SHIP'S LOG:
I was hoping that today I would have sorted out the water pressure problem on ABISHAG. Friend Fred, master of all things to do with pumps, was to meet me at Yankee and we would find out whatever was causing the "lack of flow" and fix it. Unfortunately, Fred came down with a 24 hour tumor or the Plague or something that laid him out flat, so the plan for fixing the pressurized water was a bust. Should have remembered what I always say about plans, "Custer Had A Plan! ! ! ! ! "
In addition, it was COLD! and the thought of spending a day dealing with pressurized water was "chilly" pun intended. Waiting for Friend Fred to arrive at the boat, well it was just too cold. Actually it wasn't terrible outside but then we would be working inside the boat and there had to be a 10-15 degree temp difference inside from the outside. It was while I was sitting in the cold that I took some pictures of the inside of the boat to email to the broker. I also have to track down a couple I have of her sailing. These will be in the add online which will hopefully sell her and quickly.
Fred and Bob and I went to the Defender March Madness Sale where I picked up the bottom paint the bilge paint, some filler, two stanchion braces, a propane sensor for the system and it only cost me 80% of one Marine Unit. It was a considerable savings. But then the registration forms for the dinghy and ABISHAG showed up in the mail and they total almost the same amount!
Friend Fred and I will have to schedule another day to work on the water. If today had been a year ago, it would have been 83 degrees at noon. Of course, anyone outside at noon today sure n]knew it wasn't 83 degrees and so not last year!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Spring! . . . . . . NOT!
SHIP'S LOG:
I went up to see ABISHAG with the broker yesterday. His inertial comment on exiting his car was, " That's massive boat!" He had just sold his own 38foot Endeavour and he still thought ABISHAG was "massive." We went through the boat and then he asked "THE QUESTION," - "How much are you asking for her?" Well, this time I really want to sell her so I didn't ask for the $80,000 I did the last time. Truth be told, it really didn't make any difference for no one ever asked the former broker about her even when he had her up for sale. But the market seems to be easing a bit and it is possible that something may happen. If it does, it does, but I am not going to get myself in a tizzy worrying about the possibility. When it happens, I will be very happy . . . once the ink dries on the contract.
I recently relearned that lesson as my real estate broker got a call from someone who wanted to buy the condo. He offered $65,000 which was $5,000 below the asking price and I took it. Three days later he called the broker and made a new off, $60,000! He said that his further investigations on the Internet led him to this new figure. I suggested to the broker that she offer $62,500 splitting the difference. He said that he would think about it and we haven't heard from him since. Screwed again! Needles to say I won't be counting my chickens before they hatch.
Went out and picked up some hose, a nozzle and a garden sprayer. One of the things I will be starting off with is a thorough bilge cleaning. I need to get ride of absolutely all traces of grease, oil, dirt and other bilge scum so that i can paint it. Nothing like a freshly painted bilge. Actually, it is a good thing as it prevents the fiberglass in the hull from absorbing water and petroleum products, the degradation of which is the leading cause of "bilge breath," the halitosis of boats." Now all I need is a little warming of the temperature and that can't come too soon!
I went up to see ABISHAG with the broker yesterday. His inertial comment on exiting his car was, " That's massive boat!" He had just sold his own 38foot Endeavour and he still thought ABISHAG was "massive." We went through the boat and then he asked "THE QUESTION," - "How much are you asking for her?" Well, this time I really want to sell her so I didn't ask for the $80,000 I did the last time. Truth be told, it really didn't make any difference for no one ever asked the former broker about her even when he had her up for sale. But the market seems to be easing a bit and it is possible that something may happen. If it does, it does, but I am not going to get myself in a tizzy worrying about the possibility. When it happens, I will be very happy . . . once the ink dries on the contract.
