SHIP'S LOG:
It was a day, nay a great day, on ABISHAG even though I didn't go anywhere. The weather was beautiful and all the tasks went according to plan and, hey, what more could one want.
I installed upper bow rollers (a piece of threaded rod inside some PVC pipe) which will keep the anchor rodes from jumping of the bow rollers lower, eliminating the risk of chafe and another grounding adventure. Made the cut-out for the holding tank in the forepeak locker. Created a new angle for the Mizzen boom so that it won't keep whacking the steering vane. Reinstalled the cockpit cushions. Sealing the lashings for the shroud rollers. Removed the unneeded items from the aft cabin and stored the "Linens 'n' Things" that actual belong there. Began the clean-up of the main cabin and actually found the deck and the settees under all the "stuff", necessary and unnecessary that had been flung all around the cabin. Re-led all the lines and sheets and generally cleaned up the deck. All in all, while many of the tasks were of not major importance, most could be done outside which, considering the day, was well worth it. AH!!!!!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It really is a pain making the drive to Black Rock Harbor. It burns a lot of gas, but it is where the boat is. I am starting to get a bit excited as the fiberglass crew has got the trailing edge of the keel ground out and now needs only to take care of the central portion. Then it will be fill and fair and paint and launch. Huzzah!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Beyond Discription! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
How to describe it? Describe what? The malodorous fragrance wafting from the openings in the holding tank. If the bilge was bad, this was far worse.
I spent Sunday moving the holding tank from the aft cabin toward the port side locker in the forepeak. Sounds a simple thing but it was more involved than you might think. First of all, the holding tank was secured by four(4) straps to the bulkhead in the aft cabin. Those were removed and the tank rested on the bunk with three(3) hoses - inlet, outlet, tank vent. I removed the vent hose first and the smell was incredible. It was beyond "gag-a-maggot" quality and intensity. I taped the vent closed but "the genie was out of the bottle" so to speak. I hit it with "SIMPLE GREEN," "FABREEZE" and "LYSOL" and at best the problem was moderated.
The Inlet and Outlet connectors really couldn't be tape as they were way too large but the "kit-to-reposition-the-connectors" came with screw-in plugs that with a little bit of silicone sealant were sealed quite nicely. There was about 4 gallons of . . . . .er . . . noxious brew? . . .in the holding tank and there was still some contained in the hoses that led to each. Disconnecting each hose required the that the hoses be sealed in some way to prevent them depositing what they contained on the bunk or the deck. Using a baggy and some duct tape took care of the hoses and the screw in plugs that connectors on the tank. The smell wafted through the cabin and I got used to it sort of . . .as long as I didn't think about it as it made me want to puke.
After everything was plugged and sealed, the next part of the procedure, the worst part, was next. . . . . emptying the tank. Had I crashed earlier in the fall ( for the second time that is), when I got to Captain's Cove Seaport they would have pumped out the tank. By the time I got there, their pump out system was closed down for the winter and so the best they could do was pump the system with holding tank anti-freeze which could also neutralize "the smell" and "deodorize" the system. That was what they did . . in theory anyway. They did pump the anti-freeze into the system but they didn't pump it enough as the anti-freeze remained in the hose and never made it into the tank. As a result, the "brew" fermented" for the entire winter and produced a foul soup with an incredible "bouquet"which had to be removed because of the weight(fitting the tank to its new location would require a lot of handling and shifting) and less it be dispersed by accident throughout the boat.
For this procedure, I had purchased a couple of 5 gallon buckets with lids. I poured a whole bunch of holding tank solution into one bucket, unscrewed one of the plugs and emptied the tank. There was about four(4) gallons of "brew" in the tank. Mixing the "brew" as it was poured into the bucket made the stench even worse. Made my eyes water. It wasn't a methane smell, it was way beyond that, like I said, "beyond description." Sloshed the tank with everything I could think of to get the "brew" out of the tank and kill the smell. I was able to get about 98% out of the tank and into the bucket. Poured the rest of the deodorizer in the bucket and sealed it. I hauled it up to the cockpit and lowered it over the side for alter disposal. With all the hatches open, I went around and it hit every surface with "Simple Green, Lysol, and Fabreeze" and pretty much removed the "fragrance."
