Upkeep Department from NE (Tuggers Issue 66)

From Sally Seymour, Sally W 37VT42

Carl Butterfield writes that Carla B 37VT05 is receiving a fresh coat of white paint on the cabin. The topsides were painted green a few years ago. He and wife Laura have owned the tug since 1991. Their home port is Ithaca, NY on the Fingerlakes. 

Ken and Heidi Maitland, Victorious 37VT26, have been busy bringing their “new” 30-year old tug up to snuff.  They are stripping the decks down to bare teak, getting the generator running, making new curtains for the windows, constantly fiddling with the Xantrex Link 1000 battery monitor, finding and fixing some leaks in the cabin roof, making a temporary fix for the steadying sail mast (it is buckling) and getting the refrigerator doors to close properly. 

Allan Seymour, Sally W  is passionate about preserving his teak. He applies varnish annually to key components such as doors, floor boards, and the rub and cap rails.

 

Many agree this is important in maintaining the value of the boat. There are several approaches, various products, techniques, and philosophies. Whatever you choose, it will be time well spent.

Lest we forget that the teak in our 30-odd year old tugs came from huge trees, whose quality and size can’t be sourced anymore.

Workers in Taiwan skillfully fashioned thick pieces of teak to form the cap rail. All seventy-four 37-foot Lord Nelson Victory Tugs were built there in the 1980s. Hallmark pieces such as the cap rail deserve to be preserved