Things to do with your new sewing machine

[waterdog]

Ken and Jon are encouraging me to wiki, but I have been so busy I haven't figured it out yet.    Here are some things to do with your new sewing machine:

1) Teach your ten year old to use it so you can drink rum or wiki
2) Outboard cover
3) Bbq cover

[waterdog]

4) cockpit cushions

[waterdog]

5) a place for your boltcutters, emergency tiller and screwdrivers

[waterdog]

6) some vberth storage - 15 pockets and 4 cubic feet of capacity

[waterdog]

7) somewhere for the sunscreen

[waterdog]

New upholstery...

[Michael Shaner]

I'm thinking that the bolt cutters are for Stu's new rum cabinet padlock ('cause the glass is gone from all that rusty wrench talk) and the sunscreen bottle contents have been replaced with tequila to appease the Chihuahua?

Looking real, real nice man. 

[Jon Schneider]

A few things:

1) While I've been encouraging you to wiki your experiences, I've also said I would do most of the minimal coding necessary to wiki (so you could spend your days drinking rum).  I'm drinking Bulleit bourbon right now (a phenomenal, not too expensive small-batch bourbon), but I'm happy to help you share your experiences (when I sober up).
2) As long as you're potentially drinking rum, I very much encourage you to sip Captain Morgan (full disclosure: it's a client, and the 100 proof is really quite good).
3) Is Foster available for rent?  Rose and I don't have children, and we would definitely not make him sew for a living.  Actually, tell him I wouldn't even make him go to school.  He could just play with my wife and dog while I'm at work during the day, and go sailing on weekends (in season).  
4) These especially-made-for-a-C34 pocket products look incredible.  Why don't you offer for them for sale here?

Totally separately, I think it's great that you're going to follow the cruiser's life.  I suspect many of us are very jealous.

[waterdog]

I don't want to create the wrong impression that it's all about those ideallic hours at the sewing machine.  There is a lot of drudgery too.   Yesterday I had to get up early and order solar panels and a controller from Arizona.   Then I had to ride my bike down to the library and pick up another ten DVDs to rip to a storage device.   No sooner was I back than DHL arrived and wished Tracey a happy Valentines Day and told her that her new watermaker arrived.  Then off to the boat to sit in the sunshine in the cockpit messing about with the new Hungarian autopilot.     

So there is a lot of brutal drudgery in the cruisers lifestyle.   Don't confuse it with a vacation. 

[waterdog]

If somebody who has just bought their first sewing machine less than a month ago tells you that they would like to try their first reupholstery job on your boat, generally speaking you should run.   

Of course if it's you who bought the sewing machine there is no where to run to.   Anyway, looking around the boat show, I decided that piping, buttons, and snaps all make upholstery look dated.  Instead, clean lines, quilted, with top stiching on the seams is the way to go.   And velcro instead of snaps is a huge improvement to keeping the backs attached.   

Port side turned out OK.  Next up starboard.   Oh yes.  And rigging tomorrow.  Lest some of my manliness slips away.   

[Stu Jackson]

That's very nice work.  I'm guessing the lighter color makes it look much larger down below.  What color fabric did you have before the enhancement?

[waterdog]

We had the original grey color before.   The light color looks great.   It was selected based on it's ability to take a hit from spilled coffee.  Foster tested with mustard, ketchup, coke, and red wine and all cleaned out nicely.