Extreme Makeover: Boat Edition - Demolition

The boat's name is Gemini. That's quite propitious.

John is a Gemini by birth, and John and Wayne (while not twins) would be doing the work to bring the classically designed boat back to its "youthful and lively" self.

Besides, you can't change a boat's name willy-nilly. There's a whole process to go through if you don't want to tempt the fates, and we sure didn't want to do that.

The first step after Valley Marine removed the leg and sealed her transom with fiberglass was to take her somewhere we could work throughout the winter. As I mentioned, we are home rich but land poor. Consequently, our Piper Arrow moved outdoors and our hanger became a boatyard. Good for Gemini, bad for 997 (that's another story).

Valley Marine did lots of work in the engine area, but left us with all the old parts. We also had to attack the interior to make room for office space. This was something Wayne and I could do. We attacked it with a vengeance and removed as much as we could with hand tools. Bags of trash and larger items were stored under the boat until we were ready for a trip to the dump. Unfortunately, the things we were removing didn't have any reuse or recycle value.

Once the initial cleanup was done, John came in with his power tools and completed the removal of interior items right down to the fiberglass hull. What we wanted was empty space, and that's what we got. No walls around the head, for that matter no head. No built in galley, no dinette, no captain's chair, no sleeping platform in the bow, nothing from the floor up.

Because of John's and our schedule, this process took about a month. Our hanger was an organized mess, but fortunately our neighbors (mostly RVs stored for the winter) didn't complain. Now we were ready for the real work of the transformation. Stay tuned - there's more to come. -- Margy

Extreme Makeover: Boat Edition - The Remodel

Soon after we helped John with the demolition, Wayne and I had to head back to the States for about six weeks. When we returned to Powell River, John had Gemini all torn down and was starting to build her back up.

The interior was completed gutted and the rotten rear walls were replaced with fiberglass covered plywood. The trashed swim grid was removed and the cabin floor was replaced with plywood. The aft compartment where the engine used to reside was decked in. Since no space was needed for the engine, the deck was lowered even with the cabin floor. Consequently, the door had to be remodeled. We opted to go with a glass door rather than a traditional boat door. It was a challenge for John, but he redid the jamb and it fits perfectly.

One thing we could do that didn't take much skill (we're the grunt labor) was sand and paint the hull, so that's where Wayne focused his energy. Wayne really likes bright colors, so what could be brighter than Signal Red. We started with black bottom paint, then red for the hull, and topped it with a white cabin. For the interior, Wayne wanted burgundy, but what we ended up with was more like fuchsia (John calls it bordello pink). When we had to leave again for the States, Gemini was all but done, just a little more paint and a few final touches for John to do in our absence.

We returned in July and were amazed. Gemini was transformed. The ugly twin was gone and the beautiful twin revealed. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the rest of the story. -- Margy

Sewing Boat Curtains and a Roman Shade

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, here comes Gemini again (Extreme Makeover: Boat Edition). Yes, she was done and ready to start her new career as a writer's retreat, but there was one thing that John and Wayne didn't (couldn't, wouldn't?) do and that was make curtains. If you've ever used a computer on a sunny day, you know why curtains were an important addition for Gemini.

I found heavy weave coat fabric in red and black that would do nicely on sale. I bought what remained of the bolt. I figured if I was going to make curtains, I might as well do some for the cabin at the same time. I don't have a sewing machine at the cabin, so I sewed them all by hand. It wasn't too hard and the heavy weave of the cloth hid all of my stitches.

For the side windows I made simple rectangular curtains with an open rod casing in the header. Since these curtains would be open most of the time, I chose to make them just slightly larger than the window width. That way they wouldn't be so bunchy when retracted.

For a curtain rod  purchased clothes line, crimp sleeves, eye lag bolts and small turnbuckles at the building supply store. First the eye bolts were screwed into the wall, then the clothes line was cut to fit the length with enough to turn back and crimp. I  placed the turnbuckles where they would be hidden at the end where the curtain stacked when open. Once installed, a few turns on the turnbuckle brought the clothes line up taut so the curtains wouldn't sag in the middle.


The front window was a little more complicated. I chose to make a roman shade using a shower extension rod for the top rod and a thinner extension curtain rod for the bottom as a weight and to help roll the curtain up. Above are directions in case you would like to try them. Click on it to get an enlarged version. This same pattern would work for a roman shade inside a window frame. Simple, but effective. -- Margy

Extreme Makeover: Boat Edition - Back in the Water Again

You've followed Gemini's progress from an abandoned hulk to a refurbished ship. Her inherent classic lines could finally shine through. But her transformation from a seagoing boat to a writer's retreat wasn't quite finished. While still in the hanger, she got a bright shiny crown, a 120 watt solar panel with two deep cycle batteries tucked neatly into hand crafted aft storage boxes. An inverter and electrical panel inside the cabin made power management simple with the flick of a switch. A ground rod attached to the transom made the system safe for use on the water.

The interior was completed with new wall to wall carpet (with hints of burgundy to match our "bordello pink" walls) and a futon for those "thoughtful" moments. There wasn't room for a true desk, so John built a cantilevered shelf below the front windows where Wayne can sit on a tall barstool and enjoy the scenery while he works. So, with power for his laptop and a portable Big Buddy propane heater for chilly days, Wayne's writer's retreat was complete, or so we thought.

