DIY, Anyone?

I’ll say this for our adventure ~ I sure am learning a lot! Rick instinctively knows where to look and how to identify plumbing, electrical and mechanical problems around a boat (actually, in general). He grew up boating with his parents on Long Island Sound and has spent most of his adult life longing to do just what we are doing ~ living on and around salt water! I, on the other hand, am a work in progress and not so willing apprentice.

It is exciting to have a common project to work on ~ it keeps us from getting bored and unmotivated at our eligible-for-social-security-and-medicare age, each day brimming with surprises and revelations that push us physically and mentally way beyond anything we ever imagined we could do. I’ve lost 10 pounds since we arrived in September ~ not a Curves workout exactly, like those my body was used to, but I do tons of lifting, going up and down stairs that are more like ladders (this is a boat, after all), hauling heavy bags and boxes around, as well as logging 4 or 5 miles each day on my pedometer, mostly just from running around the boat and several trips a day to the marina office and back, as well as walking Apollo.

I have never been much for DIY. As a long-time Manhattan resident, I embraced the concept that there is no job too big nor too small that I can’t pay someone else to do it. Getting paid for a job well done and, most especially, tips, make people smile a lot!  And I like to make people smile!

When we moved to Seattle from Manhattan, our real estate agent was very keen on showing us homes with small rooms and “old world charm” ~ “fixer-uppers.” Our response was always a very firm, “no, thank you!” Move-in ready ~ that’s the ticket! Over the course of four years we looked at literally hundreds of houses, both online and in person but nothing felt just right.

But, finally, after four years of renting and a couple of unpleasant landlords, one day in late August of 2004, as we drove back to our rental home from walking the dogs at a nearby beach, we saw a “For Sale” sign right in our neighborhood. At this point, it had become kind of a running gag that we would at least glance at every house with a “For Sale” sign out front. This house (what became our home) was hidden from the street and at the end of a very long (and at night dark!) driveway. Though it was three stories tall, because of its location downhill from the single story bungalow in front of us, it was invisible from the street. It took us a few minutes to find it, but we drove to the end of the driveway, noting that the neighborhood had a number of curious cats (Sweetie, The Cat, became more or less friendly with some of them, though it seemed that they would come calling at our house, rather than vice versa). We called our agent to get inside the house the next day. It was the antithesis of “old world charm” ~ eight years old, very light and airy, three stories of an open stairway, and even came with a pool table (which stayed there when we left last August). We fell in love instantly. That was a Thursday. By Sunday we put in our offer. Within three weeks the house was ours for the next nine years!

Well, purchasing a 60 year old retired tugboat named Kalliope, did not exactly emulate our home owning experience. Quite inadvertently and naively, we have become quite the DIY’ers. Rick has always been handy with picture hanging and minor repairs around the house, but neither one of us was quite prepared for what awaited us here. We did grow enamored of spending occasional evenings at Lowes when we were in Seattle, but for me it was mostly buying plants and gardening equipment.

When we decided to just go ahead and “do it”, we knew that there were a few things that needed to be done on the boat before I would be willing to move on board. The carpeting throughout the boat was diesel and cigarette smoke infused, as well as being late 1970s chic ~ ie, ugly, in my opinion. The appliances were 30 years old, rusty, dirty and more than likely unusable (which proved to be the case). So, new flooring was a must. We eventually settled on vinyl planking which is water proof and, hence, perfect for a marine environment. And I really wanted new appliances to make my culinary adventures more pleasant.

Other than that, we figured it was mostly ready to go. Not exactly. I’ve already spoken of some of the plumbing issues that have presented themselves. There were others, as well as electrical mysteries to resolve. The aft shower, for example, did not turn on at all, something I discovered much to my horror, after our first night on board as I tentatively stepped into the shower (this was in mid-September and I never again stayed on board until just before Thanksgiving after our furniture had arrived, most plumbing and electrical issues had been resolved, and we were set for the downriver trip to Fort Myers). Why did it not turn on? Well ~ more than likely because the pipes had been disconnected and the hot water heater dedicated to the shower was missing. None of this, of course, had been mentioned by either the previous owner nor the surveyor. Once we replaced the missing hot water heater, reconnected the pipes and replaced the fixtures, miracle of miracles ~ the shower worked!

The list goes on. Much of the work needed to be done by professionals. But, much, we, especially Rick, have done ourselves. When I sent my sister a picture of this , her delighted observation was that she didn’t think I even knew what a screwdriver was, let alone that I would know what to do with it. I hadn’t quite realized the reputation I have (mostly true) with my two very DIY sisters! I will admit that mostly I use my screwdriver for replacing electrical wall plates, at which I have become quite adept. But, under Linda’s tutelage, I have learned to replace cabinet handles, and prep walls for painting, including spackling, applying spackling tape, and sanding, among other things that I can’t quite think of right now. Oh, and duct tape is my new best friend for covering up old insulation and stuff I don’t want to look at. The cupboard above the microwave.

I went around the boat last night, taking pictures of random tools lying here and there, ever ready for yet another adjustment, installation, or job. Here is what I found:  In the kitchenIn the office areaOn the table where the sound system isIn the living area on the main deckOn the TV room coffee table, which, by the way, is a repurposed door dreamed up by me and built by Rick! Upper deck coffee table. Copper stuff coveted by our current plumber. But none of these compare to what can be found below decks in the engine and water rooms: 

One steamy day the electrician was on the boat, working on some wiring in the kitchen. He had finished up what we asked him to do but Rick wanted him to stay to help install the new microwave. The electrician allowed as how he had other jobs to go to, didn’t want to just hang around until we were ready to install it (Rick was making some last minute adjustments), and that he thought we could manage this ourselves. I certainly had my doubts, but manage we did! . The next time the electrician came back, I proudly told him that we had installed the microwave ourselves and he smiled and said, “It feels kind of good to do it yourself, doesn’t it.” And so it does!