#34 FOURTH OF JULY - ELECTRIFYING A GILLIG ! DECOMMISSIONING A BOAT !

 WHAZAMMO AND THE GILLIG #34 tarting the decommission of So...fear, and electrifying a gillig...  (Click the "MORE POSTS" link at the bottom to find Post #1)                                 

Have been attempting to get into the electrical system work, but cannot get past the rethinks (which lead to redo's), the most recent being the beds, the new 11" mattresses simply require step ladders to enter... so, down they come off their pretty stainless steel mounts to now be 5 inches lower... sounds easy huh?

The through-bolts into the wheel wells are stainless, but the nuts are steel ? covered in tar for protection, and obviously installed with the duallys off the rig, so, out comes the air tools, followed by a pressure switch failure on the compressor, a heat wave over the fourth weekend, arm power and lotsa' tar !

Did get the water system completed, drain and pressure lines all run to the hookup points, the shower pan is set, two (of three) shower walls cut-fit (even added the wallpaper, and now awaiting the lumber yard to re-open for the last piece of 3/4 plywood... modified the raised floor shower pan with a heat gun and angle iron template to remove the bib, turn it upward for a full surround lip.

Got the new passenger side drivers compartment 40 x 48 inch window assembly for that upcoming big front door-ramp removal job, and just ordered the new washer/dryer combo, the 30-gallon hot water heater, the last of the plywood, and the galley chairs, which completes all of the big dollar buying for this project (it is a $2,000.00 month !), now, it is "put it all together time".

Hopefully, we should have ONLY the shower to finish, all of the countertops, some galley cabinetry, "all" of the AC and DC electrical, plus the body work (grooming, painting, entry door install, bus door close off, ramp removal and side-window install), and securing things for motion, yet to do ... when the 15 August "target date" for completion arrives, we are way behind.. bets anyone?

It is more about "being" electrified, than it is "electrifying". Still a week behind schedule, but closing. WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT, THE JOURNEY OR THE DESTINATION ?

Will be doing our fifth month recap a week or so late-the 15th? so watch for it !

 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

STARTING THE DECOMMISSION - 8 JULY, 2024

 HERE IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLIC STATEMENT:

The Motor Vessel So...fea has been sold, the new owners will take possession on 11 September, 2024.

That was the hard part... but, the scuttlebutt is true, an'ya and Peter are going ashore, we bought So...fea on the fourth of July in 2016, so it has been 8 years !  we have lived aboard boats three times in our almost 60 years of marriage, and both of us have spent our entire lives on the water (Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf Coast), or within an eyes view of the water, only a 5 year accumulated time span exists where we were landlubbers (while living in the Oregon woods or high desert).

Some of our water living exposures were on lakes, (Erie, Elk, Comfort, Samamish, Minnetonka), and some on rivers and creeks (Black, Plum, Willamette, Siuslaw, Umpqua, Crooked, Caloosahatchee), following my work job to job we have had very short stays anywhere we went, (typically 8 months-3 years), this has us at living in 30+ "homes", making our long time (8 years) spent aboard So...fea an anomaly, of the highest order.

We researched ourselves as to how/why this 8 years in one place exists... arriving here in our 70's plays in, by your 70's you have seen enough variables to compare and analyze likes/dislikes, for us it was no fleas, Cock roaches, Palmetto bugs, black flies, no-see-ums, and most importantly... no mosquitos ! temperature envelope of 30-75 degree winter to summer, year around, with a daily sweep of of only 20 degrees day/night was second, Population density was third... the sleepy small-town Oregon coast, no Interstate highway, no airports, no industry, and long winters with 90 inches of rain per year simply keeps people away.

Services have always been very high on our preference list, fire, ambulance, police, a "local" 911, hospital, doctors, veterinarians, and grocery stores all need to be represented to pass our muster (the five Oregon coast population centers have all of that)... the 3-5 mile "coast" west of the coastal range mountains has no industry or job base, it, therefore, is inhabited by financially stable/gifted people retired or self-sustaining.

