Survey Says!

So I've learned something already... therefore, here comes my first tip. When buying a boat, never wear your good jeans. Even if you think you are going to (for example) just watch the survey take place, you won't. You'll crawl around in the engine room, and lie down in the lazarrette, and have your hands up in some oil gauge. Never did I think I'd say this, but I wish I had worn my Poopie Suit. (That's my old working uniform, not a potty built into my pants)

So, the boat is good. No... it's very good. The surveyor (who called me Scott the whole time) was an old salt. He was exactly the guy you want surveying your boat. He knows everything about boats because he's done it all sometime in the last 60 years or so. He's got this handy little toolkit with a tiny ballpeen hammer and an awl. He tapped every damn square inch of wood on that boat, and anything that sounded fishy he jabbed with his awl to see if it had any rot. He kept saying "I usually find soft wood up here", or "Usually water pools up here and causes soft wood." But no. There was only one spot of soft wood, a rotted piece of plywood on the aft bulkhead. It needs to be cut out and replaced, but it was remarkable that that is all he found. Not too big of a deal, the boat will, in fact, continue to float (the other thing I've learned is that floating is important to a boat).

Then he turned on all the systems, looked at the engines and generator, looked at all the safety equipment and so on. He left no stone un-turned. Lifted floorboards and carpeting, climbed into panels and opened hatches. I was afraid for a bit, what with him being an older gentleman, that he might not be able to get out of some of the places he'd gotten into. But sure enough, I'd blink a few times, clear my eyes and he'd worm his way out. The only issues he found (other than the rot) were that an oil pressure gauge needs replacement, and some hydraulic fittings need to be replaced (read: drain the whole hydraulic system, replace fittings, refill and vent). The hot water heater/tank may need to be replaced soon. It looks kinda rusted on the bottom. Also the whole damn thing needs to be repainted. No problem, we're gonna re-name the boat, and it's bad luck to re-name a boat and not re-paint it, so there you go (also apparently no women on board unless they are naked).

So, sweetie, you wanted a list...
Clean superstructure from bow to stern. Scrub and rinse, some places with a toothbrush.
Chip paint and then sand. Fill in any cracks and make sure all windows, joints, etc are sealed.
Prime.
Paint.
Repeat for hull.
Somewhere in the process, remove a window and move big things on board.
Vacuum, clean, clear cobwebs and scrub the interior.
Paint the interior (if we want... not at all needed)
Replace hydraulic fittings.
Replace rotted wood.
Fix one light in forward stateroom. (minor)
Fix one bilge pump. (minor)
Add sound insulation to the engine room (IT'S LOUD RIGHT NOW!). Probably start with some sound blankets and evertually get foam filler for the bulkheads and overhead.
All of this while trying to move on board, and live there.

How's that sound?

-Tom