I recently relearned that lesson as my real estate broker got a call from someone who wanted to buy the condo. He offered $65,000 which was $5,000 below the asking price and I took it. Three days later he called the broker and made a new off, $60,000! He said that his further investigations on the Internet led him to this new figure. I suggested to the broker that she offer $62,500 splitting the difference. He said that he would think about it and we haven't heard from him since. Screwed again! Needles to say I won't be counting my chickens before they hatch.
Went out and picked up some hose, a nozzle and a garden sprayer. One of the things I will be starting off with is a thorough bilge cleaning. I need to get ride of absolutely all traces of grease, oil, dirt and other bilge scum so that i can paint it. Nothing like a freshly painted bilge. Actually, it is a good thing as it prevents the fiberglass in the hull from absorbing water and petroleum products, the degradation of which is the leading cause of "bilge breath," the halitosis of boats." Now all I need is a little warming of the temperature and that can't come too soon!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
N.O.A.A. Strikes Again! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
I should have known that the weather forecast would not quite be the weather endured. All day Tuesday and all day Wednesday, the forecasts were calling for lots of wind and a moderate amount (3" - 6") of snow, in addition to freezing rain and ice. The forecasts were so dire that I canceled the trip with the broker and set it up for next week. Responding properly to the forecast insured that we got none of what was forecast, except for the wind. The wind we got but that was it. The forecasts evidently proved accurate for Massachusetts and north and the they are still calling for snow later today, but it seems that the boys and girls of NOAA are still a little bit less than accurate for the local scene. Ah, such is life in the big city.
I will be heading up to White River Junction, VT, tomorrow for the weekend. It is a small gathering of college buddies. We will eat and drink and play pinochle, a game we were all addicted to in college. We try to do this once a year and it will be great to see them all once again. Perhaps we'll get snowed in. Too bad, none of us ski anymore. Old age, brittle bone and aching joints will keep us off the slopes and that probably is a good thing. Having a surgically repaired hip, I am very unwilling to run the risk of dislocating it, especially now that I have gotten it all checked out and having found that it is in first class shape. The Pain that I have been dealing with in it is actually from my lower back. The doctor put me on a med pack for inflammation and it did its job though I am going to have to do more yoga and stretching. It take a brave and fearless person to get old.
I have been looking for a wrench, crescent or otherwise, that can handle a 2 5/8" nut. That is the size of the packing and locking nuts on the drive shaft. I have this rather cheaply made wrench that can do the job but as I said, it is cheap. Locking it in place at 2 5/8" is easy enough but it slips from that setting too easily and make the task of tightening/loosening the nuts a real pain. It doesn't help that I have to lay over the back of the engine and transmission to reach the stuffing box. The search so far has been unsuccessful and right now I am looking at using the cheap wrench and a Stiltson.
I am hoping that this storm is the last of the season and that the weather finally begins to moderate and stabilize. I really want to get started on the work. winter for boaters is just too boring. It also allows to much time to spend money in the marine catalogs. Not that I actually spend it for I can't spend what I ain't got, but I could, easily.
I got another surprise yesterday as glasses frame snapped in half. I had to get a ride to the mall and first find an optical store that had a frame that could take the lenses I have and then get the frame replaced at a reasonable amount. I have to go to three stores before I found one that had frames that I could use and then pay for the new one. Bottom line frames were still $70 and they were on sale. I did pass on the Ray Bans which were also on sale and being offered at a"steal" price of $189! But once again, as the deaf man said, "I can see!"
I should have known that the weather forecast would not quite be the weather endured. All day Tuesday and all day Wednesday, the forecasts were calling for lots of wind and a moderate amount (3" - 6") of snow, in addition to freezing rain and ice. The forecasts were so dire that I canceled the trip with the broker and set it up for next week. Responding properly to the forecast insured that we got none of what was forecast, except for the wind. The wind we got but that was it. The forecasts evidently proved accurate for Massachusetts and north and the they are still calling for snow later today, but it seems that the boys and girls of NOAA are still a little bit less than accurate for the local scene. Ah, such is life in the big city.
