The first post-restoration season began at the END of July 2023, and I did little to no maintenance varnishing through November 2023 when she was put on the hard. There were many areas that needed attention. After spending her first winter at a marina in over 10 years, RUCKLE was launched in the late Spring of 2024 for her second post-restoration season. Areas that need attention may be very obvious (you can see that the finish is almost down to bare wood) or less obvious (the finish looks good, but doesn’t have the desired shiny depth). The goal is to build up a quality finish to a thickness that protects the wood for two or more months before additional maintenance coats need to be applied. The magnitude of the area of teak and the complexity of the surfaces makes achieving this goal a monumental task, one I’m still working on as I write this in September 2025. My goal is to achieve a state in which I have to apply 2-3 coats of varnish on all surfaces twice a year. I expect to be there by July 2026. More on varnishing later.

Recall that the cabin sole is simply painted plywood panels. While these are sufficient, a friend recommended a synthetic floor covering that would cover the plywood. I made the templates myself out of heavy paper.

The following photo shows a scrap of the material that was used to make the floor coverings. Here I’m seeing if it fits under the lower edge of the bulkhead molding.

Eventually the coverings were completed and delivered. The fit was perfect and they added a warmth and softness to the floors that corresponded to a huge upgrade. Unfortunately I don’t have any phots, but come aboard sometime and have a look. They’ve received many compliments from other boat owners.

Here are a few pictures from Summer and Fall of 2024:

And one video: