Our conference call today was quite productive. We actually have learned not to all talk at once and to try to stay on the topic under discussion until we get resolution. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and forget if we actually did get resolution or if we need to continue the discussion thread. For example, I woke up 3 times last night thinking about the build out for the blinds. Try as I might, tossed around like a fish and tried to meditate, those cherry valences and blinds would not go away. So take a wild guess on one of the first topics of our call today - brilliant, yes it was about the blinds!
We decided to create a visual border on all 4 sides for the blinds in the salon, guest stateroom and pilot house to give a built-in appearance. They would look silly in the galley with the way the window is positioned, so we decided to build out the valence a bit. This way, if I decided to put something there, maybe a pleated shade that would only be down while in a slip, the shade would be hidden while up. Big move in the right direction!
Second huge decision was whether or not to retain a varnished capstrip around the entire boat or paint some or all of it. Because of this boat's unique widebody design, it is impossible to get to the port and starboard sides at the waist. That would require a worker alongside in a boat, not only expensive, but not practical. I thought it might look odd to just have the sides painted, so we decided to paint the bow and sides using Awlgrip Snow White and leave the capstrip varnished in the aft cockpit. That would retain the classic look while leaving me more time (and money) to romp and play.
We also discussed extending the boat deck railings to encircle the tender. This conversation grew out of 2 issues: where to put the flag, since it was a pain to position on Serenity. I had to uncover the Whaler and actually climb into it in order to put out or retire the flag. The other more serious issue is my fear of working on the dinghy in an unprotected area. My clumsiness and lack of cat-like reflexes is legendary - ask the local hospital who has fixed each of my four limbs. Though extending these railings would limit me to an 11' tender (same as on Serenity), it will be a small price to pay in comparison to the security it will afford me. We also just found a great spot for the flag! Another enormous decision made.
The balance of the call was devoted to the sound/entertainment system. Though we still need to move this discussion along, it looks like I'll do a Bose sound system in the salon, galley, aft cockpit and guest stateroom and perhaps a Fusion system in the pilot house and boat deck. Serenity had a sophisticated system set up so that Tom could watch TV in the salon or pilot house while I listened to music in the cockpit. Since I'm into music more than TV, that won't be a very difficult issue to decide on.
We also VERY briefly discussed the electronics. They had already been specked out by local folks while we still had Serenity. Tom pretty much had things laid out, so there won't be too much work there. I did decide to do a stateside installation however since I'm going with Garmin again and Garmin is best done here. The helm will be state-of-the-art of course, with a few less bells and whistles than Tom had planned for, but impressive nonetheless.
Also decided was to go with line cutters in light of the mess our waters are in, not to mention those damn crab and lobster pots in the most unlikely places. We had already planned for them, but it was still a discussion that had to be had.
I have to look at my notes (which are in my office) to let you know the exact names of the colors selected for the bottom and bow sheer stripe. Though the sheer stripe is an extra, it will look very sharp on the bow. It's a big bow to go naked.
All this was decided in a smidge under an hour. This is one focused group. We actually discussed a few other things, but nothing of great note to anyone but me. The level of detail is absolutely amazing. Tom and I built our first home in Houston. Though I did have some meltdowns during that process, this build is far more intricate, needing many more decisions. After all, homes don't propel themselves through water.
In any case, I'm amazed at the progress made in the past 3 days! A detailed build sheet, dedicated and tireless people who want nothing more than to build my dream boat and a time line to work within, is getting us to where we need to be while still having fun and enjoying the whole, exciting process.
No conference call tomorrow, so I'm taking the night off to have dinner after work with friends. Have a great weekend everyone. I'll be back with more of the build process next week. Hope you're enjoying the reading.
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