PLEIADES was in worse shape than anyone knew when I bought her as pictured in this August 2005 photo.
In fact she looked pretty attractive to my eye in August 2005 thanks to the efforts of her previous owners.
However there were lots of clues to her state of fundamental disrepair but I was blinded by her underlying beauty...
...and HER overt beauty! I met Bridget the same week I bought PLEIADES and fell in love with both of them. Of course this was all too much for my limited male brain and during the rush of hormones and ego chemicals I missed a few little things like a rotten foremast, rotten sails and a near-death diesel engine. That cost me about $50,000 right there! But wait, there's more...
So after purchase and a day sail on Port Townsend Bay at the end of August 2005, PLEIADES had her spars plucked out down at Point Hudson by Brion Toss Yacht Riggers and Point Hudson Boat Shop and her sails went upstairs to Port Townsend Sails. Then she motored directly to the travel lift in Boathaven and was driven into the Haven Boatworks building at the far end of the beach for a new deck and a few other small projects...
New 3/8ths inch thick plywood deck coated with Spantex installed by Haven Boatworks with old windlass removed but old bow roller fittings still in place.
New foremast deck ring and new deck...
While PLEIADES was in Haven's building, I decided to move the original main saloon skylight to the aft house roof replacing a heavy solid hatch located there, and build a new bigger teak and bronze butterfly skylight on the forward house roof above the main saloon greatly increasing natural light below in both cabins. The Coach roof paint and non-skid was renewed aesthetically tieing the new skylight bases into the old structure.
Kees Prins (below left) did most of the deck installation at Haven, he built the new skylight and he designed and built two new companionway ladders.... Bronwyn (below right) rebuilt the aft hatch coaming for the old skylight and did most of the paintwork.
PLEIADES lookiing aft in Haven Boatworks building WInter 2005-6.
While the boat was at Haven Boatworks, all of PLEIADES internal lead ballast was removed, one twenty-something pound pig at a time, to inspect the condition of the hull (notice new Kees Prins designed and built folding yellow cedar main companionway ladder in the up position). The inside of the planking was found to be in excellent condition as were the frames and floors and other structural members. Lead stacked on pallets below.
New deck meets refinished cockpit below with freshly varnished stern bulwark knees rebedded and bolted down. New custom stern tube and packing gland designed and built by Walt at Haven Boatworks..
