Sprucing Up Pachuca

Shortly before our departure for the islands I engaged Noe to polish all of the stainless steel on Pachuca.   He did a great job and the bright work was still looking good when we returned.

Shortly after our return he scrubbed the boat down with soap and water.  I must admit that I had not seen the deck and cockpit so clean in years.

A few days later Noe polished the hull by hand using his dinghy.  He also polished all smooth white surfaces topside as well as the see-through plastic on the spray dodger and the bimini, and he supplied the polish too.  Noe works fast and he completed the work in about 6 or 7 hours over 2 days.  For this he charged me $70 USD, and I gave him a $10 bonus because he had done such a good job.

This compares with the sharks at the Abaroa boat yard who wanted $250 USD to do the job.  When replied that $250 was too much the man asked me how much I was willing to pay.  I told him that I would pay $150, but none of the men there were interested at that price.

I took advantage of the clean teak surfaces and oil them for the first time since leaving Australia.

And yesterday I spent an unpleasant 3 hours cleaning the remnants of the oil that had escaped from the engine past the loose dipstick from the bilge and under the engine.  

Velcro for Cushions

I've also completed the job of gluing pieces of velcro  to hold the seat backs in place.  Bob Carroll had helped me find rolls of 2" wide velcro, and I used "Resistol" contact glue to fasten 4" sections of velcro along the seat backs.   This has worked out very well and is far superior to the use of staples.

Good Visibility Again

Looking Up To Wind Indicator

Teak Veneer in Cockpit

I've got to admit that Pachuca has scrubbed up very well.  I've promised her that if she gets me back to Australia alive I'll have her hull and decks repainted.