Boat Modifications/Maintenance

We've been working hard (and quickly) for the past couple of weeks, getting the boat prepared for our journey.  We've added some items to the inside, outside and made some modifications.  First off, the table that came with the boat was way too big for the dinette. We could not even sit on opposite sides of the table; there just wasn't enough room, (even with my weight loss!).  Jeff and his buddy, Curt Carter, constructed a new table, out of cherry wood, and replaced the existing table.  It's beautiful and is now the perfect size! It swivels so I can use it as additional counter space, too.  It can also be removed and used in the cockpit. Thanks to Curt Carter (Land for Learning), for the use of his tools, equipment and assistance.  The table looks great!  

     We also purchased a king size 3" pillow topper from Walmart and cut it to fit the V berth bed.  For a pattern, we used the v berth cushions and laid them on the pillow topper.  This was a little challenging to get them to fit on the pillow topper, but we finally did it.  There ended up being more pieces than we anticipated but we were able to have all the pieces we needed to cover the v berth.  Hopefully, it should be much more comfortable and a little softer. The v berth cushions were firm!  Next, I bought king size bedding which fit great on the large end of the v berth, but was all bunched up at the V end.  I modified the sheets and comforter to fit a little better on the V berth.  With modifications, it fits much nicer now.  And of course, I bought some matching pillows from Amazon - they're so cute!  However, I bet I end up not even making the bed - because it's so difficult to make!

    The name of the boat is Boomerang and we needed to have the name displayed on our boat.  The name of the boat is needed for radio communications with other boats, dock masters, coastguard, emergencies, etc.  Hopefully, we won’t need it for the latter, but if so, they will know who we are!  Sydney made vinyl "Boomerang" letters, from her Cricket machine and we stuck them on the boat.  They look so nice and now we are official with the name.  She also made our home port letters - Jonesboro, IL.  Thanks Syd - you do such good work!  One more thing, Syd made us this awesome spreadsheet for our expenses, time traveled, etc.  We can keep track of everything, from docks, gas, restaurants, maintenance, alcohol, etc. and it totals everything, even until the end of our trip!  (May be a rude awakening of our expenses; let's hope not).

     In addition, we needed curtains.  I had a hard time with this - trying to find the perfect fabric.  The seats in the boat are blue and I had purchased blue bedding, but I didn't really want blue curtains too. I went to several stores and finally found what I needed at Joann Fabric and Crafts.   The sales lady suggested I go with beige curtains and showed me some fabric that was highly discounted - "last chance" fabric.  The only thing was, that they had pineapples on them.  I struggled a bit with the pineapples.  Was that going to be too many pineapples?  I was worried as I was sewing them, I might end up hating pineapples, but they're actually kind of cute and tropical.  Another problem with the windows were that they were odd sized and there was no method to hang them.  We researched several other Rosborough Boats to see how they hung curtains.  We ended up going with stainless steel snaps; basically, we placed snaps into the fiberglass and onto the curtains.  Jeff and I discussed having our own upholstery shop 🤣, but just jokingly.  The curtains serve their purpose and at least, now, instead of a strip show, we will have some privacy. We're hoping to make friends, not scare them away!

   Lastly, Jeff completed an oil change on both the upper and lower units on the Honda motor.  He also changed all the filters and replaced the water pump in the motor.  We ordered all of our parts for boat maintenance, to complete the loop, from Playport Marina in Carbondale, Ilinois. We've used Playport Marina previously and have been very pleased with their prices, knowledge and customer service.  Brian, from Playport Marina was instrumental in helping Jeff with this process.  Basically, he guided Jeff throughout the process, so he will be able to do this by himself while were looping.  Honestly, this is probably the most important thing we could have done.  So, now, keep your fingers crossed and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We still have to put this boat in the water and test drive it ourselves!