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But for now, I had to accept the fact that I had neither the time nor resources to do any immediate work on the boat, and therefore came to the difficult conclusion that I needed to move her out of the shop, as I needed the space for other projects.

Therefore, I had her moved back outdoors, where I installed a new tarp to keep the water out.  (Sorry...no photo of the tarped boat at this time.)

I'm quite anxious to get going on the project, but until I am truly ready there's no sense pretending.  So stay tuned, and eventually your--and my--patience will be rewarded.  I'll post status updates as appropriate.

I always intended this to be a long-term project, however, so it's not really a surprise.  Lack of progress so far doesn't mean that things aren't going to get going.  Anyone who knows me knows that I always follow through.  Once I get going, things will start to happen regularly and quickly.  But until I can truly dedicate the time, money, and resources to the job, I won't do much.

That said, I still hope to do the basic demolition this winter.  Stripping the boat back to her essence will not only remove the forlorn appearance, but will also provide inspiration for her rebuild.  A blank canvas is an exciting thing.

Since we moved, all our boxed belongings are stored in the shop next to and around the boat, which would make any work impossible regardless of other commitments.  By the winter, the shop will be empty of personal belongings and demolition work on the boat can begin as time allows.  While I am not making any firm schedules for this project, I would like to manage to strip her back to hull and deck over the winter, removing the fire-damaged interior and preparing for new work.  I'd also like to grind the hull and deck to remove old paint and prepare for new work.

I realize this site is growing very slowly.  But if you keep coming back, I promise that eventually there will be work to see!

Last year, a friend quipped that the boat looked like a pupa the way it had been covered.  The name stuck, of course.

So, after a summer exposed--but during which no work occurred--I recovered the boat in late October.  The plans are to transport her to the new shop sometime late this year, but to hedge my bets against early snowstorms and freezing, I located a derelict old tarp somewhere and covered the boat--a token, but then there's little that can hurt the boat in her current condition.  Mainly, I wanted to keep out additional water that might freeze in the bilge.  The garboard drain has been performing admirably, however.

When we bought the boat just over a year ago, we didn't anticipate that we would find--and purchase--an excellent plot of acreage about an hours' drive away.  Such a property (50 acres, in this case) had been a longstanding dream for us, so we jumped at an opportunity.

This shook things up, as building a new house and larger, improved boat shop meant that we would not, for the time being, have resources available for Pixie's restoration.  Therefore, until the new house is complete in 2006, we don't expect to be working much on Pixie.

That's OK, as she was always intended to be a long-term project, and we bought the boat as much to secure a desirable design as anything.  Once the new shop is complete, hopefully by late 2005, I expect to move the boat there, and place her inside, where deconstruction work can begin as time allows.

If you're interested in the new shop, please click here.
(Opens in a new window)

Having the boat uncovered gives me a chance to climb aboard from time to time and reflect upon the job ahead.  The damage inside is devastating, but things will seem better once I get an opportunity to begin some demolition, hopefully this summer.  Meantime, a little rain isn't going to hurt anything.

There was lots of settling, heaving, and other ground motion during the winter, and I was constantly readjusting the stands.  Now, with the boat open and more room, I decided to rearrange the stands, reset them on new pads on the ground (pressure on several had forced the stand bases right through), and add two additional stands amidships.  The weakened stern quarters had begun to deform under the after stands, so with the additional set amidships, I could relieve the pressure safely on the aft stands.

January 3, 2005
The boat waits patiently her turn in the workshop, scheduled for sometime in mid-2005.  She's covered with blue tarps, temporarily hiding the devastating fire damage from view, if not from my mind.  The tarps manage to accentuate that beautiful sheerline, though.