Goodbye 2020!!!!

I can’t remember how many times I told my children to not wish away their lives when they were growing up. Something to do with Harry Potter/Percy Jackson/NHL was usually coming out in 3 or 4 months or in the summer of the following year so I would hear the inevitable “I can’t wait until (insert date) when (insert book/movie name/sporting event) comes out”. My fatherly advice usually was telling them that what they were looking forward to will be here soon enough and sometimes the anticipation was part of the fun.

Yeah … whatever!

Great advice back then but I just can’t seem to listen to it myself.

I want this year to be done with and I want to be back on the boat!!!

At the risk of offending anyone this is one of my favourite 2020 designs. Whoever thought it up is brilliant!

A couple of days ago I had a few more BBQ flippers made for Tom and Donald by a company here is St. Jacobs ….

… and the guy who made them gave me a little ornament to put on my tree. It is now sitting front and centre for all to see – and by “all” I mean just Leanne and Alex and Maddie because no one else is allowed in my house.

It’s not that 2020 didn’t have its good points. It certainly did. We know of a few babies that were born this year in our circle of family and friends. In 2033 they will be known as “Quaranteens”.

And then there was our first ever boating season.

Although it was short and we never actually made it out of Colpoy’s Bay we loved it. Next year will add an entirely new level of fun as we experience more and more of what this lifestyle has to offer. Until then I have this …

I can’t seem to listen to my own advice and I am ok with that. 2020 was more than just 366 consecutive days (it was a leap year). It was, as the Washington Post reported from a poll of its readers, “exhausting”. There really wasn’t any down time away from stress … we were among the lucky ones and for that I am grateful.

Now back to an update on our boat.

First of all … news from the marina. As I mentioned in a previous post we are getting the techs at the marina to do some work on her over the winter and they have been sending me some photos for the blog.

We are getting some cosmetic work done and the first set of photos shows what is happening to the door on the transom. The original design for this model was (and is) terrible. A heavy door swinging out onto the swim platform never really worked. We removed the door entirely in August once we decided to commit to a change. In this photo you will see the offending area. The door sagged and never closed properly.

Now the port side of the opening has been filled in to match the starboard side.

Our plan now is to make a flat panel that either is removable or swings in to the cockpit. We haven’t finalized that design yet. Someone I work with (I will call him Dennis) long ago used the phrase “Shoot and then aim”. I often live by that rule now. Make the decision to do something and the details can be worked out later. It is good advice.

The other work that has now been done is the transducers have now been installed.

The existing trim tabs are now working and the extra trim tab kit has been installed. The 460 is a heavy boat and it needs all the help it can get to get up on plane. Jeff told me that these tabs will be in the down position all the time.

Just before we put the boat in the water last June I had hired someone to do a survey on the boat and so he took hull moisture readings (very positive) but did find an issue with what are called the cutless (or cutlass) bearings. He said they were worn and would eventually need replacing. I had no idea what they were but here is an explanation …

“A bearing on the drive shaft of a vessel, usually made of brass with an inner grooved rubber lining that is lubricated by the surrounding water entering the grooves as it rotates”

I need to replace them both and since, our boat is in the shop, I figured now is the perfect time to spend more money on her. The photos aren’t the best but it’s all I have.

Once they removed the port and starboard strut/cutlass bearings they noticed both shafts had quite a bit of “DOWN PRESSURE” on the strut and, after splitting both couplings from the transmissions, they found that the alignment was out. They were able to get correct alignment by raising the back mounts on both engines and are now waiting for the bearings to come in and, once they are, will send new photos.

It looks like our Becky has had a baby!

Now back to our shop work.

Donald is continuing to work on the storage seating for the transom area. This is a photo from when we were fitting it in the fall.

By the way … Donald is inside with the tops on. He needed to fasten them to the brackets and had to be inside to do it.

The plan is to upholster the seats and finish the front the same way we will be covering the rest of the cockpit walls. This is not fixed in place and is removable (with help from 3 other strong people) if needed.

The seats lift up and extend over the transom a bit.

I also refinished the Canadian flag table and will most likely have to do it every year. It only took me about an hour.

Another project was to mark the new anchor chain. I bought these plastic clips that fit into the chain links. I have extras in case they fall out but they seem to be held in very solidly.

I finally cleaned the BBQ

I should be doing this throughout the summer but I am too lazy plus I don’t want to get any abrasive cleaner in the water. I left the cleaner on overnight and then wiped it off the next day. I final hi-pressure rinse and it looks great.

Work has now resumed on the bow lounge chairs. I am finishing one now so I can bring it to the upholsters in early January so he can make two sets up.

As a reminder this is what they will look like.

The material that will be used on these seats is the same as what we are using in the cockpit and is by Sunbrella. We will also be getting fitted covers made as well.

This is where the loungers will be placed on the bow. Luckily we have two chrome rails running the length of the bow to secure them to.

With the addition of a removable canopy over the bow just above the chairs we will have a very nice spot to relax when on the hook. Canadian Yacht Tops in Lefroy, ON will be making this canopy when we have it there for the new bimini in early June.

Finally … what is a boat day without Tom and Chris. Back again for more punishment although they were in a warm and dry area. Since we all have to keep socially distant they worked on their own.

For this trip they took on the task of cleaning the dinghy. It was pretty dirty when we got it back to the shop and, even after half an hour under hi-pressure water, it didn’t get fully clean.

This is the cleaner I bought for them to use. It seemed to work very well.

I also bought some UV protector from the same manufacturer. As usually they did a great job.

The only thing left to do on the dinghy is replace the battery and fix the bilge pump.

Well that’s it for 2020. It will most likely be the end of January before I have enough for a new post.

I had forgotten about the fact that I have one video on YouTube that I did in September of 2019. Remember 2019? It was about 3 years ago.

I will be adding videos in the spring and will show our first official trip when we take it some time in June. By then we are hoping that she will be all done.

Until my next blog I hope that everyone is safe and healthy for what remains of 2020. Please check back in the new year.