SHIP'S LOG:
Taking the time to celebrate Holy Week meant that work on ABISHAG wouldn't begin until today. That is, it would if today was not "Opening Day." It is Red Sox vs the Yankees down at the awful "new" Yankee Stadium. As much as I "hate" the Yankees, I was really disappointed when they trashed the "sacred baseball ground" that was the original "house that Ruth Built," for the pale imitation known as the "House that George Built," and did it all for "money." And this year they seem to be a bit older and more banged up and it is quite possible that they will not make the playoffs and could, hopefully, simply because I would enjoy it so, end up last. Even if they don't, it always remains a matter of A.B.T. Y. - "Anyone But The Yankees."
Back to boating . . . .I discovered that it is difficult to make repairs and correct problems if you don't have the right tools or if the tools that you have don't work, and so we come to the adventures of me and my multimeter. I have had several of these very useful tools but they do not seem well equipped for residing on water craft. A multimeter is an electronic device that reads the flow of current(AC/DC), continuity, resistance, voltage, amperage and other assorted electrical stuff that basically tell you that the electrical system on your boat is fine or that it is not. If it is not, it can help you find the reason why, especially if you love a good mystery. Last year, it took me a week to find out why the GPS at the helm stopped working - it turned out to be a fuse - the problem was simple to solve once I was able to track do the location of the fuse (not simple).
No to accomplish such feats of electrical legerdemain, one must have a multimeter of some kind. It can be really simple, such as a "continuity tester" - which is simply a wire attached to a probe that has a small light on it. If there is "continuity" between the point where you place the probe and where you touch the wire, the light lights! If not, you don't and you can begin to investigate further. Even with the best meter made by FLUKE - the Ferrari of electrical multimeters - it can be a long process because you have to examine every part of a circuit, and I mean every part of a circuit, to find your problem. And of course, one a boat you have the additional problem of "getting at" the entire circuit/ run of wire.
Now I mention all this because late last year, I discovered that my "primary" - I have two(2) - multimeter had cease to function. My secondary, back-up, much more limited in scope and function multimeter had turned green and white, that is it was a block of corrosion. I asked Friend Fred to pick me up another secondary meter so that i could figure out what was wrong with the primary. Ascribing to the philosophy that one should always put off to tomorrow what you can do today, I only got around to it on Saturday last. I took it to Radio Shack because I had a sneaking suspicion that I had blown the fuse in the meter and that was the problem. I knew it wasn't the battery as I had replaced it last fall when trying to get the bloody thing to work so that was relatively "new" and should still be good. The new ceramic fuse, which I actually good for free as the clerk must have been filled with pre-Easter joy didn't solve the problem, as the meter would boot up. I took the meter back to the residence and was about to trash it, figuring I had cook the entire thing, when I decided to check it out again. It took me a few minutes to figure it out - read the instructions - but I eventually used the secondary meter to check out the "old" fuse that the clerk return to me. According to the meter, the fuse was blown. I had to assume that "new fuse", inserted in the Primary meter, was good as it was brand new, just out of the package. I checked the battery in the meter and it read "nothing." I don't mean that it read "low voltage dead," I mean that\, according to the secondary meter, there was no voltage in the battery whatsoever. Actually, I had never seen that but I figured it might be s\possible so I got another 9bolt battery from a stash I have and put it into the meter and got . . . ZIPPO! BUPKIS! NADA!
That confirmed for me the meter was "cooked' and I was about to trash it when I considered the possibility that the "new" battery was bad, after all the battery stash was from the boat and was a few years old. I metered the "new" battery and it measured 6.3 volts. Basically it was dead, so I trucked out to the store and bought a brand new, fresh in the package9 volt battery. Back at the residence, I checked the voltage - 9.6 volts - and inserted it into the primary multimeter. Holding it in place as the cover to the battery compartment was not in place - the back of the multimeter had several screws including four to get at the battery compartment - I turned it on and it went on! It meant that it wasn't cooked and that it didn't work because the fuse was blown and the battery was deader than dead. I screwed everything back in place and turned it on and NOTHING! I unscrewed everything and took the battery out - it was good. Took the new fuse out, it was good. Put everything back in place and again holding the battery hit the power button and it lit up like Broadway. It turns out that the battery compartment is just a tad to big to hold the battery firmly against the connectors and so I had to fashion a little shim to press it firm in place and keep it there.
AH, "Sold By Sears, Made In China!" That explains it all!
