaft and cutlass bearings, welding up holes, grinding out rust on the deck, painting, stainless steel cleaning, teak trim scrubbing and the list goes on. It's hard when all the jobs are started but none completed. But we're plodding along, doing what we can do while we wait for tradies to do their bit.
From this to....
mmm... quite the hole
anchor winch removed for rust cleanup
a wee bit of scrubbing to bring the teak trims back to life
Downstairs, the boat is a complete disaster zone. The aft cabin has been emptied into the saloon. Every tool bag is also out of its designated hatch or cupboard and now lives on the couch in the saloon. The carpet is pulled up and now sits on the table in, you guessed it, the saloon. The gallery floor has been removed for engine and propeller shaft access and gas and electricity has been disconnected.
hand sanding the hull is dirty work
saloon? What saloon?
Such a bummer we have to live in an air-conditioned apartment while work is ongoing 😉 .
Until next time, Watusi Woman - overwhelmed sailor, out.
say hello to our little friend