Tanking the holding tank to the forepeak, it appears that the tank will fit easily into the locker . . .once i can get it in. The opening of the locker has to be enlarged to get to tank in but it "should be a simple procedure" - how often have I said that! I will have to cut a new inlet and a new outlet port for the connectors. I will have to cut a new waste removal deck plate hole on the foredeck and a new hole for the tank vent. The outlet hose will have to run to a diverter valve so that the "waste" can be discharged overboard when appropriate and be pumped out the rest of the time. The old vent hole and the the old deck plate aft were sealed and now all that is necessary is to re-connect the aft head to discharge directly overboard.
It was an interesting afternoon as the wind was gusting to the 50's, enough to "move" the boat on her stands. A couple of times I actually felt that maybe, just maybe, she would be blown over. Somebody had shown up on his motorcycle and it got blown over. He was not happy about it!
O yes, . . . . the bucket of . . .er . . ."brew." There was no place to to empty it in the yard. Even though the local sewage treatment plant borders the yard, there is no place to dump a 5 gallon bucket of "fermented human effluent." So the bucket went into the car, with the lip carefully sealed, and got hauled to a locating where there was a public port-a-potti. Would you believe, the port-a-potti smell better that the contents of the bucket?!? I was so happy that I didn't get into a accident as the scene would have really been a mess. The thought of an accident that ruptured the bucket, flinging the contents around the inside of the car, curdles the blood! ! ! ! ! !
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There was some actual work done on the forward edge of the keel. IT had been ground down, filled and faired. It looks pretty good. Now there is only the back edge and the bottom to do. Of course, the weather is going to be less than perfect this week. Such is the way it goes. Maybe by the 4th of July! ! !
How to describe it? Describe what? The malodorous fragrance wafting from the openings in the holding tank. If the bilge was bad, this was far worse.
I spent Sunday moving the holding tank from the aft cabin toward the port side locker in the forepeak. Sounds a simple thing but it was more involved than you might think. First of all, the holding tank was secured by four(4) straps to the bulkhead in the aft cabin. Those were removed and the tank rested on the bunk with three(3) hoses - inlet, outlet, tank vent. I removed the vent hose first and the smell was incredible. It was beyond "gag-a-maggot" quality and intensity. I taped the vent closed but "the genie was out of the bottle" so to speak. I hit it with "SIMPLE GREEN," "FABREEZE" and "LYSOL" and at best the problem was moderated.
The Inlet and Outlet connectors really couldn't be tape as they were way too large but the "kit-to-reposition-the-connectors" came with screw-in plugs that with a little bit of silicone sealant were sealed quite nicely. There was about 4 gallons of . . . . .er . . . noxious brew? . . .in the holding tank and there was still some contained in the hoses that led to each. Disconnecting each hose required the that the hoses be sealed in some way to prevent them depositing what they contained on the bunk or the deck. Using a baggy and some duct tape took care of the hoses and the screw in plugs that connectors on the tank. The smell wafted through the cabin and I got used to it sort of . . .as long as I didn't think about it as it made me want to puke.
After everything was plugged and sealed, the next part of the procedure, the worst part, was next. . . . . emptying the tank. Had I crashed earlier in the fall ( for the second time that is), when I got to Captain's Cove Seaport they would have pumped out the tank. By the time I got there, their pump out system was closed down for the winter and so the best they could do was pump the system with holding tank anti-freeze which could also neutralize "the smell" and "deodorize" the system. That was what they did . . in theory anyway. They did pump the anti-freeze into the system but they didn't pump it enough as the anti-freeze remained in the hose and never made it into the tank. As a result, the "brew" fermented" for the entire winter and produced a foul soup with an incredible "bouquet"which had to be removed because of the weight(fitting the tank to its new location would require a lot of handling and shifting) and less it be dispersed by accident throughout the boat.
For this procedure, I had purchased a couple of 5 gallon buckets with lids. I poured a whole bunch of holding tank solution into one bucket, unscrewed one of the plugs and emptied the tank. There was about four(4) gallons of "brew" in the tank. Mixing the "brew" as it was poured into the bucket made the stench even worse. Made my eyes water. It wasn't a methane smell, it was way beyond that, like I said, "beyond description." Sloshed the tank with everything I could think of to get the "brew" out of the tank and kill the smell. I was able to get about 98% out of the tank and into the bucket. Poured the rest of the deodorizer in the bucket and sealed it. I hauled it up to the cockpit and lowered it over the side for alter disposal. With all the hatches open, I went around and it hit every surface with "Simple Green, Lysol, and Fabreeze" and pretty much removed the "fragrance."
