Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Boat Upgrades

This is a list of upgrades to Betty Lou. I will keep this listing updated, and will post detailed descriptions and photos where approriate.

  • 11/23/05 - New House batteries (2 group 27)
  • 11/23/05 - New Starting battery (group 27)
  • 11/23/05 - New standing rigging (upper and lower shrouds)
  • 07/01/06 - Computer system, 19" monitor/tv, GPS, PC based Chart Plotter
  • 01/12/07 - PathMaker battery combiner
  • 07/01/07 - Bottom paint, new shaft, cutlass bearing, dripless shaft seal, shaft coupling, and motor mounts
  • 07/10/07 - 1000 kW Inverter/Charger, battery monitor, rewired all AC, rewired both battery banks
  • 07/15/07 - Galvanic Isolator, two new AC panels, new DC Battery Distribution panel
  • 07/25/07 - Lee cloths added to all sea berths
  • 07/01/08 - Sanded and refinished starboard toe rail

  • 09/20/09 - New Dodger by Iverson's Design of Seattle

We Find Rainbow

After a long search we have found our perfect cruising sailboat, a 1978 Tartan 37 named Rainbow. After looking at 40+ boats over a 3 month period, this boat jumped out as the hands-down best. Owned for the last 17 years by Tom Schneider of Seattle, Rainbow shows pride of ownership in her excellent condition, both cosmetically and mechanically.

We closed on Rainbow just before Thanksgiving, and moved her South to Olympia for the rest of the Winter. We'll use the next few months learning her inside and out, adding some equipment, and preparing her for a voyage outside and down the Washington coast to the Columbia River and our home port of St. Helens, OR.