With my boat stored for the winter, I took a volunteer position at Escape 3 Points in Ghana. I spent several months there working on a Tiki 21. The eco-lodge is on a gorgeous part of the western coast of Ghana. It’s remote and quiet and has a great beach.

The boat, Idle No More, had been built in Canada by my friend Rod and was shipped to Ghana in 2001. It hadn’t sailed much in Ghana and needed some maintenance after years in the heat and humidity. Acquiring epoxy and marine plywood in Ghana was very challenging and some compromises had to be made while working. But we completed quite a few projects and got the boat back in the water for a few sails.

Some of the work:

  • Repaired rot and soft spots in beams
  • Replaced beam and shroud cleats
  • New trampoline battens
  • Glassed fore hatches and added rope hinges
  • New main hatches with rope hinges not to the original design
  • New mast
  • New rudders
  • New paint job
  • Added a tiller extension
  • Filled and faired lots of holes and dings
  • Added locks to all hatches

Boat Had Been Stored for Last Few Years

Cleaning

The Original Epoxy No Longer Fired

New Epoxy From Amazon

Work Bench

Center Beam Was Rotted in Several places

Beams Needed Hardwood Reinforcements At Cradles

Hardwood Beam and Shroud Cleats

Beam Cleat Installed

Trampoline Batten

Rope Hinges Added to Fore Hatches

Glassing the Fore Hatches

Building New Main Hatches

Rope Hinges for Main Hatches

Main Hatches Installed

New Aluminum Mast Had Wooden Head and Foot

New Hardwoood Rudders

Ghana Gold

Many Hands Make Light Work

Painting the Hulls

Idle No More

Launching Through the Surf