Wahoooo.......it is really warm!

What a wonderful day Saturday was. Finally a day close to 70 degrees and a chance to cut the water back on and spray off the boat!  I know that seems weird to some but to me it is nice to get the grime off.  The few times we went out over the winter the dirt and grime would hit you in the face up on plane when you got going.  My daughter helped me scrub everything down for a quick wash and then we had to seize the day and get out on that smooth lake!

A Saturday night............

This entry is a bit out of order as the pictures lagged when downloading,  but the image says it all.  After some washing down and some time out on the lake the sun starts to set and at THAT MOMENT.........there lies my favorite time in my boat.  Now dont get me wrong,  I love to see my kids splash around and have fun.  Or sit back and try to talk to my wife while she has her face buried in the People magazine, to no avail.

Simply the calm, cool, smoothness of the evening on the lake is the best by far.  I can set out the grill and sit back with a cool one,  all the kids are down in the cabin banging around some teen movie I could care less about, and I can breathe it all in.  To me this will be the selling point of boating when I get older if I am so lucky to be able to afford it. 

We are very lucky and I am a thankful man.

As my hands curl up into painful fists................

Finally, finally, finally I have got the balance of the canvas up.  I stretched and pulled and crimped snaps until my hands literally stopped cooperating!  The guys who do this stuff for a living MUST have a better way than dumb ole me or they have forearms like Popeye.  I do still have some middle snaps to install across the windshield and side curtains but the temp dropped and was not getting any stretch out of the material anymore.  But thank God it is up!  I worked from the edges and corners to pull the canvas nice and tight, then installed snaps at these points and filled in between these "tension points".  This system seemed to work really well and I did leave some off because I think with some warm weather and sunshine I can get the eisenglass just right....nice and smooth.

BUT,  as any good boat owner will tell you once we seem to ascend to the top of one mountain just over the horizon there is another peak to climb.  My new one is my generator is not cooperating.  She runs and purrs like a kitten but I am not getting power at the panel.  I have looked to see if I have a breaker tripped but did not see one so I am off to the internet for answers and ideas! Anyone? Anyone?

Well,  at least I do not have to have as good of hand control or feeling in my fingers to solve this problem! :)

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The Spring itch is almost too much for me to handle, so I decided I would start prepping for the season and do a walk through of all the systems on the boat today.  It was a pretty nice day and only a little cool which was fine because I was in the cabin mostly.  I did some cabinet door adjusting,  had some burnt out bulbs, and needed to change the DampRid in the closets and in the galley.  I love that stuff becuase even though our boat is a 2002 she still smells new and nice and dry.  When we were looking at boats we looked at a few that smelled like an old shower in the cabin,  which is very unpleasant in my opinion.

I didnt take her out though.  I decided I would go wander around in West Marine and just see if I could find some stuff I could not live without.  I am always amazed at how expensive things are for the boat.  These tiny little 10 watt light bulbs for the reading lights in the cabin were $7 each!  They got us though.

I suspect I will venture back out to the boat tomorrow.  Come on SPRING!

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Patiently Waiting.......

I pulled the trigger and ordered the balance of my canvas. The full front valance and the 2 side curtains to complete our canvas in the dark captains blue. I had the front valance already but in black new and I could not make it work out with the wife. She kept saying we would look like we had the "Beverly Hillbillies" boat if I used it!

I loved the Beverly Hillbillies.......:)

I could not resist getting a mat for the swim platform with "Knot too Shabby" embroidered on it too. I am constantly cleaning off the swim platform of all the dirt just from embarking and unhooking shore power etc. The wife would not let me put "NO SHOES" on it, but I tried!

Ugh, I wish Spring would get here.......I am getting tired of thie cold rain and temps!!!