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March 28, 2009
After a busy Friday with Toby sanding Pearl's bilge and applying a coat of prekote primer, Chis and I did our weekend trek to Huntington to work on Prana today. With Boston-based Jeff and Elise joining us for dinner tonight, we didn't have a full day to putter around. We asked the taxi driver to stop at Home Depot to get a step ladder. We planned to polish the topsides, if not this weekend, next. And we had been borrowing a ladder in the yard that didn't appear to belong to anyone, but was rickety and unsafe. So we grabbed a lightweight fiberglass 6-foot stepladder at Home Depot and tossed it into the back of the mini-van taxi.
We arrived at the marina and the winds had kicked up from the northeast about 20 knots. Removing the plastic shrink wrap was going to be a challenge. We decided to start downwind, at the bow, and cut short strips. Rather than big pieces that would catch the wind and cause us some grief. It went smoothly without a single piece blowing away in the wind. We connected the topping lift to the end of the boom and removed the frame. The cleanup took longer than the removal! We tied all the bits together and took it to the curb for recycling.
We worked a bit on the rig, put the wheel covers on to protect the leather, and stowed the dock lines and fenders that the dealer had left lying on the deck. We tidied up a bit down below, and she started looking ready to splash.
Next weekend, we will polish the topsides, finish touching up her bottom paint, and finish polishing the brass through-hulls. The dealer has to replace the through-hull for our air-conditioning, which has corroded significantly.
We told the dealer today that we plan to move her to Stamford on the Easter weekend. The pressure is certainly on him now to deal with our warranty issues. So far, he has not taken care of a single one. Our confidence diminishes every time we visit her, and we are fearful that another series of letters to Beneteau's president are going to be required to get them addressed.
Our fingers are crossed. Meanwhile, we look so forward to sailing as soon as we can!
Posted by dave at March 28, 2009 06:28 PM