Monday, April 1, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
If It Wasn't For Bad Luck . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
Did you ever have one of those days? Actually, I had a couple of "those days," as I mentioned before, I went to the Defender Industries March Madness Sale on Thursday last to pick up stuff I needed and then found out that they had charged me twice for the same total amount. Since the sale is now over and the store is returning to "normal," and since they are just down the road, I drove over there this morning and tried to get things straightened out. It took awhile as they are, well at least their accounting department is, still a bit chaotic dealing with all the sales over the last four days. They wanted to wait until the bank statement arrived so they could check it out. The only problem with that is that I no longer get a paper statement from my bank. I found on "The Trip" that bank on line was rather easy and now I do it all electronically. As a result, no paper statements. After a bit of talking, the graciously refunded the extra charge and simply asked that I make a copy of the electronic statement when it comes and forward it to them so that they can assure themselves that they did indeed charge me twice.
The there are "the meds." As old age increasingly batters me, I find that I have to take more medication to keep up and running. I get them online through a special program which sends me a three month supply at a whack. Every now and then they screw up. This time, despite all of the identification procedures, they sent me only a partial refill of my prescriptions. So I called them and found out the problem was that they got the OK from the wrong doctor, who willingly fill some but not all of the prescriptions . . . even though I WASN'T HER PATIENT!!!!!! The order-taker-pharmacist finally contacted my doctor and got things squared away. I am quite please with that though I do wonder what the first doctor was thinking when she OK-ed the meds! Kinda makes you a little bit more worried about our medical system, doesn't it?
Then there is my auto insurance! ALLSTATE and I have a troublesome relationship. after I pay the condo mortgage, common fees and, until July, a special assessment, I have to pay the condo insurance and the utilities first before any other bills so that the condo will be able to stay in the rental program and I stay out of foreclosure. This means that, after the salary check comes in (and goes right out), and after making another payment to wipe out my credit card debt ( it will all be gone on March 6, 2014) there is some serious financial juggling that goes on each month until the SS check arrives. And even after that arrives, there is still more juggling as I pay off what I can and delay what I can't. A gift here and there from family and friends usually covers the nut, but sometimes not and then it comes down to who gets stiffed! this makes a mistake such as has taken place more than a little troublesome. It doesn't help that I didn't win the $338 million Powerball Prize, but then I didn't have the $2 for a ticket. In addition, Publishers' Clearing-House can't seem to find me. But if ABISHAG sells and the condo as well, I will be in a nice financial spot.
We will be getting snow later today which may put the kibosh on doing anything on the boat tomorrow. ( I have to wait until tomorrow for the double-charge reimbursement to get back into my account so I can buy gas). I have a couple of minor things I can work on that do not require warmth and I'll take a shot if the weather allows.
Oh, one last "one of those days things" . . . . I had to add some oil to my P.O.S. ride on Saturday. I unscrewed the oil filler cap, added the oil, went and tossed the container in the trash and shut the hood . . . . . neglecting to screw the oil filer cap back in place. I was driving later and there was this funny smell. I stopped and opened the hood and found that the oil filler cap had mysteriously disappeared. $5.98 + tax at NAPA.
Did you ever have one of those days? Actually, I had a couple of "those days," as I mentioned before, I went to the Defender Industries March Madness Sale on Thursday last to pick up stuff I needed and then found out that they had charged me twice for the same total amount. Since the sale is now over and the store is returning to "normal," and since they are just down the road, I drove over there this morning and tried to get things straightened out. It took awhile as they are, well at least their accounting department is, still a bit chaotic dealing with all the sales over the last four days. They wanted to wait until the bank statement arrived so they could check it out. The only problem with that is that I no longer get a paper statement from my bank. I found on "The Trip" that bank on line was rather easy and now I do it all electronically. As a result, no paper statements. After a bit of talking, the graciously refunded the extra charge and simply asked that I make a copy of the electronic statement when it comes and forward it to them so that they can assure themselves that they did indeed charge me twice.
The there are "the meds." As old age increasingly batters me, I find that I have to take more medication to keep up and running. I get them online through a special program which sends me a three month supply at a whack. Every now and then they screw up. This time, despite all of the identification procedures, they sent me only a partial refill of my prescriptions. So I called them and found out the problem was that they got the OK from the wrong doctor, who willingly fill some but not all of the prescriptions . . . even though I WASN'T HER PATIENT!!!!!! The order-taker-pharmacist finally contacted my doctor and got things squared away. I am quite please with that though I do wonder what the first doctor was thinking when she OK-ed the meds! Kinda makes you a little bit more worried about our medical system, doesn't it?