Gemini was ready for Valley Marine to pick her up for her second maiden voyage, this time up the lake to our cabin. We knew she would be pretty light with the engine and all of the interior built-ins removed, but we wouldn't know for sure until she got in the water. Yep, she floated like a cork. In fact, she was so high in the water it was a little dangerous, but it was a calm day. Wayne and John left Mowat Bay and headed north with Gemini in tow.

She had a tendency to S-turn, so the tow line was extended until she settled down and followed along docile as could be to her new home and purpose. But as I've said before, that isn't the end of the story. Come back tomorrow to hear about our big surprise. -- Margy

Extreme Makeover: Boat Edition - "It's a boat, you've got to expect a little water!"

With Gemini done, John took a well deserved cruise in our ocean boat Halcyon Days with his friend Doug and two Honda 100cc dirt bikes to explore remote logging roads. It's an adventure John looks forward to each year. The trip was originally planned for four days, but the riding was good and it was almost a week before they returned. Why is this important, you'll see.

Wayne and I needed to do something about Gemini's weight or she just might turn turtle one windy night. We discussed it with the experts at Valley Marine and of course our good friend John. The decision was to fill the aft storage boxes and space below the floorboards with rocks. Not wanting the rocks to rub on the fiberglass hull, we first laid down mill felt (heavy waterproof cloth). Wayne and I went to nearby Sandy Beach and loaded up buckets with round rocks for our "stuffing" project.

The next day we noticed the automatic bilge pump was operating quite frequently. This seemed a bit strange, but we surmised it was residual rainwater. To make a long story short, we had a leak. First all of the rocks come out (quite a chore). This didn't help, so we found a way to tie Gemini to the dock to prevent her from sinking. Without John and his trusty tools there wasn't much we could do but wait for his return.

John and his brother Rick discovered an old screw that wasn't sealed tight. Gemini would have to come out of the water for repairs, but John had an idea. We headed for his shallow back bay, used a turfer (winch) and tackle to haul her up on shore to get at the spot.



















He cut a new hatch in the floor, made a fiberglass patch and the next day Gemini was back in operation. People like John amaze me. They're so self reliant. Having lived all our lives in big cities, Wayne and I have limited practical skills and knowledge. Our learning curve is huge.

Gemini was now really ready to become Wayne's writer's retreat. She also gave him good fodder for several chapters in his book Up the Strait. If you want to read the whole story and about other boating adventures we've had on Powell Lake and the Strait of Georgia, the book is available for purchase at www.PowellRiverBooks.com. It can also be found locally in Powell River at Coles, Breakwater Books or Marine Traders. Hope you've enjoyed our Extreme Makeover: Boat Edition. -- Margy

"Fishing with John" by Edith Iglauer

No, not our John, even though we do go fishing with him. When I can't be at my float cabin I like to read about people from Coastal BC. Fishing with John is a book I read some time ago. It was also made into a movie.

Edith Iglauer was a journalist with The New Yorker who came to Coastal BC to get a story about salmon fishing. What she found was more than a story. Fishing with John chronicles meeting and later marrying commercial fisherman John Daly. For four years they traveled and fished along the coast on his boat the MoreKelp. Through Edith's eyes the reader experiences the difficult yet sublime life on a trawler. John was typical of the many self-reliant people who live and work in Coastal BC. He was more comfortable by himself working in close proximity to nature. Edith first admired and then came to love his eccentric and philosophical approach to life. This story has it all - adventure, love and vivid descriptions of the beauty that abounds along our coast.

Each time I pass Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast I think about this book and Edith's story. She came to love the BC Coast almost as much as the man who drew her here.

The movie wasn't as good as the book, but it's worth watching if you read the book first. The title was changed to Navigating the Heart with Tim Matheson as John and Jaclyn Smith as Edith. The book and DVD are both available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. You can also find Fishing with John in most British Columbia bookstores or in BC Ferries gift shops. -- Margy

"Nature BC" Guide by James Kavanagh

Living at our float cabin inspires us to learn more about nature. As we observe birds, plants and the occasional animal, we like to identify them. Because we don't have an expert background in biology, we use several nature guides to give us a hand. We purchased one of our first guides at Canadian Tire. It's called Nature BC: An Illustrated Guide to Common Plants and Animals by James Kavanagh with illustrations by Raymond Leung, Linda Dunn, Horst H. Krause and Marianne Nakaska.

This is a great little guide with illustrations (rather than photographs) and brief descriptions for the novice or casual observer. The descriptions include a distribution map and information including the common and scientific name, size, habitat, key field marks for easy identification, behavioral characteristics and points of interest. What I really like about this book is that it includes mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, shorelife, trees, shrubs and wildflowers all in one 175 page book. It has durable pages and binding, and is small and light for carrying in a backpack or the car. It is my first choice before going to my more technical guides. The only categories missing are insects and spiders, but I guess you can't have everything in 175 pages.

If you don't have a Canadian Tire Store handy, you can find Nature BC at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. I'm always looking for good nature guides. Do you have any favourites? -- Margy