To view all the photos from this phase of the journey, see: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VM7RR8HQiz846etu7
It’s early November, and it’s time for Selkie to come out of the water for the winter.
I’ve found her a place at a marina and yard near to my mom’s place in South Portland so I can work on her regularly if the winter cooperates. But first, I have to get north to Handy Boat in Falmouth where they will take the mast down, put it on the scaffolds I’ve built on the deck, and get her out of the water for my guy Steve from Morse Overland Transport to bring her around to her winter berth.
I’ve already got more projects than I really can consider, but the weather is turning crappy fast and it’s time to get a few things done and get her under wraps. It’s currently in fashion to cover boats in shrink wrap during the winter to keep them free of ice and snow, so that’s coming up shortly. Right away I know I want to recondition the compass, and the wheel in her cockpit is SO wide that it’s impossible to get a leg past, so I think I want to find a smaller used one.
Add to that the lamps in the main salon are pretty badly corroded and I think I can spruce those up a bit. Good small projects to get started with as the winter sets in!
In Quincy MA there are a couple of things worth a visit. One is the original Dunkin Donuts location… there’s a plaque and everything. Not going to lie, I wish they would do it up like it was in earlier times, and maybe make fresh donuts there like they did in the 70s and 80s… but alas.
The other place well worth a visit, is Mass Marine Parts… a veritable extravaganza of trash, treasure, trinkets, and more. What are you looking for to add to your boat? Whatever it is, there’s one in some state of ill use somewhere in one of the 15 shipping containiners. Ships wheels? Oh yeah, go to the green container and go up the stairs on the right side, and then across the top of the red container, there’s a pile there.
A classic “make me an offer” junkyard, and a place I’ve spent plenty of time and money. Among the things I came back with during this winter was a used Lewmar electric anchor windlass. (hauls the anchor up and lets it down instead of doing it by hand) which at least moved when I short connected it to a battery, and the new slightly smaller wheel I’d been looking for in the first place.
I also grabbed a couple more small winches, a few line clutches, and some bits and bobs… then it was time to spend late december and january in the basement cleaning EVERYTHING.
One of the most satisfying projects to date was this rehabilitating of the internal cabin lamps. Salt air and time corrodes the brass and plays havoc with the wiring, plus I wanted to replace the original incandescent bulbs with new low energy LED bulbs instead. (Fun benefit of 12v DC is that LED don’t flicker!)
The process of cleaning the lamps up and getting them ready to reinstall was:
– Disassemble and wash with soap and water
– Soak in a dilute solution of Barkeeper’s friend
– Use a soft stainless wire brush wheel to remove stubborn corrosion
– Use brass brush for primary polising
– Use buffing wheels to get up to a satin finish
– Strip and repaint inside of the cup lamps
– Top coat with clear instrument lacquer
– Reinstall electrics and rewire
– Test and reinstall on board
While the anchor windlass would not see service the summer of 2023, it still came into a much better state with a few weeks of work!
I had to find a new solenoid to power and run the unit via ebay, and painstakingly clean and test all the interior workings because seawater had gotten inside at some point, but it came together nicely, refilled with gear oil, and ready to put in place.
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