Here is a list of small but important projects that we completed and crossed off of our list this week. I spent three days at Lake Texoma this week helping a friend decommission his boat so it could be transported down here, so not too much was done on Bruadair this week.

Outboard Fins - Installed Doel-Fin stabilizer fins on the outboard. We had these on our previous outboard and was very pleased with the way they helped to get the boat on a plane faster and how it keeps the dingy from porpoising.

Rigging - The spreaders that were removed a couple of weeks ago for painting finally came back, and they look great (Thanks Casey)! Kevin at Stix-n-Riggn got the spreaders back up on the mast, as well as the new inner forestay.

Dingy Wheels - Installed inflatable wheels (two) on the transom of the dingy. These will allow us to easily move the dingy up on the beach and out of the tidal surge. Without the wheels we would have to lift and carry the dingy, which weighs about 175 lbs with the motor. With the wheels deployed we only need to lift the bow and roll the dingy up on the beach, much easier on our backs. The brackets for the wheels are permanently mounted on the transom while the wheels can be stored in an upright position on the bracket or removed for long term storage. When we get ready to beach the dingy the wheels easily pivot down and lock into place for use.

Battery Post Covers - To insure our boat complies with USCG standards, I placed rubber boots on all the positive battery terminals.

Boat Awning - Though the boat awning has been up for a month now, it still needed some final touch ups. They were completed this week and now the awning is done. It makes a huge difference down below, cooling the boat down as much as 15 degrees.

Cleaned Van - Cleaned out the van today in order to get it ready to sell. We purchased a cargo van last fall as a temporary storage place while we worked on the boat rather than get a storage unit. It worked out great. If you’re in the market for a good used cargo van, give me a call at 281-748-2495. It’s a 2001 Ford E150 cargo van with professional storage bins, drawers and compartments in the cargo area. Only 24K miles and in excellent shape, asking $9500 (willing to negotiate, can’t take it sailing with me).

Dingy Ride!! - We had some time to play, so David and I took a dingy ride around the lake, stopping by at various marinas to say hi to friends. It was nice to get in the dingy and play for a while.