Wade and Stacie aboard Fika, a 1972 cutter-ketch, getting ready for and then sailing around the world. Where we have been and what happened there.https://sailfika.com/https://sailfika.com/journal/2026-10-27-a-new-water-tank/https://sailfika.com/journal/2026-10-27-a-new-water-tank/Fika's new freshwater tank is lined, plumbed in, and nearly ready. A cheap webcam turned out to be the most useful tool for the coating job.Tue, 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTrefitwaterepoxyhttps://sailfika.com/journal/2026-10-20-a-wood-stove-on-a-sailboat/https://sailfika.com/journal/2026-10-20-a-wood-stove-on-a-sailboat/Fika now has a Dickinson Newport solid fuel stove that can burn anything from driftwood to coal. Cutting a hole in the deck for the chimney taught us something about how she was built.Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTrefitheatingdeckhttps://sailfika.com/journal/2026-10-10-starting-on-the-aft-head/https://sailfika.com/journal/2026-10-10-starting-on-the-aft-head/The aft head is getting a full remodel. First step was stripping and repainting the sole.Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTrefitinteriorheadhttps://sailfika.com/journal/2026-09-01-new-radios-and-what-the-manual-doesnt-say/https://sailfika.com/journal/2026-09-01-new-radios-and-what-the-manual-doesnt-say/A B&G VHF with AIS, two wireless handsets, and a few things worth knowing before you rely on them.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTelectronicsvhfaishttps://sailfika.com/journal/2026-03-31-cleaning-150-gallon-fuel-tanks-on-a-mooring/https://sailfika.com/journal/2026-03-31-cleaning-150-gallon-fuel-tanks-on-a-mooring/Fika's aluminum fuel tanks were gunked up and had no way in. So I made access hatches, cleaned the tanks out with a pressure washer fed by gravity, and gave them three coats of a fuel-grade epoxy lining.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTrefitfueltankshttps://sailfika.com/journal/2026-02-12-a-fuel-polishing-system/https://sailfika.com/journal/2026-02-12-a-fuel-polishing-system/A rebuilt engine deserves clean fuel. We built a fuel polishing system into the engine room that can filter diesel from any source and send it anywhere aboard.Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTrefitfuelenginehttps://sailfika.com/journal/2026-01-31-trading-induction-for-propane/https://sailfika.com/journal/2026-01-31-trading-induction-for-propane/An all-electric galley looked great on paper. A Thanksgiving dinner aboard a friend's boat changed our minds, and now Fika cooks with a Force 10 propane stove and oven.Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTrefitgalleypropanehttps://sailfika.com/journal/2025-04-30-rebuilding-the-perkins-on-a-mooring/https://sailfika.com/journal/2025-04-30-rebuilding-the-perkins-on-a-mooring/Seawater hydrolocked Fika's Perkins 4.236. Several months later it's rebuilt and running, all of it done aboard on the mooring, with the main boom as our crane.Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMTrefitengineperkinshttps://sailfika.com/journal/2025-02-12-the-journey-to-readiness/https://sailfika.com/journal/2025-02-12-the-journey-to-readiness/A year and a half of refit work on Fika, from the lithium bank and all-electric galley to rebuilding the bottom of the boat.Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMTrefitelectricalgalleyhull