Waylon, a sailboat restoration

Growing up I had heard tales of “Waylon.” A 35ft sailboat built by my father and his friend. My parents used to share stories about the boat and her adventures around the dinner table. The boat however, was sold before I was born. 45 years later I found “Waylon” for sale online. Being my fathers old boat I had no choice but to buy her, with plans of restoring her to her former glory - and at the same time saving her from further decay and possibly one final journey to the landfill. I attempted to surprise my father with the purchase of his former vessel asking him to meet me at the dock after sailing her home. With a tear in his eye I threw him the keys after he asked, “whose boat is this” I replied, “it’s yours dad,” while throwing him the keys. He promptly threw them back at me saying, “nope, you are doing all the woodwork.” His feelings on the boat were mixed, nostalgic for the memory of her once former glory, and dismayed at the current state of the boat. 45 years of West coast weather had taken her toll on Waylon, rotting the deck in many sections, corroding the rigging, rusting the engine and she showed a few scars on the hull from many storms and rubbing on the dock. To save her from the landfill - a full restoration was inevitable. Every part of the boat had to be disassembled. Wd-40 was essential in removing rusty screws and fastenings that were bedded 45 years prior. Wd-40 was also useful as a solvent, helping remove 45 years of grease, oils, and other unsightly and smelly effluents from deep in the bilge. Over a 2 year period, I managed to get the boat stripped down to her bare elements, ready to be built up again. Many nights were spent sanding, painting, fibreglassing before she started to resemble her former self. The best use of Wd-40 in this project was when it came to putting things back together. Sailboat fittings and hardware mounted to the deck must have a sealant to “bed” (much like caulking - although a sticky stringy evil cousin) to create a waterproof seal. When the hardware is tightened down this bedding oozes out of all sides of the hardware leaving a sticky mess that needs to be cleaned up in order to be sightly. Here, Wd-40 shined, literally! A little spray on the “ooze” made for a quick wipe and clean, a task previously that led to a smearing, sticky, unsightly mess. 4 years after she was brought back into the family Waylon was ready to sail once again, And back to her former shimmering glory. Sailing her with my dad after the refit was more than rewarding, knowing we both had shared experience of sanding, painting working on the same boat 45 years apart. He was elated to see her again in much the same state as when he owned her but he was also exited for the future adventures I would have sailing her, and the tales I would have to share around my dinner table sailing on Waylon.