So, what does the foot look like now?

Its been awhile since my last post but that's because there really hasn't been much to say.  We've prepared the boat as best we can for the hurricane season and now we wait for it to be over and for skin to continue to grow on Tami's foot.  Progress is slow - its worse than watching grass grow - and the pain associated with it is unrelenting.  

But also in the meantime, I've began another long list of things we need in order to make the final push towards splashing in November.  I've got another....

The 1st intro Video I did for my YouTube Channel

This was the first video I put together to introduce our YouTube  channel.  

Some repairs Worked, some Didn't

After 22 days at the boat, once again, a lot of things got marked of the list - the shut off cable for the port engine worked like a charm, the ocean hatch locking lever was a quick fix, and the fabrication and installation of the acrylic window wasn't too difficult at all.  Simple things like getting hot water on board only took a quick flip of the breaker to "on" (who would've thought, huh?)  And replacing one of the access covers to the fresh water tank was just a 5 minute install with a new one.  I had also wanted to replace all the old light bulbs with more efficient LED ones, and it didn't even take an hour.  But some fixes took a bit more time....

New Video - A Catamaran Refit Part 2

Here is the new video of some of the projects we've been able to complete during our latest "vacation".  Was able to gather over 50 gigs of video and time lapse pictures during this latest visit - sifted through thousands of pictures and tons of videos, edited it all down to bite-sized clips, and then narrated it in my cabin and put it all together before we leave for Texas....enjoy.

Closet Puzzle, Engine Rooms, and OTA Antenna

Now that we've had the antenna in use for over a week, I thought I'd give a small update in that regards.  The over-the-air antenna was mounted on the mast because I wanted a reliable way to get the best reception without hanging rabbit ears outside my window.  It is a small powered HD antenna that I've also seen installed on other boats.....

Bilge pump upgrade and Step Scraping

Over the weekend, we've been able to knock a few more things off the list.   Although we still have the starboard side to do, we were able to switch the port hull bilge to automatic pumping.  Originally, there was one strainer on each side of the rib attached to one main pump that was located under the sink in the head.  There was also a valve located under the sink that would switch from one strainer or the other, prior to the discharge leaving the boat, through a shared through-hull....

Making a huge dent in the list - May 13th - 24th

Since our arrival on May 13, we have yet to stop working.  Most days start somewhere around 10:30am (I am on still on vacation mind you) and end when the "noseeums" come out - usually around 5:00pm if the wind isn't blowing - but we still seem to get a lot accomplished....

Video - Stepping the Mast

Thought I'd put together a short video of the install of our mast today.  It was very nerve racking - begining with fishing it out of its hole about 1' from the boat and 2' from the building and trying to keep the new wind vane off the cables.  With the winds gusting up to 18 knots, I'm glad everything went alright, nobody got hurt, and everything fit back into place.  Its actually looking like a sailboat again.

Installing a Groco Hydromatic Self-cleaning Strainer

Being away from our boat for 3 months was tough; leaving Tami behind was even tougher.  I felt bad for her, but we really need to get things done in Florida, so she gave her blessing and away we went.  As she continues to grow skin at the LTAC, Brandon and I left for a vacation full of work.  And as things usually go, its not all been smooth sailing since our arrival....

The Progression of a horrible Foot Wound

If you've read my previous posts, you already know that we had to prematurely leave Key West a couple of months ago due to a calcaneus fracture (her heel broke in two) that Tami developed after falling off a ladder.  But what was a complicated enough issue to begin with, turned very complicated when she (as best they can figure) seemed to have had an allergic reaction...

It was Hard to Leave.....

When we left on February 10th, it was difficult.  Partly because we knew Tami had a pretty long road of rehab ahead of her (even without the reaction she developed).  Also, it was the first time the boat's been alone since November 4th when Tami and Justin pulled up and set up shop.  And it makes us worry.  We've heard a bad storm rolled through a month ago and had winds somewhere between 50 and 60 knots.  As a result, one of our canvas covers....