Tanking the holding tank to the forepeak, it appears that the tank will fit easily into the locker . . .once i can get it in. The opening of the locker has to be enlarged to get to tank in but it "should be a simple procedure" - how often have I said that! I will have to cut a new inlet and a new outlet port for the connectors. I will have to cut a new waste removal deck plate hole on the foredeck and a new hole for the tank vent. The outlet hose will have to run to a diverter valve so that the "waste" can be discharged overboard when appropriate and be pumped out the rest of the time. The old vent hole and the the old deck plate aft were sealed and now all that is necessary is to re-connect the aft head to discharge directly overboard.
It was an interesting afternoon as the wind was gusting to the 50's, enough to "move" the boat on her stands. A couple of times I actually felt that maybe, just maybe, she would be blown over. Somebody had shown up on his motorcycle and it got blown over. He was not happy about it!
O yes, . . . . the bucket of . . .er . . ."brew." There was no place to to empty it in the yard. Even though the local sewage treatment plant borders the yard, there is no place to dump a 5 gallon bucket of "fermented human effluent." So the bucket went into the car, with the lip carefully sealed, and got hauled to a locating where there was a public port-a-potti. Would you believe, the port-a-potti smell better that the contents of the bucket?!? I was so happy that I didn't get into a accident as the scene would have really been a mess. The thought of an accident that ruptured the bucket, flinging the contents around the inside of the car, curdles the blood! ! ! ! ! !
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There was some actual work done on the forward edge of the keel. IT had been ground down, filled and faired. It looks pretty good. Now there is only the back edge and the bottom to do. Of course, the weather is going to be less than perfect this week. Such is the way it goes. Maybe by the 4th of July! ! !
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Yuckie! Gooie! Disgusting! ECK!
SHIP'S LOG:
Went down to visit ABISGHAG the other day and fiberglass guys (and girl) hadn't yet begun working their magic. The weather for the coming week also do not bode well for any fiberglassing. Looks like everything will be delayed . . .ah so what else is new?
Spent the day sterilizing the bilge, or rather the sump of the bilge, the deepest part of the bilge wherein drains all of the effluents and detritus that wends its way on the the my craft. While I have attempted to clean the bilge in the past, the final discovery of the hidden oil leak last summer (see previous blogs from last summer - you don't expect me to recount the whole story here again, do you?), I was committed to cleaning it all out completely, making it sweet-smelling and surgically sterile! I didn't quite get there, but close, oh so close. There was a surprisingly large amount of water in the sump and about a 2 inch layer of "oil?" under it. It took some pumping to get all the water out as it had to be filtered through oil retaining pads so that I could dump it without irritating the EPA and/or getting fined. There is some lifeform that lives just at the barrier between the water and the oil and it produces a noxious smell that is beyond belief. I pumped out some 6 gallons of a water/oil mixture, drained it through the pads and dumped the water and put the pads in a plastic bag that had to be taken to a disposal site to get ride of.
Once the bilge was dry, relatively speaking, it had to be scrubbed down with the bio-degradable, oil-consuming mixtures that themselves smelled equally bad. Trying to make them less noxious, the manufactures added "a fresh citrus scent" which, when mixed with the lingering odor from the oil/water lifeform, smelled worse than the lifeform alone . . .if possible. It was enough to gag a maggot! Two(2) hours bent over in the bilge, scrubbing and wiping and rinsing and spraying and rinsing and wiping and spraying . . . . and it was done . . .until next year. It is clean and fresh smelling . . . well at least it doesn't smell. And it is clean, no oil or scum left. Mind you, I wouldn't eat anything that dropped in there, but if I drop something in there, at least it wouldn't get eaten!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Financially, things continue to be a mess. The debt resolution company and Bank of America are fighting; the condo needs to have a required minimum$7,888 (which I don't have) worth of upgrades to stay in the rental program; I have had to drop the asking price on the condo again to stay in line with the other panicky sellers, my income may be halved beginning this month and taking a flier on a Powerball Ticket on Wednesday didn't even earn me eve one right number. I haven't got a clue as to what will happen next but it ought to be something. Just what I don't know. The dream seems to be turning into a bit of a nightmare and I am not quite sure what to do next. I know that God in in control and I trust that things will work out according to God's plan, but these leaps of faith are getting scarier and scarier to make. Compared to other people, I've got no problems, but compared to me, I have real serious problems, and trusting that they will work out in God's own way, well . . . . they always have before and I will keep trying to believe that they will now.
