Sail Life - The restoration of my sailboat (Obelix)

[@Taosenthusiast]

Oh man this is fun to go back to. I thought at 4 years I'd been watching a long time but I wasn't around for the Mads having hair era!

[@peterwinchester7796]

This popped up as a suggestion. I remember you posting this video. What a journey you've been on. It's been great to follow you on this. And on the eve of splash day too! Happy days. Fair winds mads. This is pretty dang spiffy

[@michaeldidion1015]

I always love coming back to these old videos. See you!

[@augustomichelesi2722]

Dear Mads I' ve only recently discovered your DIY videos and they are great. Since I was a child I started doing such works on boats (first inflatable, then small wooden sailing boat then bigger grp boats) and I claim this has been a real school of life for me. I now own a 33 year old Kelt 9 that always deserves a lot of care , Im sure your videos will be precious for me too. bye . Augusto from Venice.

[@philsmith7398]

THANKS!! This is exactly the series I have been searching for as I plan my own boating journey. You have a great, upbeat video presence and still manage to remain humble- and you're not American or Australian!

[@SailLife]

phil smith Thank you very much :) I'm glad you enjoyed the videos. Send me a link as soon as you've uploaded a video :) I would love to check it out :)

[@dianes4858]

Obelix is one fine vessel, Mads. Stunning work you’ve done!

[@wizardmix]

Hello from almost 7 years in the future. I don't want to alarm you but you may want to re-think the "I'm never going to do that again" statement. On the plus side, you gain a lot more friends along the way and you even manage to find a love interest both in boat AND female form. Your English improves ever so slightly as does your KZbin sense of humor. You coin phrases that are known the sailing community over like "Oh glorious sanding," "Pretty Dang spiffy," and "CUuuuuuuu." You teach people how to swear in Danish and about the importance of craftsmanship. In spite of the fact that you're 40, you cleaned up nice and dare I say developed a KZbin confidence that may likely be the mojo you needed to find that LA woman (but now I'm saying too much). Just know that you are certainly in for a ride in the next 7 years. Two important pieces of advice: 1). If you have a life savings, put it all in Bitcoin and you'll be able to afford whatever boat your heart desires in a few short years. 2). Stock up on masks, especially N95, your 39th year is going to be an interesting one but it appears you sail through (no pun intended).

[@george1982ok]

Masks 😷 do nothing, and Bitcoin is going to zero ! 😆

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Outstanding job on that boat. You truly are an inspiration.

[@SailLife]

Daniel Berry Thank you so much! and thank you for the ton of +1/thumbs up you've been giving me :) Not to mention all the nice comments :) I'm a bit limited by time right now but I will respond and I do appreciate your support very much :)

[@darrenwatson1539]

Wow, a blast from the past. Great video.

[@billaros23]

Hi there, Congrats, what an excellent work. Its always a pleasure to see one of those fantastic boats in hands they deserve to be. I am no expert but i think the quality of those boats from the 70s is unbeatable. Look at your shrouds, your polyester work, your spars..... They are not fast like the newer designs but very stiff. In fact the albin ballad has also a never aging design!! Have fun!

[@SailLife]

billaros23 Thank you so much! :) I agree about the 70s boats. I'm almost certain my next boat will be from the same period. I love my Ballad but standing headroom would be nice ;)

[@scottdufour6419]

I just stumbled upon your video this morning when I was sinking into despair over the condition of my 33' 1979 Pearson 10M. - I've just had to tear out most of her cabinets and bulkheads to get at mold and mildew and deck leaks. Sitting in the ruined, stinky, dank, and filthy interior, I despaired that I could ever make it livable. But your before and after pictures, plus your tour has re-inspired me. Thank you!

[@williamhoskins7818]

Your varnishing skills are unbelievable..good on you mats

[@nikolaychekan9861]

Wow, what a difference between the old and the new look! Great rebuild!

[@SailLife]

Nikolay Chekan Thank you so much, Nikolay! :) I think it's a big improvement but some of the older members in my sailing club don't agree. They prefer the original old dark mahogany look. I too like the look of mahogany but in such a small space I feel it gets a little too dark. Plus, painting the plywood was easier to do (vs. varnishing). And the fact that if I ever scratch or damage the paint job it's very easy to fix - even if I damage the outer veneer of the plywood :)

[@nikolaychekan9861]

***** I do agree that on a small boat a light colored interior looks better. Also, the design right now is very much in tune with Scandinavian minimalism. :)

[@chapter-50]

Hi Mads - over the past week I have managed to watch all of your videos from start to finish. Wow, well done on an excellent series of videos. I have just embarked on a journey which is very similar to yours. I have bought a Colvic 296 sailor, (similar size to Obelix) and have just started its restoration with a view to getting it ready to put back in the water about April, May time. I am a complete novice when it comes to sailing but not too bad at DIY. Your videos have confirmed to me that some of the ways I plan to approach things seem to be correct. Thank you and keep up the good work. Best wishes, Mark.

[@youngypaul]

That is an amazing transformation. Been watching your videos for a while now and just saw this. All that hard work has paid off. She looks great.

[@rebuildingomala]

I haven't seen this video before, really made my day seeing it :) Thank you for the great content, I very much enjoy watching your videos, you being one of the main reason I started making some KZbin video's myself, I am restoring a steel tugboat in Copenhagen.

[@bluejeans8001]

Great job. Obviously lots of commitment and determination but the end appears to be beautiful restoration . Thanks for sharing.

[@nagjrcjasonbower]

Looking great! Sometimes photographs really help convey the situation better than video as they tend to show the “big picture” of an issue and how beautifully you solved it (IMHO! Of course lol). Favorable winds, light seas, and tides be yours bro!

[@thomasstasinakis8351]

its weird seeing this in 2022 .job well done dude.See you someday in Greece

[@AndysEastCoastAdventures]

Looks fantastic, doing something similar to a Tomohawk 25. Stripping and renovating or rebuilding as i go along. Same colour scheme too. White with wood highlights & trim with blue upholstery. It was just all wood before. Complete rewire with breaker panel & new LED internal lighting. Plus stripping off deck fittings as I go for external refit & paint.

[@Maelstril]

Oh young mads... if only you knew what was coming your way! Haha don’t know why this popped up randomly in 2020 but I still wait every week for your updates.

[@quirkyquintus]

Well done! Great job and beautiful boat! Fair winds and folowing seas, from Greece

[@paulwyand6204]

What a great job! In some of your newer posts I thought the boat was new! She looks great.

[@jakjarsha1107]

This is my favorite KZbin channel, such great energy and inspiration :)

[@SailLife]

+Cawfee Dawgg KZbin won't allow me to tag you I hope you see this. Haha, that is one awesome name! When I upgrade to a bigger boat I'd love to have your help in naming her :) I'm glad you are enjoying the videos! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment :)

[@SailLife]

Cawfee Dawgg Thank you so much! I'm glad you are enjoying the channel :) KZbin is very wired when it comes to comments. Some comments don't have a reply link under them and it's not possible to tag the user. It happens from time to time. In your case, it might be some sort of privacy setting but I'm no expert. I'm able to reply to this comment but not your original one. Note the missing Reply button in this screenshot: dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/78717/Screen%20Shot%202015-07-05%20at%2022.55.06.png. In around 5-6 years, I'll cast off the lines and become a full-time cruiser. Sooner or later I'll make my way to the Virgin Islands and I'll definitely let you know :)

[@MBailote]

Excellent job, really like the white look, so fresh and so clean! Keep up the good work.

[@MBailote]

***** Totally, white makes it look more spacious! What was that stuff "Nopa" that you used for the insulation, some sort of resin? Need to do the same on my Hunter 27 :) Thanks for you feedback, fair winds.

[@DDixon3121]

I enjoyed watching this video again. It reminded me of the restoration of a hurricane damaged 1984 Irwin 31 back in '95/'96. It took be seven months to complete the restoration; I sailed her for eight years, putting over eight thousand miles on her, sailing along the northern Gulf of Mexico. By the way, I have an article appearing in the March/April issue of GOOD OLD BOAT Magazine, published here in the states. The article is about a restored Pearson 365 ketch. Maybe you can find it in Denmark.

[@RocketRadioShow1]

Hello, what are your recomended sailing stops in mexico? Any must-sees?

[@TheGreatDigitalism]

Stunning restoration! Really great videos

[@brandonlove6509]

It looks beautiful! Great job! I'm going to watch your tour video now. :)

[@xnrv]

Great clip, and great job!

[@xnrv]

I live south of Denmark, and I hope one day I can move near sea to sail Baltic. Thank you for making such optimistic and motivating channel!

[@legend343]

She looks real good, a lot of hard work but it paid off.. Warren

[@SailLife]

legend343 Thanks, Warren :) I still have a lot of work to do on the exterior, but at least the interior is very close to being done.

[@pauricmar]

Great job you've done there mate! I'm a boat builder from Southampton England I am half way through a refit on my 28' countess I know the effort it takes!

[@DokterRoetker]

Blast from the past thanks to KZbin recommendation! I'm glad you got rid of the beard :)

[@RicardoAmaro123]

awesome boat, awesome rebuild work!

[@hankmoody9041]

You did an incredible job.

[@remus2475]

hard work pays off. Well done.

[@JokerBrat]

Wow like your last 4? years of weekly videos in 4min. You have slightly spiffied up the quality of videos since you started. So fun to see.

[@willshaw3561]

Beautiful Job..Unreal

[@clarisd]

Thank you for this video,! This is my goal, I grew up working the wood of many old sailboats, now I am working to refurbish sail Alpa Brises, and I have managed to rebuild all wooden components. The Alpa is fiberglass and I have be lucky not to have to work on any hull damages. I tune all crafts and turn them easily, This typr of craft is what I desire to take on.

[@kylefinleon3359]

Absolutely awesome job on the restoration!!! I am doing the same to mine right now and you gave me some great ideas. Hope you are enjoying some good sails!

[@63ch31]

One word, beautiful!

[@SailLife]

+ted clubber lang Thank you so much :)

[@aserta]

Woah, that's a lot more work than i had originally thought you put in to Obelix (awesome name), which makes the finish all the more impressive.

[@y4ukickmydog]

Great video. Very informative.

[@SailLife]

y4ukickmydog Thank you so much :) Refitting my boat was a lot of work, but I'm starting to feel the urge to get started on a new one. Good thing I'll be upgrading in about 3 years :)

[@TheTyphoon365]

Fantastic, I've also got a sailboat I'm thinking about restoring

[@clevelandthomsen7042]

Baby Mads, "Boy, was that a lot of work." Little did he know.....🤣😂

[@Martin-gg1up]

What a great job and professional work, the walls look nice in that white color with that dark wood on the edges.Brings a lot of light inside your boat.Looks like a flat color, right? What color did you use exactly for painting the wood. I am curious because i have do do that job on a 40 year old shark 24 in confined spaces. Picking the right color is first priority.

[@SailLife]

***** Thank you so much, Martin :) I don't know where you're located, so I don't know if you have access to Hempel products? I used Hempels Multicoat 10000 (10000 = white). If you don't have access to Hempel products, I'll be happy to send you a color sample. That way you can compare it to the products that are available :) I love the contrast between the white and the varnished mahogany. I would recommend you consider using a satin varnish. The wood gets a much nicer glow. Give it a try :) I'm sure you'll love it. I used Hempels dura gloss and dura satin varnish. Oh, by the way, I'm not affiliated with Hempel if this is starting to come off as a commercial ;) Hempels products where simply the best value products available to me. If you got some pictures of you upcoming project, I would love to see them :)

[@Martin-gg1up]

***** Thnk you very much for your answer that i didn´t expect so quick. Sure i know hempel. They are very famous and well known here in Bavaria in the very south of germany. I´m located close to Munich right beside the lake ammersee in Andechs (famous monk beer here) Thanks o lot for your tips about the colour. I going your path with colour selection.Seems the best choice for me.Maybe we meet next year somewhere in danmark, where i will be back for sailing after visiting Danmark for Holiday in Koge close to Kopenhavn. Love your country lifestyle and the people there very much.Maybe i can get you some pictures of my results with your suggestions. But right now its getting cold outside and paint will freeze before its getting dry. But smaller jobs i can do inside.So Iam curious about that. Here my email to stay in contact if you like. [e-mail] Mary christmas and happy new year Best wishes Martin

[@MrUbiqo]

Fantastic work mine look like yours was almost.

[@SailLife]

Peter Alexanderson Thank you so much :) Do you own an Albin Ballad too? :)

[@mountainbikerpaul2267]

Wow, you have worked hard, she looks amazing now, well done. I've just started on the interior of my Snapdragon 24, I hope she turns out half as nice as yours and i'll be very happy. Regards, Paul.

[@SailLife]

Paul Oz Thank you so much, Paul. It was a lot of work but worth it in the end :) Best of luck with your refit :)

[@mountainbikerpaul2267]

Your welcome, your refit inspired me. I will upload very short video's through out. Hopefully I'll have her ready for late April launch, fingers crossed. Have a great season. Paul.

[@SailLife]

Paul Oz Looking forward to following along :) At least you won't be bored for the next three months then ;) Best of luck :)

[@andrelaviolette7306]

Nice job !

[@SailLife]

Andre Laviolette Thank you so much :)

[@hitmanhite]

Excellent job.

[@stewtube1240]

Great job !

[@SailLife]

+stew tube Thanks! :)

[@00Mass00]

Amazing job!

[@11bayrat]

Very nice. U must be very proud of her now. Looks new. Can u tell us how much did job cost not counting the boat. Just the fix

[@adrianoalves8147]

Great job 👏👏👏

[@ozzmanzz]

Fantastic job mate!

[@SailLife]

ozzmanzz Thank you very much :)

[@crstothard]

You found my sock! I've been wondering where that went to! Greetings from NYC!

[@anthonyfuller5045]

Nice job 👍

[@Mushaschi]

very good job, greetings from Germany

[@SailLife]

Mushaschi Thank you very much :)

[@Tuna01Han]

good job 👏 have a good sail.

[@mikeyblueeyes8449]

Great video mate:)

[@jeanhawken4482]

Beautiful

[@mikemichaels1875]

Nice job.

[@JakeM218]

I've really enjoyed your videos and am very impressed with both your design and attention to detail! I was just wondering how you removed the old glue from the foam insulation? And how you attached the new installation? Thanks

[@SailLife]

***** Thank you so much :) I wouldn't recommend trying to remove the old glue in the way I did. It was a huge pain and a gigantic mess! If I were to try again I would use something like a Xylene based solvent. Nasty stuff but it should make it easier to remove the old glue. For the new insulation, I used a glue recommended by most places that sell the insulation I used. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called right now. I'm going to insulate a few areas of the boat this summer and I'll do a video about it :)

[@JakeM218]

Thanks for the reply. I'll give solvents a go then. I thought it would be quite a easy job, but everything I've read mentioning the subject, seems to suggest otherwise! I'll look forward to seeing that video though!

[@heincallens6547]

Hi, I'm living in Belgium and also considering buying an older sailing yacht. I am REALLY impressed with what you did restoring Obelix and really envy the fact that you could do that. I have some questions though: what DIY background do you have so that you were able to rebuild a boat so beautifully ? Did you follow woodwork, electricity courses of some kind ?

