PROJECT - GET IT'S PERFECT OFF THE DOCK

APRIL 9, 2016

After nearly 3 weeks of work It's Perfect is looking a bit more like herself.  It was hard to believe how much can happen to a boat in storage.  We spent days just scrubbing the grime off the decks and the rust of the stainless.  I have forgotten the amount of work it takes to keep stainless shining.

Once the decks were cleaned the work began below.  In order to work on anything in the small space below decks you must empty all the contents into another part of the boat.  With this said it looked like a hurricane hit below.  The list was long of MUST DO PROJECTS.  Some could be done after we left the dock but many things had to be done before we could move aboard.

Before we left It's Perfect last May I cleaned out cabinets, closets and lockers.  I scrubbed everything and took loads of things to the recycle and trash.  All the canned goods were gone through and anything with a sell by date before May of 2016 was given away.  The bathrooms, refrigerator and freezer were cleaned and bleached, the stove scrubbed.  Even after all that work it was like starting from scratch.

First up was to gather all the clothing, towels and bedding, it was off the laundry.  Hmmmmm fresh laundry what a wonderful smell.  Now after I emptied out all the storage lockers it was time to clean and paint inside everything.  This was a great job for me while Rod did more important repairs.

We had a few new leaks appear on deck which left us with damage below.  Rod got busy repairing the deck and then it was a process of replacing and repairing the damaged woodwork.  Two places in the  floor decking was soft so new decking was required before we could replace the flooring. 

Next up was to check all the systems,  batteries, pumps, refrigerator, air conditioning, electronics and more.  Thankfully the air conditioning is working fine and made us much more comfortable down below while we worked.  Batteries seem to be good and after some repair the bilge pumps are in order.   All the instruments at the helm are good. 

Last but certainly not least the refrigerator.  This unit was not new when we bought the boat but has served us well with little trouble.   When we got hit by lightening 2 years ago we had to replace the fried controller in Panama.  It seems that storage was not the best thing for it.

Now we must replace it with a new unit.  Our new Adler Barbour unit arrived from Defender.  What would we do without the Internet?  The compressor is located across the walkway from the freezer unit which makes a much more complicated installation.  First the floor decking had to come up in order to remove the old refrigeration lines and run new ones.  While this was accomplished we decided it was time to redo the interior of the freezer box.  After more insulation and a coat of fiberglass and epoxy paint it looked better than new.  Soon after the compressor and controller were installed and like magic a new refrigerator.  Well it wasn't quite that easy. 

Then painting finished, new flooring down, laundry put away, upholstery cleaned, provisions bought and stored, fuel and water topped off we were past ready to get off the dock.  There are still many things left to do including installing the sails and stack packs and checking the rigging.  These and more will be done after we leave.  On Saturday April 9, 2016 It's Perfect left the dock at Green Cove Springs headed for Jacksonville, Florida.