I will be heading up to White River Junction, VT, tomorrow for the weekend. It is a small gathering of college buddies. We will eat and drink and play pinochle, a game we were all addicted to in college. We try to do this once a year and it will be great to see them all once again. Perhaps we'll get snowed in. Too bad, none of us ski anymore. Old age, brittle bone and aching joints will keep us off the slopes and that probably is a good thing. Having a surgically repaired hip, I am very unwilling to run the risk of dislocating it, especially now that I have gotten it all checked out and having found that it is in first class shape. The Pain that I have been dealing with in it is actually from my lower back. The doctor put me on a med pack for inflammation and it did its job though I am going to have to do more yoga and stretching. It take a brave and fearless person to get old.
I have been looking for a wrench, crescent or otherwise, that can handle a 2 5/8" nut. That is the size of the packing and locking nuts on the drive shaft. I have this rather cheaply made wrench that can do the job but as I said, it is cheap. Locking it in place at 2 5/8" is easy enough but it slips from that setting too easily and make the task of tightening/loosening the nuts a real pain. It doesn't help that I have to lay over the back of the engine and transmission to reach the stuffing box. The search so far has been unsuccessful and right now I am looking at using the cheap wrench and a Stiltson.
I am hoping that this storm is the last of the season and that the weather finally begins to moderate and stabilize. I really want to get started on the work. winter for boaters is just too boring. It also allows to much time to spend money in the marine catalogs. Not that I actually spend it for I can't spend what I ain't got, but I could, easily.
I got another surprise yesterday as glasses frame snapped in half. I had to get a ride to the mall and first find an optical store that had a frame that could take the lenses I have and then get the frame replaced at a reasonable amount. I have to go to three stores before I found one that had frames that I could use and then pay for the new one. Bottom line frames were still $70 and they were on sale. I did pass on the Ray Bans which were also on sale and being offered at a"steal" price of $189! But once again, as the deaf man said, "I can see!"
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
For Winter COntinues
SHIP'S LOG:
The broker is suppose to call me tomorrow and we are suppose to go up to Portland where he can inspect ABISHAG. SOOOOOO Naturally, it is suppose to snow tomorrow through Thursday night. As someone once said, "timing is everything in life!"
Know that if I delay and wait until tomorrow to do the measuring I wrote about, so I can have another reason to drive up to Portland and the boat, that the broker would cancel and the snow would prevent the trip, I went up to Yankee Boatyard today to do the measuring, guaranteeing that it will be bright and sunny tomorrow, even after the broker cancels the trip.
The measuring took a little over and hour and a half. The toughest part was getting into the engine compartment to measure the size of the stuffing box packing nut and its accompanying locking nut. The stuffing box packing nut is on a piece of thread pipe through which passes the drive shaft from the engine/transmission inside the boat to the prop out side the boat. The stuffing box packing nut holds several pieces of "packing" - a cord of waxed flax that is wrapped around the shaft and compressed by the stuffing box packing nut hard enough to keep the water out but no so hard as to off resistance to the spinning shaft. I can see that extracting the old flax packing, which requires a tool that looks like a tiny corkscrew on the end of a braided wire with a "T" handle, is going to be a bit "trying." Basically I'll have to lay on the engine to get at the stuffing box. Getting all the packing out will something akin to doing a root canal anally. I did it before when I had the O'Day 27 but access to the stuffing box in the boat was clear and easy. in addition, friend John Planet, a brilliant mind with all thing nautical, was present thus making the job a snap. I look forward to this job not at all.
I am going to need about 12 feet of wood for the cap-rail scarfing. Teak runs a good $9.50/ ft Of course there are other hard woods but teak is the best which is why it is rare and expensive. I have a couple of pieces that kicking around and some of the left over wood from last year's project, but now where near enough. I will do what I can with what I have and then bite the bullet.
