Pirate Ships, Monkeys, Boatyard

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Pirate Ships, Monkeys and a Darn Good Boatyard
by

Living on the Dania Cutoff Canal has its perks. The other day, I was turning into the marina where we keep, and live aboard, Short Story when Dan called me from work. "When you get home, go take a look across the canal," he said.

He was talking about the pirate ship. Docked at one of the big boatyards on the north side of the Canal, its black masts rose in glory above all the glistening large yachts. Some curious people in a fancy inflatable had pulled up alongside, and were taking turns sticking their heads into the hatches where there should have been cannons. A Sea Ray had also pulled up in investigate.

The ancient-looking ship had been docked using bow thrusters, and I wondered what it looked like beneath the waterline. I imagined bow thrusters, stern thrusters, twin screws... According to some neighbors on a sportfishing boat, the ship was one of the vessels used in the filming of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and it had just returned from Nassau.

All around the pirate ship, Dania was bustling with rusty island freighters and fancy yachts. The week before, Short Story had been hauled out at Playboy Marine, a do-it-yourself boatyard nestled between Broward Marine and Derektor Shipyard. Several shipping companies and smaller yards share the north shore of the canal, and the south shore is lined with marinas and mangroves. The US1 bridge blocks vessels with height restrictions from proceeding any further up the canal, but the stretch between the bridge and Port Everglades is one of the busiest bodies of water in South Florida.

The current is strong running through the canal, and the water is surprisingly clean. If you're traveling in a small skiff, you can take the canal all the way around to the New River. Monkeys and iguanas aren't uncommon, and giant tarpon hover in the shadows.

With good South Florida boatyards rapidly disappearing, and do-it-yourself places almost non-existent, Playboy Marine is a jewel. They stay busy, booking haul-outs several months in advance. The travel lift runs non-stop from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the crew is fast and efficient. Short Story was hauled, power-washed, and blocked in less than half an hour. Meanwhile, our beagle, Stella, made friends in the office where the manager, Jim, fed her biscuits.

Playboy operates by allowing contractors to come into the yard and do all of the work that people don't want to do themselves. We hadn't been out of the water for an hour when two different people approached us about sanding the bottom. When we told them that we wanted to do it, they were friendly and didn't persist. They even loaned us a grinder when we needed to do some fiberglass repair work. For a week, my evenings were spent waxing, caulking, sanding, grinding, glassing and painting as the contractors, who seemed to work as late as we did every night, politely teased me about working in the dark. Dan did what he could do during the day, between exams and work, and I picked up where he left off at night.

As odd as it sounds, the grime and dust and epoxy smells always bring about a change in me. When I was six, the boat I lived aboard with my family was hauled out for a major blister job. We were in Deltaville, VA, and we were out of the water for a month. We repaired literally hundreds of blisters, grinding and glassing them over. My dad did the grinding and glassing, my mom cut the glass and mixed the West System epoxy. I remember handing my dad pieces of fiberglass. I remember mixing the West System micro-balloons with the Epoxy to thicken it. I remember falling off the ladder and busting my lip, and spilling a can of root beer. I remember the way fiberglass blisters smell—weirdly organic.

I'm not saying that it's good for kids to play in boat yards. But playing in boat yards was one of the things that made me who I am, and Playboy Marine was the right place to bring back those memories. I made Dan hold the ladder while I climbed up and lashed it to the cleats and stanchions before either of us tried to climb up or down carrying anything. I got epoxy in my hair, and didn't bother to try to get it out. I went to work with blue bottom paint on my toenails.

When it was time to launch, Short Story looked like a new boat from the hull down. The next project will be to Awlgrip the topsides, but that's going to have to wait until I recover from the last one. Meanwhile, it's nice to be back on the other side of the Dania Cutoff Canal, with our view of the pirate ship and the large yachts.

Bluewater Books & Charts was a great resource while I was trying to decide how to tackle some major unplanned projects. There are too many good books on fiberglass work to list, so call and ask to speak to a sales person if you're looking for one. Or ask for me—I'm always happy to talk about boat work!