This Florida winter has been a productive one for the Blue Turtle.  Boat projects have been plentiful now that Corey is driving and Randy’s taxi services are no longer needed. Randy has realized that he now has quite a bit of extra time so now he can focus on Blue Turtle. It’s been years since we varnished our rails and they began to peel over the years of neglect. With us both working full time and Randy having to taxi Corey to and from school, wakeboarding, etc. we just didn’t have time to spend on the upkeep of the rails. Now, with that extra time, Blue Turtle receives a little TLC.

First up was to address the wood rot in our starboard side bottom rail. After digging into it, Randy realized that a good portion of the rail needed to be completely replaced. He and Corey did some demolition and removed the rotted part of the rail from the starboard door and back. We then hired Jeff, a woodworker/maintenance worker for Salty Sam’s, to shape us a rail out of a new solid piece of wood. Once the new rail was shaped, Jeff installed it in place and sanded it.  Once that was done, Randy gave it several coats of white paint to match the rest of the lower rail.

After the lower rail rehab was complete, it was time to work on the rest of the exterior wood. Randy first went around with a heat gun and scraper to remove the old varnish. Next, he replaced the teak plugs that need it and used PC-Woody to fill in any cracks or open areas. After that, it was time to sand the rails and other exterior wood on the boat. Knowing that the sanding would create a mess, we asked the marina if there were any spots for us to move where we wouldn’t have neighbors. Unfortunately, the marina was at full capacity so we decided we would just go anchor out somewhere and spend a couple days getting it done. The sanding was horrible and messy but once it was done, we were finally to the rewarding stage where we get to see the beautiful wood shine with the first coat of Cetol. Randy did 3 coats of Cetol Marine and 4 coats of the Gloss. The end result is amazing and Blue Turtle is shining up like a new penny!