Phase l is now complete. Mary has just returned from an intensive three week cleaning and DJ is staying with the boat to continue other projects.
Phase l included Smoke damage cleanup in the galley, main salon and aft stateroom and tear out of the forward area which include two small cabins, head with shower, laundry room and the crew quarters.
The crew quarters were gutted completely as the damage from the fire was extensive. It will be rebuilt as an on-board wood shop. The other two cabins and the head with shower were salvageable and will only need heavy cleaning, floor and wall coverings (paint) and new overhead. Some modifications will be added to serve our purposes better.
The washer and dryer are in perfect working order and the laundry room walls will be painted, a new overhead installed and some modifications will be added.
The aft stateroom cleaned up wonderfully and is only in need of a new overhead and carpeting. The staterooms down below and the stairwell will most likely be the only place with carpeting. All other areas will have some form of non-skid or rubberized coating.
The galley had medium to heavy smoke and soot damage but cleaned up very well, the surfaces are pitted but this is not a problem as the vessel is a work boat and we are more concerned with function than looks.
The wood all throughout the galley and main salon will only need refinishing. This is wonderful news as a lot of time and money has been saved. We were concerned that much of the wood surfaces would have to be removed and re-skinned.
Also in the galley: the stove, refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher cleaned well with a lot of work. The stove and refrigerator are in perfect working order. The dishwasher has yet to be tested. The microwave doesn't work and will have to be replaced.
The main salon cleaned much better than expected. The walls are vinyl and we thought they might have to be torn out as they were heavily covered with smoke and soot. After several testings of cleaning products we finally found one that did the job very well. There is still some mild staining but it is so much better than it was. It will receive a new overhead and non skid floor covering. Right now I will be using scatter rugs to cover the plywood flooring to protect us from wood splinters.
The forward stateroom, lower helm and captains quarters will be cleaned next trip. They are all in very good condition and have only medium smoke and soot damage throughout.
DJ is now working on refining the electrical, plumbing and A/C systems. There are many small repairs throughout and he is starting to address these as well. At this time Eric and Mary are considering the next trip to the boat which will be to bring supplies from the storage units in preparation of building the on-board wood shop. For now the boat will remain where it is in Louisiana but may be moved in a few months to Tampa for closer access so that Eric can work on it during weekends off from his regular job.
More progress photos here!
