Boat repairs – for real
“We are heading the wrong way…“. The feeling has hit us as we came further north in our journey home from Torrevieja in Spain to Denmark. Not least because the other long-distance cruisers we have met typically have been heading south – and that usually means that they have been at the start of their great adventure, whether it was a trip to the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean or perhaps even the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. However – we are in the beginning of our great adventures too.
Boat maintenance in exotic places
There was a reason to sail Carpe Diem home, and a decision (see here) we still think is right, now where we have the boat home. Because it wasn’t just a boat we bought, it was a project.
As some say, “long-distance sailing is just boat-maintenance at exotic places”. This is how it has been so far, but the maintenance we have been able to do with the boat far from home, and with the premise to do most work ourselves, has been of the temporary or light kind – just what was necessary to safely sail the places and distances required. Of course, when possible, things were made as permanent as possible, like for example changing sea cocks to Trudesign composite.
So now it’s serious. Now the many and bigger things must be made – and they must not only be made to last during the summer, but properly so they form the basis for a healthy, safe and comfortable boat that can come out sailing far again.
Where to begin…
What is the work that needs to be done? Quite a lot, and we look forward to this part too. And we try to plan so we will be able to go sailing this summer as well. We have made a list of everything that needs to be done on the boat (look right or down), a bit in random order, but in Excel we can sort by location on the boat, price, whether the boat should be on land, under a roof, etc.
We start with the mast. This work is possible in the weather we have at the moment. Changes to the mast – including the frightening possibility that we may need to replace the mast with a new – can also have consequences for new sails, deck equipment, sprayhood, etc. So this must be clarified first.
After the mast we hope to get the boat up on the hard for sanding and repainting the deck. This also involves replacing the hatches, port lights etc. They are leaky and not so pretty anymore. We must do something to avoid moisture settles in the core of the deck, as well as water getting into the cabin and interior.
And then what? well, we do not know for sure. But we are convinced that it will probably be clear as we go along, and we will change plans as we work our way through, with all the unforeseen things that emerge, finances, time, etc.
| Work on the boat |
| Service liferaft |
| New cabin sole |
| Clean the bilge |
| Inverter |
| Rewire all electricity |
| new larger battery bank |
| New charger |
| Full engine service |
| Bigger water tanks |
| Bigger fuel tank |
| Easy acces to storage under berths |
| Sand and varnish bulkheads |
| New port lights |
| New hatches |
| Replace deck hardware |
| Repaint deck |
| repair gelcoat/fibreglass damages |
| Repair cracks in the deck |
| New sheaves in the mast |
| New stays and shrouds |
| Remove instruments in cockpit |
| Move MFD to wheel pedestal |
| Close holes after instruments in cockpit |
| New windlass |
| New arch |
| New lifelines with pelican hooks |
| New or repaired pulpit |
| New water pressure pump and tubes |
| New pump for salt water tap |
| unmount rudder and repair |
| Replace last two seacocks |
| Paint hull above waterline |
| New compressor for fridge |
| New electrical control panel |
| New cockpit table |
| New sails |
| New mattresses |
| New mattress cover |
| Service mast |
| VHF bad signal |
| Replace moist wood in cabin |
| Repair hatch for anchor compartment |
| Oven ignition |
| Wind vane |
| Autopilot? |
| Watermaker |
| Sinks in aft cabins into closets |
| Repair hatch for anchor |
| Sun protection for dinghy |
| Sprayhood |
| Bimini |
| Jacklines in cockpit |
| Batten down hatches inside |
| Batten down hatches outside |
| Fire extinguish hole to engine compartment |
We did not know the Furia Brisa model before we bought it. The survey of the boat reported good things, even though quite a lot had to be done. But of course it did involve a risk. The 2811 nautical miles we have sailed to get the boat home has made us familiar with the boat, and we are very happy about it. That is quite fortunate, when so much time and economy is invested in it before we are ready to start cruising for real.