Roots of a Voyage
Part Six: The Refit

by Dave and Jaja

After the hurricane, we sailed DRIVER on Pamlico Sound for six weeks. We not only developed a good feeling for DRIVER'S sailing characteristics (due to the engine conking out whenever we needed it), the extra time aboard gave us the opportunity to figure out how we were going to squeeze our size-eleven family into our size-nine boat.

Watching our kids stumble around below drove home the reminder that the cabin would be the focal point in our lives very soon. While we cruised, the cabin would be the place where each new day began; it would be our sanctuary at sea, our hideaway at anchor, and its image would follow us to sleep when we switched off the cabin lights. When we first viewed DRIVER we had correctly assumed her interior was "good enough". But we planned to live aboard for up to three years--could we stand living in the midst of so many unfunctional compromises?

I had previous experience building boat interiors. Before sailing around the world on our 25-footer, DIRECTION, I rebuilt her cabin in an effort to make the best use of what little space was available. Most small-boat interiors lack adequate food and gear storage. Often, too much precedent is given to the head, the table, and the ubiquitous hanging locker. This is fine for weekends and summer vacations, but it can be impractical for the demands of long-term bluewater cruising. A logical balance of compromises turned DIRECTION's cabin into a tolerable haven:

I did install a toilet, but it was not enclosed.

I threw away the table--we made do with balancing plates on our knees.

And instead of installing a hanging locker, my plan was to carry out executions on deck. (Seriously, the Real Plan was to bring clothes that did not require pampering).

The only complaint Jaja and I ever really had about our 25-foot wonder boat was the galley: Due to her low deck we'd had to hunch over uncomfortably while washing dishes, creating a painful syndrome we called "dishwater back".

Now, once again, Jaja and I scrutinized DRIVER's interior: The dark, heavy, impractical woodwork, the back-breaking companionway, the pygmy seat, and the miserable table. We wanted to get back to the sailing life quickly, but conceded it would be sensible to make a few modifications to her first. Realistically, the only way we were going to get a cabin interior that we liked was to rip it all out and start over; working from scratch would ensure the interior didn't come out looking hackneyed.

I thought back to 1985/87 when I rebuilt DIRECTION. I had made a declaration that I would never build the interior of another boat. Boat construction is very time-consuming, and it always costs more than anticipated. Worst of all, a long-term boat project becomes a demon that annihilates your ability to make intelligent conversation. The reason your friends come to the boat-christening party is they are celebrating the end of your detailed (and boring) boat-building monologues.

When I rebuilt DIRECTION I was 23 and single. This time, with a wife and three kids, I wondered about the stress it would put on our family life. Would they be able to tolerate my monologues?

Coming soon: The Do-It-Yourself Plan