I am still learning things about ABISHAG and her construction. On the engine compartment bulkhead that faces the galley, there is a small counter, more space for use in preparing meals. At the forward end of this counter there is a "pole" that sticks into it. I was measuring this counter space for the tiling project and it irritated me that this "pole" was there. I thought that it was some sort of "support" for the part of the cockpit flooring that over hung the counter. On further inspection it turns out that this chrome "pole" is actually the drain pipe form the starboard side cockpit drain. It made me realize that there needs to be a plumbing schematic done for ABISHAG to go along with the electrical schematic that needs to be done. AH, more projects!
The broker is suppose to call me tomorrow and we are suppose to go up to Portland where he can inspect ABISHAG. SOOOOOO Naturally, it is suppose to snow tomorrow through Thursday night. As someone once said, "timing is everything in life!"
Know that if I delay and wait until tomorrow to do the measuring I wrote about, so I can have another reason to drive up to Portland and the boat, that the broker would cancel and the snow would prevent the trip, I went up to Yankee Boatyard today to do the measuring, guaranteeing that it will be bright and sunny tomorrow, even after the broker cancels the trip.
The measuring took a little over and hour and a half. The toughest part was getting into the engine compartment to measure the size of the stuffing box packing nut and its accompanying locking nut. The stuffing box packing nut is on a piece of thread pipe through which passes the drive shaft from the engine/transmission inside the boat to the prop out side the boat. The stuffing box packing nut holds several pieces of "packing" - a cord of waxed flax that is wrapped around the shaft and compressed by the stuffing box packing nut hard enough to keep the water out but no so hard as to off resistance to the spinning shaft. I can see that extracting the old flax packing, which requires a tool that looks like a tiny corkscrew on the end of a braided wire with a "T" handle, is going to be a bit "trying." Basically I'll have to lay on the engine to get at the stuffing box. Getting all the packing out will something akin to doing a root canal anally. I did it before when I had the O'Day 27 but access to the stuffing box in the boat was clear and easy. in addition, friend John Planet, a brilliant mind with all thing nautical, was present thus making the job a snap. I look forward to this job not at all.
I am going to need about 12 feet of wood for the cap-rail scarfing. Teak runs a good $9.50/ ft Of course there are other hard woods but teak is the best which is why it is rare and expensive. I have a couple of pieces that kicking around and some of the left over wood from last year's project, but now where near enough. I will do what I can with what I have and then bite the bullet.
I am still learning things about ABISHAG and her construction. On the engine compartment bulkhead that faces the galley, there is a small counter, more space for use in preparing meals. At the forward end of this counter there is a "pole" that sticks into it. I was measuring this counter space for the tiling project and it irritated me that this "pole" was there. I thought that it was some sort of "support" for the part of the cockpit flooring that over hung the counter. On further inspection it turns out that this chrome "pole" is actually the drain pipe form the starboard side cockpit drain. It made me realize that there needs to be a plumbing schematic done for ABISHAG to go along with the electrical schematic that needs to be done. AH, more projects!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Spring Be Here . . . well, at Least Meteorologically!
SHIP'S LOG:
Got a call from the broker yesterday and we set up a time to go and check out ABISHAG up at Yankee. He actually seemed excited about it. We'll meet up there on Wednesday afternoon and I'll answer all his questions and, who knows, maybe he'll actually work hard enough to (gulp) sell her! I am not counting on it however and so I will continue to prepare her for the coming season.
Wednesday will be Measurement Day. I have to measure the shaft so that I can purchase the proper zinc for it. I also have another zinc, one attached to the hull in a nifty little indentation, that serves some purpose or another. It looks like it might be a part of the grounding system, perhaps something to do with the SSB(Single Side-Band Radio) or perhaps they just put it there to cause me angst wondering and worrying about what it's for!
I am also going to measure out the galley counter-tops for possible conversion to tile. I'll even measure out the counter-tops in both heads - as the English say - "just for a jolly!" Who knows, maybe because I don't actually live at my mailing address, Publisher's Clearing House couldn't find me last month but may look harder this month! In any event, having them sized means I am one step closer to actually getting that project underway. It will also give me an opportunity to see if there is sufficient room for the water-maker in the looker in the stern.
