What's in a name?

What's in a name? A lot I figure. It s your identification, what sets you apart from the rest. If you are on the radio and say, "I am the blue and white boat calling that red and black boat, can you hear me?" It just doesn't work well. For the last 5 years we were that blue and white boat. We knew the name of the boat was Cool Change but no one else would know unless we told them. And if someone were searching for us, that makes it difficult as well without the proper name on the boat. Ask me how I know. I called the Coast Guard at one point when Mark was away on one of his fishing trips. I hadn't heard in from him and he normally calls after going off shore. I got nothing And nothing again the next morning. So they were ready to start a search. There was no name on the boat. (Everything was fine by the way).
This year we decided it was time to give her the name. And so it was!

 Oh, and from one of my last posts I told you I would post a picture with the new aluminum arches that got installed. There they are. We were able to get the dodger canopy to clasp onto the arches so that we don't have to use the flimsy small aluminum tent style poles anymore. What a great addition. Also check out the rod and net holders on there. Mark also moved the anchor light from the bow, which you could only see head on, up to the top of the arches. It is folded down in this pic.

It's a GO!!

Last night we hooked Cool Change up to the truck and headed down our long steep driveway. We were headed to the lake for a trial run of the boat. Mark has worked on her and got the engine running but we haven't yet splashed her in the water and really tested all of the mechanics. We drove the 10 minutes that it takes to get to Foys Lake on the other side of our mountain where we live. Foys is a smaller lake but it does have a public dock and boat ramp. The lake itself goes anywhere from 7ft- 112ft deep. I was surprised at the depth. It is a popular lake with the locals during the week because it is so close and can be visited after work without huge plans and time driving back and forth like most lakes. So we got her in the water, turned her over and took her out to make a wake. And make a wake we did! She runs so well! I am so proud of all of Mark's efforts. They have once again paid off huge. It was a beautiful night on the lake and what a wonderful feeling to have such success. We also tested the downriggers and those were working well also. Yippee!


Friday night we will be pulling out of our driveway again with Cool Change in tow...but this time our destination will be the Pacific Ocean!

Getting the stink out of your boat

There are two horrible smells on a boat. A holding tank and diesel. Two months ago the holding tank was taken out of Cool Change, our Bayliner 27. It stunk real bad! It was so strong it was like smelling ammonia. The pipes had gotten plugged 2 years ago and we were unable to dump the tank and flush it out. Nothing leaked, the smell just permeated through the hoses. Two years it went through the seasons. Freezing, thawing, over heating and back again. Oh my gosh it was so awful I couldn't go on the boat and you could smell it just walking up to the boat.

Now that the holding tank and toilet are gone the smell still lingers. Some days it smells just as strong as when it was still in the boat. Something had to be done. We are heading out fishing and I couldn't imagine staying on the boat with this smell, let alone bring along friends. So I Googled how to get rid of odors in boats. It came up with all kinds of suggestion. I had to choose one out of the many. I was pretty skeptical and so was Mark. But what did we have to lose? What I ended up with was pure joy on my part. It worked so well that I couldn't even tell that there was once a smell.

 

1. Fill a couple of bowls with charcoal briquettes and place them inside your boat and let them sit for a couple of days. I filled about 5 cereal bowls. I probably went crazy but it is not like it cost me anymore to overdo it. The charcoal absorbs odors in the air and should remove most of your smells relatively quickly.

 

2. Clean every surface of your boat with a vinegar and water cleaning solution. I wiped down all of the lockers, the walls. the floors the countertops and the teak. I cleaned every surface in the head as well. I didn't scrub crazy like, just a once over. I also used it to clean out the refrigerator. As a side NOTE straight vinegar also removes rust.

 

3. Because the holding tank was located in the engine compartment and it still smelled while standing in the cockpit. I also put a bucket with a bowl full of charcoal briquettes in there.

 

I am thrilled to report there is absolutely no smell anymore! I know it sounds too easy to be true....but it works! And what did it cost me? A small bottle of vinegar and the time I would have spent any way to clean the boat. The charcoal briquettes we will  reuse in the grill.

 

Give it a try and tell me how it works for you.

 

Charcoal in the bucket. Just like 10 briquettes did the trick.

With the extra space, from the holding tank being removed, Mark has made a holder for the extra kicker motor!

Blue bowls of charcoal sucking up the stink!

Salmon Patties

This recipe works well for me because I am gluten free. No bread crumbs are needed. This is a handy recipe to make at home or on the boat. I bet you could use it with most of the thicker meat fish you catch. I also posted this on the Galley Swap. Recipes are posted there by boaters to exchange. Enjoy browsing those from the link below. Sign up and post some of your own.

1 pt. canning jar of salmon 3/4 C. oats, uncooked 1/3 C. milk (on the boat I use powdered made up) 1 egg (or equivalent with the EnerG egg replacer) 1/4 C. finely chopped onion 1 t. dill weed or fresh dill 1/4 t. cayenne pepper salt & pepper to taste 1/4 lemon squeezed 1 T. butter Mix all ingredients together, minus the butter . As they sit a couple of minutes and stir again the oatmeal starts to swell and they will stick together nicely. Put the butter in a frying pan and melt. Shape the salmon into patties 1/2" thick and a little smaller than a hamburger patty. Brown in the butter on both sides, about 3 min. each. I liked mine served with a horseradish sauce.

Recipes at The Galley Swap

Tofino, BC and deep sea fishing

We have 9 days 18 hours 57 minutes and 49 seconds left until we leave for the ocean. This is one of my favorite times of the year. After going to the Bahamas last summer we didn't make our trip to Tofino for fishing and we have run out of all of our yummy fish. Fortunately we did VERY well two years ago and it lasted till now. We have to replenish the freezer.
Mark and our friend Alan have been preparing the boat, m/v Cool Change, a 27ft Bayliner. They have taken out the toilet and the STINKY holding tank. We will use the composting toilet that we bought for New Girl and mount it in there for the 3 weeks. (it is handy that they are interchangeable). Alan made a double aluminum arch that goes over the cockpit and installed fishing rod holders on it as well as a holder for the net. After that we put it in the water for a test run, it hasn't been in for 2 years, and it didn't run! Dang. So after Mark got out his tools, opened the engine compartment and did all the things that he does, I won't pretend I know what that is, it is running well. He says in fact that it purrs!
My job now is clean up and putting all of the cushions back in. Then is the task of stocking the boat for a 3 week trip, staying on the water the entire time.
It is about 17 hours of driving and 2.5 hour ferry ride. We also have to stop in Nanaimo, BC to pick up our fishing licenses. Then onto Tofino to splash the boat into the water and we are off. I am looking forward to the time away and being on the water. We sure do like sailing better but we will compromise for the fish! Grin!!!
I will post some pictures upon our return but until then you can check out the pictures from our last trips. Cheers all!

 The BC Ferries are beautiful boats.

 Cool Change before the arches got put on. I will add that picture later.

 Mmmm, these are fun to catch. Rock fish. Limit is 24 for all of us.

 Fishing off of the back of the boat. Jigging for rock fish and halibut. We use the down riggers for the big salmon.

 Oh, the beauty! Can you understand why we love fishing here?

 A great catch! The fish and my husband!

I am just one of the guys on this trip!

 

Refinishing an old French Provincial dresser

 Five years ago I lived in Bozeman, Montana. I lived in an apartment a couple of blocks from work. It was very convenient. I had been divorced for a year and a half and I met Mark online. After dating for a year back and forth we finally decided to make a change. I decided that I would move to Kalispell and find a place of my own. It was less than a week till we moved me. My neighbor girl was moving out as well. After she left I saw that she had left behind a dresser in her living room. It was painted a horrible shiny gold to look antiqued, like the do to picture frames. No wonder she had left it! The dresser shape itself was beautiful. It had great curves. I found it to be a sexy piece of furniture. So, I moved it in to my apartment to be moved again with me in a week.

I took a picture of the dresser the way that I found it. But after 5 years I can't find the pictures. Dang!


I started the project by researching what to need to do. I needs to get off the horribly ugly paint. This called for a paint stripper, rubber gloves, stripping pads, a plastic scraper with brush and a spray bottle to apply the stripper. I started the project in Mark's basement. It was hard work, I had to strip a few layers. Then I used the random orbital sander and got it down to the wood. I got all of the drawers done and the side of the dresser. I got sick of this project really quick and it got put on the back burner. It was on that burner in fact for 4 years.

Well, I came across the dresser again a couple of weeks ago and decided I should really get 'er done. I put it in the garage instead of the basement. I have something about basements. I just don't like working down there. I feel very lonely there. In the garage I had a lot more light and warm weather that made me want to be out there. I finished stripping it and sanded it all down. The drawers had some wood detailing on the front that was set into a groove. Some of them were broken and irreparable so I dug them all out and filled the grooves with wood filler in a walnut color. It took 2 tubes to fill them all and then sand them down even with the other surface.

 

 

My original idea was to stain the whole dresser. The wood however still had a lot of paint on it that I just couldn't remove. I decided to paint everything but the top and the lip in the middle. That I would stain with Minwax espresso stain and a Polycrylic varnish. The hardware for the drawers I decided were kind of cool looking so I sprayed them with Rustoleum hammered. It was a mettalic looking brown.

 

 

 

 

 

I painted the drawers with two coats of an interior latex paint in a satin finish. I got the color sample size that they sell in Lowes making them only $3. Summertime bloom and teal zeal.

The drawers I lined with a brown paper gift wrap paper that I found in the dollar store. I got a variety of print. I used Mod Podge matte and put an even coat on the inside bottom of the drawer. Then I put the paper in slowly starting in a corner and laying it down pressing out the wrinkles. I did not get them all out but as it dries they lessen. After a couple of hours I then put another coat of mod podge on the top of the paper evenly and they are all ready to go. I love how girly and interesting it makes the dresser. It adds character.

I LOVE the way that it turned out. What do you think? What have you refurbished? Send me some of your pictures!