In construction she got 2 coats of each: epoxy, primer and paint. After now over 9 years since launch and many miles under her keel, UNA is ready for a refresh. Despite all her bumps and scrapes, she is still beautiful! Iain Oughtred has an eye for the sweet line.

I doubled over two 4″ wide x 30′ nylon straps, shackled the massive “D” rings overhead and fastened the opposite end with jury rigged block and tackle to hoist the old girl, remove the trailer and substitute long saw horses. Then with safety lines to control the rotation, a come-along strung across the garage allowed for a manageable flip.

The worst of the wear is at the keel and bow stem where the naval brass half oval is just shy of covering the timber. We’ll need to rethink whether to replace the brass with wider bits. That will be a heavier look.

Now the fun begins-

Sailing has been happening. Mostly in my “wife’s” Beetle Cat. More on that sweet boat later. A few small projects have been done there after pulling it from the barn this Spring.

With an Old Bay gathering on the horizon, I wanted to finish my third engine mount iteration in order to continue acceptance by the local TSCA motor squadron. Honesty, I hate the idea. It’s contrary to the sailing I built UNA for, but asking for a tow is a pain for both ends of the line and I don’t like missing dinner or cocktails.

A little history: two summers ago I lost a brand-new Honda 2.3 at the pier in 12′ of Rockland, ME water. That was a chilly retrieval. and I was cussing above and below water. The teak motor “thwart” I configured had cracked, racked and gone for a swim. And, I was about to tether the engine too! The engine was washed and left in the truck for a great week’s sail. Once back home, I made what I believed was a good fix and had several windless outings. Then on last Fall’s cruise to the Chippoke, I almost duplicated my previous snafu when my motor shaft struck something under water that didn’t want to give way. Tree stump perhaps? Anyway, the fix broke, but we were tethered this time thankfully. However, as frustrations mounted, I was determined the next solution would be my last or the entire aft end of the boat will be torn off before the engine takes a swim.

I gave a plywood mock-up and drawing to a metal fabricator. Stainless plates were crudely welded. I then eased edges, rounded corners and drilled holes for a solid chunk of chestnut oak. Pig leather was cemented to the inside face of the metal resting on the gunnel and to a shaped wood block pressing against the hull. I reused the bolt gunnel insert from the “thwart”. The result is a beast. 10# maybe. Lightening holes in the broad face of the steel will help some. Or, add a bucket of lead to port? Boat soup will suffice as a finish. This week we’ll take UNA will go for a spin.

For the record, some may recognize different engines posted here. My 40 year old Honda finally quit. All its bolts were rusted beyond extraction. A new Honda was bought before the “baptism”. Ended selling it after getting it running for more than purchased sale price. I bought a new, quieter, water-cooled Suzuki and still had a few pennies left over. No killer whales choked on engine parts in this small endeavor, and the lobsters continue to thrive.

Not proud of what I’ve done here, (but I can make things). I’m now beyond guilt by association. I’m one of them now!

Some trips are not so kind to UNA. No sooner had we left the pier at Smith Mountain Lake when the motor faltered. Sail and oar you say? To stay off the lee shore we hurriedly dropped the anchor, and, so too the tiller. That quickly swept aft to jam between the rudder and stem. In horsing the stick loose, I cracked the tiller arm in good fashion. Choice words were spoken … several times. Twine and duct tape managed a temporary repair to sail the next day.

Once home, the fix involved removing the bronze joint bushing, replacing bad wood with a solid piece of cherry, inserting bamboo dowels and gluing it all with epoxy. That likely would have sufficed, but I added several windings of tarred twine as a safeguard. The crack had gone almost 12” up the arm.

Our next task? Devising an easy way to remove the floor boards so that the bilges can be cleaned readily and those frequently lost items can be found.

Snow is on the ground, but Spring will be here … hopefully soon.