Welcome aboard

Meet Hunky Dory

A classic trawler being thoughtfully restored, one project and one story at a time.

Hunky Dory is a 1979 Cheoy Lee 55' trawler. The current owners are restoring Hunky Dory to preserve as much of her original 1970s character as possible, while selectively modernizing the navigation, electronics, electrical, sanitation, and safety systems.

Explore the boat

Hunky Dory, a white classic trawler, underway on a wooded river

Restoration projects

Follow major projects aboard Hunky Dory through their scope, progress updates, lessons learned, and practical tips.

Hunky Dory’s windlass and anchor chain on the bow

Restoration project

Windlass and Aft-System Lithium Battery Upgrade

Electrical systems

Replacing the aging battery bank that supplies the windlass, aft toilet and sanitation system, and aft shower box.

Ongoing

View the project

Hunky Dory’s renewed underwater hull after barrier coating and bottom painting

Restoration project

Hull Blister Repair and Bottom Painting

Exterior and structural

Opening and drying fiberglass blisters, repairing the affected areas, applying barrier coating and bottom paint, and returning Hunky Dory to the water.

Completed

View the project

See more restoration projects

How-tos

Practical methods drawn from restoration work aboard Hunky Dory, organized into clear procedures that can be adapted to similar projects.

A deck crack inspected with a flashlight and magnifier

How-to

How to Find Cracks in a Fiberglass Deck

Fiberglass and deck inspection

A systematic process using low-angle light, magnification, tap testing, and moisture readings to find and evaluate deck cracks.

Read the how-to

Fiberglass laminate covering Hunky Dory’s flybridge deck

How-to

How to Lay Fiberglass Using Epoxy

Fiberglass and deck repair

A repeatable hand-layup process for preparing, laminating, fairing, and finishing relatively small fiberglass repairs.

Read the how-to

See more how-tos

Project updates

Follow detailed progress on specific restoration projects and groups of related work aboard Hunky Dory.

Mahogany pilothouse console cabinet with openings for two chartplotters

Project update

Building the New Pilothouse Console

Turned the cardboard prototype into a mahogany cabinet for the pilothouse chartplotters and operating switches.

Read the update

Final full-size cardboard prototype for Hunky Dory’s new pilothouse console

Project update

Prototyping a New Pilothouse Console

Using full-size cardboard prototypes to work out the console’s appearance, dimensions, airflow, and usability before building it from wood.

Read the update

See more project updates

Life on board

Stories about the routines, companions, challenges, and small moments that make Hunky Dory feel like home.

A cat resting beside a window aboard Hunky Dory

Life on board post

Life on Board with Cats

Cats aboard Hunky Dory

Cats can make a boat feel more like home, but keeping them comfortable and safe requires planning, vigilance, and a few changes to ordinary onboard routines.

Read the Life on board post

Illustrated family gathering beside Hunky Dory at the marina

Life on board post

When Families Come Aboard

Family visits aboard Hunky Dory

Hunky Dory feels different when family arrives—staterooms become guest rooms, the boat’s everyday systems work harder, and quiet coves become places for swimming, fishing, and making family memories.

Read the Life on board post

See more Life on board posts

Cruising

Cruising stories, destinations, routes, marinas, anchorages, and life underway aboard Hunky Dory.

Middle Bay Lighthouse standing on iron pilings in Mobile Bay

Cruising post

A Cruise Around Middle Bay Lighthouse

Mobile Bay, Alabama

A short cruise to a historic lighthouse, an unexpected “hat overboard” drill, and a dolphin escort on the way home.

Read the cruising post

Map showing the 2017 total solar eclipse path across western Kentucky and the central United States