Command Performance Updates
Command Performance Updates
Wax On.... Wax Off!
More work on CP's makeover. More waxing, more buffing. Using Collinite wax, for the effects, I think you'll find them to be quite stunning.
Quite an impressive shine, wouldn't you say?
I even took the opportunity to polish the chrome vents.
Other projects for the day included scrubbing bumpers, tidying up the interior, etc. Hopefully, we'll get some word on the progress of our canvas repair/re-stitching. I know this is a bad time of year for this kind of work, as everyone wants new enclosures, repair work, etc. I was told, through a phone call earlier in the week, that work could possibly begin today after a couple of "rush jobs" were done. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Plan to stay aboard over the Memorial Day weekend.
Until next time...
Getting Organized
Let's just say that yesterday was "Get it Organized" day!
When you consider the fact that CP has been an ongoing project for the better part of 4 years now, stuff gets accumulated. Lots of stuff! During the Spring clean-up, I kept getting this gnawing voice in the back of my head that said, "Get her cleaned up, but get her organized, too."
So with the help of some minor planning, I was able to get quite a bit of CP looking good on the outside AND get things squared away on the inside.
Beginning at about 9:30AM (Wednesday morning), I began pulling all the junk out of all the cubby holes and organizing it. Stuff that would "stay", and stuff that would "go". I also paid a visit to our local Big Lots, and bought a few big tool boxes to separate "electrical", from "plumbing", from "woodwork", from "hardware", etc.
What I ended up with was amazing. I was surprised CP could get up and go with everything we've stored on that boat.
In the end, there are four main boxes containing everything I think we would/could possibly need for just about any project. Items that we haven't used in a while (or at all), have been brought back to the house. When I began thinking about the fact that the house is less than a mile from the marina, it simply didn't make sense to be storing all of this stuff.
So, she's lighter and she's far more organized. Everything has been labeled and neatly stored away.
In my rooting around, I discovered the former bimini top that the previous owner had made, which was still in very good shape. Since our canvas is being re-stitched, I decided to put the old top back on to provide a bit of shade for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
And finally, one of the day's projects was to re-fashion the "Modesty Panel" on the cabin door. Missing before we got the boat, I purchased some trim, hauled my mitre box down to the boat (and yes, I brought it back to the house - didn't store it!), and ended up with a pretty nice, screened panel. Now the cabin door can be shut to prevent wasps from entering and still take advantage of the Spring breezes.
All in all, a very productive day. Still much on my "to do" list, but I'm getting there.
New horns arrived on Tuesday afternoon. Looking to get these installed soon.
Until next time...
True Day Off!
Well, what is it they say about the "best laid plans of mice and men"? Today turned out to be a real day off from just about everything. I did manage to put together a new "grouping" of toolboxes that I believe will handle the task of organizing/storing my tools and various other devices I tend to want aboard. Some other non-boating errands, and then a trip to the boat to get some minor things done. I bought a DYMO label printer (not the "click-wheel" variety), and labeled the entire 12V panel so that it wouldn't be a guessing game when trying to activate/de-activate any of the 12V systems.
Just about the time I was getting into a groove, I happened to look to the west, knowing that storms might be forming, and the skies were looking a bit menacing. I looked up the latest radar on Wunderground, and indeed, we were under a severe storm warning, with the radar showing a very defined line of thunderstorms.
Since we are only partially covered by canvas at the moment, I knew a gusty storm, like those we've had recently with 55mph-65mph winds would damage what canvas was still remaining. I made the "executive decision" to pull the rest of it down. It's a good thing I did. Once everything was secure on the boat, I decided to journey back home since we have a 4-legged baby who is petrified to near paralysis by thunderstorms, and I needed to make sure he was okay.
About 4:50PM, the worst of the storm was over us, and boy!, what a humdinger. The photo below was shot in Portsmouth and looks more like the scene of a hurricane (complete w/ flying debris).
With our big baby ("Big", our lab) glued to my side, we rode out the storm. After dinner, it was time to head to Lowe's for some trim to finally get the screened "modesty panel" back on the cabin door (it has not been there since we bought the boat in '04).
So, the day, while quite restful, wasn't a complete wash. 6 days left of my 10-day vacation. Will have to kick it into high gear tomorrow and straighten up what the storm may've strewn about, and finish some projects (and start some!).
