As I sanded the bottom of my boat, the Queen song, Fat Bottom Girls played in my head, although I changed the lyrics to be kinder and reflect the massive size of her hull. She’s beamy and big bottomed, curvy and full.
I’m learning so many new things working on the boat, skills that I’ll put to work every year. Doing a job on a boat is never a one off. There is constant maintenance to keep her looking shiny. Shiny is what motivates me. I’m a crow from the top of my balding head to the tips of my toes. I’m all about that shine, about that shine, about that shine. The hipsters will know this in reference to the Meghan Trainer song, “All About That Base”. Songs soothe me as I work, the boat radio is usually blasting to ease the pain of the labour. A bit of hip hop is the perfect medication for the aches.
I must admit I didn’t think about how much work a boat would require when I fantasized about owning one. Sanding the bottom is about as romantic as a handful of warts. It’s hard work, but necessary and if I tell the truth, fairly rewarding. It’s one of those instant gratification projects, doesn’t take forever to do and results show for your labour. It’s quite physical and my arms feel like they might separate from the rest of me and sometimes my fingers tingle and turn numb from holding a tool with a death grip to rake up and down her bottom, scratching off the old paint so we can apply then new.
I was a trooper sanding the bottom to prepare it for the new anti-fouling paint. No complaints at all which is about as untypical as it goes. It actually went quickly but I looked like a Smurf, blue from head to toe as the floating powder blew all over me from the wind. I wore a mask of course and my white skin under it made me look freaky when it was removed. Buffing the white gelcoat on the sides with a high powered electric polisher that you have to fight with to stay in the area you want was the rough part. It takes every bit of strength to hold and maneuver. Hubby with his manly upper body strength, managed much better but working over our heads was rough for both of us. Hubby did the bulk of it but I spelled him a few times while his arms rested. There’s no time to pick away at this job at our leisure, the launch date is next Tuesday and there are a million things to do so we forge on, drop dead tired and achy to the bone. I've never been so tired but have never slept so well, the perfect marriage of exercise and rest.
The teak is fabulous. I’ll be a glory stealer with all my 9-12 coats. So if you wonder why I haven't been blogging regularly, I'm out in the barn inhaling varnish fumes. I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment and after all my hard work I want a bit of praise! so if you don’t ooh and awh when boarding, you’ll be asked to leave! Ha!
Hubby does all the jobs behind the scenes while mine are the flamboyant, high profile bits. There is shine beyond shine. Tomorrow we will begin to install the teak. I’ll be varnishing all week in the garage doing the floor grates and cockpit table to be ready for the launch. Steven Scott, my frame guy, wood craftsman extraordinaire, inserted an inlay compass rose to add a bit of nautical whimsy to the cockpit. Then he is going to do the same for the cabin table for a matched set. the picture is below. It looks a bit dull right now but when the varnish hits it the colours will intensify and the teak will glow around it and there will be a contrast with the bird's eye maple background. Someday someone should write a song about the wood genius of Steven. He sure keeps me happy with hooks and frames an all else I've ever asked him to do. If you look around the shop his influence is everywhere from the coffee station to our work desks. I joke with Charlene that if anything ever happens to her husband, I don't know who will shed the most tears! I can hardly wait to go home and slap the first coat of varnish on my beautiful inlay!
Speaking of nautical flair, I’m hooking a compass rose rug for the cabin floor. The rug is coming along nicely although I’ve not had much time to work on it. But I’m not in a hurry, after the boat is in the water the evenings will be free so I’ll then do a blitz to get it done. I’m really loving the colour plan, especially the background. I’ve been saving two yards of a special wool that I purchased ten years ago for a a sometime project. I can’t remember the wool jobber but they had a couple hundred yards of this delicious blue plaid that looks like Nova Scotia tartan when hooked up. It sold for $5.95, can you believe that price? I knew it would be phenomenal so I bought 100 yards but now I regret not buying more. It sold and I knew if I didn’t stash away a bit I would be sorry someday and now the time is perfect as we keep Nova Scotia Tartan polar fleece blankets on the boat for the dogs to lie on so the rug will blend in beautifully. The wool hooks perfectly as I knew it would, sometimes you can feel a piece of plaid and know that there will be little fraying and perfect cuts. Wool to drool over and die for!
I really love this particular design. I created it for our home about a decade ago and Jean Morse hooked it as a gift to me. She was a special lady and I think of her often, especially when I enter hubby’s study and walk on the runner in front of the French doors. The colours match the study, greens and golds with some rust. I dyed all the wool for her so it is a custom job to match all his furniture and painted walls. Several customers have hooked this rug in stunning colour palettes, each time is a masterpiece. I personally always wanted to see it done with a lot of red so that’s my plan for the boat.
I had to make a few changes to the overall size of the design to make it fit the space. I shortened the length and widened the width so it sits perfectly in front of the cabin table. In the off sailing season it will lay in front of our front door as the colours work beautifully with our furniture and living room carpet.
