It occurs to me that the hardest parts of any boat project are a lot like the hardest parts of any project.

Starting. And finishing.

We talked for a long time about redoing the galley. We sketched new sink cutouts, debated the outboard storage, researched countertops. We’d long since relegated the old engine-drive fridge to the depths of the garage, relying instead on the electric ARB that moved from quarterberth to floor to cockpit and back again.

It probably took us a total of 6 years before we took a crowbar and oscillating tool to the structure, and another 6 months of on-off work before it was fully demolished.

As of now, January 2021, the basic structure for the new galley is done. 2 new bulkheads have been glassed in, and the opening into the lazarette sealed off. We’ve cut the new counters, installed the tabbing to support them, dry fit the sink, finalized our storage compartments. The hull has primer and 2 coats of paint. Jeremy’s even tested the new lighting concept (LED self-stick strips inside the cabinets). There’s one more decision to be made (how to support the huge cut out on the Corian counter) and a few odds and ends to purchase (new propane tanks anyone?), and then the daunting-but-fun stage of finishing it up.

The punchlist, as it were. Install sink. Run plumbing. Run wiring. Install the stove. Install propane system. Actually INSTALL the counters. (Okay, that sounds like a lot of big stuff. It is, but not on the level of BUILDING the structure.)

The thing is, so many other projects are needing the “basic structure” level that doing the finishing touches for this one just doesn’t feel so critical. Plus, some of the finish bits require other infrastructure to be done. Wiring? Means electrical panel. Panel? Means engine cover. Engine cover? Means figuring out fiddles. Fiddles? Means ordering the stock - which is on back order. Oh. Wiring is put off. Since we can’t wire, there’s not a lot of point in working on the propane system . . . you get the picture.

Projects take a long time to start for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the planning process. Still, there’s a leap of faith that comes with taking that first step.

And then you work like a fiend to get the bulk of the work done, only to slow down right at the end.

Yeah. The hardest parts of any project are starting and finishing. The messy, gooey middle? That’s pretty easy!