Varnishing Teak

September 30, 2012

I just finished putting a maintenance coat of varnish on a large portion of the brightwork (teak) on Barefoot. Varnished wood looks great on a boat, but is a major maintenance item, particularly in the Florida sun.

First a confession before I am disclosed as a fraud by a varnish purist - I used Cetol (gasp).  Cetol is often referred to by purists as 'varnish for beginners', but I AM a beginner, having varnished for the first time last year about this time.  Cetol is applied in two steps, first a color coat (I use Marine Light) and then an optional gloss coat. 

I have had pretty good results, but varnishing, even with Cetol, is a vodoo science.   Let me quote from the directions:  do not apply when the humdity is above 80%, do not apply unless the dew point is at least 3 degrees Celius below the air temperature; do not apply in wet weather; do not apply in the sun or if the surface is hot; apply a liberal coat, but not too thick; flow the product on, do not brush....

In other words, it is basically impossible to apply it on a boat in Florida.

The last two days are a case in point.  The probability of rain  on both days was low (10-20%) - about as good as it gets in Florida this time of year.  But the dew and remnants of rain from the prior evening did not let me get started until 11:00 - 11:30 AM; any moisture or humdity present when applying is deadly.  But of course by then the sun has come up in full force and it started to get hot.

About 25% through the color coat on Friday, I could not touch the deck with a bare hand it was so hot and it then starts to get more difficult to 'flow' the product on.  I learned a cute term last year, a spot that does not get a smooth coat of the varnish is called a 'holiday' by varnishers; doesn't that sound like fun, your brush goes on vacation while you are stuck in the hot sun. Four hours and numerous bottles of Gatorade later I completed the color coat.

Saturday started similarly, but with scattered clouds so it was not quite so hot. But about 75% through the gloss coat the clouds started to get ominously dark.  The decision - quit or try to finish.  A little rain on top of the varnish that is at least 'dust dry' is not fatal, but moisture on the surface before application is lethal, so I pushed on to finish.  Luckily, the clouds produced only a faint dusting of moisture after I finished and it appears that it has not caused any significant clouding, crazing, or other problems in the finish.

I coated about 80% of the teak (toe or cap rail, grab rail, and cockpit coamings) and will probably leave the rest for later this year.  Some pictures follow, but it is hard to really show the finish.

Ah, the boating life! 

But on the other hand, the view from our boat this morning:

Tom
Bradenton, FL

We are Officially Houseless...The Boat is Our Home

September 27, 2012

Late this afternoon, our attorney left the closing for our house, with check in hand.  It had seemed like forever since we signed the contract to sell, but in reality, it was less than three months.  Since the offer was made less than a week after the house went on the market, the wait to close seemed endless.

We are officially houseless - the boat is now our home.  We are so thankful that we were able to spend 30 years at 115 Huntleigh Ave, in a great neighborhood and in a house that was perfect for us.  The house was not too big and not too small, and had lots of charm.  With many improvements that have been done in the past five years, the biggest being a new kitchen with a dishwasher, we hated to sell it.  But, the time had come...the boat was our home, and we didn't want to have to close up the house for winter, rake the leaves, mow the lawn and make sure the driveway was shoveled for another year.

Since it was so much work getting the house ready to turn over to its new owners, we really didn't have a lot of time to wax nostalgic, although we will miss it.

Thirty years ago, after the closing to buy our house (and before we moved in), the first meal we had was wine and cheese and crackers, sitting on the livingroom floor.  We thought we would do the same thing for our last meal in the house, but we decided it would be too painful.  So, we brought the wine to Florida, and we are celebrating our first meal in the only home we now own, the boat.  But, 30 years later, we will be sitting on the settee, not on the floor.   

In the end, you really never own things.  You only have a chance to use them for a while before you pass them on. 

Joyce
Bradenton, FL

Where are you from?

September 24, 2012

Where are you from?  Always a simple question right?  Well we have recently been wrestling with how to answer this question.

Why so complicated you ask?  Well....

First we have sold our home in Fayetteville NY (closing in a couple of days).  So it does not seem accurate to respond Syracuse (Fayetteville).  The boat is now home.

We are legal Florida residents, but our residential address is that of our mailing service in Green Cove Springs, FL near St. Augustine.  That is the address on our driver's licenses, vehicle/vessel registrations, voter registrations, etc.  We could answer we live there, but we know nothing about the area and have little connection to it.

Our boat hails from Pineland, FL a small community on the west coast of Florida near Sanibel and Captiva.  We chose that as our hailing port because we own land there and hope to build a home there someday.  But somewhat like Green Cove Springs we do not currently have a strong connection with the area.

Our boat's home dock for the last 3 years has been in Bradenton, FL.  But we were away from here crusing last year for over 7 months and will similarly be away this year as we cruise to the Keys and Bahamas.  We plan to return here next summer, but may not after that.

So do we live in Fayetteville NY, Green Cove Springs FL, Pineland FL, Bradenton FL or somewhere else?

Joyce has settled on the quick answer of "We lived near Syracuse NY for 30 years and now live on our boat"

I am more undecided and am currently somewhere between "That is a tough question" to  "We live on our boat"

What do you think we should say?

Tom
Bradenton, FL

Barefoot Welcomes Us Home

September 14, 2012

Barefoot welcomes us home today after 3 months away.  She has done well over the summer and looks great. Now the work begins to get her back in crusing form.

We have a contract to sell our house in Fayetteville and expect to close shortly.  Over the summer we have cleaned out 30 years worth of accumulation - quite a job - but the house is now ready for her new owners.

 From now on the boat is home!


Tom & Joyce
S/V Barefoot
Docked in Bradenton, FL