Well, the big news in my life is my new Hunter 22 sailboat.  I purchased it on Ebay in August and drove to Atlanta to pick it up over Labor Day.  Here is my first photo of the boat out of the water.

It was an ugly mess really.  The boat had been in the water a long time and the hull was covered with algae and ugly growth. 

I had no idea what I had really purchased, but I got a good deal on it at $1,000.  My brother-in-law Ralph and I had quite an adventure getting the boat home on the trailer which was too small for the boat, but we made it.

The first project was to get a trailer large enough for this 3,000 pound boat.  After searching on the Internet, I found this one.

Obviously, this is a bass boat trailer.  So Ralph has been helping me rebuild the trailer so that it will fit the boat.  That is a project that is still underway.

But I have been working on the boat itself.  It has boat pox.  Ever heard of that?  That is when the gelcoat has been compromised and water seeps under the gelcoat and causes blisters.  They are usually about 1/2 inch big, but some are smaller and some larger.  They have to be busted with a chisel and ground out.  Then they have to be filled. 

When I say my boat has boat pox, you probably don't appreciate how badly it has this disease.  Look at this picture to see the extent of the damage.  This is after I had bust the blisters and ground them out.

So the next project is to fill all the holes, then sand it all smooth again.  Only then will it be ready for a paint job.  I will put on 3 or 4 coats of boat enamel, and it will look like new.  It has been a ton of work cleaning up this boat and getting ALL of the blisters popped and ground out, but it is almost ready for the paint.  It will be beautiful.

I am planning to paint the bottom red with a 2 inch white stripe at the waterline and the top sides navy blue.  I have seen boats with those colors and really like them.

Well, this is a boat project, not a boat yet.  I think it will be next spring before I really finish and put the boat in the water.  But I am excited!!

Another boat! Lots more work for you.. but I know you will enjoy it. :)

Mickey - Congratulations on your new sailboat! I enjoyed catching up with you on your blog. Will you send me a current e-mail address? Happy New Year! Karen:)