SEDATION 4  "Launch Daze"

April 1, 2004  was arguably the most hectic day of the entire project.  The assembly crew and I were exhausted from several late nights of last-minute projects.  We were living on caffeine and adrenaline by now, hence the title of this page.  Since timely posting of launch-day photos was not feasible, the April Fools Day page was created instead :)
Availability of the Teflon® & copper antifouling bottom paint is scarce so overnight air-freight delivery was necessary.  Closing-up was nearly completed thus we focused our efforts on detailing the exterior.  Touching-up the yellow gel coat on the bridgedeck's underside commenced.  There are several hundred feet of laminations beneath SEDATION 4 including seams between the bridgedeck panels and deck-to-hull joints.  This close up view of the lower stainless steel "bar pole" fastener, prior to tightening, illustrates some of the seams requiring gel coat.
My duties as "executive go-for" included trips to West Marine for such necessities as rope and the "christening bottle" and Home Depot for more foam paint rollers.  I was in line at the Burger King drive-thru, grabbing lunch for everyone, when the cell phone rang.  Tommy, at Banana River Marine, had pulled-through and the paint was ready for pick-up.  I returned to the boatbuilder's and bottom-painting commenced.  Here's a photo of the electrical- and fuel-conduits on the underbelly with more seams visible.  All seemed well.
About 1.5 hours before the scheduled launch, someone asked if "we have any more yellow?"  The custom-formulated yellow gel coat requires much thicker application than conventional white gel coat and our 3.5 gallon supply was almost gone!  A phone call to our supplier confirmed my trepidation; mixing another 5 gallon batch of my "Caribe Yellow" would require several hours so early morning was the earliest possible delivery window.  We used-up the remaining supply so I sent everyone home early for some well-deserved rest.  I was nice to return to Cocoa Beach before sunset.  I was sound asleep before 7:00 pm.
"Plan B" was now in effect.  I had planned on transferring contents of the shipping container (adjacent to SEDATION 4 in this photo) aboard on Friday and a leisurely moving of personal items, from the beachside apartment to the boat, over the weekend.  Now three days of moving-in must be crammed into two.  I awakened at 2:15 am and began last-minute packing chores.  Everyone arrived at the job site by 7:15 am and we resumed detailing.  By mid-afternoon I was concerned that the boat-mover's rig had not, yet, arrived.  Several phone calls later we were informed of a scheduling "mix up" and that the rig was not available today.  So much for "Plan B" :(
"Plan C" involves moving all but the heaviest items aboard prior to a Monday morning launch.  This is actually convenient compared to lugging everything down to the dock since we have a construction ramp, at the stern, to roll loads aboard using a dolly and carts.  At least we got home at a reasonable hour again.  Watching the sunset from Cocoa Beach is calming.
By Saturday the ice maker and refrigerators were installed, followed by countertops etc.  The heavy italian heads were placed into position and more clean-up followed.  We removed the "working" floor coverings and installed fresh cardboard to protect the walking surfaces.  In this Saturday afternoon shot, of the bar area, things are looking more "ship shape" than ever.  Time for one more night's rest before the dreaded moving day.
Everything is cleared-out from beneath SEDATION 4 so the moving rig can be easily maneuvered into position.  Loose items like office chairs, CD racks and bar ware must be secured to prevent shifting during the launch.  I gave the boat her first bath late Saturday afternoon.  There's a LOT of surface area to scrub on this little 37 footer but it was a labor of love :)
Moving is always fun, right?  Fortunately, when I had to switch apartments last December, I had the foresight to keep most non-essential items boxed.  A few trips (between Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island) later practically everything is moved aboard.  Oil paintings were hung first; they were actually screwed to the wall using #10 x 2.5" stainless hardware.  The oil portrait of SEDATION is, obviously, over my bed.
Notice the "water room" access hatch which lays flat on an 8" thick queen size mattress, when open, for comfortable egress.  I will be in-and-out of there frequently during the next few weeks so nothing is stored that could inhibit its use. An oil painting, by W. H. Chamn, of a coolie (affectionately nicknamed "Grandpa" in our family) graces the guest stateroom.   Both paintings appear askew, due to optical illusion caused by the 5° slanted roof,  but they are plumb level.  This issue will be addressed during interior decorating.
While stuff was being moved into other parts of the boat, I began setting-up the workshop.  Both workbenches were installed in less than an hour.  Sixteen toolboxes and numerous parts bins fit with room to spare.  Organization will, of course, take some time but everything is now in one area.
It's been over 10 months since I had my own workshop.  I am one happy camper now :)
In this shot the pilothouse appears barren but practically everything is safely stored beneath the settee and floor for the launch.  The hand-carved wood table is visible atop the settee corner and the few boxes at the aft end are items which require last-minute installation.  The Nida-Core helm top, with its articulated sliding keyboard tray, will be installed post-launching and the chair will be lashed to the bar pole during the ordeal. I had been concerned about sufficient storage space for all my stuff.  As we loaded the last heavy boxes of books, the entire vessel settled into the assembly cradle with a disconcerting sound.  It's as if SEDATION 4 was taunting "is this all you've got?"   OK ... there are a few more items to move aboard (computers, printer, scanner and other delicate gear that should not be subjected to the jolts of launching) but the boat absorbed my plethora of stuff with plenty of room to grow.
On Monday morning, April 5th, we are poised for the third launch attempt.  Hundreds of little details, scheduled for later completion, have been wrapped-up while waiting.  We've probably moved way-too-much equipment aboard, right down to the kitchen sink ... err ... galley sink :) Then the boat movers called; it seems their rig has hydraulic problems which require immediate service.  Looks like we're re-scheduled, again, for Tuesday morning.  The launch daze continues.
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