[@SailLife]

Hein Callens I have always enjoyed working with my hands, but it's not my full-time job (I work in IT). I've never taken any kind of courses. Common sense and taking your time is my recommendation :) Doing something like I did isn't hard, but it takes up a lot of time. I'm sure if you are patient you'll be able to do the same :) Of course, some things require a bit of research ex. 12V electrical work. Sitting down with a book and checking out what is available on youtube goes a long way :)

[@heincallens6547]

***** Thank you for your answer. I really feel inspired. Good luck with the boat and enjoy sailing her (I always feel a boat is feminine) ...

[@BodyGuardOfLies1]

Great job looks like new. Did I hear you say you have found my red sock? Can I have it back please?

[@maureendriscoll2009]

Hello Mads, I am viewing your videos sequentially - at #44 now. I am amazed that you can film everything as you are working on it. Love following you. I have been sailing a '71 Swedish built pocket cruiser 2/3 the size of Obelix for the past 20 years. Her Volvo MD1 original engine seized up last season so I need to replace it this spring. I also need to remove a hull lining similar to the one you removed so I was particularly interested in this part of the video. The loose pieces have been pulled off but remainder is tightly adhered and I will need to remove the glue after that. You recommend a Xylene based solvent. What type of solvent is based on Xylene? I have tried acetone and paint thinner without success. Where did you obtain the 12 mm closed cell insulation? I have used that 3M spray adhesive successfully on other projects. It is also very difficult to remove. Yes, standing headroom would be nice but I'm not planning to live on Lilliput. She is a Havsfidra Fisksatra and I am told that many sister ships are still around the Baltic.

[@SailingNervous]

Very interesting! What is the long cylindrical object behind you on the bulkhead?

[@SailLife]

Sailing Nervous Thanks :) It's a kerosene lamp made by these guys: www.cabinlite.eu/

[@kristjanjonsson7723]

So young and innocent 😄

[@lifeislikesailing]

Awesome job!!!

[@Thomas-ts2gl]

Life is Like Sailing... great youtube channel..

[@billbruce5528]

I really like how you restored a lovely vintage 70s sailboat, in particularly, its nice to see how light and fresh it appears inside. I have been thinking of painting my cabin top as you have done. What kind of paint did you use and was sanding prep required?

[@SailLife]

Bill Bruce Thank you so much :) I used Hempel Multicoat. There might be better paints out there :) Oh the sanding, soo much sanding ;) No matter what paint you choose you'll need to prep the surface. Lightly sanding the surface and then wiping it down with grease remover should do the trick :) Painting is 90% prep - sadly :)

[@Britt-MarieHjelm]

Hi Mats are you still sailing your Ballad? I bought one last year and I'm curious about the bed in the front. Have you yourself built that extra "wall" in line with the wall for the toilet?

[@IandiBoats]

I had no idea you did all that work to yourself. Excellent! Was the manufacturer the same as the Albin Vega?

[@TS-ig2es]

Very nice! Are you a professional boat builder or Is it Hobby only? Nevertheless you did a Great Job! I own a Sigma41 with still a lot of work on it and a few open questions to fix it. Hope i am able to complete it the next year.

[@joshuaespinoza2567]

Thanks for some more inspiration!

[@nordmann1]

you done it very highly great..are you a boat builder as work?

[@SailLife]

Thank you very much :) If only I was - that would be a lot of fun! I work in IT (software development).

[@victorsalinas3964]

How did you get rid of the glue residue ?

[@WeBeYachting]

Awesome,

[@SailLife]

Capt Eric Bergeron Thank you so much :)

[@submoto]

Hvad blev der egentlig af Obelix. Fik du solgt hende?

[@powermickel]

Hi Mads. What kind paint or primer did you use for the plywood and the boat inside?

[@alexeykrutikov7492]

Russians say: “Golden hands!” Nice project! Congrats!!!

