1. Ray, the previous owner, a fit 88 year old male of Finnish descent, had taken out the original engine and replaced it with a new Volvo MD2030 B in May 1998. He stated there was nothing wrong with the original engine. Its a guy thing. Ok, I'm pleased that I have a brand new engine in Dec 1999 with 25 hours on it. This engine was installed in San Rafael at Helmet's Marine which is the largest California Volvo dealer on the West Coast, I'm told. Well, it turns out Helmut didn't do such a good job with the installation. Later, while making my maiden voyage on the Columbia River I find out the hard way that certain protocols weren't followed and Non Volvo Brackets were used with the engine mounts, the old flange for the shaft was used and was too large, causing slippage of the shaft aftward, jamming the rudder and breaking the poorly fabricated mounting brackets. Jean and I have to hail a tow from a fellow boater and take us 9 miles up river to my moorage in Scappoose.
Koa wood from Hawaii finishes out the under side of the bench seat. Jo found a nice piece in her wood pile and mailed it to me.
I decided to go with a pumpable port-a-potty. This has worked out well for me, as I have had plenty of pump out stations to use. However, if I bring Shatoosh north, then I would change out the head again and get newer system. I look at it as an opportunity to buy another head in my lifetime.
This is the second set of carpeting I have used. The first was too light a color and became stained too easily, so I replaced it with this darker color and had the edges bound, so no unraveling takes place.
9. Book Shelf: Too Tall Tom had made a book shelf out of this empty space above the hanging closet. With my handy Koa supply I put in a 4 inch piece of Koa to hold all my Cruising and Engine Journals. I moved my fire extinguisher over the head door where it is easy to reach and adjacent to the galley.
11. Anchor:
My Napa Dockmate, John, donates this bow roller and back up plates after I attempt my first singlehanded anchoring on the Napa River.
12. Magazine Rack: Jean donates a magazine rack from her 32 ft Gulf. It also makes a good foot rest while at the helm.
14. Paint Cockpit: The original speckled grey fiberglass remained in the Cockpit Nav area. I replaced this with a cream color to match the aft portion of the cockpit which had been done at the time of th
e hard top construction. The fore and aft cabins remain to be done.
Other than that adventure I have not had any problems with the new engine. I was very happy
to have Jean with me that day, as I sat in the bildge with pipe wrenches on the shaft preventing it from doing any more damage to the rudder. Jean, at the locked helm, managed to communicate with the other skipper to keep us on track and to let me know our position.
I did install an over-flow tank for the coolant and a new Raycor fuel filter. I have 2 house batteries and 1 engine battery, and a battery charger.
2. Another wonderful thing Ray did was to have a hard top built in Sausalito. It had sliding glass windows on the sides and a removable but fixed aft window. One problem with the sliding windows was there was limited space to get on and off the boat. I soon learned that if I was going to be a serious Delta fishergirl that the sliders would have to go. Also, one afternoon while anchoring on the Napa River, I had taken the aft window out and placed it on the cabin top. A wind gust quickly dumped the window in the drink. I said to myself, "What was that huge splash?" After seeing the missing window on the cabin top I thought it was an omen. Maybe I should get other types of windows. Anyway the boat was hot without adequate ventilation.
After moving to Oxbow Marina in the Delta, I had the aft window replaced with a zippered isenglass window. Another canvas man installed by side windows, but they were installed with out the zippers. This has definitely been a problem, as I have to use a special tool to batten down the hatches, as they say. The zippered windows are much easier to use.
When I purchased Shatoosh, I was under the impression the new hard top was glassed, but I discovered that was not the case. Thanks to the credit of Conrad and Juanita we got the top fiberglassed. It was a big project for me, but this was just a small project for this couple having built their 30 footer in their backyard in Idaho.
3. New Cockpit, Cabin Cushions and Carpet: A great lady down river on the Napa made my new fabric cushion covers and bench seat cover. While I love the cushions, I wish now I had vinyl on my bench seat, as it would be much easier to keep clean.
4. Folding Bench Seat: The original bench seat was a rigid seat, but had hinged legs. In order to get to the engine compartment on this model you have to disconnect the bench seat from the side wall and then lift the whole seat aft to the rear of the cockpit. This is rather cumbersome as it is a double seat. I consult my ole buddy Conrad to help fabricate a design. I had seen another design on Leslie's Albin(Midgard) on Orcas Island. Conrad had envisioned a less bulky design. Off we go to Stockton to pick up our needed parts. We used stainless steel deck hardware(expensive, but polished looking). We bought some hinges for the seat from a ski boat place.
