My Plan..........

[Skagitguy]

I have decided after talking to some friends to stay with the color combination rather than going with blue & white like some of my past boats like the Dorsett Farallon,Skagit 20 Offshore Bainbridge blue & white, G-3 and a few other one's. I will "buff" out the "salmon" white & grey colors.At one time a while back,the hull had new gelcoat applied so that will be just buff out. If for some reason the grey & salmon don't buff out . I will do my thing in the cockpit as far as the carpeting, cabin door with the porthole. Will go back to the split cabin door ( with the porthole ) from the sliding door as you loose space on the bulkhead for mounting items, like the coffee holder etc.I think someone added that feature. Besides it is hard to get it to open smoothly. The cabin is BIG ! . This Skagit Express model is like the Dorsett Farallon as far as there is more room in the cabin that in the cockpit.I think is just a bit even more where a person can lay down on the mattress. Well at least i don't have to have one made for once. Being i have had 17 foot Skagit's in the past and the Skagit 20' Offshore that was just about the same size cabin as the 17' this cabin looks really big. The few other goodies will be like a new tandam trailer next spring.Here's some pictures of her now. The more i check this boat out for idea's the more i'am starting to get attach to her which is a bad sign because i try not to,This is one boat that i 'am telling myself i have to keep and besides i'am not getting any younger so that will make it even harder to let it go. Also when we move in the future i will just go get a dry storage place to store her. Picture is GregSilcox former owner. Some of you might know him. Chuck

[Steve_Kiesel]

Glad to hear your going to stay with those colors Chuck. I've always liked how this looks. Try to keep that windshield as well, it looks great. Have fun with it.

[Skagitguy]

Hey Steve, Yes that windshield will be staying ! I do need to take it over to the glass place so they can kind of put the rubber about 1 and a half feet back in the groove on the frame. Rather have them to it as they might have a special tool and if they break it ......well. I just went out with a bucket of hot water with boat soap with the brush just to wash a few area's to see what it would come out like. Then being it is freezing out there i wipe it off with a towel. Not bad with just a little hot water and soap.There are a few rusty bolts on the roof that need to be taken out. Here's a few picture's that are little bit hard to see but considering the weather. What i was looking for was how smooth the paint was even before rubbing it out and adding polish later. The cabins windows look good too. This will be the first thing i will do and then move on to the cabin and cockpit.Chuck

[Helmar]

Hey Chuck.
I think keeping her those colors are pretty darn good too.
My windshield almost fell out crossing the Sound from Everett and up to Mystery Bay on the Skagit 50th. I came head on into a Big Swell and the bow went up and dropped down like a rock with a Big Boom and I seen the windshield almost come out.

Mine has wipers on the lower part or at the bottom the windows.
Those wipers motors had the Long shafts on them so with making up a small metal plate or tab, which points Up, it now holds in the rubber so that window can't pop out.
I put pressure on the rubber like I said, was able to go inside and with those hook rubber tools, was able to get the rubber to come back over the lip. Used some heat form the heat gun to help soften it up and once in place and softer, used to Shoe Goo to hold it in place.
Still holding last time I looked.
Last time I had her out was with John Nelson. We took her at 15mph from Quilcene all the way down to Hoodsport, docked, walked and got a beer, came back and 15mph all the way back up the Hood Canal to Quilcene again with NO problems. I ran her up to 28mph once but the water was too rough, so we just kept her at 15mph which was sipping fuel.

I have dipped her nose down into the water and had a fair amount come up over the windshield too so I know you and your passenger got wet a few times with your old boat.

[Skagitguy]

Joe, What i been told , she was a "Pink" boat with a little grey at one time. Under the rubrail i can see little parts what was the "pink" hull. The person GregS got it from around Tacoma , as the story goes ,it was his Uncle that re-gel coated the hull over in Eastern Washington when he own it. It does not look like the deck and cabin roof was re-gelcoated and just painted. Yea, i will keep this windshield on her.And yes, i have been dump on with water a few times in the past. Once on the Columbia river by Sand Island and a few other times. The thing that i'am happy about is the lexan or whatever is in great shape as well as the cabin windows ! Will get some canvas later on next summer with a Bimini cover. Chuck

[Helmar]

I think those colors would look Great only if they were a little more sharper or pure, not faded.
Nothing wrong with Pink.
I still have the Pink Panther

[Skagitguy]

Yea, I have been thinking about that too as far as the depth of color. Those cabin windows are worth about $500 to have redone if they were fog over or cracked and the windshield would be another easy $450.00 Plus. See why i'am happy about that ? Oh btw its "Salmon" Lol !

[Steve_Kiesel]

And salmon are pink!!!

[TheBronze]

Chuck,

Sounds like you are hooked. Again.

Regarding the cabin door. I thought about the split door with port hole as well for the 404 but don't like having to deal with the doors being in the way when in the cabin. My friend, Ron, has a SeaFair Sedan and this is an issue on his boat when in the cabin (getting life jackets, getting to the fishing regs, etc). Makes it hard to get around. Granted, it is a smaller cabin than what you are dealing with but the idea is the same.

What I've decided to do on the 404 is to keep the sliding door, but place it on the inside of the bulkhead. This will allow me to mount a cabinet on the outside of the bulkhead. The trick is, I'm also going to put a false bulkhead in on the inside. This will hold the pocket door and still allow me to mount the sink on the inside. It will be a bit of work, but should maximize the available 'hanging' space on the bulkhead. Because the door will be on a slider, it will be independent from the inner bulkhead and I should be able to screw the whole thing on the inside so that I can pull it apart for maintenance as needed.

[Skagitguy]

John,Thanks for the suggestion . but i like the looks of the split door with the porthole in it.This would be the 3rd boat with it. Otherwise i would consider it. But even then i would have to move the inclosed port-a-potty cabinet and storage locker.This cabin door compare to the Offshore and 17' Skagit is about 4 inches wider and a few inches higher. Thanks again,Chuck

[Kelly]

This is going to be a niiiice boat

[Helmar]

This is going to be a niiiice boat

I like those split doors...
[ATTACH]15146[/ATTACH]

[Skagitguy]

Joe, Who's ever boat that is in the photo those split door really came out nice ! Right now on the Skagit i have somethings to take out before i finally make up my mind on how this boat is going to be.I want to get about 95% of this project done by maybe May. Then during the summer the rest. I know i have said it before , but i don't see another 20 footer in the future or anything else so i want to make the best of it. A friend told me "we" need to quit acquiring boats and at our age ( low 70's ) and start to enjoy what we have. Not a bad idea. Plus if i want to do another one in the future i always have the Dorsett 17' behind the fence. Chuck

[TheBronze]

What ever you do, Chuck, it will look nice. And yes, that split door on the Uni above looks great. Along with the rest of the boat...

[Skagitguy]

That was Marty's and Joe's wood work. That's another boat i should have kept. Oh well. Chuck