Some history. The first owner purchased it for over $200K in 1973 and he hired a friend to deliver it from Holland, he then sailed in the Caribbean. 9 years later the second owner purchased it in Baltimore for $187K and put it in a yard to refurbish it for 6 months. He then learned to sail, and in 3 month on and off stints sailed it around the world with his family. It was the only boat he had ever owned. The boat had one section of plating replaced during a refit in Cairns, Australia in 1989 and extensive sections were replaced during an extensive refit in Malta in 1993, the boat was completely rewired then. 7 years ago he brought it into the Halsey Cannon yard to get the engine repaired or replaced and some painting done. He expected to have it back within a few months and intended to keep it and sail it the rest of his life but could never get the yard to complete its work. The yard put a new Yanmar engine in it and painted the topsides, but never decided what to do about the rust. The next 7 years of rain was allowed to make that decision. When I bought it most of the steel was still in like new condition, but durring his trip, since the bilge was very difficult to get to, rust had started in 7 places. The salt water, brought inside on the anchor chain in the forward compartment and on the ropes in the rear lazarette compartment, due to poor design, ran freely the complete distance to the bilge. Rust had started along these paths, and nothing was done to stop it. During the 7 years of storage rain was allowed to collect and it continued the rust process until in a few places it rusted all the way through. The fact that the bilge was very difficult or near impossible to inspect and work on, led the boat to the condition it was in when I bid on it. Maintenance is something that is definitely needed on a steel boat. I have made changes to correct the problem of lack of access, and I will add drains for the lockers to keep the salt water from running the entire length of the bilge every time the boat pulls anchor.

My only bid of $5k was sufficient to buy the boat, I added $500 for tools, $500 paint, $500 to get it lifted to the water, $50 worth of replacement steel, and 7 weeks of my work (7 days a week at 12-14 hours a day.) This makes the boat hull effectively like new. Add 14 coats of paint and it was ready to be put in the water. Less than a week more, finishing the engine installation, exhaust, cooling water, and engine control panel electronics, the engine was started for the first time and the boat was moved to an anchorage in Charleston harbor. I'm now back to work on the electrical system, it has 12v, 24v, 120v, 240v, no labels and no diagrams. Fun, Fun. The yard used to have an electrcial diagram, we are still hoping they might find it. I have all the mechanical drawings for the hull construction but not wiring. I have made email contact with the builder but still haven't heard from the designer. The original name of the boat was "C est la Vie" owned by Mr. James Offutt from Maryland, (I've tried without success to contact him.) The second owner renamed her Piscataway, for the indian tribe not the town, LOL. I've named it Steelin Time and I document my boats with a home port of New Castle, Delaware for tax reasons. Some day soon I will actually visit there.

These were made by holding the carboard to the outside of the hull with magnets and then using black spray paint inside.  Then you arrange them on the ground to find out the smallest piece of steel needed.  After cutting they were trial fit back into the holes to check them, a couple notes were writen on edges and taped pieces added.

Same grinder, just a different wheel.

The 20 ton jack came form Harbour Freight, the grinder, too.  I spent a lot of time and money there buying tools.

A hydraulic jack is almost as handy as a grinder.

Maybe then I won't have to have lights on to see something down there, since all the batteries and engines that produce the lights are down there, if they aren't working... This might be nice.  I also plan to add watertight doors from each of the cabins to the engine room.  This will allow transferring from the main cabin to the rear one and the engine room without going outside.  Also a hard dodger/pilothouse is in the planning stages.

He deserved that, since he spent enough time at it to go around the world with it.  He did offer to let me use it till I found a replacement.  I plan to let him use the boat sometime for another trip if he wants also.  That's after I get it finished.  In about a week I found one, I slavaged the wheel (basically the same size and even more ornate) and some other stuff from a shrimp boat being destroyed at the yard.

I got four or five good things off of it.  The wheel was most important.  I had to make an adapter for the shaft size and keway.  Both the old and new wheel needed to be refinished.   Now all that's left is painting and launching. And testing the engine, and cooling system, and electrical systems, and....and..... and....