But first we had to begin cleaning up our yard in the oxbow and we started with the Airstream. We have been trying to sell it ourselves but to no avail. Carter found an RV Exchange up in Tampa that will sell it for us on consignment so he set about replacing the flooring to make it more appealing to prospective buyers. It turned out really good! He also had a friend come by to repair the tongue. Then we pressure washed it and off to Tampa we went.
Good as new!
In preparation for the possibility of getting water in the cockpit, Carter has placed weatherstripping around the opening for the engine room. He will double protect the opening with caulk.
Carter decided to put the original pulpit back on the boat. He rented a pipe bender, we made a few key bends and now we have a pulpit!
We spent a day washing and scrubbing the boat in preparation for painting. Carter recruited some help to come over and prime the superstructure and and the walkways.
We put non-skid on the walkways... niiiice!
We put non-skid on the walkways... niiiice!
The deck is cleared off and scrubbed down and a layer of primer is going down.
Next Carter worked on finishing up some structural issues to install the remaining 4 solar panels. The main column needed to be centered on the hinge for the actuator to line up with later on and some additional bracing needed to be installed. Above, the panels are in the full upright position to allow Carter access to remove the old wood structure.
SURPRISE! Frog the face.
When we dropped the old wood beam we found a stowaway...
Just hangin around while Carter continued to work!
We relocated him to the scrap pile!
He seemed happy enough.
Ribbit....Ribbit
We had to take out the center posts so the panels could be lowered all the way to the deck . We left a stub to be incorporated into removable handrails that can double as gangways. We covered the cockpit floor with gangplanks.
And the last 4 panels are up!
Next will be the task of wiring them up.
In the middle of all this work, our friends Gordon and Kim came by and joined us for dinner
"on the lanai" ! LOL
Some of the darndest things happen. Just before dinner, a boater from across the river informed us that our whaler had slipped its mooring and blown across the oxbow. No problem, Carter jumped in the kyack and went to the rescue!
If you look close you can see the whaler under the catamaran's right starboard wing.
Boston Whaler in the right corner pocket! Ha! Ha!
We topped off the day with a sunset cruise in the rescued whaler.
The Caloosahatchie is blessed with some of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen.
We are spending this weekend cleaning up the yard behind us and packing up the boat
because once we are out of the boat yard we intend to make our way across
Lake Okeechobee and then North from Stuart to Cape Canaveral.
because once we are out of the boat yard we intend to make our way across
Lake Okeechobee and then North from Stuart to Cape Canaveral.
The Oxbow in LaBelle
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