OLD BOAT MADE NEW | Sailing Florence Refit Ep.178

OLD BOAT MADE NEW | Sailing Florence Refit Ep.178

In this video, we’re diving into the months of work that I’ve been putting in to bring Florence’s exterior back up to condition after 7 years of constant sailing. Our goal is to smarten her up and get her ready for a fresh new adventure.

You might have thought that when we first hauled out Florence, her top sides didn’t actually look that bad, and the reason for that is because I gave them a really good clean and polish right before. But despite my best efforts, the stains and cracks in the gel coat were still showing.

“After 7 years of constant sailing, she needed a lot of love and attention.”

One of the bubbled up repairs and a couple down to the fiberglass were in dire need of resealing. Thankfully our friend Ron helped us repair those bulkhead issues, allowing me to continue working on filling all gel coat cracks along the top sides. All that was left for me to do was to give it a further sand back and polish.

The Tent

Despite having to hold the polisher at my arm’s reach, working on Florence while she’s out of the water is so much easier with access to power. After completing the first phase, we made a huge decision—put up a tent over the boat! The idea was to keep it clean and dust-free.

Time for Paint

The real work begins in sanding, cleaning, filling imperfections and applying 3 coats of ablative antifouling paint to the bottom, with extra on high-wear areas. Florence’s new look was finally becoming a reality.

Nonskid Paint Update

We decided to give the decks a makeover with a lighter gray nonskid keyw grip. The initial challenges were testing how thick to apply the paint without it looking too aggressive and adjusting for coverage. It took a few days, but the outcome was worth it.

“Florence’s back deck looks much better with new grip on it.”

The Deck Grip Journey

This was the first time we were using anything other than varnish, a choice made because of how high wear this point is. With her decks looking shiny and new, Florence’s transformation is complete. And yet our work doesn’t stop here….

Cabin Sole Refurbishing

Moving on to the next job—refinishing or refurbishing Florence’s cabin sole and floorboards. It was an extensive job requiring precision and patience to sand them back carefully without damaging the veneer underneath. Then, applying varnish with water-based DIY store floor varnish gave us a smooth finish, albeit not quite achieving the sheen we initially hoped for.

Teak Sealer

Deciding to apply a teak sealer around this hatch area proved much easier than the traditional varnish. While it didn’t offer that same glossy finish, we hoped that in the long run, this would be a lot easier to maintain.

Looking Forward

We are beyond excited to share a major change we’ve made inside Florence, making her the best she’s ever been for our voyage. Our continuous updates on Patreon give real-time insights into what we’re doing. But remember, none of this would be possible without your support—thank you!

To all those who’ve helped us along the way and to everyone who joins in, here’s our latest video: Old Boat Made New | Sailing Florence Refit. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.