Went down to visit ABISGHAG the other day and fiberglass guys (and girl) hadn't yet begun working their magic. The weather for the coming week also do not bode well for any fiberglassing. Looks like everything will be delayed . . .ah so what else is new?
Spent the day sterilizing the bilge, or rather the sump of the bilge, the deepest part of the bilge wherein drains all of the effluents and detritus that wends its way on the the my craft. While I have attempted to clean the bilge in the past, the final discovery of the hidden oil leak last summer (see previous blogs from last summer - you don't expect me to recount the whole story here again, do you?), I was committed to cleaning it all out completely, making it sweet-smelling and surgically sterile! I didn't quite get there, but close, oh so close. There was a surprisingly large amount of water in the sump and about a 2 inch layer of "oil?" under it. It took some pumping to get all the water out as it had to be filtered through oil retaining pads so that I could dump it without irritating the EPA and/or getting fined. There is some lifeform that lives just at the barrier between the water and the oil and it produces a noxious smell that is beyond belief. I pumped out some 6 gallons of a water/oil mixture, drained it through the pads and dumped the water and put the pads in a plastic bag that had to be taken to a disposal site to get ride of.
Once the bilge was dry, relatively speaking, it had to be scrubbed down with the bio-degradable, oil-consuming mixtures that themselves smelled equally bad. Trying to make them less noxious, the manufactures added "a fresh citrus scent" which, when mixed with the lingering odor from the oil/water lifeform, smelled worse than the lifeform alone . . .if possible. It was enough to gag a maggot! Two(2) hours bent over in the bilge, scrubbing and wiping and rinsing and spraying and rinsing and wiping and spraying . . . . and it was done . . .until next year. It is clean and fresh smelling . . . well at least it doesn't smell. And it is clean, no oil or scum left. Mind you, I wouldn't eat anything that dropped in there, but if I drop something in there, at least it wouldn't get eaten!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Financially, things continue to be a mess. The debt resolution company and Bank of America are fighting; the condo needs to have a required minimum$7,888 (which I don't have) worth of upgrades to stay in the rental program; I have had to drop the asking price on the condo again to stay in line with the other panicky sellers, my income may be halved beginning this month and taking a flier on a Powerball Ticket on Wednesday didn't even earn me eve one right number. I haven't got a clue as to what will happen next but it ought to be something. Just what I don't know. The dream seems to be turning into a bit of a nightmare and I am not quite sure what to do next. I know that God in in control and I trust that things will work out according to God's plan, but these leaps of faith are getting scarier and scarier to make. Compared to other people, I've got no problems, but compared to me, I have real serious problems, and trusting that they will work out in God's own way, well . . . . they always have before and I will keep trying to believe that they will now.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Fun! Fun! Fun!
SHIP'S LOG:
I had forgotten just how much fun working on a boat can be. Of course there are different kinds of work, some more fun than others. I had some of the fun kind Sunday when I was able to put the final coat of paint on ABISHAG's bottom. That wasn't the fun part, in fact it was a pain. Hot, sweaty, contorted. No, the fun work was ripping off the masking tape when the job was done!
If you scroll back to the blog last year about this time, you will find a wonderful discussion about "Zen and the paint along the waterline." Masking the waterline with tape can be a Zen-like experience as you are running the straight-edged tape along curved line to produce what appears to be a straight line. The fun part comes at the end when you get to peel the tape off in on long piece to reveal the "perfectly straight, sharp-edged" union of waterline and bottom paint that is the envy of all in the boatyard. It may not seem like a big deal if you have never done it after having gone through the nasty process of prepping and painting the bottom, but trust me, for the legion of people who have done so, it is a moment of great satisfaction and pride. It's Miller time!!!!
Monday, when I got down to the yard, I found that, true to their word, the fiberglass crew had the boat prepped for work. They even had the yard crew move the boat stands so that I could paint the spots that were covered before. When they said they were going to "jack the boat up,' they weren't whistling Dixie!. She was sitting on blocks and timbers a good 4 feet higher than she was before. My foldable ladder didn't reach and I had to board using the ladder and the boarding ladder at the stern. Unfortunately, all they did was jack the boat up. As far as I could tell, nothing else was done and nothing was done while I was there.
I spent Monday ripping out the LECTROSAN I had so carefully installed last year. The best thing I could say about the process was that I could do it. Unlike a number of other "installations" on the boat, this one came out with the same degree of easy as it went in. that should have rung a bell for me last year when I was putting it in! Still it took a couple of hours as the associated plumbing and electrical line had to go also, even those I hadn't installed. Again, it was a case of "working by feel and not by sight." You had to look and see what had to be done, then stick your hand(s) in and do the job by feel. Invariably, I dropped the wrench or screwdriver several times necessitating its semi-complicated retrieval before continuing with the job. This is what made the the relative simple job of disconnecting three cables( undoing 6 nuts) and two hoses (undoing 8 hose clamps) and lifting the unit out of the locker, while standing (sort of) in a hot, confined space, without being able to see what you are doing into a 2-2 1/2 hour project.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Near ABISHAG is a beastly large sailboat. I wasn't sure what it was only that it was a cruiser of some kind. It turned out to be a CT 54, a boat built in Taiwan and designed by Robert Perry. To say she is overbuilt is to dam with faint praise. About 25 - 30 years old, she was loaded with wood on the inside, beautiful to look at and maintenance intensive. She was a big, massive, built-for-comfort-not-of-speed type of craft. According to the owner, he has spent the last 8 years since he bought her, trying to get her back in shape and has just about completed the process. He will be heading to South Carolina in the Fall, specifically to Charleston, and when he gets there, he is going to use the boat as "an experience" for children with cancer from the Charleston area hospitals. The boat is large enough to take several, plus a parent, day sailing and to give the children the experience of what it is like to sail. They work the sail, helm the boat, learn to take sights and navigate, and have an experience they probably have never had. A heck of a guy! A heck of a sailor!
I had forgotten just how much fun working on a boat can be. Of course there are different kinds of work, some more fun than others. I had some of the fun kind Sunday when I was able to put the final coat of paint on ABISHAG's bottom. That wasn't the fun part, in fact it was a pain. Hot, sweaty, contorted. No, the fun work was ripping off the masking tape when the job was done!
If you scroll back to the blog last year about this time, you will find a wonderful discussion about "Zen and the paint along the waterline." Masking the waterline with tape can be a Zen-like experience as you are running the straight-edged tape along curved line to produce what appears to be a straight line. The fun part comes at the end when you get to peel the tape off in on long piece to reveal the "perfectly straight, sharp-edged" union of waterline and bottom paint that is the envy of all in the boatyard. It may not seem like a big deal if you have never done it after having gone through the nasty process of prepping and painting the bottom, but trust me, for the legion of people who have done so, it is a moment of great satisfaction and pride. It's Miller time!!!!
Monday, when I got down to the yard, I found that, true to their word, the fiberglass crew had the boat prepped for work. They even had the yard crew move the boat stands so that I could paint the spots that were covered before. When they said they were going to "jack the boat up,' they weren't whistling Dixie!. She was sitting on blocks and timbers a good 4 feet higher than she was before. My foldable ladder didn't reach and I had to board using the ladder and the boarding ladder at the stern. Unfortunately, all they did was jack the boat up. As far as I could tell, nothing else was done and nothing was done while I was there.
