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Seayanika Update Let me tell you, building a boat from a bare hull is not for everyone. It takes a huge time commitment, faith in your abilities, the focus to plod on through the drudgery, changes in life style - and a constant outflow of boat bucks. In spite of this, almost anyone, regardless of their gender or interests, can find some quirky little psychological pleasures in the experience. In the typical Women are From Venus, Men are From Mars scenario, certain accomplishments spark gender-specific interest. Take, for example, the engine room. My husband Erik was practically beating his chest in simian-like fashion upon installation of our main engine and 12.5kw generator. On the appointed day, all of his male friends gathered around while the crane operator lifted the equipment into the boat, eyes glazed in testosteronic euphoria. With the madatory beer in hand, each of them played a part in this manly ceremony, pointing, guiding or touching as the engine was lowered onto its beds. Afterward, the males present (there must have been 10 of them) all managed to squeeze some body part into the engine room for a gruntfest ala 'Tim the Tool Man' Taylor. Okay, I’m half owner of this 49-foot marvel; I’ve practically got my life savings invested in it; I was present and filming the event. But somehow, every male in attendance was more involved, more impressed and more psyched up than I was.
Chromosomes on parade -- Right, Erik and a crew of manly men muscle the generator into Seayanika's engine room, while the girls (above) check out the galley. On the other hand, for the past year I’ve been nagging and whining to my husband about starting construction of the galley. To me, Seayanika wasn’t really a home until late June when we started laying out this all-important part of the boat. All of a sudden, for some reason, I’m 100 percent focused on the task at hand and eager to help out with every detail. What makes this phenomenon particularly mysterious is that I’m not horrifically domestic. Hell, I don’t even like to cook - particularly at sea. What is this eerie phenomenon overtaking me? I certainly didn't act this way at other milestones such as when Erik installed the ice maker, or the bar, or finished the spot on the deck where I'll be sunbathing. I can almost hear my friends snickering, “What’s Katriana going to do with a galley anyway?!” Speaking of friends, our female ones are suddenly requesting more frequent boat tours. Could the simple structure of wood and stainless taking shape in the cabin really be playing on the primitive feminine urge to feed and nurture? One thing is for sure: not one of the girls shows the slightest interest in Erik's sparkling engine room. If you’ve been following the progress of our 49-foot building project, you’ll be aware that Seayanika is behind schedule. How far behind is a matter of perspective. Erik had originally estimated that he would have her completed in 20 months. In spite of the amazing visual progress in the first year of construction, I doubted he would ever be able to
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keep up with that over-optimistic schedule. I think he was mostly setting himself a goal date to work for. Once the 20 months passed, ahem, last June, we set our sights on the end of the year, 2002. Nope. Life got in the way, in the form of vacations, late deliveries (or late ordering), robberies, days that were too cold/hot/humid/rainy. And even the most motivated of us need our down time.
In April of this year, we determined that we were just a couple of months short of being ready to launch. In May, we were still just a couple of months away. In June – well, maybe two more months. Now that it’s August, we’re ready to book our launch date…but I’m not sure if it’s going to be next month or early October. It’s just so danged hard to decide how long things will take! From a money standpoint, we seem to be doing fine. We originally estimated that it would cost between $100-120K to build Seayanika from a bare hull. Several changes in layout and system installation, both additions and deletions – haven’t altered this figure dramatically. Also, we know - well, hope - our project and eventual circumnavigation could offer numerous marketing and promotional opportunities. So we’re looking into sponsorship for our electronics package and sails. If our promotional efforts are in vain, it’s possible our sail away cost may be closer to $150K. The final project we have to start and finish before launching is painting the hull. We’ve had several color debates: I opted for white (or light) for a cooler hull in the tropics and for visibility at night; Erik wanted medium to dark blue for aesthetics. We ordered the paint – it’s Cornflower Blue. He’s planning another one of his infamous 'boat parties' for the application, and I suppose the time it takes to complete the painting project will be directly related to the number of people that show up and the amount of beer consumed. Hey, ya gotta have fun or it’s not worth doing! Finally, in an effort to answer those burning questions we hear on a weekly basis, I offer the following: Q: Are you happy with your decision to build a boat from a bare hull? Erik: Of course! Katriana: Absolutely! Aside from the safety value of knowing all the systems and placement thereof, Seayanika is a tribute to Erik’s skill and ingenuity. Q: Would you do it again? Erik: In a heartbeat. Katriana: NO! Q: When will Seayanika be done? Katriana: Soon. Erik: No comment. Editor's Note -- In between these regular updates in Sightings, readers can keep up with the progress on Seayanika at www.seayanika.com. |
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