An additional measuring job will be the cap rail on the port side. I was able to scarf in a piece last year in a badly damaged section and it looks great. Unfortunately, several whacks to the rail during a storm while "secured" in a slip at TYC chewed up another section and it needs fixing. Right now, the pieces that remain are held in place with Gorilla Glue and it looks like crap. Once I get it measures, I need to find the wood to "scarf in."
With hope renewed in the possibility that ABISHAG may get a new owner, I have been "unfaithful" and have been casting my eyes about for " a new girl." I will be down-sizing so that the expenses will be down-sized too. I expect to top-out at 33 feet in my search but drastically limiting myself, I'll probably end up in the 27-foot range. One problem is that it is going to have to be big enough to live aboard. It is not that I have all that much stuff or need all that much storage - lots of the "stuff" that was on-board was basically for the ICW Trip - it's just that it is nice to be able to stand up when you are putting on your pants and have a door in the head!
Got a call from the broker yesterday and we set up a time to go and check out ABISHAG up at Yankee. He actually seemed excited about it. We'll meet up there on Wednesday afternoon and I'll answer all his questions and, who knows, maybe he'll actually work hard enough to (gulp) sell her! I am not counting on it however and so I will continue to prepare her for the coming season.
Wednesday will be Measurement Day. I have to measure the shaft so that I can purchase the proper zinc for it. I also have another zinc, one attached to the hull in a nifty little indentation, that serves some purpose or another. It looks like it might be a part of the grounding system, perhaps something to do with the SSB(Single Side-Band Radio) or perhaps they just put it there to cause me angst wondering and worrying about what it's for!
I am also going to measure out the galley counter-tops for possible conversion to tile. I'll even measure out the counter-tops in both heads - as the English say - "just for a jolly!" Who knows, maybe because I don't actually live at my mailing address, Publisher's Clearing House couldn't find me last month but may look harder this month! In any event, having them sized means I am one step closer to actually getting that project underway. It will also give me an opportunity to see if there is sufficient room for the water-maker in the looker in the stern.
An additional measuring job will be the cap rail on the port side. I was able to scarf in a piece last year in a badly damaged section and it looks great. Unfortunately, several whacks to the rail during a storm while "secured" in a slip at TYC chewed up another section and it needs fixing. Right now, the pieces that remain are held in place with Gorilla Glue and it looks like crap. Once I get it measures, I need to find the wood to "scarf in."
With hope renewed in the possibility that ABISHAG may get a new owner, I have been "unfaithful" and have been casting my eyes about for " a new girl." I will be down-sizing so that the expenses will be down-sized too. I expect to top-out at 33 feet in my search but drastically limiting myself, I'll probably end up in the 27-foot range. One problem is that it is going to have to be big enough to live aboard. It is not that I have all that much stuff or need all that much storage - lots of the "stuff" that was on-board was basically for the ICW Trip - it's just that it is nice to be able to stand up when you are putting on your pants and have a door in the head!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Just On The Spur Of The Moment . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
One of the projects I would like to get done come "the Spring," is two-fold: a.) move the water-maker which is currently ensconced partially above and below the only usable counter space in the galley to the locker in the stern formally occupied by the refrigeration unit and compressor and b.) because of some holes left by the water-maker in the galley counter space, do over the galley counter top with ceramic tiles. I took the time to head out to Home Depot and Lowe's to check out 1.) how to do it; 2.) what would be needed; and 3.) what the project would cost. It is definitely not a "must-do-before-launch" project, so I wasn't terribly disappointed to find that it is a relatively not-difficult DIY project and would cost about 2 Marine Units. The down side is two-fold: I would have a fair amount of stuff left over after completion and I would be loathed to toss it, but would doubtfully have enough say to finish off another counter-top, say the one in the forward head, and I don't have the spare @marine Units at the current time. So it will probably go down in the project book as a project to be done someday.