Then there is my auto insurance! ALLSTATE and I have a troublesome relationship. after I pay the condo mortgage, common fees and, until July, a special assessment, I have to pay the condo insurance and the utilities first before any other bills so that the condo will be able to stay in the rental program and I stay out of foreclosure. This means that, after the salary check comes in (and goes right out), and after making another payment to wipe out my credit card debt ( it will all be gone on March 6, 2014) there is some serious financial juggling that goes on each month until the SS check arrives. And even after that arrives, there is still more juggling as I pay off what I can and delay what I can't. A gift here and there from family and friends usually covers the nut, but sometimes not and then it comes down to who gets stiffed! this makes a mistake such as has taken place more than a little troublesome. It doesn't help that I didn't win the $338 million Powerball Prize, but then I didn't have the $2 for a ticket. In addition, Publishers' Clearing-House can't seem to find me. But if ABISHAG sells and the condo as well, I will be in a nice financial spot.
We will be getting snow later today which may put the kibosh on doing anything on the boat tomorrow. ( I have to wait until tomorrow for the double-charge reimbursement to get back into my account so I can buy gas). I have a couple of minor things I can work on that do not require warmth and I'll take a shot if the weather allows.
Oh, one last "one of those days things" . . . . I had to add some oil to my P.O.S. ride on Saturday. I unscrewed the oil filler cap, added the oil, went and tossed the container in the trash and shut the hood . . . . . neglecting to screw the oil filer cap back in place. I was driving later and there was this funny smell. I stopped and opened the hood and found that the oil filler cap had mysteriously disappeared. $5.98 + tax at NAPA.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Did You Say SPRING ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
SHIP'S LOG:
As several people reminded me over the last day or so, last year at this time we were experiencing temperatures in the low 80's! Ah, what a difference a year makes! I am not necessarily looking for temperatures in the "low 80's," but I would settle for temperatures in the normal seasonal range which I gather is somewhere around 60. This would mean that most boat chemicals that need to set to accomplish their purpose would be able to do so as most require at least a temperature above 50 degrees. It would also mean that the boatyard would turn on the water through out the boatyard so that one could actually do some cleaning as most cleaning projects require at least a modicum of water. Seasonable temperature would also mean that you could work without being bundled up like "Nanook of the North" and it would also allow you to work without gloves, a very necessary option whenever a project requires one to handle screws and bolts and nuts and washers and to fit little things into tiny places. try picking up a small washer with gloves of any kind on, at least any kind that provide some degree of warmth for the hands.
I received a phone call from "Francis of Toronto" who said a friend of his in the Great white North was looking for a boat. I am fairly certain that "ABISHAG" will not be the boat for him. Just getting her there would be a major project. They could go up the Hudson, through the New york Canals and into the Great Lakes and cross Lake Ontario to get to Toronto. Of course they would have to drop the masts $$$$$$$$(both of them) to go through the canal system and re-install them $$$$$$ once on the Lakes. Or they could sail up the Atlantic Coast, through the Gulf Of Maine and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, down the St. Lawrence River all the way to Lake Ontario all the way to Toronto. They could also just contract with a boat-moving company who will ABISHAG from New London to Toronto for probably close to $3,000. ABISHAG is certainly worth any of these efforts but I have a feeling that she is just too big for what the "potential buyer" is contemplating. Still, there is someone out there would is looking for her. Now if we can just get them together!
As several people reminded me over the last day or so, last year at this time we were experiencing temperatures in the low 80's! Ah, what a difference a year makes! I am not necessarily looking for temperatures in the "low 80's," but I would settle for temperatures in the normal seasonal range which I gather is somewhere around 60. This would mean that most boat chemicals that need to set to accomplish their purpose would be able to do so as most require at least a temperature above 50 degrees. It would also mean that the boatyard would turn on the water through out the boatyard so that one could actually do some cleaning as most cleaning projects require at least a modicum of water. Seasonable temperature would also mean that you could work without being bundled up like "Nanook of the North" and it would also allow you to work without gloves, a very necessary option whenever a project requires one to handle screws and bolts and nuts and washers and to fit little things into tiny places. try picking up a small washer with gloves of any kind on, at least any kind that provide some degree of warmth for the hands.
I received a phone call from "Francis of Toronto" who said a friend of his in the Great white North was looking for a boat. I am fairly certain that "ABISHAG" will not be the boat for him. Just getting her there would be a major project. They could go up the Hudson, through the New york Canals and into the Great Lakes and cross Lake Ontario to get to Toronto. Of course they would have to drop the masts $$$$$$$$(both of them) to go through the canal system and re-install them $$$$$$ once on the Lakes. Or they could sail up the Atlantic Coast, through the Gulf Of Maine and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, down the St. Lawrence River all the way to Lake Ontario all the way to Toronto. They could also just contract with a boat-moving company who will ABISHAG from New London to Toronto for probably close to $3,000. ABISHAG is certainly worth any of these efforts but I have a feeling that she is just too big for what the "potential buyer" is contemplating. Still, there is someone out there would is looking for her. Now if we can just get them together!
Friday, March 22, 2013
The Best Laid Plans Of Mice & Men Etc., Etc., Etc!
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!
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!
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!
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