Double click the images below for a larger view.
Preparing to move from Lake Superior
Arriving in Fort Collins, Colorado
And jacking her up a wee bit to account for settling after almost three years. We raised Sundown’s bow about 4″.
Nearly 30 years of grime and mildew to clean, plus construction messes
Cleaning and polishing tarnished bronze
Stripping old varnish
Preparing for her first winter in Fort Collins
We are wired!
We are plumb excited, too!
![IMG_2276[1]](https://sundownsailing.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/img_22761.jpg)
Galley remodel
Remodeling the stairs to make them lighter with more accessible storage.
Demolishing the shower and preparing to retile. When every caustic chemical known to us failed to remove the mildew in the shower grout, we thought we could just remove the old grout and re-grout. The 30-year-old tiles started falling off without the grout to hold them in place, so we decided to remove grout and tiles and start over.
Preparing for new bottom paint. Tried a chemical paint remover. Resorted to good old-fashioned scraping and sanding. Then we faired (smoothed out the divots), applied barrier coat, washed off the amine blush, wet sanded, sanded again and painted!
Pieces and Parts – Custom made by Ken Sharpe (sharpe3006@gmail.com)
Deck repairs/replacement
Pulling out the engine to be inspected
The new Sundown!
What does the rest of the boat look like? Can you put up pictures of this epic cleaning process?
Here are a few photos of the cleaning process. We’ll keep ’em coming!
[…] Photo Gallery […]
[…] There I was lying on my back on the deck of Sundown, stripping away…old varnish! (Get your mind out of the gutter, please!) It’s actually a lot of work stripping the old two-part varnish from the entire exterior of our sailboat. My husband, our friend, Larry, one of our sons and I are using heat guns, putty knives and carbide scrapers to remove the fossilized finish. (For more photos of our stripping work, check out the Photo Gallery.) […]
[…] Photo Gallery […]
[…] Photo Gallery […]
[…] Photo Gallery […]
She looks great! Hope you enjoy the projects because you ALWAYS have them on a boat. We are pulling ours out this fall for a new bottom job and then we are going to sell her. It was a fun adventure, but we are enjoying living in the Dominican Republic and in our house that overlooks the ocean. Best of luck to you guys.
Well, we scraped and repainted the bottom last year (https://sundownsailing.com/2013/10/26/no-more-ugly-bottom-blues/). Working of the deck now and then we’ll begin the exterior varnishing. I’d also like to re-do the topsides this year, too. SO much work, as you know. When we get to the DR, we’ll stop in to see you! I’m looking forward to that. You might be interested to know that the little rose you gave us for our wedding is still blooming in the backyard. It’s a good sign. Thanks for the note.
[…] Photo Gallery […]
Dear Clay, Kim and guys, all I can say is unbelievable, I remember looking at your vessel in Duluth with Clay, never did I think it would turn out so beautiful. the plumbing, wiring, woodwork, countertop, boat finish, just love it! Proud of you all!