THE CLOVER SURVEY AND FIRST HAULOUT

The SurveyPrior to deciding whether to accept CLOVER, WBFV commissioned a marine surveyor to ascertain her condition.  She was in an advanced state of decay with bilge pumps running around the clock. She was taken from Alameda to Richmond and hauled at Bay Marine Boatyard to be hauled out for the first time in a decade.  We weren’t sure what we’d find.
In June 2015, CLOVER was surveyed by renowned marine surveyor Kent Parker.  Kent spent three days tap-testing, probing, and visually inspecting all the accessible structural areas from the keel to the deck, from the stems to the horn timbers of the stern; all deck beams and carlins, hull frames and steel floors; the cabins hatches and internal partitions; and the mast and spars on deck, rigging end fittings, turnbuckles and chain plates. It was a thorough examination of the vessel’s condition and guides the restoration project.
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The 2016 Haulout
In March 2016 CLOVER returned to Bay Marine Boatyard, and begin the first phase of her restoration, focusing on making her hull and deck watertight and addressing the immediate structural issues.  In all portions of 5 planks were removed and replaced; a fiberglass covering put on the deck; 7 through-hull fittings and valves were replaced, and the hull topsides and bottom painted.  It was a start.
 
After the haulout, CLOVER was moved across from Bay Marine to Sugar Dock, where her  deck was covered, and work continued below decks to treat the corrosion in the bilges, repaint the floors, remove all electrical wiring and plumbing, remove and catalog all the equipment, and prepare the engine and rig for removal. Still leaking, she was sealed up while preparations and funding were raised.