110 Cookson Lane | Whitefield, ME 04353 | 207-232-7600 | tim@lackeysailing.com
Although I didn't truly begin the project until January 2012, the time between the boat's arrival in late April 2011 and the beginning of the work 8 months later gave me time to do a few things towards the final goal.
When the boat arrived, the mast was stored on deck, buried in a tangle of loose rigging, tie-downs, and whatnot.
One of the first orders of business was to remove the mast to the ground, so I could dismantle it and prepare for storage, rigging replacement, and other work. Choosing a pleasant day without much else going on, I moved the boat over to my gantry crane and lifted the spar off deck, and down to waiting sawhorses.
Over the next few days, an hour or two at a time as my schedule allowed, I removed the mess of ancient rigging, cataloging it for storage and further work. Once more, I was amazed at the level of tangle; I simply didn't understand how rigging could end up so tangled without a dedicated effort to make it so.
The rigging was in poor condition and would all be replaced later. I also discovered that one of the spreader brackets was damaged, with cracks appearing in the body, and I made arrangements with my rigging contractor to inspect the brackets and spreaders, and begin to source replacement.
Several months later, someone expressed possible interest in the original Atomic 4 gasoline engine. Since the engine had to come out eventually, it seemed a good time to attack the removal and possibly send the engine off to a new home. It'd been months since I looked at the engine during my first inspection of the boat upon arrival, and I didn't remember specifics, but when I began the removal the engine seemed in worse condition than I'd thought. I communicated pictures to the potential buyer via email during the removal, and although I did completely remove the engine that day, by the end of the day he'd decided it wasn't what he'd really been looking for and decided against its purchase.
Over the course of the day, I disconnected the shafting, engine controls (with difficulty thanks to the corroded connectors), exhaust, and numerous wiring connections, and otherwise prepared the engine for craning out.
Later, I moved the boat over to the crane once more, and lifted the engine out and to the ground, where I set it aside for storage and eventual sale. The engine room was a greasy, disgusting mess that I left strictly alone for now, having accomplished what I needed at this point. I moved the boat back to her final storage position for a few months till beginning the project.
Total Time on Summer 2011 Preliminary Jobs: 10 hours
