Turning the Corner?

Well, here we are in late May and as deep in this project as we ever were... 

We are still cautiously optimistic that we may yet get Idilio in the water this year, even if just for a couple of months, but there is lots to do before we get there. Our visits to Manitowoc are accelerating! I've even done a couple of back-to-back weekends as we push to get this boat to a condition where it can be splashed. 

All that said, we are starting to wonder if we're finally "turning the corner." Even though we are still taking things out, some of the new is starting to go in! It's definitely a morale booster when you get to put something nice in, after putting so much effort into the deconstructing. 

One such example is the hatches. They are in! The hatch saga is over! If you go back to one of our earliest posts, from our first project weekend on this boat, you'll remember that removing them and sending them out for refurbishing was one of the first things we did. I recently told this story of how this became a mini saga (see last post), but now they're done! They look fantastic, even with the protective film still covering the new cast acrylic... That film is not coming off until this boat is in the water!

Another important item we've checked off the list is the conversion to Smartplug, a safer alternative to the typical shore power connection. It proved to be as easy as advertised, a simple project that offers great peace of mind. And it was nice that the cable side of the conversion was something that could be done at home... Anything we can do to advance the boat project while at home is great, and helps us maximize our time in Manitowoc. While we techincally could have converted the old cables that came with the boat, they were very worn and seemed well past their serviceable life... So we bought a new set of Marinco cables and converted those. 

One more rewarding little project: changing out the lower helm switches for new ones. This required some slight wiring modifications, as the old switches were illuminated and the new ones aren't, but it was pretty straightforward... It even solved another issue which turned out was just a bad switch: one of the windshield wipers wasn't working at our survey, but works fine after the new switch was installed. So turns out we don't need a windshield wiper motor after all. 

Yet, for all the progress we've steadily been making on so many fronts, there are larger things that are somewhat outside of our control... some of which have the potential of delaying not only our progress but also our potential splash date. Receiving and installing our new windows is obviously one that has us anxiously counting down days. Another was the removal of the generator, to make room for our new electrical supply system. The marina had the generator removal work order queued up for months, but I was starting to worry it was never going to happen. I started getting especially antsy as our new electrical equipment was slated to arrive. But, just in time, it was done! It was removed the same week that the new stuff arrived, and cleared the way for the big electrical project to commence. That's one old piece of equipment we won't have to worry about servicing and maintaining after all. Also, check out the open space it left in the engine room:

It was exciting to see all the new toys arrived... Lots of fancy Victron stuff including four AGM batteries, an inverter/charger, battery monitoring system, and battery isolators. Plus a ton of Blue Sea items, including new battery switches, bus bars, and fuse holders, etc. Some of the new toys were heavy! Our new house bank (the boat didn't have one, as I've shared before) will be made up of two 220 Ah batteries, each of which weighs 145 lbs. Getting those babies up to the boat required three of us and lots of strategic planning! The third person being - once again - our friend Eric who has now generously spent two weekends helping us with the project. So, two of us hoisted from the top (using lines, similarly to how we've lowered heavy and bulky items before) while the third helped by pushing and guiding from the bottom. It was challenging, even a bit scary (don't want to drop those!) - but we got it done. 

Generator out of the way and new toys on board, there were no excuses not to get going with rigging the new electrical. But first, with "all that room" to work (by boat standards), I had to take the opportunity to prep the area. I took a solo trip to Manitowoc specifically to clean the engine room platforms where the generator and old batteries used to be, and paint them in preparation for the new equipment. Since COVID started, Becca and I rarely do things alone, much less willingly separate for a full weekend, so this felt like quite an event. 

The vibe was so different being there by myself. There was no music (I just couldn't think of simply clicking play on the iPod there), no Becca-instigated snack breaks or walks, and no time taken to discuss design options or daydream out loud about the finished product. I tend to be very "heads down" and get lost in the work, always wanting to get a little more done and often forgetting to take snack breaks or timely meals. But, somehow, I managed to get through the weekend. 

Time really flew. I drove earlier in the day on Friday so that I could get a few hours of work in on Friday night. I'm glad I did, because there was substatntial prep work needed to even get started with sanding and painting. Many things had to be removed or unscrewed and propped up in advance. And, of course, old stuff had to be removed.

The rest of the weekend went to reinforcing the platforms based on the planned layout for the new equipment, and to sanding and painting. I used marine grade plywood to extend the raised platform where those hefty house batteries will sit, and to create a raised portion for the new engine start batteries as well as the inverter. After this, the platforms needed sanding. This all took more time than expected, and I ended up not getting to the first coat of paint until well past 6pm on Saturday. 

But with a second coat on Sunday, I completed my mission for the weekend, leaving the engine room platforms ready to receive the new electrical supply system!

That was the weekend of April 28-30... so, full disclosure, this blog is running a little behind actual events. We've been out there a couple more times since then, and made progress on some big ticket items (cough cough bulkhead, cough cough electrical rigging)! If you follow us on Instagram, you've probably seen some of it. Otherwise, stay tuned and we'll share an update on those soon. 

We have scheduled the boat to be hauled to Bayfield on the week of July 18, and have five more work weekends planned between now and then to get as much as we can done. If all goes right, the boat could conceivably still be in the water by the end of July!