A very LONG overdue galley project finally got completed this week! Though it cost us nearly $2000 it was a necessary purchase. Our stove/oven had slowly become unusable over the last several years and we finally bit the bullet and replaced it!

Our old stove was a Seward Princess – a brand that is not manufactured anymore. While I liked the setup, it was just plain dangerous to use anymore.  For starters, the oven door busted on one side so it would not close all the way. It never really got very hot to begin with but when a good portion of the heat began to escape right out the front it was hardly helpful and took forever to bake anything.

Next, the front right burner was completely seized up. I guess the valves on these units eventually get all gummed up inside and its nearly impossible to clean or service them. The knob just wouldn’t turn at all.

The middle burner in the back would not stay lit unless I stood there and held in the knob for a minimum of 10 minutes after lighting it. At which time, the temperature could not be reduced to low heat, meaning I had to carefully decide what I was going to cook on that burner knowing it could only be done at high heat and I might not have an extra hand to stir anything else. Most likely, the thermo-coupler was shot, preventing it from getting hot enough to stay lit on its own. Total pain in the a$$ so I just didn’t use that burner anymore either.

The right front burner was the only one I had been able to use but it was most definitely on it’s way out too. The flame would ALWAYS blow out the first two times, requiring me to stand there and light it a total of three times. It wasn’t bad propane or a lack of oxygen, it just wouldn’t stay lit unless I did it three times. Weird. But that’s not all.  If I was using the oven at the same time, the knobs on the front of the stove would get so warm that they would stick (just like the first burner). This was particularly scary when cooking if I couldn’t shut off the frickin flame. It’s a small space to begin with and if I’m cooking up a storm then there is definitely not room to have an open flame just burning away! Shut off then required me to be done using the oven because I’d have to turn off the propane solenoid on the wall, which stopped the flow of propane, but then I had to wait for the whole unit to cool off before I could turn the stove knob back to “off” position. Yep total P.I.T.A.  And so very unsafe.

R.I.P. old girl…

It was probably meant to be… I had Peter verify my measurements of the space allowance we had compared to the new stoves available in the Budget Marine catalog.  We decided on the American version of the 3-burner Force 10 – a very popular brand and model. It was a product that the chandlery here on Tortola at Nanny Cay either carried or could order in with their regular shipments.  On our next trip past Nanny Cay we stopped in to replace our leaking BBQ propane tank (yep, more money spent on necessary upgrades). While locating the new tank we inquired about the specific part number we wanted to order since we didn’t see any three-burners on the floor.  Turns out, the very model number we wanted WAS right there in the store, on the display floor, packed nicely in it’original box!! I was sold. It was right there all along, concealed from everyone else, we just had to ask and their system told us it was right there. Perfect.

We were disappointed that the pricing had gone up since the chandlery there was no longer operating as Budget Marine but it didn’t matter. It was not economically feasible for us to try to sail our boat all the way to St. Thomas on the off chance that Peter may get a consecutive three days in a row off work. Maybe if I wasn’t 8 months pregnant, but we agreed it was just better to spend a little extra and get one that was already imported into BVI. All we had to do was load it in the car, into the dinghy and into our boat.

Luckily, our friend Mike from Three Sheets was available to help Peter with the awkward lifting. It was only about 85 lbs but still rather large and definitely a two-man job for getting it into our boat. Even our friend Branson came to help lift the new one up and through our companionway.  Such sweet guys to help a pregnant lady out ;) The old one was much easier to get it out.

It took quite a bit of cleaning once the old unit was out. Messes are nearly impossible to avoid once these suckers are installed.

While the guys hauled the old one out, I started unpacking the new one :) It’s so SHINY!! Probably the shiniest thing we have on our boat now!

Now what do I want to bake first? :)

The post A Necessary Galley Upgrade appeared first on Where The Coconuts Grow.

Most of you know I’ve really been enjoying my LSZ-1 Industrial Sewing Machine from Sailrite. Even though I hadn’t used a sewing machine since 8th grade Home-Ec, Sailrite makes it so easy for anyone to learn how to do truly professional work! I’ve completed quite a few projects and the list keeps growing with items that need to be repaired.

Last year in Grenada was our first sail repair project. We took the genoa down and hauled it up to a flat grassy area at Secret Harbour Marina for easy access. Our buddy Steve from Lunacy (sistership/buddyboat) helped us out in exchange for letting him use the machine for some repairs of his own. He fell in love immediately! The LSZ-1 quickly went to the top of his wish list. He has plenty of sewing experience, and his own machine onboard, but he said this one takes the cake. He was blown away at how easily it handles heavy-duty materials like sailcloth and several layers of Sunbrella.

After hearing how happy we are with their products, Sailrite interviewed us for a feature on their blog. Curious about what we said? Check it out here! “Sailing & Sewing Where The Coconuts Grow”

The post An Interview with Sailrite appeared first on Where The Coconuts Grow.

