Free from the Boatyard – and Back to Cruising! Our 2025 Intentions Ahead

And just like that, after 6 weeks of non-stop boat projects at Atlantic Yacht Basin – we have cruised away and resumed our Great Loop!

If you prefer a video format, we also have this post filmed for you too:

Boatyard Wrap-Up

We tackled a lot of projects during our time at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, VA over the winter.

This was most definitely our biggest boatyard project list accomplished to date. We hunted down a lot of gremlins, tackled a lot of preventative maintenance, and made several significant boat upgrades as well.

Here’s a (partial!) list:

• New Windshield Wiper System – Ever since we bought Y-Not, the windshield wipers have been flakey, and we were down to just one window segment that only sort-of-sometimes worked. It wasn’t just the blades wearing out – the arms were corroded and shot, and the motors were either seized dead or dying. And of course, there are no simple drop-in replacement parts for a 26-year old boat. So AYB had to source a different style of motor – which meant all new mounting holes, new wiring, and new dash switches. But a bonus upgrade – we have interval wiper mode now!!
• Lots of Engine Love – Our Cummins 6BTA 370HP engines were having various small issues, and we wanted some upgrades too. The biggest project was replacing the raw water pumps with an updated design by Seaboard Marine that should make impeller changes and future maintenance an easier chore. This upgrade has been on our wish list since we bought the boat. We also installed all new engine thermostats, replaced starter and pre-heater relays, serviced the heat exchangers, fixed a coolant leak, did some throttle adjustments and changed out all fluids & filters. And as if we needed more projects – at the last minute we discovered our Walker AirSEP canisters were reaching their end of life (saturated in oil with dissolving foam), so we quickly replaced this Closed Crankcase Ventilation system with the EnviroVent from Seaboard Marine. A much simpler solution at almost half the cost.
• Shaft Stuffing Box Rebuild – We had one shaft stuffing box that was leaking more than it should, and tightening it wasn’t doing the trick anymore due to a bent bolt. The hose that the shaft passes through from the stuffing box to the shaft log exiting the boat was also bulging and showing signs of age – and if one is reaching end of life the other was likely not far behind. So what started out as a simple stuffing box repacking turned into a full rebuild for both stuffing boxes – which required sliding the prop shafts partially out of the boat. And this turned into an even bigger chore since it turned out the old bolts on the transmission coupling all needed to be tediously cut off to detach the shafts. (BTW – before anyone asks – we also researched switching to a dripless shaft seal – but we ultimately like the simplicity and safety of a traditional stuffing box…)
• Thru-Hull Backing Blocks – Some of our aged seacocks were due for some love too – so we had them cleaned up and new backing blocks made.
• Props Re-pitched – The Bayliner 4788 came with props pitched for an unloaded boat (24″ x 24″). But fully loaded with water, fuel and ‘stuff’ (food, clothes, tech, people), many Bayliner owners report repitching the props allows the engines to work more efficiently – running less overloaded. This has been on our to-do list for years – so we took advantage of our time out of the water as an opportunity to do so. We researched that 24″ x 21.4″ was a good balance. And it seems to have worked… previously we only ever saw around 2800 RPMs at full throttle (even with freshly cleaned running gear), and now both engines get up to their rated 3000.
• Bottom Job – It has been two years since we had new anti-fouling paint on the bottom of the boat, so it was time for a new coat. We also opted to raise our blue boot water line a bit to compensate for how the boat actually rides, which should help with less scum line on the visible hull.
• Re-Caulking – We asked AYB to also do some work recaulking stuff around the boat to address ongoing leaks we’ve had. The work order that got sent to the yard crew from our project manager got a bit mistranslated and the crew went a bit (ok, a lot) overboard with re-bedding deck hardware too – some of which required a lot of interior disassembly to get to. With the project manager out some of the winter dealing with some major family stuff, we had no one overseeing things and checking in with us before the intended small low-priority job had ballooned out of control and we got a huge surprise bill. AYB took some responsibility for the error, and reduced the bill – easing some of the pain. So we leave with a hopefully water tight boat, super secure cleats, and a lesson learned to probably never leave yard big projects to be done while we’re not around in person to regularly check-in on things.
• New Decals – Our Y-Not logo decals we originally installed 8 years ago had also reached end of life and were fading and cracking. So we had Sign Makers install new ones for us, plus added smaller sideboard ones.
• New Radar – Our Garmin Fantom Radar suddenly stopped working last summer, and Garmin didn’t have any of our discontinued model in stock to replace it with under their advanced repair program – and sending off our radar for repair would have required a prolonged (“up to 5-8 weeks”) stop to wait for shipping back and forth for repair since Garmin can not handle address changes once a repair order starts. Chris decided he’d research other non-Garmin options instead, and had asked to consult with AYB’s electronics contractor – who totally flaked on us. Caught in analysis paralysis with no working radar, I urged Chris to check in again with Garmin this year – and it turned out they did now have a  refurb replacement available for advanced replacement at just $1,200. So, we now have working radar again that was an easy direct swap that we could handle ourselves.
• Plexiglass Flybridge Hatch – Since we store our bikes at the bottom of the ladder from the cockpit to the flybridge, we rarely need to use it. The main entrance to the flybridge is via a much easier to use staircase in the pilothouse. So we had the yard fabricate a tinted plexiglass openable hatch – turning the opening into a skylight, keeping rain off the cockpit and our bikes.
• New Cockpit and Flybridge Lighting – Some of the light fixtures on our cockpit and flybridge were quite literally “old and busted” – one of the cockpit lights had even been literally ripped right off the wall when someone tried to break into our boat while in storage several years ago! So we took advance of our time in the yard to redo the lights with new Lumitec lights that are dimmable and can also change colors. It is a wonderfully classy update.

