THERE OUGHTA BE A LAW! ! ! ! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:

There really ought to be a law in boating that which requires that whatever you install you have to be able to remove! ! ! ! ! ! The LECTROSAN Unit, located under the sink in the forward head was wedged in the a previous owner in such a way that it was almost impossible to get out. I am still trying to figure out why he put it in that location as it was impossible to do maintenance upon it and, not be secured or tied down, it could slide all over the place. That probably wouldn't be a problem most of the time but in any type of seaway, it would slide all around. It would not necessarily be a problem except in a seaway when it had the potential to do some serious damage. It could rest upon the handle to the seacock for discharge over the side and weighing about 25 lbs, with a little momentum could snap it of or even damage the seacock itself which could sink the boat. Getting it out of there was a necessity as well as a chore.

There were two hoses (in and out) connected to the unit along with electrical cables that powered the unit and a ribbon wire that controlled its functions. The easiest disconnect were the electrical cables and the control wire. After that, it really got to be fun! The hoses were doubled clamped, as they should be, onto PVC connectors that were barbed. This design makes for a very secure and leak free connection. Over a period of time, the clmaps mold the hose to the connectors making them all but inpossible to remove them. If you can get leverage, you can usually separate them but not in this case. Due to the location of the unit, there was no get both hands through the access hatch to work the hose of the connection. I could twist it but could not disconnect it. The fact the unit was not tied down made the effort especially useless. The only choice was to cut the hoses.

This involved some interesting effects. One hose, the discharge hose, connected to the seacock had to be cut very carefully as the unit kept the handle to the seacock in the OPEN position. Cut in the wrong place or taking too long to cut it could put 600 gallon of the Mystic River a minute into the boat. In that the unit was partially filled(yup!), screwing up that cut would put less "water" into the boat but in this case less would be more, much more! Both cuts went well and there were really no problems except to the pulled muscles which came from making the cuts standing on my head in a rather awkward posiiton. Maneuvering the unit out through the cupboard door under the sink, I was able to get the unit out without much of a problem once the hoses and connection were disconnected. Good thing too as the clamps for the hoses bring the "black water" (a nautical euphemism) from the toilet bowl to the unit were loose. They were seeping and it sort made clear where the less than spring time fragrance in the head and bilge came from. The got tightened right away!

The next move was to fabricate a shelf onto which I would set the unit under the foreward port bunk . The problem is the the sides of the target locker are narrower at the bottom than at the top, the outboard side is curved, and the interior of the locker is more narrow toward the front when than the stern. In other words, another challenge!

The approach I took was to mount the LECTROSAN unit like a battery. I fabricated two rails, one on each bulkhead in the locker onto which I set a box to hold the unit. The box, a heavy plastic draw from a file cabinet, would hold the unit(and any leakage) which would be tied down to the bulked. This way the unit was easily accessible for maintenance and could be removed if necessary. It also granted access to the rest of the lock and so it can still be used for storage. The rails went in and were fiberglassed in place and work well. They require a little shimming to help the box sit flat but considering where they were placed, it is a small fix. All that is left to do is to cut holes in the bulkhead for the hoses and cables and connect them and the unit will be up and running. I will probably have to replace at least some of the hose and there is one connection on the unit that must be changed, but I don't envision any serious problems . . . . . . then again, I am either an incurable optimist or truly naive.

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

Waiting is a pain!!!!!!! I found out today that the Bill of Sale, that was to be sent to me so that i can register ABISHAG here in Connecticut, was not sent. A call this morning got that all straightened out. Hopefully, ABISHAG will remain unseen by the DMV inspectors who haunt boatyards to make sure all boats have their registrations. Still having trouble getting the divers moving and the mooring set. Patience! Patience !! Patience!!!!