Taking the ceiling down daily

.... or so it seems. All the electrical is in the ceiling, and you must remove the panels to get to it.
As I add more and more wires to the system, I find myself with no less then 4 panels down at any one time. They are very long, and take up a ton of room on the settee. Alas, projects are going forward.
The NEMA 2000 network is coming great. I have a forward line ran for the heading compass for the autopilot, and the wind heading and speed sensor. On this drop leg I will also be able to add a depth/speed water sensor. This would give me this information at both the helm and below decks on the other devices on the Garmin NMEA 2000 network. This runs back to the second half that connects the GPS sensor, GHC wind display, autopilot control head, and the main 4212 chartplotter.

With all of these combined, wiring can get confusing. Labels are important.

When I got the boat I had not a single clue as to what went where.
Wires ran every witch way. I found out that about 10% were no longer in use, or for accessories that the yacht did not have. One was a prep for wipers, lol. I had to trace them thru the boat, then find the ends were just cut off...

Well this ends now.
Everything is getting labeled as it gets installed. not just in one place, but if the run is long, at some place in the center of the run. So both ends, and also a middle mark. The ends are labeled with where they go and what for. Or where they came from.

The one in the photo will also get a second leg for an autopilot control at the chart table, as well as a second GPS display at the table.

We also received our watermaker! Details and more posts on our facebook page www.facebook.com/svunionp

Ceiling work

   So it has been a while since I last posted here. Projects are going well. Most of the updates can be found on our facebook page, www.facebook.com/svunionp and our youtube page, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5S6DveWyvRafPz5FOCUubw.

Well the ceiling of the yacht has been in poor nick since we got her. She was smoked in, the decks leaked, and it was 32 years old. Now on the second year of the restoration, we are very far into the big projects. The ceiling has been one of the longest, besides the deck.

The ceiling was so bad I avoided taking photos of it, and I was embarrassed that our new yacht had such glaring ugly marks.

It has come so far.

Two years ago today I actually had to make the choice between two boats. Man I am glad I chose the UP over the powerboat.

Some days I wish I had chose the powerboat. It would have been roomier, easier access, less draft, faster on the ICW. It would have also cost us over $5000 in fuel to bring it to Florida. The UP only cost us $500 in fuel, and our next trip I hope to use under $40 in fuel when we head back north to visit family before the big trip of "who know whats year".
The issue is our jobs are going very well, and while I am retired, I enjoy my job. If I can manage to keep it, I would like to stay a while and work before we take off. It would be nice to turn our planned 5 year trip into a 10 year trip.This could be done with 2 years of work. Decisions, decisions.


Find us on Patreon, www.patreon.com/one Thank you!

YouTube and us

We have another video up on youtube, as we try to record our activities.
Its our dive trip, and our repairs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVbNalG5cSY
Enjoy, and Subscribe!

A lot closer, 14 months to go

Sorry it has been a long while. I have been busy with a hurt back, but now I am back in gear, and getting back to repairs.


The mast was stripped and painted up to the first spreader, along with the boom.

 Steps were installed on the mast about 6' up.

Our New dinghy!!! It is a walker bay super tender, in Hapolon. 

So whats done.
The windlass is upgraded, machined, and switched. Its now a push button retrieve.
The dinghy is here, and purchased.
The boom is painted.
Deck is 90% done.
Sails repaired.

What's left to do? lol A lot.
Finish interior refit
Install additional bilge pumps
Install new batteries
Install hard top enclosure on cockpit
Change rigging bolts
Buy new anchor
Install new inverter/charger
Install new wind vane system
Install new chart plotter
Haul out and repaint
New thru hulls
Paint oil pan and add oil change pump
Finish generator installation
Finish engine refit
Install water, fuel gauge senders
Mount lower GPS
Buy new radar
Install new forestay wire
Finish aft head refit
Buy new Air Conditioner
Buy refrigerator unit, and install
Buy freezer
Finish mast painting, and step install
Hang new halyards
Install audio system.

I know The list is long, but I hope to start ticking off boxes as we go.
I hope to have at least half of those done by Christmas.
We leave April 2016*

*as long as neither of us are promoted to a job that pays $50,000 a year, then we will stay one more year.