I haven't heard from the new broker yet. If I don't hear by Monday, I'll give him a call. Squeaky wheel and all that.
One of the projects I would like to get done come "the Spring," is two-fold: a.) move the water-maker which is currently ensconced partially above and below the only usable counter space in the galley to the locker in the stern formally occupied by the refrigeration unit and compressor and b.) because of some holes left by the water-maker in the galley counter space, do over the galley counter top with ceramic tiles. I took the time to head out to Home Depot and Lowe's to check out 1.) how to do it; 2.) what would be needed; and 3.) what the project would cost. It is definitely not a "must-do-before-launch" project, so I wasn't terribly disappointed to find that it is a relatively not-difficult DIY project and would cost about 2 Marine Units. The down side is two-fold: I would have a fair amount of stuff left over after completion and I would be loathed to toss it, but would doubtfully have enough say to finish off another counter-top, say the one in the forward head, and I don't have the spare @marine Units at the current time. So it will probably go down in the project book as a project to be done someday.
I haven't heard from the new broker yet. If I don't hear by Monday, I'll give him a call. Squeaky wheel and all that.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
It's A Good Day! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Even though the weather started out crappy, it has turned into a rather nice day. Hoping it would, I made a trek up to see ABISHAG. Truth be told, I wanted to d a little straightening up as the broker is going to go see her sometime soon and she did need at least a little bit of "pre-cleaning lady" cleaning. It wasn't much, sort of "re-arranging the deck chairs on the TITANIC" sort of stuff and, anyway, it was nice to be on board on what turned out to be a nice day.
I wasn't the only person with what friend John Plante refers to as "flange foot." This particular malady afflicts boat owners who stay to long off their craft and can only be cure, if only temporarily, by contact with fiberglass of the marine variety. Another lost soul was on his boat across the yard and he stopped by as I was getting off. He started asking all sorts of questions about how I liked the center-cockpit style vs the aft cockpit style and about ABISHAG in particular. So I gave him the Cook's Tour and found out that even though he has a nice Hunter Cherubini 33, he is looking to move up! Now before you get too excited, I doubt that he is a candidate to purchase ABISHAG though he is looking at a Bristol 41 currently. He is at least a year away from make a move . . . though he did buy his current craft totally on the spur of the moment. It would be nice though, so to keep the pot boiling, I told him if he ever wanted to go out for a sail on "a center-cockpit," to stop by TYC and we'll go for a spin. He keep his boat over in Noank and knows several TYC members and seemed interested in the offer. Maybe, maybe not. I'll just wait and see.
Even though the weather started out crappy, it has turned into a rather nice day. Hoping it would, I made a trek up to see ABISHAG. Truth be told, I wanted to d a little straightening up as the broker is going to go see her sometime soon and she did need at least a little bit of "pre-cleaning lady" cleaning. It wasn't much, sort of "re-arranging the deck chairs on the TITANIC" sort of stuff and, anyway, it was nice to be on board on what turned out to be a nice day.
I wasn't the only person with what friend John Plante refers to as "flange foot." This particular malady afflicts boat owners who stay to long off their craft and can only be cure, if only temporarily, by contact with fiberglass of the marine variety. Another lost soul was on his boat across the yard and he stopped by as I was getting off. He started asking all sorts of questions about how I liked the center-cockpit style vs the aft cockpit style and about ABISHAG in particular. So I gave him the Cook's Tour and found out that even though he has a nice Hunter Cherubini 33, he is looking to move up! Now before you get too excited, I doubt that he is a candidate to purchase ABISHAG though he is looking at a Bristol 41 currently. He is at least a year away from make a move . . . though he did buy his current craft totally on the spur of the moment. It would be nice though, so to keep the pot boiling, I told him if he ever wanted to go out for a sail on "a center-cockpit," to stop by TYC and we'll go for a spin. He keep his boat over in Noank and knows several TYC members and seemed interested in the offer. Maybe, maybe not. I'll just wait and see.
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