After purchasing the C-Shel in the Fall of 2015, we wanted to do some updates and projects to get her ready for living aboard and our trip northbound on the Intracoastal Waterway for the summer of 2016. We spent the winter travelling between New Bern, NC where the boat was purchased and back to Ottawa, ON where we had a temporary apartment.  

With a list of things to do, items to research, to find best pricing, etc. we used Trello as our organizational tool to record all information and progress on our projects. This just takes advantage of a productivity methodology called Kanban. We could assign tasks between us, record all information received and see the progress of each project at a glance.  It's great to see each task go from the To Do lane to the Done lane.

It was a little on the cooler side in NC during the winter, so it gave us the opportunity to start with the interior. We really appreciate the help of David Crawford from New Bern Custom Canvas who did our dinette, forward bunks, curtains, headboard, aft curtain of canvas on the flybridge, windlass cover, and modified our dinghy cover.

Interior/Exterior Upgrades:

  • Salon Sofa 
  • 2 Salon chairs
  • 2 Salon Ottomans
  • Dinette Cushions
  • Forward Berth
  • Picture in Galley
  • Flooring
  • Oven
  • Headboard in Master State Room
  • Faucets through out
  • LED Lighting in vanity
  • Window coverings
  • 5 Mirrors throughout boat
  • Wifi Antenna
  • Dinghy and Engine
  • Davits
  • Vulcan Anchor
  • Anchor Swivel 
  • Extra Canvas on Flybridge
  • TV (Donated to the C-Shel :-)

We went to Bridgeton Boatworks for two weeks on the hard. They were very professional and accommodating to us as we lived aboard for the 2 weeks there. We received first class service. We appreciate all of the great work done here. Thanks to Mike, Ginny and staff! 

On the hard projects:

  • Sand and paint the bottom
  • Wash and buff hull
  • 4 Coats of wax on hull 
  • Box pulpit modification to fit the anchor
  • Davit installation 
  • Replaced cracked through hulls
  • Replaced Zinc anodes
  • A few other odds and ends

We also purchased spare parts for anything that could go wrong with the engines and generator for our travel up the ICW. A special thanks to Sam who helped us know what we would need and also helped take care of the boat over the winter months while we were in Canada. The spare parts we got for that was:

  • Enough Oil to change it in both main Catepillar 3208 engines and the generator
  • Engine Zincs
  • Racor Fuel Filters for both engines and generator
  • Oil filters for both engines and generator
  • Impellers for both engines and generator
  • Belts for main engines

So for those thinking of doing such a thing as buying an older boat for cruising and living, we will tell you what all of the above cost as a whole. Your mileage may vary, as your tastes may not be the same. Above and beyond the cost of the boat we spent $23,000 USD to get the boat to the place she is right now.

List of items we would like to add that we have not yet accomplished, but should be done before we head to the Bahamas in the Fall: 

  • AC/DC Refrigerator/Freezer 
  • An Extra Freezer 
  • Washer/Dryer 
  • Solar Panals 
  • Batteries (maybe, if the current ones doesn't hold up) 
  • Kayak Rack 
  • Bike Rack
  • Deck furniture 
  • Lighting in Forward Stateroom 
  • Replace all standard bulbs including anchor light with LED replacements

We would also like to thank the following people:

Stay tuned for future posts that will document our cruise north on the ICW. 

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