The story behind the Name and Logo

Even before we purchased our boat, we had boat names swirling around and would often bump different names off each other in an effort to try and find the perfect boat name.  We had seriously considered Wet Dreams, and almost went with it, but at the last minute we changed our minds.  Justin even wanted to go with something ridiculous like Breaking Wind, or Sofa King Bad Ass (well, that one might have been mine).  After I did a quick search on boat names, it was the consensus....

Video - The last 5 months of Renovation

This video takes a look back on the last 5 months of renovation and repairs that have taken place in Key West aboard Catchin' Rays. Although this isn't the most perfect recording in the world, and the footage was edited as best I could from our location here in Texas, I'm going to go ahead and post it anyway....

Learning how to operate the sound editing software from Audacity has been a challenge....it has a whole bunch of features that I'll never know how to use.

And my studio has been here in room #207 in the LTAC (long term acute care) facility that Tami has been in for weeks now.....its hard to record a narration when you have nurses paging other nurses through the intercom system.  And the people in the room above us seem to feel the need to scoot a chair across the floor at the most inopportune moment.  Or the patient down the hall that thinks yelling "HEY!!" every 10 seconds for hours on end will somehow make all his problems disappear - the microphone picks it all up....wah wah wah...hope you enjoy the video.

New Screens and StackPack

While we wait on Tami's recovery, at least one project we started back in Key West has been completed since we've been here in Texas - a new window sunscreen, stackpack, and cockpit screen.  The window sunscreen allows us to ditch the curtains that were inside the saloon that were just about worthless anyway.  They were disintegrating and were nearly impossible to push to one side or the other....

Broke, but not beat

Our first few days back in Texas were spent trying to keep warm - the highs were in the mid 30's - and the motorhome was freezing as Brandon had ran through just about all the propane while we were in Florida.  The space heaters were doing their best to keep the inside temperature to about 64 degrees, and the windows were dripping from all the condensation.  And to top it all off, Tami is dealing with a broken heel - hobbling up and down the steps of our motorhome as she tries not to break the other foot....

The Glamorous life of a Yard Rat

Not that anybody thought that living in a shipyard was all that glamorous to begin with, but its funny to see people's reaction when I tell them that I'm going to Key West for a month to live on my boat.  Granted, the weather is awesome - but this is no vacation - except for one, I've spent every day working on the boat in some form or fashion.  Some days are spent shopping for parts in the morning and installing them in the afternoon, other days are spent going to the grocery store and laundromat, then working on the boat....  

Mattress replacement and Wifi Hotspot

After getting over my "crud" that I've had for the past 2 days, I finally got a little bit done around here and am feeling all productive again.  Actually, my productivity began yesterday afternoon, when I decided that it was time to see if an electric knife really can be used to cut a 6" thick piece of foam.  A few months ago, I read about mattress replacement options and ways to replace your old, worn out mattresses.  Replacement foam can be purchased at Walmart or online, and could be trimmed with an electric knife to whatever size is needed....

Replacing an impeller on a 15hp Mercury

I had always heard that outboard impellers are inside the lower unit, but had never confirmed that and never knew how it worked.  And while there is just about everything else posted up on Youtube, Justin had a little more difficulty trying to get a good guide on exactly how to do it.  He ended up combining a few different sources and started disassembling the unit....

Mast, Mercury, and Tournament

The goal for today: finish up all the loose ends on the mast which included final mounting of over-the-air antenna so we can receive free television, re-mount the radar, and try and get the dinghy outboard running.  Afterwards, we could go to the marina next door and watch the boats come in and weigh their King Mackerel....

Living in the Keys but still working everyday

Trying to update this blog while living on our boat is much more difficult to do than it sounds.  By the time we finish for the day, I just want to take a shower and go to bed.  But I'd like to update a little more often since I'll be here for about four more weeks and can now officially be considered "living on a boat", although "yard-rat" is probably more appropriate....