I’m learning so many new things working on the boat, skills that I’ll put to work every year. Doing a job on a boat is never a one off. There is constant maintenance to keep her looking shiny. Shiny is what motivates me. I’m a crow from the top of my balding head to the tips of my toes. I’m all about that shine, about that shine, about that shine. The hipsters will know this in reference to the Meghan Trainer song, “All About That Base”. Songs soothe me as I work, the boat radio is usually blasting to ease the pain of the labour. A bit of hip hop is the perfect medication for the aches.
I must admit I didn’t think about how much work a boat would require when I fantasized about owning one. Sanding the bottom is about as romantic as a handful of warts. It’s hard work, but necessary and if I tell the truth, fairly rewarding. It’s one of those instant gratification projects, doesn’t take forever to do and results show for your labour. It’s quite physical and my arms feel like they might separate from the rest of me and sometimes my fingers tingle and turn numb from holding a tool with a death grip to rake up and down her bottom, scratching off the old paint so we can apply then new.
I was a trooper sanding the bottom to prepare it for the new anti-fouling paint. No complaints at all which is about as untypical as it goes. It actually went quickly but I looked like a Smurf, blue from head to toe as the floating powder blew all over me from the wind. I wore a mask of course and my white skin under it made me look freaky when it was removed. Buffing the white gelcoat on the sides with a high powered electric polisher that you have to fight with to stay in the area you want was the rough part. It takes every bit of strength to hold and maneuver. Hubby with his manly upper body strength, managed much better but working over our heads was rough for both of us. Hubby did the bulk of it but I spelled him a few times while his arms rested. There’s no time to pick away at this job at our leisure, the launch date is next Tuesday and there are a million things to do so we forge on, drop dead tired and achy to the bone. I've never been so tired but have never slept so well, the perfect marriage of exercise and rest.
The teak is fabulous. I’ll be a glory stealer with all my 9-12 coats. So if you wonder why I haven't been blogging regularly, I'm out in the barn inhaling varnish fumes. I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment and after all my hard work I want a bit of praise! so if you don’t ooh and awh when boarding, you’ll be asked to leave! Ha!
Hubby does all the jobs behind the scenes while mine are the flamboyant, high profile bits. There is shine beyond shine. Tomorrow we will begin to install the teak. I’ll be varnishing all week in the garage doing the floor grates and cockpit table to be ready for the launch. Steven Scott, my frame guy, wood craftsman extraordinaire, inserted an inlay compass rose to add a bit of nautical whimsy to the cockpit. Then he is going to do the same for the cabin table for a matched set. the picture is below. It looks a bit dull right now but when the varnish hits it the colours will intensify and the teak will glow around it and there will be a contrast with the bird's eye maple background. Someday someone should write a song about the wood genius of Steven. He sure keeps me happy with hooks and frames an all else I've ever asked him to do. If you look around the shop his influence is everywhere from the coffee station to our work desks. I joke with Charlene that if anything ever happens to her husband, I don't know who will shed the most tears! I can hardly wait to go home and slap the first coat of varnish on my beautiful inlay!
Speaking of nautical flair, I’m hooking a compass rose rug for the cabin floor. The rug is coming along nicely although I’ve not had much time to work on it. But I’m not in a hurry, after the boat is in the water the evenings will be free so I’ll then do a blitz to get it done. I’m really loving the colour plan, especially the background. I’ve been saving two yards of a special wool that I purchased ten years ago for a a sometime project. I can’t remember the wool jobber but they had a couple hundred yards of this delicious blue plaid that looks like Nova Scotia tartan when hooked up. It sold for $5.95, can you believe that price? I knew it would be phenomenal so I bought 100 yards but now I regret not buying more. It sold and I knew if I didn’t stash away a bit I would be sorry someday and now the time is perfect as we keep Nova Scotia Tartan polar fleece blankets on the boat for the dogs to lie on so the rug will blend in beautifully. The wool hooks perfectly as I knew it would, sometimes you can feel a piece of plaid and know that there will be little fraying and perfect cuts. Wool to drool over and die for!
I really love this particular design. I created it for our home about a decade ago and Jean Morse hooked it as a gift to me. She was a special lady and I think of her often, especially when I enter hubby’s study and walk on the runner in front of the French doors. The colours match the study, greens and golds with some rust. I dyed all the wool for her so it is a custom job to match all his furniture and painted walls. Several customers have hooked this rug in stunning colour palettes, each time is a masterpiece. I personally always wanted to see it done with a lot of red so that’s my plan for the boat.
I had to make a few changes to the overall size of the design to make it fit the space. I shortened the length and widened the width so it sits perfectly in front of the cabin table. In the off sailing season it will lay in front of our front door as the colours work beautifully with our furniture and living room carpet.
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