More Fun Than A Barrel of . . . . .

SHIP'S LOG:


     I can't remember when I had so much fun as I did yesterday. Through the generosity of a very dear friend, I had the 3/5 of a Marine Unit I needed to procure the three necessary batteries to get ABISHAG's heart going again.  It was merely a matter of going to get the proper sized/powered/warrantied batteries up at WALMART. Yes, I know, but they do sell stuff cheap.

     The batteries aboard are down below in the "In-Law" apartment, the rather large, but not quite large enough, cockpit locker. There are several different connections to the batteries linking them to chargers and monitors and the wind generator and to get them out of sequence or reconnect them wrong when installing the new batteries would be a bit of a disaster. and knowing how I view electricity anyway (it's all voodoo), there are three was of insuring or trying to insure you get it right. The first is to draw a diagram and take a "selfie."  This shows how everything looked before you started to disconnect wires. The second is to tie the leads together with wire ties as they come of each individual stud.  The third, and the one which I chose, is to got get the new batteries first, drag them down to the boat, haul one old battery out and replace it with a new battery, putting the proper wires on the proper studs. You have to picture doing this in a closet, squatting, unscrewing nuts off and on battery terminals, nuts that are two different sizes so you don't put them  on the wrong stud, then lifting 55 to 60 pounds of dead weight out and then in and making all the proper connections.  Try lifting 50 pounds onto the kitchen table while sitting on the floor, with a sixty watt bulb providing all your light. Fun, ain't it?

   By the way, did I mentioned that it was raining? Not just raining rain but down-pouring in bursts.  So I got soaked during the procedure. But it didn't end there. When you buy a battery, there is a "core charge," a fee for the disposal of the battery when it's time is up. By hauling the old batteries back to WALMART, I got a refund of the "core charge." In the rain. 180 pounds!

     The downpour also indicated that while butyl tape might make a a good sealer for deck hardware and the like, it is no good as caulking. My carefully caulked hatches are leaking again. I am going to have to remove the lenses completely, take out all the caulk and sealer and re-bed the lenses.I think that this time, in addition to the caulking/sealer, I will also set several screws in place to hold the whole mess together. Nothing like over-kill!