All Aboard the Renovation Station

January and February are big months for Riverside Tours. We shut down for these months to renovate the River Skipper II as she was beginning to show signs of age, even though we did as much cosmetic work on her as we could last January to keep up her appearance. 

This year we are installing the thatched roof that we have been putting off for the last two years. But before installing the new roof, we had to do some prep work on the old girl so the new cover would look aesthetically appealing to all who cast their gaze upon her.

First, we removed all the tables and hauled them away to have them refinished. Captain Tom and Susan sanded them down to bare wood and slathered on several new coats of varnish. 

As Tom and Susan work on the tables, Captains Ted and Jennifer were installing extra ceiling bracing and painting them a cheery canary yellow.

Next comes the thatch, which Captain Tom gave a helping hand assisting Ted and Jennifer during the installation. Thatching the roof was very labor intensive and wore the crew out at the end of the day. But the crew toughed their way through the ordeal and the refurbished River Skipper II now appears very tiki-like dressed in her new island attire.

However, we are not finished yet. we still have some painting to do. For now, though, we are complete enough to have the naval architect conduct his stability test according to Coast Guard requirements.

We are now looking at a bright new future with many great times and more fun aboard the finest boat on the Manatee River. We hope to see you aboard and look forward to cruising with you.

Please keep an eye out for our video about our renovation project coming next month.