Koa wood from Hawaii finishes out the under side of the bench seat. Jo found a nice piece in her wood pile and mailed it to me.
While the seat can be put up in a flash, it does take some extra minutes to put it down and secure the positioning with clevis pins. I love it and it really saves my back from carrying the old design. When in port it can be stored up and creates a large area for visiting with friends. Another friend in the delta copied the design but used galvanized pipe and it is not as nice as Shatoosh's.5. Cockpit Inspection Hatches:
I discover a neat little space with a shelf inside the cockpit coaming on both sides. This time I consult with Too Tall for installing the inspection hatchs. This was a gift from my Hawaii buddies Jo and Joyce. Too Tall tells me he has the neatest tool that will cut this glass like butter. Well, several blades later we succeeded. What I need is an old cast cutter.
Placing the template, cutting the opening and installing the hatches were fun to d0. The lid can double as a tray for drinks, or a great place to sort and find the right size nuts, bolts or screws. This is where I stored my famous fishing kit, named Rebel With A Cause. My lures were called Rebels.
Placing the template, cutting the opening and installing the hatches were fun to d0. The lid can double as a tray for drinks, or a great place to sort and find the right size nuts, bolts or screws. This is where I stored my famous fishing kit, named Rebel With A Cause. My lures were called Rebels.
6. Koa Wood Doors Port Locker: Originally this was the locker which had a refrigerator installed, but was no longer present when I got Shatoosh. There had been ole plywood doors to cover the opening. It was not very pleasant to look at. On an early trip back to Hawaii, I noticed
friends had lots of Koa stored in their wood pile. I called my dock mate and had him measure this panel. I took the measurements and made me some new, fancy doors, mailed them to me in Napa and installed them when I returned. There is nothing like Koa to brighten up a space. Thanks John for the measurements, Jo and Joyce for the Koa. Jo made some nice Koa handles which have a beautiful sacred significance to them, which I hold close to my heart.
friends had lots of Koa stored in their wood pile. I called my dock mate and had him measure this panel. I took the measurements and made me some new, fancy doors, mailed them to me in Napa and installed them when I returned. There is nothing like Koa to brighten up a space. Thanks John for the measurements, Jo and Joyce for the Koa. Jo made some nice Koa handles which have a beautiful sacred significance to them, which I hold close to my heart.
7. Pumpable Head: I can't even remember how many marine heads I have bought in my boating life. Shatoosh came with a small port-a-potty, which was old. After much contemplation
I decided to go with a pumpable port-a-potty. This has worked out well for me, as I have had plenty of pump out stations to use. However, if I bring Shatoosh north, then I would change out the head again and get newer system. I look at it as an opportunity to buy another head in my lifetime.
8. Carpeting:
This is the second set of carpeting I have used. The first was too light a color and became stained too easily, so I replaced it with this darker color and had the edges bound, so no unraveling takes place.9. Book Shelf: Too Tall Tom had made a book shelf out of this empty space above the hanging closet. With my handy Koa supply I put in a 4 inch piece of Koa to hold all my Cruising and Engine Journals. I moved my fire extinguisher over the head door where it is easy to reach and adjacent to the galley.
10. Fishing Pole Holders: These are stored on the under side of the shelving in the main cabin alongside the v-berths. I mounted the handle end with a pole holder and then on the pole end I put a velcro strap to the under surface of the bunk shelf. The poles are out of the way and take up no other valuable space.
11. Anchor:
My Napa Dockmate, John, donates this bow roller and back up plates after I attempt my first singlehanded anchoring on the Napa River.
12. Magazine Rack: Jean donates a magazine rack from her 32 ft Gulf. It also makes a good foot rest while at the helm.
13. Swim Platform: I design a swim platform and use Lit'l Bit, Jo's Albin, which is hauled out at the Hylebos Waterway- Tacoma, to create first, a cardboard template and second, a MDF template. I buy enough King Starboard for both platforms for Shatoosh and Lit'l Bit and then discover we have enough for a spilt platform for Skol, Too Tall Tom's Albin. Then, Jo flies over from Hawaii and we precede to cut the Starboard from the template and install hers on Lit'l Bit.
14. Paint Cockpit: The original speckled grey fiberglass remained in the Cockpit Nav area. I replaced this with a cream color to match the aft portion of the cockpit which had been done at the time of th
e hard top construction. The fore and aft cabins remain to be done.
