The boat has been moved! Now it will be easier to work on her. We began the day by using more rubbing compound to clean the hull. A couple coats later she began to shine once again. Looking around the hull we inspected some of the cracks in the gel coat further and got a quote on the hull repairs as well as new bottom paint. The guy we spoke to said that they were simple fixes, and with those and a bottom paint the quote came out to $1800. We decided to go for it. Below are some of the cracks and blisters that are on the boat.



Before waxing her, we went out to the corner liquor store and picked up a bottle of sparkling wine, and then recited the ceremony I linked to in my first post. Then we put on the new name of the boat.



It came out great, maroon with a gold shadow made it really pop in the sunlight. We then added the new registration numbers on the bow. Afterwards, we thought we waxed her... We should have read the bottle, but it was not wax. Some sort of Turtle Wax car washing mixture with wax. It came out like alien vomit. It didn't feel right when putting this gooey mixture on, but did so anyway. Soon after reading the bottle I found out what it was. Well, at least the boat was a little more clean.

We went to West Marine and picked up some real Meguiars wax, really great stuff.

I also replaced the navigation light on the front of the boat, seemed someone ran into something and it got the brunt of the hit. Pretty easy fix, I made sure to use silicon around the holes so no moisture could get in as I bolted it to the railing.

Today we began cleaning the boat. The cabin hadn't been open for a year and a half and a little bit of airing out is in order. We started off by using a cleaning compound on the hull to get all of the grime off, and took off the vinyl lettering. Then moved on to the cabin, where I cleaned down the surfaces and found a couple places where water was leaking into the cabin. Namely the deadlight that is on the bow of the boat above the v-birth.



After some research, I found that replacements are available through Catalina Direct for a modest price, so I ordered the piece. We pulled out the drawers and other wood pieces and found that there was mold on them. We set them aside to work on later.

The seat cushions looked great from the pictures that were supplied on the craigslist ad, but upon further inspection we found that they were all damp, filled with black mold and mildew. We immediately removed them from the cabin and put them aside.



We found this little gem under the window on the port side. Seems water has made it into the fiberglass, it needs attention, but with all the other things that we are looking at fixing it is a little low on the list. First thing is first, make the boat sea worthy.

She is right now positioned behind 3 other boats on the hard and needs to be moved out so that we can easily put her in the water. Each boat has to be moved until they can get to ours at $200 a pop. An unexpected expense for us. She should be moved sometime during the week.

The sun began to set and we decided to head out and tackle some more projects next weekend.

Today we purchased a 1986 Catalina 25, after finding it on craigslist. She is in need of a lot of TLC, but we had fallen in love with her. We learned that she is a rarity, having a factory installed wheel in the cock pit, very unusual.

We met up with the owner at his marina in Deale, where we found out that since he was moving, he was unable to take the boat with him, and he only had two options. Sell it quick or pay to have it disposed of. In this case, we all got lucky. It felt like we were at a high kill shelter saving a poor soul in need of rescue.

She needs work, but you can tell that she has been loved. In great condition for a boat of her age, she does show scars of past mistakes. Running into the dock and such, mostly cosmetic damage.

Her name will be changing from The Dancing Crab to Moonshine. Now I know what you are going to say, it is bad luck to change the name of a boat. But we have done some research and found out how to update Poseidon's register. We have had 2 boats before, a Catalina 18 and 22. First was named Moonbeam, second Moonstruck, so it is only logical to stick with the theme.

She has been sitting on the hard for roughly a year and a half and it shows. She will require some cleaning to get that shine back on the hull and deck.

The interior has a musk to it, air is pretty thick, maybe due to it not having been opened for quite sometime or that there is another issue. Seats look warn, but ok. The wood finish on the interior still looks pretty good, the owner had spent some time refinishing some of the drawers and cabinets. Blemishes on the fiberglass are abound, but it can easily be wiped down. The tables laminate is falling off and in need of replacement.


Tomorrow we will come back to clean her up a little, a lot of work ahead of us!