I spent Monday ripping out the LECTROSAN I had so carefully installed last year. The best thing I could say about the process was that I could do it. Unlike a number of other "installations" on the boat, this one came out with the same degree of easy as it went in. that should have rung a bell for me last year when I was putting it in! Still it took a couple of hours as the associated plumbing and electrical line had to go also, even those I hadn't installed. Again, it was a case of "working by feel and not by sight." You had to look and see what had to be done, then stick your hand(s) in and do the job by feel. Invariably, I dropped the wrench or screwdriver several times necessitating its semi-complicated retrieval before continuing with the job. This is what made the the relative simple job of disconnecting three cables( undoing 6 nuts) and two hoses (undoing 8 hose clamps) and lifting the unit out of the locker, while standing (sort of) in a hot, confined space, without being able to see what you are doing into a 2-2 1/2 hour project.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Near ABISHAG is a beastly large sailboat. I wasn't sure what it was only that it was a cruiser of some kind. It turned out to be a CT 54, a boat built in Taiwan and designed by Robert Perry. To say she is overbuilt is to dam with faint praise. About 25 - 30 years old, she was loaded with wood on the inside, beautiful to look at and maintenance intensive. She was a big, massive, built-for-comfort-not-of-speed type of craft. According to the owner, he has spent the last 8 years since he bought her, trying to get her back in shape and has just about completed the process. He will be heading to South Carolina in the Fall, specifically to Charleston, and when he gets there, he is going to use the boat as "an experience" for children with cancer from the Charleston area hospitals. The boat is large enough to take several, plus a parent, day sailing and to give the children the experience of what it is like to sail. They work the sail, helm the boat, learn to take sights and navigate, and have an experience they probably have never had. A heck of a guy! A heck of a sailor!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Well, Wasn't That Fun? ? ? ?
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, if you must know, the answer is, "No, not really!" I did mask the waterline and all of the thru-hulls ( I forgot that there were 10 of them!). I did paint, with a brush, the masked waterline and around each of the thru-hulls. I then painted the hull, leaving the wounded keel untouched. I stared about 1:30PM and ended around 5:15PM. In the nice, pleasantly warm and rather dry weather, the paint needed thinning and stirring even more than usual, so it was a case of stir, thin, paint, stop and stir and thin and then paint, stopping to reload after having stirred and thinned again. I actually got most of the paint on the hull too! My arthritic, going-to-need-to-be-replaced-someday-soon right hip did not appreciate this particular type of activity what with the bending and squatting and other such contorted stance a part of the painting process and it let me know about it in no uncertain terms. It was literally a pain in the butt! But . . . . However, the job was done and the first coat is on. Second coat goes on Sunday!
Shelia of the Fiberglass shop crew stopped by and said that they were starting on the boat on Monday . . . . well, at least they were having the boat picked up and their EPA required catch-all tarp put underneath. This is perfect as they will have the yard crew move the boat stands, all seven of them, to new positions so that I can paint the spots they covered on the hull.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I think that perhaps I might be beginning to make a start at getting old. It is beginning to feel that way. Going up and down the ladder, squatting, bending , twisting and contorting, reaching, stretching, lifting and hauling and all the other assorted movements one goes through readying a boat for the season are taking their toll. I find myself stopping to rest more than it seems that i did in the past. I also find myself stretching to get ride of kinks and pulls that weren't there last year . . . . or maybe they were, I just don't remember them. I find myself fantasizing about what it would be like to be one of those boat owners who have enough money so that they can pay the yard crews do get the boat ready for the season. Then again, I am paranoid enough so that if I did that, I would worry about the job they did and did they get to everything and get it right! Ah, the fun part of boating! As it is, I am broke and probably the better for it, as I get to do the work and will KNOW just how well or how poorly it was done. Still, it is good to work on the boat, though it would be better to be sailing her, but that will come . . . rather soon I expect.
Well, if you must know, the answer is, "No, not really!" I did mask the waterline and all of the thru-hulls ( I forgot that there were 10 of them!). I did paint, with a brush, the masked waterline and around each of the thru-hulls. I then painted the hull, leaving the wounded keel untouched. I stared about 1:30PM and ended around 5:15PM. In the nice, pleasantly warm and rather dry weather, the paint needed thinning and stirring even more than usual, so it was a case of stir, thin, paint, stop and stir and thin and then paint, stopping to reload after having stirred and thinned again. I actually got most of the paint on the hull too! My arthritic, going-to-need-to-be-replaced-someday-soon right hip did not appreciate this particular type of activity what with the bending and squatting and other such contorted stance a part of the painting process and it let me know about it in no uncertain terms. It was literally a pain in the butt! But . . . . However, the job was done and the first coat is on. Second coat goes on Sunday!