Click on the logo at the top of any page to get back to the home page and start from the beginning.

Check it out, click around and let me know what you think!  Did I miss anything? Feedback is always welcome!

There are still a few minor changes in the works, but for now this is our new home :)

The post A New Look appeared first on Where The Coconuts Grow.

We arrived early for our appointment, got all set up in the Travelift, then the rains started.

Finally the rain stopped.

Up, up and away!

Transitioning out of the lift and straps…

Not surprisingly, the yard still counted time against us even though no one was working on our boat yet. Our appointment to arrive was 11am and it took the guys literally all day to just get the boat placed in the yard, without any actual work commencing at all. By the time we were all secure, it was time for everyone to go home.

Yep, we’re on island time.

Peter and I returned the next day bright and early to make sure everything was getting done. We opted to have the yard crew do most of the work for our first haul out instead of trying to get it all done ourselves and taking up more yard time. We also had a laundry list of items we wanted to take care of while on the hard:

• New bottom paint
• New bootstripe
• Repaint the stern
• Recondition the prop
• Take apart two seized thru-hulls
• Replace a below-the-waterline t-fitting that connects the aft sink and cockpit drain
• Repack the stuffing box
• Remove the wind generator to diagnose motor issues

The last time the bottom paint was done was before we bought the boat. The yard that painted it last did not do a very good job prepping the surface before painting because there was a lot of areas where the paint had started to separate and peel off around the water line. This wasn’t a terrible thing, but it sure did look bad and we were careful to make sure it was done better this time.

What’s it like to climb up the ladder when your boat is on the hard? Crazy!

First off, the ladder is hardly secure. The first couple of times up and down was pretty nerve wracking. Once I reached the top, the view was incredible! I had a hard time believing the boat was stable. If even one of those jack stands failed, all the boats would go down like dominoes. Going inside the boat was even weirder. My body is so trained to adjust to the motion of the waves when I’m on the boat, yet everything was so still. It was kind of like how it feels to close your eyes and take a shower on land after being on a boat for a few hours. It’s a really strange sensation to be still when your mind tells you it shouldn’t be still.

I went down below to escape the scorching sun and make something to eat for lunch. Everything was already feeling dirty just from being in the yard. Dust from the ground and from all the sanding was getting dirt and green paint dust everywhere. A boat yard is NOT a place for anyone that has OCD tendencies. Everything gets filthy. Period.

After climbing up that ladder for the first time I was really thankful we didn’t even consider staying on the boat in the yard. It would have been WAY too hard with the dogs, with no way to take them potty. They couldn’t go up and down the ladder, and they couldn’t go potty on deck because we’d have to hose it off, which would run down the side of the boat into the yard. Instead, the dogs were happy in the little cottage we had rented back at Secret Harbor Marina. They had air conditioning, a bed to lay on, and lots of places to go for walks. A doggy vacation, really.

Easy access to replace the zinc…

Our boat looked like an Easter Egg while the paint near the waterline was properly sanded down and prepped for new paint to be applied.

What a stud… working hard in the boat yard.

Our propeller needed to be machined to correct the pitch. Remember when we lost our steering because the bolt came loose on our rudder post in Bimini, Bahamas? Well, when that happened, the edges of our prop hit the inside of our rudder and evenly bent the tips of all three blades. It didn’t noticeably affect our performance or speed so we waited until our next haul out to address this issue. Luckily, Spice Island Marine has an on-site independent contractor that could fix our prop! This was a huge relief since we had heard the only way to get your prop fixed in Grenada is to send it to Trinidad, or buy a new one. Nick at Technic had his guys make our prop good as new in a few days, just in time for us to splash.

The whole process took about 5 days, which was faster than expected.

The boys in the yard prepared the lift and straps with fresh plastic wrapping to help protect the new paint.

So pretty!

Easy does it.

AND SHE FLOATS! A very exciting moment after we had messed with several areas that could cause serious flooding if not done properly.

It felt SO good to be back on the water again… right where we belong :)

We are currently in the US Virgin Islands while Peter finishes taking classes to get his Captain’s License!

The post Hauling Out appeared first on Where The Coconuts Grow.

Mary Christine is scheduled for haul out tomorrow morning for some fresh paint and a few minor repairs to be made over the next few days before we begin heading North, up island.

Before we go, we wanted to make sure we are totally prepared. We knew our good friends at Commuter Cruiser would have JUST WHAT WE NEEDED! Jan and David have put together a very helpful checklist of all the things we need to remember to do BEFORE, DURING and AFTER our time on the hard. The process may seem like a no-brainer for some, but Peter and I both found some very helpful things in this article that we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise during our first time hauling out.

The post Quick Haul Out Checklist appeared first on Where The Coconuts Grow.