The foredeck hatch of Idle Queen. The blue square in the foreground is a solar panel. The hatch is not actually attached to the boat because all of the wood trim has rotted away.
Having an old boat and a small budget means that things aren’t always going to be perfect, but there are a few things on Idle Queen that are going to need some attention before I take her out on any long trips.
To try to bring Idle Queen up to a “yacht” standard of finish would end up just being frustrating and expensive, and I would not get the chance to leave port any time soon. It would take years to rebuild and refinish her. Instead, the goal is to keep things strong and simple. First, there is a lot of cleaning to do.
The heart of Idle Queen’s electric system. Some marine electricians would recommend that a few things should be done differently here. Alligator clips for attaching the navigation lights are not shown…View of the engine room. The main fuel tank is the box to the right of the picture. Duct tape and string holds most of the plumbing together, but amazingly it all works.The galley on Idle Queen is very simple, with a one-burner stove that uses butane cartridges, a sink, and an icebox. There is refrigeration installed, but it doesn’t work.Looking into the head compartment. The companionway stairs are to the right of the frame. The dogs that close the porthole in the head are all broken.This is the staysail outhaul. It works, but is not very easily adjustable… It’s a good thing that there are lots of lashings, because the blocks fell off when I touched them. The aluminum boom was corroded through.
