The next few days were very busy ones for the castaways. Skipper and Gilligan went to work on the boat, while the Professor and Mr. Howell tackled the monumental task of turning two rusted out engines into one working one. The women sewed together a sail that would be used once they were in the shipping lanes to conserve fuel and draw attention to the small craft. There was also the matter of the propellers which were severely mangled. The Professor fixed that by making an old fashioned smithy shop, heated the metal, and pounded the best of the two screws into one functioning one. Ginger, Mary Ann, and secretly Mrs. Howell, were very pleased he did this sans shirt. Before they knew it, they had a functioning engineering system and boat.
It took all seven castaways to get the boat in the lagoon. The craft was a sturdy catamaran with a small bridge sporting the Minnow's wheel towards the bow, a ramada-type cabin amidship with a lookout's platform and a small mast and rolled up sail on the roof, and a platform aft for the engine and engineer. The roof of the cabin was fairly sturdy bamboo to hold the weight of the lookout and sail, while the bridge and engine compartment had palm leaf covers. While the castaways were struggling to put the boat in the water, Gilligan started singing "The Sloop John B." by the Kingston Trio. Soon all the castaways joined in, eyes getting misty when they came chorus chanting "I want to go home." They found the name for their boat.
Mary Ann broke a bottle filled with the moonshine the professor brewed for fuel over the bow of the craft, proclaiming, "I christen thee 'The Sloop John B'."
At that Gilligan started singing another song the Kingston Trio made popular in the early 60's, "All day, all night Mary Ann." The other castaways soon joined in. That is, except for the Kansas farm girl, who was turning bright red.
The Professor, Gilligan, and the Skipper then took the boat out for a shakedown run. For three hours, the Professor checked engine conditions while the skipper checked out structure and hull integrity. Gilligan had the most fun, because he got to be at the helm almost the whole time. The Skipper said he let Gilligan take the helm to check out the boat, but the Captain actually felt a little practice at the wheel wouldn't hurt his little buddy.
Once the men returned to the island after their three-hour tour, they reported to the anxious awaiting castaways.
"I would sail that craft around the world. The hull is good, and so is the cabin" The Skipper proudly boasted.
The Professor reported, "The engine is running good, but a little hot, so always keep an eye on it."
Gilligan told the group, "Helm systems are functioning well. Steering wheel stayed on." That earned him a chuckle.
The Professor then stated, "Looking at weather and tide conditions, we can leave in three days."
Three days, that gave everything a sense of reality to the castaways. They had a mere 72 hours to decide what they want to take, and say goodbye to the island that had been their home for the past three years.