Boat renovation planning – In this series of 6 videos, we will take you through this overhaul, which took place in the last year, when the world was still normal, in August 2019. At the time, Ariki was 16 years old. In the next video from that past time, we will grind it that everything will be in dust. Yeah, that’s what we came here for.
Boat renovation planning
In the first video from the new series, we tell you about boat renovation planning and how to prepare for it.
In this series we will take you through this overhaul, which took place in the last year, when the world was still normal, in August 2019. At the time, Ariki was 16 years old. In the next article from that past time, we will grind it that everything will be in dust. Yeah, that’s what we came here for.
Ariki is made of waterproof plywood and wood. All together it is glued and coated with epoxy. Nevertheless, only real-time servicing of faults and damage caused by time and use can protect it from deterioration.
This time at the Shipyard we are scheduled to lift the boat out of the water at 8am, which is great. We will be the first in line and the whole day will be ahead of us.
We arrived in Izola the night before. A few friends and some of their dogs were with us on a short voyage from our canal to Izola. Immediately after landing at theWhen everything is teared down and all the parts is displayed on the asphalt around Ariki, grinding begins. Shipyard dock, Igor, one of the passengers, picked up a red microphone and did an interview.
First day
This is Emil. Crane operator at the Shipyard. He launched our Ariki many years ago. And then he lifted it up and down on all the renovations. Every two years.
Hello Emil and hello Izola. It’s a beautiful day and we’ll made good use of it.
Ariki was placed on four pedestals by crane operator Emil. It stands stable. Now the work can begin. First emptying, then tearing down
Planning and preparing for a renovation is not such an easy thing at all. You need to bring everything with you: all the material that will be used and the complete tool. There really is no time to jump around the shops on such a quick renovation.
Everything has to be thought of. On screwdrivers, hammers, chisels, saws and a thousand other trinkets. There are also hand power tools, epoxies, fillers, sandpaper, adhesive tapes, pieces of wood and more and more ..
We have to be prepared for everything and we have to have everything with us. It is mostly clear what needs to be fixed. But when you open the damage on the boat, a surprise can be waiting for you. Mostly good, but sometimes bad. You just have to be prepared for that.
There is also time which you have available. We estimate that we will need six days for this renovation. However, it must be in reserve for at least one day due to possible bad weather.
The first day is dedicated to catamaran disassembly. It is necessary to empty the cockpit and deck, knock down the mast, untie all three trampolines and two crossbars. Disassemble the stairs, solar panel and more.
When everything is teared down and all the parts is displayed on the asphalt around Ariki, grinding begins.
Second day
On the second day, sanding and repairing or replacing damaged wooden parts continues. The first layer of epoxy is already applied to the first prepared surfaces.
Third day
The third day is still devoted to repair, puttying and epoxy painting.
Fourth day
On the fourth day, we paint the above-water part of the hulls. Before assembling a catamaran, the paint must be dried for at least 24 hours to harden sufficiently.
Fifth day
On the fifth day, we grind the underwater part of Ariki and apply an antifouling coating.
Sixth day
The sixth day is dedicated to assembling. If we start in the morning, everything is ready in the late afternoon. But then there are no more crane operators in the Shipyard.
Seveth day
On the seventh day we set up the mast and wait for the lift to drop us into the water. This time Emil was in a hurry, so he tell us to work faster. It was his last day on the job. And Ariki is the last boat he will launch. He only does this last task and will become a retiree.
Seven days is just right for a short overhaul if the weather is nice. But when it thunders, blows, and pours rain, it is time to rest. That’s when the wallet empties the most as the bill grows in the shipyard and in the inn.
Overhaul of a Wooden Catamaran
A series of six articles & videos
Memories
We will also relive the memories. The story of Ariki is not over yet. Far from it.
There are many more memories we haven’t told you yet, but we will share them with you this winter. They predict it will be severe and long. So just right for telling stories and reliving memories.
Ariki is resting now. Its season begins in May and ends in October. Like all Wharram catamarans, it is designed for warmer climates. Staying in the colder months on it in our places, where the temperature often drops below freezing, is simply not possible.
Let’s get back to the hot asphalt. If the August sun shines on it, the air temperature in the warmest hours exceeds 50 degrees Celsius. Then we look for shade and empty the fridge at the nautical shop that is in the shipyard.
A broken mast
If we want to take down the cockpit, we must first tear down the mast and remove the middle crossbeam. Then we can also remove the cockpit. Whole. It’s too hard for us. We always need a few extra pairs of hands for this work.
In the first years, we erected and teared down the mast ourselves. Then it once fell in such a setting. It was already standing upright, just as it should, but it fell because only two of us put it up and we clung too tightly to the beer cans and too little to the ropes that held the mast upright.
Quite slowly he fell to my side and shattered on the asphalt with a loud bang on the cod. And the dream of sailing for that summer was over. The next week we searched the home hills for suitable boards from the farmers, and then it took 14 days for the mast to be made and another week for us to bring it to Ariki. We were still able to sail to Susak, and there was no more time to go further. Autumn was already at the door.
Since then, the mast has always been torn down and erected with a car crane, which is available at the Shipyard for a few tens of euros. Believe me, this is much cheaper and above all easier than making a new mast.
The mast fell in 2006. It’s just a memory.
