Several weeks ago we had a huge sense of accomplishment as the majority of the vberth interior was finally completed and we are nearing that point with the aft cabin as well. On Saturday we managed to sand install and stain the last cupboard face and the aft cabin door. We still have to complete the sanding, installing and staining of the cupboard doors and drawers but the major interior components are as complete as we are going to take them at this point.
The weather has begun to change and it is getting a bit cooler at night now which of course means not so hot during the day. Although we are sad to see it go we are also anxious to get started on some of the more labour intensive jobs. Okay anxious may not be the right word, but you get the point. 🙂
One of the big jobs that is coming in the very near future is the sanding and painting of all of the interior visible fiberglass. This is going to be a dirty, messy, dusty job and will require holding a sander or in some cases a grinder over our heads for extended periods. Oh well, once it is done and the new paint is applied, we will be able to reinstall the windows and the remainder of the interior trim.
We have decided to work on the heads, then the main cabin and finally the galley. I have obviously overlooked the engine room and nav station in this plan but it is for a reason. The nav station will probably happen last, after the engine install as we still have all of the wiring to plan, purchase and install, but a fair bit of it revolves around the engine and charging system.
We have chosen to attack the galley rebuild as the last, what I will call living space, rebuild for a couple of reasons. Firstly, in a lot of ways the galley is the most important space in Akupara. Well maybe after the wine cellar but at least as important. We have a fair bit of shopping to accomplish in order to get all of the items we want for the galley and only once that is completed can we really sit down and properly organize and layout the galley. In a lot of boats the galley always seems to be an afterthought and although we are not fundamentally changing the layout, we want to ensure we maximise it to the fullest. Secondly, once the galley is complete, I do not want to be grinding fiberglass and sanding wood, thereby covering the newly rebuilt galley in a forever coat of dust. Apparently eating fiberglass isn’t all that good for you.
And lastly I am sure you have noticed that I have glazed over a lot of work that has been mentioned previously or that you may have noticed in pictures or what have you, but we are fully aware that it needs to be completed and we will attack it when the time is right. Right now, the time is about gaining a sense of accomplishment and having a finished interior is giving us that sense at this time so that is the road we are going down.
Finally for today, I am way behind on the Costs page and will try to spend some time this week to bring it up to date. To be honest I have lost count of the man hours but I will make an educated guess in order to at least bring it semi current. The dollars spent should be fairly easy to track as I have the receipts and the history in the bank statements of course.