Shelia of the Fiberglass shop crew stopped by and said that they were starting on the boat on Monday . . . . well, at least they were having the boat picked up and their EPA required catch-all tarp put underneath. This is perfect as they will have the yard crew move the boat stands, all seven of them, to new positions so that I can paint the spots they covered on the hull.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I think that perhaps I might be beginning to make a start at getting old. It is beginning to feel that way. Going up and down the ladder, squatting, bending , twisting and contorting, reaching, stretching, lifting and hauling and all the other assorted movements one goes through readying a boat for the season are taking their toll. I find myself stopping to rest more than it seems that i did in the past. I also find myself stretching to get ride of kinks and pulls that weren't there last year . . . . or maybe they were, I just don't remember them. I find myself fantasizing about what it would be like to be one of those boat owners who have enough money so that they can pay the yard crews do get the boat ready for the season. Then again, I am paranoid enough so that if I did that, I would worry about the job they did and did they get to everything and get it right! Ah, the fun part of boating! As it is, I am broke and probably the better for it, as I get to do the work and will KNOW just how well or how poorly it was done. Still, it is good to work on the boat, though it would be better to be sailing her, but that will come . . . rather soon I expect.
Friday, April 24, 2009
60% 0f a Marine Unit
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, it has started. The threat of rain at the yard, along with the rather chilly temp, made yesterday a "Buying/Spending" type of day. In the end, I ended up spending 60% of a Marine Unit, about $335, 2/3's of it for bottom paint. It is bad to be an "impulse marine item buyer" turned loose in a West Marine store but I actually bought only the stuff I actually, positively, truly, absolutely needed. Now I actually have to make use of the purchases.
That will happen today, or at least will begin today. Today is boat bottom painting day! It is a slightly messy and often contorted process. First, I have to edge the waterline with masking tape so I don't paint over it. That means setting up the ladder, running a strip of tape about 10 feet or so, then getting off the ladder, moving it an appropriate distance, then back up the ladder and run-out another 10 feet or so of tape, then down off the ladder, move it and go back up . . . . . . . Once the waterline is done, all the thru-hulls have to be taped over as you do not want to paint over these metal items. the copper in the paint will react with the copper in the bronze and stainless steel and can induce galvanic corrosion which is a bad thing. It tends to eat away the metal and since the thru-hull are under water, it it makes the metal fittings go away, leaves you with holes in the bottom of the boat. No problem out of the water, big problem in it. Once all the taping is done, then you have to paint around it with a brush as you can't really do it cleanly a roller. That means mix the paint, up the ladder, paint 10 feet or so, down the ladder and move it, stir the paint, up the ladder and away around the boat. The warmer the weather, the quicker the paint dries, on the boat and in the can. The warmer the weather, the more thinning and and stirring needs doing. After I have cut out all the taped sections, then then it is time to paint the rest of the hull with the roller. That is actually the easiest part but the messiest and the roller tends to spray the paint around, usually on me. It will take a couple of hours to do and it will dry out by tomorrow so that the second coat can go on. Then it is done . . . except for the part that is being repaired. Once they finish the work . . .that they haven't started yet . . . . I will paint the repairs and ABISHAG will be ready for the water. HUZZAH ! ! ! !
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I really wish the boat wasn't so far away. It's a good 80 miles and it is a drag to drive. Thank goodness it is all highway but it is still a drag. Getting the bottom done will really make things seem like they are moving along toward summer, and that can't come soon enough.
Well, it has started. The threat of rain at the yard, along with the rather chilly temp, made yesterday a "Buying/Spending" type of day. In the end, I ended up spending 60% of a Marine Unit, about $335, 2/3's of it for bottom paint. It is bad to be an "impulse marine item buyer" turned loose in a West Marine store but I actually bought only the stuff I actually, positively, truly, absolutely needed. Now I actually have to make use of the purchases.
