Getting ahead on Oceanus

Virginia plugs screw holes in the head.

Last night Virginia and I watched the video I made of the inside of Oceanus before we bought her. We hadn't watched it for more than a year. We were silent. The video showed the raw, unfinished interior. Random-sized scraps of plywood leaned against bulkheads. A five-gallon tin of polyester resin squatted where the head would eventually go.

We watched in silence. I thought seeing the video would energize us: we'd give each other high fives and bask in the warmth of how far we've come. That didn't happen. It was more like a dash of cold water in the face.

"I can't believe we bought her," my wife said as the video finished.

"I knew it would be a lot of work, but I didn't realize how much work," I said. "I knew we could do it - it's all stuff I know how to do - but still..."

"How did we ever see her potential?" she asked.

Plugs sanded flush,  the first coat of oil goes on the African mahogany fiddles. Our friend, Bob Diefenbach, glued the laminate to the countertop. I will build a medicine cabinet with a mirror to go above the sink.

Are we glad we bought Oceanus? Yes. Knowing what we know now, would we do it again? Yes.

We looked at a lot of boats before we stepped inside Oceanus. Most were beautifully finished. Some were even ready to sail south. But when we walked through Oceanus we knew she was supposed to be ours. Still, watching the video was sobering.

Virginia's soaking tub. 

The darkest, most unfinished part of the boat in the video was the head. Now it is bright with white enamel paint, finished surfaces, new fixtures, and a hatch that lets in light and air. The most important part: it's functional. It's not finished - it still needs cabinet doors and a finished floor - but the dim vision we had nearly two years ago is finally realized.

Our new Air Head on its pedestal. Every throne needs a pedestal. Also, raising the sole a few inches allowed me to position the head in the center of the space. You can see the hatch under the head for access to storage. 

In fact, we did the dream one better: instead of just a shower, we have a soaking tub and instead of a regular head we have a composting head. We also spent extra time insulating the inside of the hull, including inside the lockers. The tub itself is now insulated better than most iceboxes.