New Projects and Sourcing Materials

Ahoy followers!

I hope this blog post finds all of you well and enjoying the long summer days (here in the northern hemisphere anyways). Te Ara and I have been particularly thankful for the extra daylight recently, as it has given me significantly more time to get some projects done and prepare for the impending haul out I hope to have completed next month. It's amazing how much work needs to be done before you can pay someone else to do even more work for you.... planning out exactly what needs to be fixed or removed, what needs to be measured and ordered, and then answering any more questions from the haul out crew from the inevitable details that were overlooked. In addition to all of this, McKay and I have been kept busy with all sorts of projects, including installing the new 40 gallon Plastimo fresh water tank (it's a flexible bladder that will fit under the floorboards) and putting the new name on Te Ara!

Adding the new name was an undertaking in and of itself. It required a couple hours of work on the stern of the boat to remove the old name (Highland Dream) and then hanging off the back of the boat in a bosun's chair to apply the new vinyl decal. I opted to have McKay do the actual application because of her significantly more patient and detail oriented mindset... It came out perfect and we could not be more happy with the end result. Check out the pics on the blog page and tune in to Instagram on Wednesday to get a glimpse of the naming ceremony we will hold to celebrate. These ceremonies are typically doused with equal parts tradition and alcohol..... should be a good time.

As you can imagine, all of the projects, maintenance, and haul out preparation that we have been doing over the past few months takes quite a bit of attention to detail and a good source of supplies for any work you are about to perform on a sailing vessel. I wanted to take the opportunity of this blog post to tell you guys a little bit about the different sailing supply stores that tend to the marine community. Typically, boats will require specialty (and more expensive) parts that you won't find at your average hardware store. Anything that goes on a boat needs to be resistant to some of the most damaging forces on earth: sun, salt water, wind, and ignorant but enthusiastic owners. I'm sure by now you have guessed that most Home Depots or Lowes don't have a very good selection of boat parts. In the post below, I want to tell you a little bit about the different supply stores that have helped me out along the way.

West Marine

I'm sure most of you have heard of West Marine at some point in your life, even if you've never been on a boat. West Marine is the AutoZone of the boating community. You can bet with almost 99% certainty that if you are in a busy port town, there is likely a West Marine a short drive away. These are probably the most ubiquitous boating stores in the US and are most peoples first choice for supply of a new project and normal day to day maintenance. They have an excellent selection of all the equipment necessary to the weekend sailor: fenders, lines, basic fuel and electrical supplies, fishing gear, etc. Even better... they have the best prices around if you are one of their port supply members (thanks Uncle !!)

The only down side that I have found with West Marine is they usually don't have a very extensive "in store" selection. For small projects or repairs, they will probably have what you need, but if you plan on working on any major systems, its unlikely they will have everything you require. That being said, they have an incredibly robust supply chain and can order pretty much anything you need to arrive in the next few days. However, if you are working on a project that needs the part that day, you may be SOL. Even with this limitation, I use the local Alameda West Marine so often that half of the employees know me by site and the manager has me saved on his personal phone. Great service John!! These are my go to guys for starting to plan any big project and I order most of my large and expensive parts through them.

Svendsens Marine Industrial Supply (https://www.facebook.com/sbm.baymaritime/)

One aisle at Svendsens....

If West Marine is the Autozone of marine supply, then Svendsens is the Home Depot and Lowes combined. This chain is located in the Bay Area and has damn near everything you could possibly need for a project on the shelves. The store in Alameda is the size of an airplane hangar and is filled with anything you could ask for, from hundreds of different types of fittings to marine exhaust hose big enough to fit a ferry. Svendsens is my go to choice for any bit of boat project that I need STAT (usually because I overlooked something or didn't measure correctly). I have personally been to the Alameda Svendsens multiple times in the same day, and the crew that works there are all experts in various areas of marine maintenance and projects. If you are reading this blog and ever in the Bay Area, go check out Svendsens and prepare to have your mind blown.

It's rare that I make it out of this store in less than an hour and without buying something yachty. The only negative that I have found is that their prices aren't quite as competitive as West Marine's port supply membership (but you rarely have to wait).

Consignment Stores

If you are looking to find project parts on a budget, consignment stores are they way to go. They are a bit more rare in my experience, but damn do I love them. I have a small addiction to thrift shopping/getting good deals, and consignment stores scratch that itch for my boat purchases nicely. Similar to clothing consignment stores, you can buy and sell old boat parts for some pretty outstanding prices. When I was replacing my exhaust system, I found a 7 ft piece of 3 inch exhaust hosing for $75 dollars at Mikes Consignment down in Ventura. This hose was unused and would have cost ~$200 anywhere else. There is another consignment store in Alameda, a mile from where the boat is berthed and I have become a frequent flyer there for both buying and selling. As I work on Te Ara and rip out old systems to replace them with new more efficient ones, I tend to save the parts. Anything that is not immediately useful then goes to Blue Pelican Marine (https://bluepelicanmarine.com/). These guy take most of my old boat parts and sell them at a discount. We split the profit 50/50. Since I got Te Ara, I have managed to make a couple hundred bucks back on things that I normally would have just thrown away. For anyone who is new to boating and looking at a few large projects or a boat rebuild, definitely check into your local consignment options. You never know what treasures are waiting under that pile of old foul weather gear....and you may be helping someone else make some money back!

We plan to use all three of the sources above in the haul out next month. I will likely be ordering most of the new parts from West Marine, getting emergency parts at the time of haul out from Svendsens, then selling the remainder at Blue Pelican.

I will share some before and after images so you can all see the transformation that this boat has taken over the past 5 months. In the meantime, feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions for someone who is doing their first haul out!

With any luck, we should be able to go out sailing for a few days before the haul out if the weather holds and our work lives allow. Stay tuned for further updates and some pics of our naming ceremony later this week!

Best

-Gavin