Finding the donor boat in San Diego had brought us the motor, the mast and spreaders, winches, and other gear Tortuga needed. Those pieces gave us a way forward. Now we had to work out how they would fit into the boat we were rebuilding and the life we wanted aboard her.
There was still one practical limit on almost everything we did: the lift.
La Gorda had to stay light enough to go back into the water. That meant we couldn't simply finish the interior as fast as the carpenters could build it. We could move ahead with the frame-out, but the walls and heavy finishing had to wait.
It slowed us down. It also gave us time to think carefully about what we were putting back.
Work kept moving
While we were working through those decisions, Manuel was rebuilding the engine and transmission. The motor work included the seals, gaskets, and heads. When he finished the rebuild, a lift came to place the motor aboard for installation.
Getting the rebuilt motor back aboard was another step toward bringing Tortuga back to life.
Outside, Lalo's guy was working on the exterior and paint. Inside, others were working on the framing. We were trying to keep the jobs moving without putting all the weight back into the boat before the lift could handle her.
The old iron fuel tanks were another part of that process. They dated back to the 1980s, and we cut them out. We had custom fiberglass replacements made for those spaces.
There were parts of the restoration we could push forward and parts we had to hold. An unfinished interior wasn't much to look at, but it gave us a chance to plan before the walls and cabinetry closed everything in.
Thinking beyond the next repair
I was thinking about circumnavigation and the years we hoped to spend aboard. I wanted Tortuga to be comfortable for my family, and I wanted to look ten or twenty years ahead while we had this opportunity to rebuild.
That didn't mean I expected to install everything once and never touch it again. Boats need work. Equipment changes. But I didn't want to put her back together without looking at what newer equipment and technology might offer us.
We began researching synthetic standing rigging as a possible replacement for stainless steel. Having the donor mast and spreaders didn't settle every rigging decision. We still had choices to make about the system that would support it.
The same thinking spread through the rest of the boat. Refrigeration, water filtration, watermakers, lighting, cooking, ventilation: each subject opened up another round of research. We were looking at how we wanted to live aboard and what it would take to support that life.
A refrigerator was easy enough to put on a wish list. Deciding how it would fit into the galley and the electrical plan took more thought.
A galley we would actually use
I wanted a modern galley. An Instant Pot or slow cooker, a coffee maker, a convection oven, and an electric stovetop were all part of what I was considering.
Those are ordinary conveniences ashore. On Tortuga, they had to become part of a much bigger plan.
I was particularly interested in a 120-volt glass cooktop. I wanted to avoid propane if we could make electric cooking practical with enough solar generation and battery capacity. That was a goal we were researching, not a decision that the electrical system could already support it.
The appeal was straightforward. We were planning to live aboard, cook aboard, and spend time together aboard. I wanted to think those routines through while we still had the chance to shape the spaces around them.
We were also considering air conditioning, heat, and a washing machine. Ventilation and fans mattered too. Some of those ideas would ask much more of the electrical system than others. Before buying equipment or finishing cabinetry around it, we needed to understand what we were asking the boat to do.
There were two heads and two showers to account for as well. Water filtration and watermakers became part of the research because the way we supplied and used water would affect everyday life aboard.
Following the power
With all those possibilities in front of us, power management became a major part of the work.
We were deep into researching solar, newer battery technology, DC-to-DC chargers, controllers, and the electrical schematics. The more equipment we considered, the more important it became to look at the whole system together.
Cooking, keeping food cold, running fans, providing water, and lighting the boat all had to fit into that picture. Air conditioning, heating, or a washing machine couldn't simply be added to the list without considering what they would require.
Even lighting deserved attention. I was looking at LEDs and rechargeable emergency lights, thinking about the lighting we would use every day as well as what we would want available when something went wrong.
At this stage, we were researching and developing the plans. We hadn't installed and tested every system we were considering. The schematics were part of figuring out how to bring the equipment together, with decisions still to make before those ideas could become a finished installation.
That work was less visible than a newly painted hull or a piece of finished wood. But it mattered to what would happen after the boatyard work, when we would be relying on the choices we had made.
Making use of the wait
The weight limit meant we couldn't finish Tortuga in the order I might otherwise have chosen. Some of the interior had to remain unfinished until she was back in the water.
We kept working where we could. The engine and transmission had been rebuilt. Exterior work and interior framing were moving forward. The old iron tanks were out, and custom replacements were part of the rebuild. Alongside that physical work, we were spending time on the systems that would make the boat livable.
I wanted to use that time well. If we had to wait on walls and heavy finishing, we could keep researching, drawing, and working through the equipment choices instead of rushing to close everything up.
La Gorda was still on the hard, and plenty remained to be decided.
But I was beginning to think further ahead than the next repair. I was thinking about meals in the galley, showers, cold food, light, and the comfort of the people I wanted to take around the world.
When Tortuga was afloat and we could continue the heavier work, I wanted us to have a clear plan for the home we were building inside her.