Re: Unstarted Kits?

Posted by Jerold Wenger on Aug 3, 2007

Six years ago, a friend and I each purchased Chesapeake 17LT's and assembled them side-by-side. I so enjoyed the process that I bought a second 17LT kit right after we finished the other two (it took us a year to build them). But during that first boat-building adventure, my wife and I adopted our first child. Our lives became a bit more complicated as we navigated the adjustment to parenthood, and the second kit was left unopenned. Within a year we moved, and other activities began filling up our schedules. Two years ago, we adopted our second child, and life got even more challenging. The kit was still unopenned.

This winter, my wife gave me a week of childcare (I'm a stay-at-home dad) for my 40th birthday. So, 4 1/2 years after the kit arrived, I finally cut the tape on the boxes, and, guess what, all the parts were there (I guess I just trusted that the CLC shipping staff had gotten it right, and they did - way to go guys).

I'm still working on it as time allows. Life with two children is quite busy. (Yeah, I know, try having X number of kids!) After that marathon week, the hull was assembled, bulkheads installed and the inside of the hull filetted, taped, glassed and coated with epoxy. Over the next month or so, I prepped and glassed the outside of the hull, but I missed a good chance to get all the coats of epoxy on - I was one short.

Then she just sat for a few months until a few weeks ago, when I got some outside help with childcare (my sister-in-law stayed with us for three weeks), and I found renewed inspiration and have resummed the process. Hopefully, now that the ball is in motion again it will stay in motion. Any volunteers in the Tacoma, WA area up for kid duty so I can keep crankin' on this baby? :)

In Response to: Unstarted Kits? by Woodie on Jul 27, 2007

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