"Is it Done?" "Is it in the Water?"

We really appreciate the enthusiasm that friends and family have kept showing for our seemingly never ending project. It feels like most days one of us gets asked whether the boat is "done" or in the water. The truth is that being done is still quite a bit aways. We'll probably be mostly done with the initial round of big projects sometime next summer, even if some smaller things linger on. However, being in the water is - hopefully - much much closer!

We have now achieved one of the biggest milestones that had been weighing on us ever since we started looking at larger boats last summer: transport! Admittedly, I'm not short on opinions when it comes to boats, so there weren't many appealing options near us, and transport logistics were often a complicating factor on boats we liked. So it's a big relief to have our new boat moved, even though it took significant effort. Above, Becca shows off the elbow room we enjoyed during our last few weekends in Manitowoc, once everyone else was in the water. Below, one of our last times driving into the warehouse, our "second home". 

So the Manitowoc chapter has been closed. It was short but quite memorable... The type of experience that will have defined a phase of our lives, even if it lasted about 9 months. I was there 17 weekends during that span, several of them long ones. Becca did 15, and a handful of friends and family joined us for a couple. I know I'd be able to recognize the smell of that warehouse years from now! We probably won't miss the warehouse floor lunches but we will miss the the ice cream sundae breaks at Beerntsens, a stop we made sure to make during our last weekend there.

Prepping the boat for transport was a little more than we bargained for. The heavy radar arch had to come down (which we managed with the help of a third pair of hands belonging to our friend Paul Oleson)... But also the canvas top including all the stainless frames, the windshield assemblies, the compass, wheel and electronics, the flybridge ladder and handrails, etc... We also had to pick up all our mess and secure everything so that nothing would get damaged. Not to mention, two weekends before transport, we were still doing critical projects, such as putting in the last four windows. The collages below show some of the messy process... as well as a preview of something we haven't shared yet... Anyone spot something fun? 

Little by little, things came down, and we left the boat looking pretty naked, with everything we removed nicely put away or tied down. It took us way longer to wrap things up than we expected, and we didn't leave Manitowoc until about 6pm that last Sunday... Making for a very late arrival to the cities and a tough Monday morning. 

That following Thursday we got the call from Cross Country Boat Transport that the boat was loaded and ready to go. Everything had gone smoothly, and we even got compliments on the quality of our prep, which admittedly felt good considering the effort we put in. Below left, the picture that the driver sent us as he left Manitowoc. That evening, Becca and I made the drive to Bayfield... The three-and-a-half hours felt luxuriously short, and it was surreal to see this boat in a different context, at our actual marina. 

To be clear, the boat arriving in Bayfield didn't mean that it was ready to go in the water. We still had some projects to finish prior to having it professionally surveyed, and then we had to update our insurance accordingly. We had two weekends of work ahead of us prior to survey, and we made the most of them. The first weekend, upon arriving on Thursday night, we camped for three nights at our friends' land across the street from the marina. Several days of boat projects while camping was pretty intense. But hotels in the area are very expensive, and we felt very ready to stop paying for accommodations to work on this boat (that alone has been quite an expense - so thanks Dan and Jessica!!) The second weekend we decided to get a hotel, but for one night only. We drove up early on Saturday and worked until late on Sunday, arriving home - once again - close to midnight. 

Our first time in our "new" warehouse space came with a surprise... Look close at the photo above and see if you can guess it. We were surprised to notice something there... Let's play again: Anyone see what caught our eye?

I'll answer that one... It turns out that the buyer of our Tiara has not had the boat moved yet. I had imagined that boat long gone, and had to do a double take when I spotted it in the back corner of the warehouse. It was a bit strange but - surprisingly - I think I've moved on already... because of all the blood, sweat, tears, time, and money we've already put into Idilio, it really didn't feel like my boat anymore, just 4 months after selling it. Maybe it's that in many ways I already know this boat better than I knew the Tiara in the 14 years I owned it. 

Some of the work we wanted to do before survey was mechanical and technical, but a lot of it was just trying to make the boat not feel like a total construction zone. Which meant, starting to work on some of the finishes. Below, I'm helping Becca with the headliner in the aft cabin head, which we replaced. Doing stretched out headliner is a job we don't recommend, if your tolerance for frustration is low. 

I also finally started on the installation of the new vent for that space. You may remember this area was not attractive before, as we shared towards the bottom of an early entry here. In fact it was so ugly that it was one of the first things you noticed when you came onboard, so it's a nice item to check off the list. The hole in the fiberglass was too big for the new fitting, so I had to make a transitional piece out of Starboard. The installation also required me to use my "holinator" bits again. This was sometimes a collaborative effort, with Becca functioning as a sort of clamp. 

A couple other exciting things have happened. We received and got to unroll our new bed mattresses, for both the forward and aft cabins. It seemed a little early to be doing that when there's still so much to finish, but that's how the schedule worked out. We're also now official, as we've applied the registrations numbers to the hull! 

One thing that I've been just a witness to, but that has been fun to watch, is the start of the interior painting. If you recall, both sleeping cabins and heads are getting new paint and wallpaper... But it really took all winter to sand the surfaces in preparation. Well, we're finally to the fun part. Well, Becca was having all kinds of fun when she started...

We are not being shy with color and this boat's cabins will be full of life! To be honest, as happy as Becca seems there, there were low points. Both of us have been a little bit more on edge than usual, and have started to become a little bit more easily frustrated when things turn out more difficult than they should be. (Cue painters tape meltdown incident...) We're pretty sure it's just the intensity of the effort, too many long weekends in a row and feeling like no matter how much we do, the list seems to magically stay the same - or even grow!

There's a lot other stuff going on with the finishes, new valances and curtains in the works, new carpet has been ordered for the whole boat - and is expected to go in mid August! - etc. The picture below summarizes where we're at... Some things are starting to look finished, and yet the overall vibe is still that of a work zone. 

We are glad to be back at Pikes Bay though. They were already able to do some critical service items for us, including putting the final touches on the new electrical installation. So, after our four straight weekends of hard work (two in Manitowoc and two in Bayfield), plus a little clutch service from Pikes, we believe that the boat is ready for the water. Sure, I haven't even started installing the new sanitary system, and there's tons of other projects outstanding, but those can happen anywhere, including in the slip. Or, next winter... Or, next summer...

During a little break, we took a walk down to our slip, which has been sitting there empty all summer. Looks nice! Now if I could just enjoy this flybridge view with the water as background, I'll be a happy camper - errrrr, boater! 

The survey was this past Thursday, and we should get the report by Monday. There is a good chance we'll be in the water next week, just in time for my parents visit!