C'est la Vie is a 1966 Charlie Morgan 34.

Her home port is Everglades City, FL. Our typical cruising area is Southwest Florida, the Florida Keys, the Southeastern Atlantic Seaboard, and the Bahamas. We are C'est la Vie's third owners and purchased her in 2005. We continue to maintain and update this classic vessel. Please post any questions or comments about C'est la Vie or our travels via the comment links below.


Monday, March 7, 2011

Progress on the repairs to the companionway steps

I've been able to steal away a few hours and make some progress on the repairs to the companionway steps.  I believe the existing steps were original to C'est la Vie and after 43 years the runs were cracking and the entire assembly was growing shaky.  The risers appeared to be in good shape so I purchased some teak to create new runs.  Here are a couple before images.

When we purchased C'est la Vie in 2005 she had been flooded on the hard in Titusville, FL during the infamous 2004 hurricane season.  The water mark visible on the lower leg of the steps above is among the last remaining evidence of the flooding.  

The image below is of work in progress.  I have completed all the carpentry work.  The next step is to begin sanding.
Note I added some cut out hand holds along the top of the ladder.  If you are interested in more images and description of the process.  Here is a link to a photo album - Companionway Steps Project - spring 2011