Just When You Think You're Done...

Finally, a sunny weekend. We even made sure we brought a cooler to keep our favorite frosty beverages cool.

After 3 Barrier Coats on Saturday and 1 Barrier Coat, 1 Bottom Coat and a fully waxed hull on Sunday, we were, still only, almost ready to wet the boat. A final bottom coat on Monday morning put the finishing touches on our drydock season.

Wednesday morning was the day the boat would be dropped into it's summer home. After leaving work in Newton, Mass, I raced east on the pike and over the Tobin Bridge eager to see Miller Time in the water. I jumped aboard, checked the hatches and was greeted with a bilge filled with water. For those of you not familiar with boating, the water is supposed to outside the vessel.

After pumping out as much water that the one working bilge pump would allow, it appears that we have a small leak where the new transducer was installed. Nobody likes drilling holes beneath the waterline, but the new depth finder required it. My fearless, road warrior, father is on his way down as we speak, armed with a sleeping bag and a pipe wrench. We are both hoping for a quick fix.

Boating doesn't always mean using the boat for what you want. Sometimes, it takes a dirty job or two to get you where you want. Better safe than sorry. Just when you think you are done, there is some more work to do.

Weatherman says......

Wow, the weatherman didn't make any friends in the boatyard with his forecast for the weekend. Predictions were calling for temps in th 40's and heavy wind and rain all day. Boats would sit in the rain while other indoor projects were tended to. So when the sun came out and the clouds cleared, plans changed.

The blacktop in the Admirals Hill Boatyard was warming up when I parked the truck. My not-so trusty, not-so seaworthy dog, paulie, was in tow. I carried my toolbox, stepladder, and other supplies while Paulie eventually dragged me to the Miller Time's winter home. She was still wearing her winter coat. With the sun making an unexpected appearance, it was time for Spring Break.

After climbing the ladder and hopping aboard with the grace and presicion of burglar, I looked for the nearest knife to "unzip" the shrink-wrap. Edward Scissorhands would have been proud as the plastic came off piece by piece.

As I was unpeeling the protective sheath like an onion, I realized Paulie was running off in the distance and was no longer on his leash. I jumped off the boat and went after him. He has the uncanny ability to find any hole or opening in the fence that he can fit through. I think he is part squirrel. The land loving sea dog loves to be chased and a good chase it was. Through puddles and under ladders, staying just out of reach. With no dog biscuits handy, I enticed him with an open car door and he jumped in.

My father arrived soon after with some choice words for the weatherman and a couple of subs from the appropriately named Sunnyside Deli. No one was complaining about the sun, just the innaccurate forecast. Nothing gets people talking like the weather.

With lunch in one hand and some wax in the other, I was starting to hit my stride. My dad worked on getting the new transducer cable pulled through to the electronics box. I was about halfway done with the starboard side when the skies turned grey and some thunder rumbled in the distance. Maybe there was some truth in the forecast after all.

It wasn't long before the rain started falling and we closed up shop. With a new and favorable forecast encouraging more work for next weekend, we left feeling productive.

Watching the Weather (Channel)

Boaters know weather reports are important for trip planning, fishing and safety. A change in the weather can alter plans quicker than a bluefish blitz. With water temperatures in Boston Harbor still hovering in the upper 30's, our first trip of the season is still over a month away. However, a nice warm sunny weekend helps kickstart the season before Fishing Season; Boat Preparation Season.

Brave, Two-Part Epoxy-armed warriors enter the boatyard with power tools, wool hats, and maybe a sandwich. They hope their work will help add value and performance to their vessel, but more importantly convince Spring to get it's act together.

So as Wednesday turned into Thursday and Thursday turned into Friday, I was guilty of staring at green globs on radar maps and refreshing my web browser for the latest weekend forecast. There is still a lot of work to be done on the boat. Some quality time in the boatyard was in my immediate future.

I found the Miller Time still wearing its winter coat. The wind was whipping. My dog, Paulie (who isn't so sure about this whole boating thing), was tethered to the orange support post holding the boat.

The boat's hull was sodablasted last fall. Not only is this a cool word, but it is a way to remove years of bottom paint from the boat hull without damaging the fiberglass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodablasting).

While it is effective, the process also exposes any flaws and imperfections to the hull. These flaws need to be fixed, usually by being filled with a thin resin or epoxy.

Unfortunately, it must be 60 degrees outside for the epoxy to harden after it is applied. It was not 60 degrees, nor would it be 60 degrees soon. So, my productive day working on the boat turned into a long lunch at Redbones.

The moral of the story: The weather, even when the boat is out of the water, will dictate your plans. And, always consider the Catfingers when sitting at the bar at Redbones.

Rites of Spring

The Christmas gifts we opened in December usually have to wait around for a few months, but the biggest present gets unwrapped in April.

We named the 34 foot Luhrs Sportfisherman the Miller Time. It spends about half the year out of the water, but it feels like much more. Its a labor of love taking care of this yellow-hulled beauty.

As New Englanders, we have to make the most of our time on the water. Before the first log entry gets written, there is a lot of work to be done on land. For a lot of people, its easier to write a check than it is to do the work themselves. For others, the anticipation of warmer weather and the smell of bottom paint is almost cathartic.

I hope to share some of the (dirty) jobs associated with getting the boat ready, keeping the boat ready and getting it ready for next year.

There was a time when I was able to fit in the bilge with greater ease, but I'm a little bigger now. I try to spend every free spring/summer/fall moment on the boat, weather permitting. Sometimes we catch fish. Sometimes we get skunked. Sometimes we look like we know what we're doing. The beer is usually cold. The bait usually smells. And, the fish usually win.

I dont intend on becoming the literary John Greviskis (from Ship Shape TV). However, I would like to share some pictures, some true stories and some lies told from the Miller Time. Hopefully, this can be an online logbook where characters will come to life and (some) secrets can be told. Maybe we can even learn something.