Prognosis: long term project.

pulled the dona-boat off Buffalo this morning, took some pics, sat in the cockpit, played around with that skeg, and made some decisions.

Long term project.   Because there is a lot of cutting and welding in the future of this eventual single boat with all the bells and whistles.    

As you can see, she is in UGLY shape, especially that bow damage. The oil canning can be straightened out, though getting it perfect may take an act of Dog. That front end though,,, totaled.

I fell in love with the cockpit setup.   I can lay back on the back deck and my bum doesn’t come off the seat.  I can lay back so far that my head AND shoulders are on the back deck.  Doesn’t sound exciting unless you have ever rolled a kayak.   Being able to get that low on the boat means rolls are purt much guaranteed successful.   Forward rolls should be just as easy but that lay back position,,,   That ain’ta happenin’ in BlueJean with her tall back deck.  I can’t lay back in her at all without the cockpit rim digging into my lower ribcage: very painful,,

and as for repairs,,,   Someone has tried.  I can see burns around the oil-canned hull where they were trying to heat up the plastic to get it reform.   and that area is roughly the area of the entire cockpit and more than one.   They overlap and that makes getting them straight even trickier.   The bow damage is extreme and would require another donor boat,,,   

Naw,,,   If I am going to be cutting and welding, I have an idea of what the end goal is going to be.   Blue jean with a lowered back deck, better accouterments for cockpit, and a bloomin’ skeg for chris-sakes.

How to do that.   Cut the upper deck/cockpit area OFF the Chatham, set aside all the hardware for when the welding is in process (use the seat pan, which is an aluminum frame, for fitting things correctly.) and ‘transplant’ all of that onto Bluejean.

It ain’t gonna be an overnight thing.   I’m thinking this is my overwinter project.   And taking my time, I may even change my mind, leave BJ intact and attempt to find that other donor boat. or something.   BUT, I do love the way this cockpit ‘fits’,,,,

I like the way I fit in BJ too,,,,    Hell, I love that boat the way it is, just wishing it had some minor changes (that require major surgery,,,  *sigh*. ). I am confident enough in Blue Jean to say “I would be willing to take her out on Lake Superior in storm weather”, and mean it.  Just wish she had that skeg and a lowered back deck: she would be PERFECT for all around boating.   (she ain’t no race boat, but she ain’t a laggard either.)

I have time.   Who knows; Universe may hook me up with another something-or-nuther and all of the above ideas will be holed below the waterline.    And I may just go ahead and add that skeg to BJ now since its not as major of a project (and that would make a HUGE change in her bearing, pun intended.) (it’s still major: any time you go cutting holes in a hull, its major.)