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Refit Diaries: 10/12/2025 – 10/19/2025 

We had a discouraging meeting on Monday morning, suggesting that our carpentry projects might be astronomically out of our budget. We didn’t go into this blind— these projects have been on our wishlist for years. We have collected quotes along the way and gathered a solid idea of the ballpark cost. We’ve also extensively researched the cost of materials and labor here in New Zealand. So, we were definitely caught off guard. It felt less like a quote and more like a polite way of saying, “We’re fully booked unless it’s really worth our time.” One of the yard’s project managers has gone back to renegotiate, so we will keep our fingers crossed. The quote was based on descriptions and photos, so we’re hoping an in-person meeting might help provide context on the scope of our projects. In the meantime, we began taking things into our own hands: researching how to do it ourselves, can we outsource cabinetry? Rent tools? How would we transport plywood? At what point does this become a bad idea? We’re not giving up, but we might be getting a little more creative. Here is a reminder of what we’re hoping to do in the port forward cabin (our biggest carpentry project):

By Tuesday morning, we had received an official quote for all things rigging related (pulling the mast, replacing the standing rigging, etc.), which, thankfully, was right about what we were estimating, plus it included a couple of extra things we hadn’t initially accounted for, like using the crane to remove our generator.  It’s still a lot of money, but at least it wasn’t an unexpected amount. The weather was crummy, so we spent the day camped out on the couch under fleece blankets with our laptops, emailing back and forth with anyone who could help us with the workshop conversion: other marine interior companies, custom kitchen cabinetry folks, van conversion people… We were exploring all potential avenues. 

On Wednesday morning, we met with the yard’s project manager and the carpenter to review our options: what would the price be if we did the port forward cabin demo? And if we did the floors ourselves? Basically, what combination of us + you can we come up with to make this work? We are willing to handle most of the other projects ourselves if we can get the workshop conversion down to a better price. Overall, we think the meeting went well. The carpenter was knowledgeable and friendly, and seemed open to working with us to “sharpen the pencil” a bit on his estimate. We have not seen a revised quote yet, but we feel hopeful. In the meantime, we have continued to solicit alternative quotes, including several viable (but not ideal) options. This has been an unexpected speed bump, but that’s just the nature of high-demand marine trades. Thank you to everyone who has sent us a tip/connection/recommendation. Your input has been so helpful! 

My sewing machine was delivered this week, but it’s been sitting in its box in our entryway while I wait for the transformer to arrive so I can use it. I think my first project will be a simple box corner cushion to put on our cockpit cooler/storage bench. Reminder: I’ve never used a sewing machine before, so I’m starting small! I’ve found the tutorials on the Sailrite website very encouraging. 

We’ve discovered Bunnings Warehouse and Mitre Ten, two giant hardware stores within minutes of the boat yard. We bought heaps of tools this week while finishing the starboard aft cabin demolition (where we plan to house new batteries and electrical components). I’ve been staying on top of registering all our purchases online to activate the warranty, should we need to replace anything while we’re here. It’s an easy, but tedious process. Ray winces when he swipes the credit card, but I can see his excitement while unboxing all this stuff. 

We mapped out a spot for three 24V 340Ah LiFePO4 batteries by NZ Lithium using the empty shells they shipped us. This allowed Ray to precisely cut a space for them to sit under our bed. We promptly shipped the shells back to them to be filled with the actual batteries. We still love the Kilovault batteries we installed in 2023, but the company has stopped producing them, making it challenging to expand our system. We will keep one 12V 300Ah Kilovault to supply power to our remaining 12V consumers, but have two others up for grabs if anyone is interested. From what we’ve seen so far, the build quality of these new batteries is impressive. It’s amazing how much the technology has advanced since our initial conversion. If you’re interested in more details about our electrical system, we’ve attached the wiring diagrams Ray created for our 24V/12V and 120V side below, available to download for our Crew and VIPs.

When we’re not at the yard, we’ve been messing around with our new gear—did you notice anything different in our latest video? We got a new camera with a fantastic zoom and a couple of lapel mics to make the audio more bearable when filming in the noisy boatyard. There’s been a bit of a learning curve, but we’re having fun with it. 

We also celebrated getting our visa approved— we can officially stay in New Zealand until June 2026! Our friends, Nick and Megan, are still staying with us, so our evenings are filled with good food and shared laughter. The owners of the house we are renting stopped by to drop off some Halloween and Christmas decor for us and a fresh jar of local honey. Time is flying by, and we’re looking forward to a festive holiday season here with friends and family between boat work.

Looking ahead: We’ve ordered some marine plywood to start rebuilding the base of our bed; we plan to pick it up tomorrow morning. We hope to hear back on that revised carpentry quote this coming week, primarily for the workshop build-out, so keep your fingers crossed! Aside from that, life is good. Busy, but good. It feels like there are so many moving parts right now, but we are making a conscious effort to stay organized by printing out and sorting all invoices, designating who is responsible for responding to what emails, etc. We’re also learning to juggle land life responsibilities like unloading the dishwasher, mowing the lawn, washing the car, etc., haha! New, but necessary chores! Anyway, that’s all we have to report for now. Have a great week! 🙂