That will happen today, or at least will begin today. Today is boat bottom painting day! It is a slightly messy and often contorted process. First, I have to edge the waterline with masking tape so I don't paint over it. That means setting up the ladder, running a strip of tape about 10 feet or so, then getting off the ladder, moving it an appropriate distance, then back up the ladder and run-out another 10 feet or so of tape, then down off the ladder, move it and go back up . . . . . . . Once the waterline is done, all the thru-hulls have to be taped over as you do not want to paint over these metal items. the copper in the paint will react with the copper in the bronze and stainless steel and can induce galvanic corrosion which is a bad thing. It tends to eat away the metal and since the thru-hull are under water, it it makes the metal fittings go away, leaves you with holes in the bottom of the boat. No problem out of the water, big problem in it. Once all the taping is done, then you have to paint around it with a brush as you can't really do it cleanly a roller. That means mix the paint, up the ladder, paint 10 feet or so, down the ladder and move it, stir the paint, up the ladder and away around the boat. The warmer the weather, the quicker the paint dries, on the boat and in the can. The warmer the weather, the more thinning and and stirring needs doing. After I have cut out all the taped sections, then then it is time to paint the rest of the hull with the roller. That is actually the easiest part but the messiest and the roller tends to spray the paint around, usually on me. It will take a couple of hours to do and it will dry out by tomorrow so that the second coat can go on. Then it is done . . . except for the part that is being repaired. Once they finish the work . . .that they haven't started yet . . . . I will paint the repairs and ABISHAG will be ready for the water. HUZZAH ! ! ! !
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I really wish the boat wasn't so far away. It's a good 80 miles and it is a drag to drive. Thank goodness it is all highway but it is still a drag. Getting the bottom done will really make things seem like they are moving along toward summer, and that can't come soon enough.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Would You Believe . . . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, what would the boating pre-season be without a setback or two. Nothing major but the rather harsh winter has put the fiberglass people behind in their work and they will not be able to get to ABISHAG's bottom until mid-May! truth be told, I am not that disappointed as it will allow some more time to finish up some work. They will smooth things over with the yard who was expecting me out by May 1st so all things being equal, perhaps I'll be in by Memorial Day. As you should know by now, that's just the way things work in boating!
Someone has slapped some bottom pain on ABISHAG's bottom, nothing systematic but random spots here and there. Everyone in the yard claims ignorance. Perhaps someone was just trying to clean a brush or something. At least the color is the same.
I suspect that taking the LECTROSAN out of the boat will be the easiest part of the project to get the boat in EPA compliance. I have a funny feeling that the "old" holding tank will not fit in the proposed space under the forward bunk. It may require a "new" tank to go with the other items to put the whole system together. Boating is nothing if not expensive. well, I'll consider it may part of the stimulus package for the marine industry.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is still a bit chilly down along the coast and cold inside the boat. Varnish won't flow, caulking won't spread or adhere, fingers get numb working in any wet environment. Ah Spring! It is great to get down to the boat and work. Just sitting there gets me to dream about sailing . . . not hitting anything. Hopefully, all things being equal, my first trip of the season will be Black Rock Harbor to New London. Having done it one way, the return trip should be a piece of cake. After that, some weeks of cruising around the Rhode Island/ Connecticut area, then off to Maine . . . all plans subject to change based on weather and a whole host of variables. I won't go any further than that. we'll just have to see what happens.
Well, what would the boating pre-season be without a setback or two. Nothing major but the rather harsh winter has put the fiberglass people behind in their work and they will not be able to get to ABISHAG's bottom until mid-May! truth be told, I am not that disappointed as it will allow some more time to finish up some work. They will smooth things over with the yard who was expecting me out by May 1st so all things being equal, perhaps I'll be in by Memorial Day. As you should know by now, that's just the way things work in boating!
Someone has slapped some bottom pain on ABISHAG's bottom, nothing systematic but random spots here and there. Everyone in the yard claims ignorance. Perhaps someone was just trying to clean a brush or something. At least the color is the same.
I suspect that taking the LECTROSAN out of the boat will be the easiest part of the project to get the boat in EPA compliance. I have a funny feeling that the "old" holding tank will not fit in the proposed space under the forward bunk. It may require a "new" tank to go with the other items to put the whole system together. Boating is nothing if not expensive. well, I'll consider it may part of the stimulus package for the marine industry.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is still a bit chilly down along the coast and cold inside the boat. Varnish won't flow, caulking won't spread or adhere, fingers get numb working in any wet environment. Ah Spring! It is great to get down to the boat and work. Just sitting there gets me to dream about sailing . . . not hitting anything. Hopefully, all things being equal, my first trip of the season will be Black Rock Harbor to New London. Having done it one way, the return trip should be a piece of cake. After that, some weeks of cruising around the Rhode Island/ Connecticut area, then off to Maine . . . all plans subject to change based on weather and a whole host of variables. I won't go any further than that. we'll just have to see what happens.
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