PHOTOS OF THE 2010 REMODEL

In 2010 we started a remodel that lasted 9 months. In the salon we removed the wall paper and painted the walls, refinished all the wood trim, built a new TV cabinet and installed new carpet. Also all new furniture.

Click on picture to enlarge

  The galley got all new counter tops, and a new sink and faucet. All the doors and drawers were taken home, stripped and sanded to bare wood, and refinished.

The new galley look

  The pilot house got new laminate on the steering helm, new gauges and wiring, new paint and fresh varnish. The table top was replaced and new upholstery was installed. The walls were painted and the floor refinished.

Steering helm

settee in pilothouse

                               
           Below decks, all the state rooms were painted and the trim all refinished. New Formica in the master bath and new floor tile.

master state room

guest state room

                                                                                           

IT'S TIME TO GO BOATING AGAIN !!

Aye Aye Sir under way 

April 1st we are leaving on another cruise to explore the beautiful waters of the Pacific Northwest. Although we have boated around here over 50 years, there is still lots more to see and do.The plan is to spend April, May, and June in the San Juan Islands then head north to Canada to spend July, August, and September.
This year we have an extra passenger aboard. His name is Max , a male Shih Tzu that we have had  for about 1 1/2 years now. He and Maddie get along fabulously. So now we have two dogs to row to shore, rain or shine, windy or calm, high tide or low tide, morning or night. Now I just need to train them to wait until I actually get to the beach before they jump out. But Pat gets to wash all the mud off their feet when we get back to the boat.

Max and Maddie

Also this year I hope to shoot some video and learn how to edit it. So far I can't even get it transfered from the camera to the computer!!!! This should be a real challenge. But I've been inspired by what I've seen on YouTube and want to see if I can do the same.
   We hope some of you can meet up with us this summer and spend some time on the boat. We would love to show you some of the sights and wildlife. We have four extra bunks and plenty of room. If you wanted to walk on the ferry at Anacortes we could meet you at Friday Harbor. Spend the day, weekend, or week.  If we are in Canada we can make arrangements to meet you someplace where a sea plane can drop you off, or that you can drive to (maybe the north end of Vancouver Island.) Alot of boats do this. Of course you would want to come for more than a couple of days. You help buy some groceries and we'll furnish the rest. Can't beat that price.
       About our boat: Aye Aye Sir was built in Japan in 1971. She is 54 feet long with a beam of nearly 17 feet. She draws almost five feet of water. The last time I pulled it out of the water she weighed in at 94,000 lbs. There are two Cat 3304 diesel engines of about 125hp each. At a cruise rpm of 1500 we are traveling approx. 8 knots. She will hold 1800 gallons of fuel (ouch!) and 300 gallons of water. The style is what is called a raised pilothouse trawler. There are three state rooms and two heads with showers. The master state room has a queen size walk around bed and the two guest state rooms have bunk beds.
   For a shore boat we have a 12 foot aluminum Duro Boat with 15hp Honda outboard. We have a 32" flat screen TV, electric stove with oven, a large cold plate frig/freezer, and a extra freezer topside to keep fish in. Our electronics consists of a radar, depth finder, sonar, and Nobeltec navigation software running on a PC computer. On our next post I will post pictures of the interior.

   About the name, Aye Aye Sir!:  Growing up as a kid, Russ and his family lived on their boat during the summer months. They would leave the day school got out and come back just in time for the new school year. Russ's grandparents also had a boat and would join them for most of the summer. The name of their boat was Aye Aye Sir. It had a very special meaning to us all because Russ's dad built that boat.