After a smooth sand and a coat of teak oil it's ready to install. Total cost to replace platform $2,700. My cost: 16 hours labor, $215 for the wood, sand paper and misc. hardware under $250 bucks. It's good to be handy.

The last big and final project concerning the vessel is a bottom job. Next week we are pulling her out of the water and going into the boat yard. "Getting pulled." "Going on the hard." "Going to the yard."

There Tradewinds will get a pressure wash, I'll do some minor fiberglass work to the keel, insatll the rebuilt swim platform and she'll get new bottom paint. Bottom paint is routine maintenance. She was pulled and repainted July 2010 which is usually good for 3 years.