We have happy engines, no leaks and a shiny looking boat.

And overall, despite the hiccups and communications issues over the deep winter – we’re very pleased with the staff at AYB – highly skilled and friendly crew all around. And there is easy access to so much in walking distance, that makes prolonged projects much more comfortable.

But perhaps my favorite upgrade (that we did ourselves) – was adding a bidet. We went with the Bio Bidet SlimTwist, which was a pretty easy install once we found the right plumbing fittings for our marine macerating toilet.

Now that’s a yacht worthy upgrade!!

Whew.. that’s a lot of boat-bucks spent.

But we consider it an investment into our chosen nomadic lifestyle. Y-Not is our home part of the year, and our adventure vessel.

Not just a hole in the water to throw money into.

And no .. before you chime in.. BOAT does NOT mean ‘Break Out Another Thousand’.  It’s most definitely TEN Thousand in today’s dollars.

A Nauti Ballad

To commemorate leaving this boatyard experience in our wake, I asked my ChatGPT AI sidekick to help me write a flirty lewd (but blog appropriate) poem using many of the actual nauti boat terms used (like living on the hard, bottom jobs and lubing shafts).

So, here ya go:

Nauti by Nature
(a boatyard boudoir ballad)

We’ve been On the Hard, but not in vain,
Our vessel moans with sweet refrain.
Sea-cock servicing, oh what a treat—
Greased and turned ’til it felt complete.

Shafts aligned with practiced care,
We lube them up… it’s only fair.
The Bottom Job? A dirty delight—
Scraped and sanded deep into night.

In our boots, we stomped with flair,
Through paint and grit and salty air.
Stuffing boxes snug and tight,
No drips allowed—not day or night.

All this work, this loving prep,
To make our girl a flawless schlep.
So soon we’ll slip into that nook—
Just us two, swinging on the hook.

Nauti by nature, bold and free,
She’s ready now to take the sea.
We’ve lubed and loved her every part…
Time to let the cruising start.

2025 Cruising Intentions Ahead

We’ve been asked over and over again what our plans are. And really, all we’ve planned is:

We know for sure we’re going to spend some time poking around the Chesapeake Bay.

We’ll make side trips, including up the Potomac to the spend time in the DC area. Baltimore, Annapolis and Solomons are also in the intentions, as well as getting to the eastern shore.

We won’t know until fall just how far we’ll get.

Will we leave the Chesapeake? Maybe Philadelphia? Maybe into the Hudson? Maybe up into Canada?

We are looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds, and will be sharing with you. As usual, we’ll be routing by serendipity, weather and just how our moods strike us.

We’re also open to recommendations, and meet-ups along the way!  So please do share any suggestions or invitations you might have.