More Cabin Refit Progress

Work continues on the aft cabin and pilot house. Tambour has been added to all the walls and the new flooring has been installed in the aft cabin. See all the pictures below.

Aft cabin berth hull treatment

Aft cabin flooring



Aft cabin steps



Aft head holding tank

Aft cabin flooring, cut outs will have flush latches



Major Headway on the Aft Cabin

Just received some picture from brother Brad  in Florida. We are seeing major progress on the aft cabin of Wildthing.  The bunk was totally rebuild with new face frame and drawers. Old teak plywood was peal back and new slatted tambour has been added to the walls.  She is lookin good!

Work continues on the pilot house with additional tambour and the installation of the navigation station.  Installation of components in the aft head are progressing also.

After years of fighting with leaks on the deteriorating caprail it was decided to completely remove it and fiberglass and paint it. This will greatly decrease the maintenance and up keep of a varnished teak caprail. It may take away from the beauty of the boat but it will make for a dryer boat and a happier crew.

New aft berth and drawers

Cedar line drawers, nice touch

Aft view of aft cabin

Forward view aft cabin

Starboard view aft cabin

Another aft view aft cabin

Starboard view, aft cabin

Port cap rail removal

Port side

2008 Custom Hard Top, and Moving the Boat to Cape Coral

In the spring of 2008 work was being hastily being finished to prepare the boat and move it to Cape Coral Florida.  Brad and Carla had purchased a home there and the boat's new home would be in the canal behind their home. The boat was moved the 120 miles south in April of that year.  We started out motoring a little before noon. Winds of 20 to 25 knot picked up later that night and we made good time on the way down arriving before noon the next day.

The biggest project that spring was the custom hard top. All Florida boats need some sort of Bimini top to protect you from the sun. A custom hard top was the answer for that. The hard top made sense because it too care of many other mounting problems.  The new hard top also incorporated dingy davits, a place to mount solar panels, instruments, radar and GPS antenna. Fishing rod holders were also mounted on each side.



Mark at the helm



Hardtop completed



New cockpit engine controls

Cruising the inter coastal to Cape Coral

At home in Cape Coral

New bow rollers and chain guide

Captain Brad playing a pirate and Carla

Cape Coral Home

2007 Pilothouse and Electrical Systems Rebuild

Work has been progressing steadily on  into 2007. The plan this year was to rebuild the pilothouse nav station with a functional and updated look.  The pieces were fabricated over the winter back in South Dakota and brought down to install.  The new AC and DC electrical panels were also terminated and becoming functional.  Navigation lights were the first circuits to be energized.

Finished Pilothouse windows

Nav Station demolition

New station roughed in

Remote Engine Panel and fuel gages

Inverter installation

Brad and Carla, a little time for fun

Mark and Jodi finally some rest!

2006 Paint, New Engine, Windows and Launch

Work was progressing at a fast pace in 2006. More interior was torn out due to water damage and de-laminating teak plywood cabinets. 

A new used Westerbeke 71C was found at a local diesel shop and was purchased to replace the tired Perkins.  The cutlass bearing and a new drive shaft were installed. The exhaust system was completely replaced with new muffler and exhaust loop.

The replacement of the window was a big project. Custom aluminum framed windows were purchase and installed throughout the pilothouse. 10 windows in all were replaced.  The new windows did not fit the old radius exactly so there was a lot of glassing to fill these in before installation.

The boat yard was hired to do the painting. They spent about several months sanding and fairing and permanently glassing the rub rail along each side of the boat. At last it was painted and was starting to look like a yacht again.



Sanded and faired

Ready for paint

Ivory with dark green stripes

Wow she shines now

 

New fuel system down below

Newly painted engine room

Dropping new Engine in

New Westerbeke is in

New Pilothouse windows

New Name "Wildthing"

New Port side windows

Ready to splash

She Floats!



2005 Engine, Fuel Tanks and Electrical

Integral fiberglass fuel tanks were leaking so they were cut out and replaced with custom aluminum tanks. The tanks were prepped and painted to prevent corrosion.  The starboard tank was split into two smaller tanks. The smaller tank is used as a day tank and the others are left empty to prevent sludging.  Tank can be all filled for longer passages.





New shiny fuel tank

Painted Fuel tanks

Sanding top and bottom

And more sanding

Repainted Perkins



Old Engine Room Oily bilge



New AC and DC terminal blocks



2004 New Galley Countertops

The galley area needed a face lift also. It was decided a solid surface material would be the best and last forever. Custom fabrications was done to create the three new pieces that make up the galley counter tops



Frig and Freezer counter top



Galley sink counter top

Port Side cabinet counter

Counter Backsplash tiling

 

Tropical Tiling