everyone is suffering

For three days I was so excited about the fact that the welder was going to save the day by fixing all the holes in our boat and it was all going to happen so quickly!

Then we received this e-mail:

We should have the quote from our welder this afternoon (or tomorrow at the latest), though he has cautioned us that it will be about two weeks before he can get to it due to the enormous weather-related backlog everyone is suffering. Your estimate will include the holes found above the waterline on the transom.

Hold up. Two weeks??? That’s two weeks before he even comes out to begin the welding? Yeah, everyone is suffering. Everyone has problems. We are Technically Not Homeless so it could be worse. But, honestly, I’m starting to forget that I own a boat. I just see my bank account dwindling…

We are in the process of determining how much and what will need to be disassembled to allow the welder access, then to re-foam, re-glass and reassemble the interior. We are getting those numbers together and we’ll write them into a contract for your approval. I’m including some pictures for you to reference from the conversation today..

So, the gist of all this:

1. More holes were found; these were above the waterline.

2. This is going to be costly in time and money.

3. The welder won’t be able to come out to start the whole process for two weeks.

Cool.

The way that steel boats work is that the steel has to be protected at all times. It can’t be left open to the elements or else it will rust (see previous posts and pictures for a thorough and scientific explanation). On the outside it is protected by thick layers of paint and fairing compound and other things that are painted on. On the inside it is protected by a sealant and then, because it is metal and metal conducts heat or cold, there is insulation put on top of the sealant. Our boat was so well built that it had fiberglass put on top of the foam insulation. This is awesome in theory because the fiberglass protects the foam that insulates the boat, which protects the sealant, which protects the steel. As long as moisture doesn’t penetrate the fiberglass (and then the foam and into the steel) it is a perfect little non-rusty capsule. Aaaannnnnd…we all know where that ended.

On the plus side we did get a whole crop of illustrative and depressing pictures. It’s amazing what sins paint can cover.