Maranatha - April 2003
As she was, prior to any work being done!

The Refit Starts...Oct 2003.click on the thumbnail for full image
After leaving the boat unattended for the summer, I arrived in Texas in October to find that part of the starboard side toe rail had been broken off during a storm, fortunately our neighbour Jim had noticed the damage and saved the broken off pieces for a later repair ......so even though there was so much to do that I had no idea where to start....the first job presented itself....repairing the toe rail.
As I was waiting for the glue to dry I started to sand the wheel at the helm...three days later I was ready to apply the first coat of varnish ...it was a long slow job...but you know what they say..practice makes perfect!

Toe Rail Repairs....



After leaving the clamps in place for a few days I was able to fill and sand the whole toe rail....and get the fist coat of varnish on....it was good to see the teak starting to look good!
House Tops
The next job was to remove the many layers of paint that had been applied to the hand rails and teak trim of the house tops....I tried chemical strippers, sanding and eventually resorted to a heat gun....it was a very slow process

Soft spots in the house top were investigated and repaired with West System Epoxy and filler
I split the top into 3 seperate projects, allowing me to see results quickly....and keep myself motivated.


At each stage it was good to see the primer and teak looking sharp...

....and then it was back to the heat gun for the next section.....

getting the butterfly hatch looking good made a huge difference

The house tops complete with two coats of primer....


The Shower
.........
When it was too hot to work outside... I started on the shower stall...the original paint was flaking off in places, so I decided to sand it smooth and then apply a plastic sheet finish....I sealed all the edges with marine grade silicon, to waterproof the enclosure. The shower and vanity sink fittings were replaced with new....and soon the whole head and shower enclosure was starting to look good too. An automatic bilge pump was installed to create a shower sump in the existing space, and the line T'd into the main bilge outlet. A new light was the perfect finishing touch.
Fortunately, the previous owner had installed a complete new head and holding tank system...so the upgrades here were purely cosmetic.

Deck Seams
The strip at the front of the house top at the base of the mast was soft, so I dug this out back down to the fiberglass base, and then cut a new piece of teak to follow the curve of the deck...this was sealed in place with 5200, and left to dry. The following day after sanding the teak deck to reveal the edge of each plak, and make the cutting easier, I started re cutting the deck seams.



the portion shown in these photo's represents 2 full days work. The existing deck seams varied from between 1/16th to 1/8th inch....I used a knife and 1/4 inch chisel to uniformly recut the seams, then filled them with polysulphide deck seam compound, then sanded the surplus off, and finally finished with teak sealer......the thought of doing the whole of the decks in this manner was daunting...but other than pull up the planking and start from zero, I could see no other way of doing this.... I tried to do the seams a few hours every day...and little by little the job got completed...All in all it took me about 3 months.

Dorade boxes
The boxes themselves I ordered in kit form from Thailand, put them together, then scribed them to the curve of the house top.

For the vent pipe I used 4 inch plastic drain cut at an angle, and then marked and cut the house top accordingly. The vents were sealed in place using 5200, and then the stainless dorades screwed to the boxes.


Solar Vents

To help with the ventilation of the head and shower stall, I added solar powered vents, one to each enclosure....one set to push air in, the other to draw air out....these vents are quiet, and run constantly, keeping the space well aired and dry.
Dodger
To try and keeps costs down....I decided to make the dodger myself.....the stainless was ordered pre-bent....and then I just had to size and cut the pipes.....and fit the hardware !......the canvas work was a whole different story
Firstly, I made a pattern from clear plastic sheet...stretched tight over the steel pipes, then transferred this pattern to the Sunbrella....
Again, I decided to make the canvas enclosure myself.....with my new Sailrite sewing machine....but I didn't want my first canvas project to be the very visible Dodger.....So, after practicing on the cockpit cushions and the interior upholstery, I finally had the confidence to tackle the Dodger.
Three days later I was wishing I had paid someone to do this for me....working down below with such a huge piece of fabric....and the very stiff eisenglass.....it was not really a job I should have attempted.....
at the first fitting I was holding my breath...and was surprised that everything was fitting where it was supossed to be





V-Berth Hatch
.........
The original hatch cover was a solid piece of ply that was starting to de-laminate. I decided to remove the ply, and replace it with a sheet of clear Plexiglass....this helped the light in V-berth.....and made the very dark and dingy space into light and airy room. The only problem with the plexiglass was that it looked too modern for the classic lines of Maranatha.....A trip to the craft section of the local Wal Mart soon fixed that problem!....faux stained glass was appled to bring the hatch to the image I wanted.....to make the hatch secure, stainless bars were added over the top.


Galley Area