Until next time...
Time Off (but not from work!)
While you might say I've taken a week off from my normal 8-5 work, it doesn't mean the work stops. In fact, and in some ways, it's a bit more exhausting trying to get everything done to CP that we want to get done.
About 10 days ago (Mother's Day, to be exact), a hefty storm blew through damaging two pieces of our canvas enclosure. We were fortunate in that none of the canvas was ripped. We simply had zippers pull away from the canvas. So, it's off to Mike's Marine to be repaired. I have never used this outfit for any type of canvas work, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed they repair it correctly and in a timely fashion. They promised about a week turnaround on it, but I'm not holding my breath on that. I'd like to see it back in 2-3 weeks. If it's done sooner, all the better. I'm not getting my hopes up. Until then, CP is sitting there partially naked (see picture below).
For this 10-day vacation spread, I am looking to complete the buffing/waxing of the boat. I got all the topsides done, with the exception of the bow seat. I also want to go with another coat of Collinite Fleetwax on the cabin top, since I started the project with a different wax that I'm not sure is going to hold up (or shine as well) as the Collinite.
On the list of "To Be Done" is:
* Organize all tools and fittings (electrical/plumbing/etc.)
Everything is everywhere on this boat. Most everything is in toolboxes that are now bulging at the seams, so today (a rain day), I'm going to go in search of some better accommodations for everything we have (which is a lot!).
* Clean all canvas.
Since all but the bimini is currently up, I figure it's a great time to get the canvas and isenglass cleaned. I cleaned it late last year, but being in an industrial area, it doesn't take long for the canvas (or the boat) to get dirty.
* Upper toerail.
Again, since the canvas is down, and the upper toerail is exposed, it might be a good idea to try and get this done. I'm not looking forward to the sanding and dust everywhere (especially on the newly waxed boat), but that's what God made soap and water for! We'll see.
* V-Berth.
Jamie and I have not yet settled on a gameplan for the v-berth, but it is the "last frontier". We have effected nice changes to every area of the boat with the exception of the v-berth. It still remains undone. It's quite usable, but needs attention. This probably won't be accomplished in the week afforded me, but progress can certainly resume.
(The new "Styled" plates installed, along with a nice shine. Below the "Styled" plate is not shown with her new shine. This photo was taken prior to this area being buffed/waxed).
That's about all for now. Will update as the week progresses.
Until then....
Wax On.... Wax Off
We finally had our chance to get our Makita random buffer/polisher to the hull of Command Performance a couple of weeks ago on a very windy late-March day. I decided it was important enough to take an impromptu day of vacation, and headed to the boat about 8:30AM. Not many folks in the yard. We had Command Performance on the hard to get her bottom painted, hardware scraped and sprayed with zinc spray, so why not take advantage of the time out of the water.
Armed with the buffer, copious amounts of 3M Rubbing Compound, innumerable bottles of wax, a beverage, and my trusty multi-position ladder with scaffolding... I set off to get the task done.
It had been a while since I performed this task, and while I won't say my body thoroughly enjoyed it, I got most of it done. The areas I couldn't reach, Jamie assisted. The result was a pretty good shine on a 40yr old hull.
Here, you can see Jamie getting the upper spots where I simply couldn't get to (besides, my arms were getting a bit tired!)
Overall, I think the outcome was certainly worth the effort, and really makes the boat look much younger than her age. Most are definitely surprised to learn she is NOT painted, and still sports her original gelcoat. Here's another shot of me admiring that shine.
Until next time...
Welcome to the New "Command Performance" Blog
Well, I finally realized I had a few credits due me from the hosting service that "classiccommander" is hosted by, so I thought I'd take advantage of one of them, and start a blog. We'll see how easy this is to maintain. It allows me an easier opportunity to update from anywhere (home, work, at the boat) instead of simply re-working my webpage each time to bring readers up-to-date on the progress of our classic Chris Craft.
Please feel free to check back often, or better yet, subscribe to the blog's RSS feature, and receive notification through most web browsers when the page is updated. This is definitely the place to read (and view) the most recent updates regarding our beloved "Command Performance" (a 1968 Chris Craft Commander, 42' Motoryacht).
Feel free to send comments, suggestions or even criticisms (if worded kindly). Jamie and I look forward to hearing from you.
-Rob Cutchins & Jamie Rolison