[@TechyBen]

Had my narrowboat for 6 months (during lockdown too :( ) and people were asking "is it finished yet" after one month. Oh, I hope time flies. XD Oh, wait, this one is not Anthea. :P PS, how did you remove the glue? I may need to do this for my roof + walls as they glued the carpet to it. :/

[@TheTravelersPlanet]

Virkelig flot arbejde. Hvor meget tror du renovationen kostede dig? Er selv ved at købe min første båd, og vil gerne modernisere den kommende.

[@yecoutielcohen4331]

wow your beard was hugeeeeeeeeee amaing video as usual

[@arthurcaruana3641]

LOVE YOUR CHANNEL...I am installing a Victron isolation transformer...I seem to have missed the wiring video of the Victron...can you send me that link...THANK YOU

[@visiteavecmoi]

I feel you man happen exaclty the same thing im refiting my 30 foot sailboat rigth now i removed the whole old wood and fiberglass which i sand too.The fiberglass get under my skin even after shower i still have like micro fiberglass under my skin that's what happen when you forgot working full body suits haha.

[@TammyNorie]

What do you recommend for bonding closed-cell foam to the hull?

[@abrahamsintram7889]

Amazing job! What type of paint did you use on the hull and wood pieces? Happy with it?

[@roanjovitaro9013]

Jeg kan se det er 9 år siden men tak for god inspiration ,da jeg selv er igang med en Bandholm 27 alt indersektion ud o. S. V 😊

[@asgerfrandsen5406]

God video og super god attitude :-) Er selv igang med noget lign. Og din video , giver mod og lyst , tak for det

[@157dixon]

Good job

[@hugofry6818]

Hi Mads. One quick question in this video the price sign on your boat when you bought it read 75,000. What is that in US funds ? Hope all is well. Bye for now, David:

[@Jisdk82]

Around 11,000 USD

[@ferrumlynx1914]

Hvor købte du dit krydsfiner henne?

[@157dixon]

why did you use new wood?

[@KKempeneers]

Hi I'm currently looking at a Ballad in the Netherlands. Might I inquire ... I saw that the asking price for Obelix was 75000 DDK. How much did you actually pay for her ? The one I'm looking at is € 9700. But it needs a lot of work! In fact I believe it is in dire need of a full restoration or might be lost forever. On the same subject. How did you succeed at stopping drips from the keel stepped mast entering the cabin. Does Obelix deck crackle (knitren) when you walk on her? Is that a common thing?

[@SailLife]

Sure :) I paid the asking price. Do you have some pictures of the Ballad you're considering purchasing? I build a small dam around the mast step to direct the water to the bilge. Some Ballads have a mast that is plugged just above deck level to keep the water out of the cabin. Obelix didn't have that and I didn't want to use foam to seal up the mast as I've seen others do (not a good solution in my eyes). "Deck crackle" is very common :) I think almost every single Ballad has it and I have yet to hear of any issues. A somewhat common cure/fix is to drill holes and inject slightly thickened epoxy (when the deck is super dry).

[@marclawyer2789]

So this is where it all started...⛵

[@MaybeCornbread]

It's not obvious to me why the glue and foam removal was such a tough job. Could you explain why it was so bad you'll never do it again

[@jorgenr]

I can! (4 years later). The Skai with foam backing was adhered to the hull with contact adhesive right on the fiberglass, same as in my boat. In time, the foam has disintegrated and mixed with the now very sticky contact adhesive. Removing contact adhesive from fiberglass is a truly horrendous job. I'm not sure how Mads did it, but I found it most efficient to use a polishing machine with a wire brush. Sandpaper won't work, as the glue gels up immediately and renders the paper useless. Even with the wirebrush, it's slow and painful work.

[@didacrarbones]

Jeg kan se både koster 75.000, men hvor mange for reparationer? Hilsen

[@benjaminchong82]

super

[@Adrianzx]

I'm looking at both a 33' and 37' hunter from the early 80s to restore

[@Tushipounder]

Har lige købt en lille 26 fod. Den er bare et skrog. Glæder mig til at prøve :)