The Restoration of Madwenowe

Working and living fulltime on the boat has its advantages and disadvantages. On the down side, things take a little more time because of having to unpack tools (generator, sanders, cords, etc.) at the beginning of the day, then cleaning up at days end.
On the plus side, a clean work environment, and living quarters takes the edge off of not having the clutter as well as the dust from sanding and scraping. The galley and living quarters are always presentable at the end of the day.

This makes it very relaxing when sitting topside watching the morning sunrise, drinking a hot cup of coffee or in the evening watching the seals, dolphins, pelicans, fish, the dance of the sailboats and their reflection on the water and the beautiful Sea of Cortez sunsets with Tetakawi as a backdrop.

Another big plus living fulltime on a sailboat is No Yard Work!
That being said, the few weeks spent away from the boat allows you to reassess priorities and plan of action.

First and foremost was the attempt to get the old 1975 Volvo Penta MD3B running again. Two years before I bought the boat the injection pump, and various parts had been disassembled so the engine was in bad condition. Rust and corrosion had covered everything.

Before the summer began I had the engine hauled out and the plan was to rebuild. An overhaul was done. New rings, bearings, valve job, starter and alternator rebuilt, injection pump and injectors cleaned and tested. Then had it hoisted back into the bilge.

Once the engine was again in place it took several more weeks to get it started. Due to existing problems with the injector pump and injectors I decided to give it up. It just was not going to be dependable enough for me. I made the decision to purchase a new Yanmar Diesel 38 hp engine. Madwenowe was hauled back to the marina and the old Volvo was hauled out for the final time.

I had the new Yanmar shipped from Wisconsin, USA, to Tucson, Arizona. From Tucson I hauled it down to San Carlos in the back of my pickup. The decision to replace the engine is one that I should have made when I first purchased the boat. Having contentment and peace of mind is worth every dollar spent for a reliable engine. When you turn the key it must start. It could be the difference between life and death.

Second plan of action is to continue on the woodworking. Much sanding and scraping still had to be done on the deck, rails, cabin top and trim. In fact the entire topside of the boat needed to be completely stripped.

The deck had been painted over 3 times prior. Thus I removed 3 coats of paint, 1 coat of primer, and a very thick and hard layer of old varnish. I used several packs of 80 grit sandpaper and some paint stripper only when necessary.

I now have the majority of old paint and varnish removed. Once I replace a couple of pieces of weathered mahogany I will be ready for final sanding before applying paint, oil and varnish. A very handy tool to have available is this paint scraper. Once you learn the technique it makes the job much easier. It allows you to get into tight corners and edges and looks very tidy once cleaned.

This tool saves a tremendous amount of time. I use it to take off the majority of old paint and varnish. Then I finished up with the sanding. Without it I would have spent many days and hours trying to sand off old layers of paint and varnish. I highly recommend it.

Prior to all this, the living quarters needed to be put in order. When we first bought the boat, below deck needed much work. The former owners lived aboard for about three years. They were heavy smokers and had a dog and cat. I'm not saying that you can't live aboard with pets. I know many who do and have no problem with it. In this case however, combination of stale tobacco smoke, tobacco stain, dog and cat odor and stains made it necessary to gut the inside, clean and refinish.

This gave us the opportunity to do some needed modifications in the galley. The galley sink was located over the doghouse (a term many used to describe the compartment that houses the engine) so access to the engine compartment was very limited. Only the front panel could be removed so working on the engine was almost impossible.

From past experience, when something breaks or doesn't start, conditions are never favorable. It's either very cold, very hot, very dark, very rough seas, very wet, etc. so accessibility to the engine is a must. With this in mind I relocated the sink to the port side of the galley. This eliminated the plumbing that was running down over the engine and I re-designed the top and side panels to be removed for easy access to the engine compartment, battery banks, filter systems, bilge pumps and water valves.

Another modification that I did with great hesitation is to cut out a portion of the interior portside bulkhead. I used a jigsaw to cut out the panel. Doing this opened up the area between the galley and living area. This allows more natural lighting to the galley and living area as well as better ventilation throughout the interior. I used the mahogany piece that I cut out and built a cabinet and storage area. This added another foot of counter space to the galley.

For a power source I installed an 80-watt solar panel and 3 deep cell marine batteries, a 1200 dc/ac converter to run our laptops and printer. This will also power the navigation equipment once installed. Between the solar panel, engine and the almost year round sunshine that we get in this area of the Sea of Cortez, we should have a sufficient energy supply. I will have photos and details on this when I complete this phase.

Since our return from the Vineyard (October 2006) and while waiting for parts etc. I began work to redo the topside of the cabin. It had various old coats of paint and some bondo that someone had used to patch several holes and soft spots. The old top was too weathered to repair or patch so I decided to tear off the old fiberglass laminate down to the original plywood top.

Aside from once owning an "85" Corvette, this was my first experience in working with fiberglass. Because of age and condition of the old material it took about ten minutes total for both sections to be stripped to the original wood. A much easier task than I anticipated. The original top is 1” laminated plywood.

Once the wood was finally prepped I used West System Epoxy 105/205 along with 6-mil fiberglass cloth to reinforce to top.
Before applying the West Systems I cleaned the wood top using a clean pain brush and a solvent we have here in Mexico called thinner (pronounced teener). I applied a coating of West System, let set to a tacky touch, then applied the 6-mil fiberglass cloth. All together I applied 3 more coats of epoxy. Note to self: never again do this on a windy day. The feeling of sticky fiberglass and epoxy hugging my face, attempting to mummify me was an embarrassing experience. I hope no one was watching.

Lessons Learned:

We have had Madwenowe since February 2006 and have made a considerable amount of progress. Finding materials takes longer than usual. The Internet is a great resource for research and purchasing materials. This past summer Marina San Carlos opened a chandlery called Star Marine. This makes finding materials much easier, especially when it comes to locating stainless steel nuts, bolts and other needed hardware.
When I first mentioned to sailing friends that I was considering buying an old wooden hull sailboat, their first words were, “It’s a lot of work”. While it is true, it is a lot of work, my reply to that is “I’m not afraid of hard work.” As of yet I have not grown tired or have any regrets of our owning the boat.
Both my wife and I are enjoying the many benefits of fulltime living on Madwenowe. The wonderful experience of sailing and living on board, being outside the majority of the day and night has added years to our life and health. The physical work has also kept me great condition for a man of 57.