Month: October 2017

Swim Platform is home

SwimPlatformAttachedMakin Memories is back in her slip at Turtle Cove after a week of maintenance and cleaning. The swim platform turned out as planned and the engines received new water pumps each. Attaching the ladder from the aft deck and bringing the dinghy onboard have yet to be done (hopefully this weekend) as well as adding additional batteries for the house electrical load and a valve cover gasket for the starboard engine. I will change the oil in the diesel engines the first of December as well as change all the oil and fuel filters (jeez, sounds like a lot to do yet!).

We will begin moving the items we need to live aboard for a year in the coming weeks as well as finish arranging administrative items here so that we can manage them remotely.  We feel fortunate that we have a young couple living in the house while we are away knowing they will care for the home till we return.

 

DinghyRamps Installed

SwimplatformDinghyrampsWe installed the DinghyRamps yesterday afternoon as well as the telescopic swim ladder and cleats. The blow-out panels, stainless steel supports under the swim platform, d-rings, and ladder from the aft deck to the swim platform are the only items left to do on the stern. We will install two new water pumps on the diesels and a valve cover gasket on the starboard engine, as well as add two additional house batteries (they provide power for lights, etc. when at anchor). I will finish buffing today (supposed to rain this weekend, of course) and a few fiberglass repairs here and there and that should be it. Hope to splash her on Monday or Tuesday of next week!

Last Haul-Out prior to Great Loop (hopefully!!)

I wanted to post a couple of last shots of the swim platform before the boatyard begins attaching it to Makin Memories. We will attach the cleats and telescopic swim ladder as soon as the main platform is attached to the transom. We plan on installing the DinghyRamps once we can perform a final measurement to make sure all fit according to plan (d-rings in the optimal position, etc.)!! Afterwards, the ladder from the aft deck to the swim platform will be modified and reattached and all should be ready. We have a few other items that will be addressed in the engine room and a few minor cosmetics on the deck and hull to complete, and then ash  her and then the cleaning and packing for January can take place

 

 

 

Preparations

Version 2Makin Memories is scheduled for haul-out today; weather permitting. It is exciting for both Jean and me as we anticipate the final touches in preparation for departure in January. The boat is not the only item that needs attention in preparing for a journey of a year’s duration. The house, the cars, banking, to name a few need attention too. This weekend we spent time reviewing household operations with the couple that will be moving into our house while we are away, as well as packing and storing. With two months left before we depart, it is incredible how much there is still to do!

Learning to Fiberglass

SUP BeforeFiberglass work always alluded me in the past. Now that I own a few watercraft, fiberglass and it’s repairing demands that I learn how to or go broke having others do it for me. It began on a Saturday after several hours on stand up paddle boards when I was hoisting them back up in the garage to where they hang above the cars from the garage ceiling. As I was hoisting, the line broke, and they both came crashing down, damaging the rearward end of both of thSUP afterem (likewise dinging my wife’s car in the process). Off to the marine store in town to purchase epoxy and fiberglass cloth. Then I did what many of us now do when faced with a project never attempted before, I watched a few YouTube videos and sallied forth mixing my first concoction of epoxy and kick (an experienced “fiberglassers” word for accelerant). With a little more sanding, they will be ready for the water.

Swim Platform with blow-out holes cut-in

Swim Platform Oct 11 17We are getting closer to hauling out Makin Memories and preparing her for her custom swim platform. Today we discussed cleat position and non-skid application. The swim ladder location will be on the port side and measures 18 1/2″ L by 12 1/4″ W and will fold up and lay neatly Swim Platform Oct 11 17on the topside of the platform. It is a “four rungs” telescopic type for a less stressful climb aboard. For the ladder from the aft deck to the swim platform, we are hoping that we can repurpose it and by leaving a twenty-inch height gap between the last step and the platform, we will still have plenty of standing space between the transom and the dinghy tube. The dinghy ramps are in their location and will be bolted in once we bring the dingy by to make sure their positioning is correct.

 

 

 

We broke the mold yesterday!

SwimPlatformProgressOct52017IMG_2815Doug and I broke the mold on the new swim platform yesterday and I got my first look at what months of planning and hard work had produced. While we still have to attach it to Makin Memories and add all the accessories on, we have to cut out the holes for the blow-out panels. All in all, it was a long-awaited moment and not at all disappointing. Thanks to Doug Bruce of Doug’s Custom Boat Work located in Tarpon Springs, Fl.

 

 

Tomorrow could be the big day!!

I went by Doug’s custom Boat Work today (co-located with Pitman’s Yacht Service in Tarpon Springs, Fl.) to check on the progress of Makin Memories swim platform. Doug let me know that he believes he will be ready to pop the platform out of the mold tomorrow, maybe Friday depending on the weather tomorrow, and make sure that I am there to watch it. The four sections as seen in the photos are where the blow-out panels will be located and screwed in with #8’s. The blow-out panels are in case Makin Memories takes a gigantic swell from the stern and instead of the full impact of the wave exerting its force against the transom and trying to lift 24 tons of vessel, the blow-out panels will be pushed out and the excessive force will be dissipated thus saving the possibility of transom failure. Sounds good to me!

A little on the materials for our new swim platform

Swim Platform Progress Oct 2 2017IMG_2804Makin Memories new swim platform is nearing completion. We are on the schedule to haul-out later this month to attach our custom swim platform and perform other work in preparation for the Great Loop beginning in January. I thought I would write about the materials being used by Doug at Custom Boat Work co-located with Pitman’s Yacht Service in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

I thought I would write a little about the materials being used by Doug at Custom Boat Work which is co-located with Pitman’s Yacht Service in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Doug recommended using 1708 bi-axle glass as the multiple laying fabric on top of and on the bottom of the Kay-Cel core (more on Kay-cel Swim Platform Materials used 2017IMG_2805in a moment). 1708 bi-axle glass is a heavy duty glass reinforcement common in marine construction. Used where high strength and fast build-up are necessary. It contains double bias(17oz) stitched at +/- 45 degrees to provide this superior strength. The mat in this fabric is stitched and fully compatible with polyester, vinyl ester, and epoxy resins.

The core of this swim platform is made by Kayco and is called Kay-cel. The Kay-cel core makes use of polyurethane rigid foam has been growing rapidly in Swim Platform Materials used 2017IMG_2806many industries due to its excellent combination of energy conservation, good mechanical strength with lighter weight than other traditional materials. It is a rigid, closed-cell, high-density polyurethane foam core panel. Its advantages are:

Excellent Strength-to-Weight ratio

Foam Reinforced with fiberglass increases mechanical properties

Lightweight – 30% Lighter Than Marine Plywood

Closed Cell Cross-Linked Polymer Foam will not absorb water

Will Not Rot…Excellent Replacement for Wood

You may note a white bar in the pictures provided also. That is the material of the blow-out sections (four of them) in the event of taking swells from the stern that would otherwise exert excessive force on the transom. They will be held in place with #8 screws.

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