Home Stretch…
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Coming up on the weekend I visited the boat yard again. Since the last update I’d traded emails with the project manager about the bottom paint color and we decided to put a second coat of bottom paint on, this time with a different shade of blue that was a better match for the hull paint.
Looking at the boat now with the new bottom paint, I’m really happy we decided to do it… It’s so much better.. What do you think?
After the previous visit, I wasn’t real happy with the color, but I decided not to mention it. The project manager actually brought it up on his own and offered up the labor for free to add the second coat with a better color. Ultimately it means we have two coats of bottom paint now as well as a better look, and for less money than if I had asked for two coats in the first place.
Meanwhile I noticed that the bow thruster service has been completed, and the awl grip touch-up is mostly done and things are looking really nice overall.
We also discussed some wear plates for the dock lines and I took one of the samples they had for me out to the boat to see how it would work. I like this solution because it’s relatively simple and less expensive than custom fabricating a part.
Lastly, we discussed an option for a TV antenna that would be installed inside the cabin as a flat panel on the bulkhead somewhere. The primary driver for this option would be decreased cost. The antenna itself is less expensive, and there would be less labor due to not needing to go up the mast. I debated internally for a while and looked inside the cabin, as well as standing on the deck for a bit just pondering how I’d feel one way or the other. Ultimately I am the type that would rather do things once the right way than multiple times. I’m worried that I’d always be disappointed I didn’t go with the mast mounted antenna due to 1.) overall range and 2.) interior cabin aesthetics. So I confirmed we’d still be doing the mast antenna.
It’s also worrisome that while the round antenna is marketed as “omnidirectional” which is what a boat needs, the flat panel specifies “multi-directional” which would seem to indicate it is less omnidirectional than an actual omnidirectional unit.
It’s looking like the boat yard will be done with everything they are doing early next week, and assuming I get the propeller back on the 2nd as planned we should be able to get the boat back in the water and back home to the marina by end of week. I still have several projects to do on the boat once it’s home, things I can work on when have free time.
