Still "On The Hard" in Demopolis

Yes, we are still in the dry dock lot, still working on the boat. As of our last post on Friday, October 12th, we were in the process of patching the sonar hole. That project was basically finished by Sunday, October 14th, thanks to Dale, and we were able to begin working on the bottom job Monday morning. The weekend was not without issues, though.

While Todd went fishing early Saturday morning, I gave the shower a good scrubbing; when Todd returned he discovered a problem with the sump and a bilge full of shower water! Todd worked on the sump/bilge issue all the next morning, took a break to go visit Fred's dad while Fred was out of town, and then worked on it again until late Sunday afternoon. I taped the boat off Monday while Todd applied a coat of PrimeWash to the running gear and then a barrier coat to the running gear, sonar patch area and keel before going fishing that afternoon. When he returned we treated ourselves to dinner at the Mexican restaurant with Rick & Peggy.

The Captain applies a barrier coat to the running gear.


Todd applied more barrier coat Tuesday morning and then spent several hours switching out the thru-hull fittings for the macerater and wash down pump while I made another run to Wal-Mart. We had a fish fry at the Boater's Lounge Tuesday evening as a farewell to George & Mary ("Love Knot") who were leaving the next morning. We had crappie, bass and catfish accompanied by cole slaw, french fries and hush puppies. And if that wasn't enough, Mary brought a pineapple upside-down cake for dessert! We all ate too much but it was a great meal and George & Mary were very appreciative.

Todd and Rick went fishing early Wednesday morning and then Todd applied two more barrier coats to the running gear, sonar patch area and keel when he returned. A short time after he applied the second barrier coat, I followed up with the first coat of bottom paint. We then got cleaned up and relaxed on the sundeck as a late afternoon storm moved through.

"Life's2Short" in the dry dock lot - a.k.a the tree house!


On Thursday we went to Meridian, MS with Rick & Peggy to get the sonar unit packaged for shipping, courtesy of Rick, did some shopping and then went to Outback for an early dinner where, thanks to Rick, I was serenaded by the staff for my birthday. We then returned to the marina and joined Dale & Joy, Carl & Sally and Bobbi & Keith at The Wall to say farewell to Bobbi & Keith who were leaving the next morning to live and work in Kissimmee, FL.

On Friday we wiped down the bottom of the boat with paint thinner to prepare it for painting and then I applied a second coat of paint to the running gear while Todd rolled the first coat of paint on the bottom of the boat. It's amazing how much bigger a 40-foot boat seems when you're working on it! After we got the paint cleaned off us, we walked over to B dock to welcome back Pete ("Woodja") and Wayne who had arrived that afternoon and then went to the marina restaurant for a quick bite to eat.

Fred had an extra ticket to the Alabama vs. Tennessee game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, so I left Todd with the bottom painting and went to the game with Fred. It was a beautiful, sunny day, Alabama stomped Tennessee 41-17 and we had a great time! Poor Todd, on the other hand, worked his butt off applying the second coat of bottom paint to the boat and was wiped out when Fred and I returned that evening.

The Alabama Crimson Tide. Go BAMA - Roll Tide Roll!!!


Fred stopped by Sunday morning as Todd was getting ready to start buffing the boat and invited us to have lunch with him and his dad. Todd worked on the boat until time to go to Fred's where we had a wonderful meal of grilled pork chops, fried okra, pink-eyed purple-hulled peas and cornbread; then Todd came back and worked on the boat again until late afternoon while I got caught up on the laundry.

The Captain buffing the side of the boat. Look at her shine!


Rain began moving through early Monday and continued off and on through Thursday morning with much cooler temperatures, so we have been at something of a standstill on the bottom painting and buffing/waxing. In the meantime, the Captain has been doing some fishing and working on various other boat projects, including fixing the bow thruster that stopped working this past spring when we were in St. Petersburg, and I have been doing some cooking and working on the blog.

The Admiral working on the blog on a damp, chilly morning.


We plan to leave for Missouri Friday morning, October 26, for about a week and will finish the bottom painting and buffing/waxing when we return. Even though the work has been physically demanding, being "on the hard" hasn't been too much of an inconvenience; nonetheless, it will be nice to get "Life's2Short" back in the water and rejoin our friends on B dock.