Probably A Good Decision, The Gleaning

Folks that build such big stuff like houses and boats start out with a vague concept of having something that is perfectly suited for you, your lifestyle, your quirks, your personality. You enter the crazy phase, where you solidify weird ideas about details that will make this boat yours. These conceptual details send you off on a tangent. If you can remain true, you can finish what you started. We have persevered. The boat is ready to float. It took longer than it should due to the tangential pursuits. The boat is basically built according to the original plans. The addition of furniture, cockpit, and backslides delayed things. If you do it right, it takes time. Not included in the original plans is the time spent doing things that are not actually construction. Like studying the plans, which are poorly laid out, so you have to look in a few places to find the detail you need. The time spent researching material. The time spent shopping, both on line and in stores. The time spent just thinking on the solution of a problem that comes to you in the middle of the night. Eventually the concept clots. So you finish,  the boat perfect for the guy that conceived it, the guy you were 5+ years ago. The stuff we build never changes.......we change.

This week allowed me to pack stuff up in both the truck and the boat. With each item stowed, the pressure reduced. The truck is chucky jam full of stuff no longer needed in boat construction. The boat is chucky jam full of boat stuff: sails, things to be attached later, bits if this, bits of that, a real son of a bits.  My chucky jam brain is less chucky jammed.

And, thanks to Mike (Me Bruddah) for his comments on the Hawaiian blessing of boats. I could just travel around around the world getting the Dog blessed by various religions and sects.  Rasta mon vibrations, Shinto spiritualism, Vodun, Ya can't be too careful.

​So, tomorrow I run away for a while. One more thing out of the way so I can concentrate on the launch. Over the week, I loaded the truck piece by piece. I sold the CNC router. I stuffed the sails into the aft port cabin- those things are big! I checked out the truck for the trip. Once you say you're going, it's hard to stay focused. Gonna eat a turkey. Gonna read books. Gonna................ I dunno. 

The week started with me scraping the old ugly paint off the motor wells so I could apply new ugly paint of the correct tint and temperament. 

I spent a day trying to get the lights on the trailer to work. Finally surrendering to the inevitable, I motored to wallyworld and bought a cheap set for 20 bucks. An hour and a half of further travails rendered operable lights.

I started packing the truck. First item at hand, loading the planer. I swear that thing got a lot heavier since we brought it here. So a lot of heave-hoing wrestled it out of the shop and into the truck. More ho-heaving dragged it to the front of the truck bed. Now I could pack stuff around it for the trip.

I cut a deal with Bo and he came to pick up the CNC router. We had to dig up the software, push everything in the shop off to one side, clear a path to get it out where it could be loaded onto the trailer (there was a boat in the way).

Oh, yeah, back to the motor wells I sanded them a mite and put the first coat of paint on them.

It rained that night and the paint came off in spots. The cool weather and the rain slowed down the drying process. Nothing goes easily.

A couple more coats of paint and they were good.

Much tedium produced boat related stuff crammed into many places in the boat. This is the starboard aft cabin.

I stuffed the boat, I stuffed the truck and, Thursday, I'll stuff myself with turkey. Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans. Happy harvest to the rest of the world. 

The Music♪: Keegan McInroe "Big Old River"

Tomorrow I cross the Big Muddy.