So, if everything is as stated, why sell and move off of So...fea? (especially since the monthly boat-living expenses are 1//4 te expense of a land-dwelling)?

Living aboard full time is bittersweet, the nature, weather exposure, constant motion, harbor community (4 other boats), and isolation require a unique set of abilities, among those are wealth and being well versed in all phases of life, being a carpenter, engine mechanic, electrician, painter, sailor, scientist, fisherman, cook, plumber, and being just plain bat shit nuts.

Athletism, balance, physical and core strength, and stamina add-in to all of that above, up until I hit 79 (2 years ago) everything about boat living was fine, but, the many years of occupational physicality began to take its toll, no arthritis, just a loss of dexterity, grip, and feeling in my hands the numbness from cervical stenosis, and the loss of core body strength due to normal aging impacts agility, and that "second nature" of moving about boat to boat on a blustery sea.

Somewhere in my writings you read my old Star-Kist tuna story about the 80-year-old compass calibrator/certifier in Port San Pedro (Calif.), and our transferring him boat to boat in a tossing sea off of Catalina... it was like Joe Biden in a blindfold, wearing mittens, and oversized steel-toed work boots.

We almost lost him a few times ! my afterthought at the time was that he (and we) should never have allowed him away from the dock, simply not nimble enough, and the threat of a cold water shock, his stamina to stay afloat, and physical strength to help in rescue efforts all bode ill for our judgment that day.

Mental acuity aside, the John Force accident last week, the memory of the final Don Gartlits race, a blubering Ronald Reagan, are grim reminders of alert minds staying on watch too long, there are simply times when you must move on... like staying in one town too long, or ceasing to be challenged with living on the same boat too long, or feeling like your sealegs are gone.    So, no remorse, no regrets, it's back to a less challenging physical realm... building and living in a coach (again), somewhere on the water-side shore, just on land, not "on" water.

I am 75% completed on this park model coach project, and realizing my limitations, up next after this will be the reduction of the massive inventory, and tooling I have accumulated, hoping to get it all pared down to a shop-van-sized collection of needs for coach maintenance only (not building).

So...fea is going under new command, but staying on station where she is, old boats also know when it is no longer wise to challenge the vicious seaways, unlike the steel and wooden boats that ultimately end up being dismantled or scrapped, fiberglass boats are appearing to go on forever... such is the repair ease of the fiberglass hull, if well maintained, the new owners should live aboard here for a very long year span.

So...fea has been well cared for, the annual or semi-annual bottom cleanings are the secret (along with zincs), So...fea has an all fiberglass deck system and cabin sides are fiberglass as well, the only wood on board are railings and four hatches, the toe rail is also wood and perhaps is the weak point for rot inspired leaks, window caulking, and penetrations are always the usual leak source on all boats.

Unique is the no-holding tank build of So...fea, thereby eliminating that "boat smell" from marine toilet systems, that, plus keeping the below decks (engine room) heated year-round kept condensation, mildew, mold, and sour water smell out of penetrating the vessel's innards... being occupied space as a liveaboard full time, also wards off the demons of boat rot and smell.

We effectively removed all of our non-essential personal effects over the past 4 months preparing for the selling, and are ready to move-on down the road when we complete our RV (Labor Day?), but the departure will be rough, leaving So...fea is like losing a pet, or close friend that you have shared so much with... making you kindred, were it not that she will stay here, and be loved and nurtured by new owners we would feel a lot worse.

Great little harbor community here, and So...fea has become a landmark (almost) as the most photographed boat in the harbor, as tourists come down the ramp the first boat they see is So...fea, while they eat at Novellis they have her in full view, she is the classic DeFever Trawler design, that set the world standard for hundreds of thousands trawlers around the globe, between 30 foot and 300 foot, it is burned into peoples brains "this" is what a boat looks like.

Our next living endeavor (ashore) is scheduled to begin around the first of September, stay tuned, there will be a lot of changes !!!