SHIP'S LOG:
Basically, everything is ready for the launch except for the return and installation of the wind generator for which I wait with great anticipation. As a result, I spend my time whittling down the never-ending projects list, necessary but not vitally important things that need doing. None would prevent the launch. All could be done in the water. Everyone is a pain in the butt, but since I have the time, I might as well knock off a few.
There were five(5) significant gouges in the topsides that need to be filled and fared and painted. Considering the bullet-proof nature of the hull, it wasn't the case of preventing sinking the boat, indeed all were way above the waterline, but rather they would be more in the nature of a cosmetic fix. It is a pretty straight forward procedure: a.) clean out the gouges; b.) outline with masking tape; c.) mix up some epoxy filler and apply it to the gouges; d.) smooth the filler; e.) let the filler harden; f.) sand off the excess and fare it; g.) remove residue with paint thinner; h.) paint. With all the dings and scratches on the hull that have been filled and paint and those which have not, it is getting to the time when a new paint job might be in ABISHAG's future. . . . . .right after Publishers Clearing House finds me!
Having re-caulked the seam in the cockpit Friday, I had to trim it out. This again had me removing the outline of masking tape, which prevents the caulking from just going anywhere it wants, and trimming away globs of stuff where it had unintentionally collected.Then the cockpit grating was put back in place and no one will ever be the wiser.
I am trying to get one more season out of the Bimini. It is old. It is made of vinyl. It had been exposed to the sun too long and has become brittle and inflexible and prone to tearing. There was one major tear where it rubs against part of the support frame and if left untreated, it will tear completely across. There are also several "pre-tears" that need to be addressed before the become the real thing. I could find nothing to deal with the situation, plus fact that I didn't have the coins to make the purchase of such a product . . . if it existed. There probably is something out there but I haven't found it. In the end, I used a roll of boot-stripe tape that I had in the "what-not" spare parts locker. It's the wrong color but "any port in a storm." It might work but then again it might not, I'll just have to wait and see. Doing the tape job was relatively easy as I took the Bimini off its frame. The toughest part was getting it back on again by myself. It just didn't want to cooperate at all and getting it done took longer than the entire "fixing part" of the project.If this tape works, i will try it on the cockpit cushions which are as old as the Bimini and in as rough shape.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will wash and wax the hull, which should insure some serious rain during the week.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
ABISHAG IS READY FOR THE WATER! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
The last of the odious tasks is done (bottom paint) and ABISHAG is ready for the water. True, there are a whole host of endless little tasks that can be done, will be done (eventually) and are being done, but for all intensive purposes, she is ready to go . . . . So, why haven't we gone?
The major hold-up is the fact that the wind generator is not back from its repair trip to Florida. I can't launch without the wind generator as it needs to be re-installed and tested before I depart for TYC.
Another "minor issue" is that the Lyme Railroad Bridge (draw) is broken again. Last fall, for the 10 day period before Columbus Day weekend, when a number of boats form the club trek north for the winter, there were issues with the same bridge. It spans the Connecticut River between Lyme and Old Saybrook and, with only 19 feet clearance in the down position, if it is not functioning, it can raise havoc with travel plans. Evidently last year's repair was a temporary fix. Being a rather old structure one can't by the necessary parts off the shelf to make a more substantial, permanent fix. I would presume that whoever owns the bridge felt that the trains using it had priority over the boats sailing under it. It makes sense, but now that their search for replacement part(s) has come up empty, new "custom" parts need to be fabricated and that takes time and money. They don't wish to operate the bridge too often less it get stuck in the raised position, shutting down the rail traffic between Boston and New York. I am not completely sure of the times but rather than opening on the half hour, trains permitting, it will open for an hour only two or three times a day. This will make the journey I would not tray to make the river passage at night so that means a daytime run. The bridge will be open from 6-6:30pm but it will me a transit to New London in twilight and eventual darkness. You also have to deal with the tides as you approach the Sound make trip just a little bit more of a challenge. One of the Club Members is making the trip sometime this weekend and I'll check with him to see how he handled it.
Until the wind generator gets back and installed, I will have to content myself with whittling away the "projects" list. Yesterday was spend ripping the caulking out of the seam of the hatch in the cockpit floor through which on can remove the engine. With dental pick and utility knife, I removed the caulking and then taped the edges of the seam and then put in new caulking. As always seems the case, no matter how careful I am, a get some caulking somewhere on my hands or arms or feet - somewhere - and leave little dabs of it everywhere until I see and clean it off. Then I have to go around and remove the trail of spots. Ah, such fun. I also washed the waterline. It had a two year build up of brown scum that resisted every single cleaning preparation. I came up with a new one, sand from the boatyard. I wet the waterline stripe down, picked up some sand, pit it on a sponge, rubbed it a p\bit and washed it off. And it worked. Go figure.
Fred came by and discussed re-doing the stuffing box pack and dismantling the flange that connects the shaft to the transmission and lubing it. Both have potential to grow into more projects than I would care to handle or would be competent to handle, and I already have a list. Oh, it is never ending. Perhaps we can tackle it before the wind generator gets back. Perhaps I'll win the Lottery. Who knows?
The last of the odious tasks is done (bottom paint) and ABISHAG is ready for the water. True, there are a whole host of endless little tasks that can be done, will be done (eventually) and are being done, but for all intensive purposes, she is ready to go . . . . So, why haven't we gone?
The major hold-up is the fact that the wind generator is not back from its repair trip to Florida. I can't launch without the wind generator as it needs to be re-installed and tested before I depart for TYC.
Another "minor issue" is that the Lyme Railroad Bridge (draw) is broken again. Last fall, for the 10 day period before Columbus Day weekend, when a number of boats form the club trek north for the winter, there were issues with the same bridge. It spans the Connecticut River between Lyme and Old Saybrook and, with only 19 feet clearance in the down position, if it is not functioning, it can raise havoc with travel plans. Evidently last year's repair was a temporary fix. Being a rather old structure one can't by the necessary parts off the shelf to make a more substantial, permanent fix. I would presume that whoever owns the bridge felt that the trains using it had priority over the boats sailing under it. It makes sense, but now that their search for replacement part(s) has come up empty, new "custom" parts need to be fabricated and that takes time and money. They don't wish to operate the bridge too often less it get stuck in the raised position, shutting down the rail traffic between Boston and New York. I am not completely sure of the times but rather than opening on the half hour, trains permitting, it will open for an hour only two or three times a day. This will make the journey I would not tray to make the river passage at night so that means a daytime run. The bridge will be open from 6-6:30pm but it will me a transit to New London in twilight and eventual darkness. You also have to deal with the tides as you approach the Sound make trip just a little bit more of a challenge. One of the Club Members is making the trip sometime this weekend and I'll check with him to see how he handled it.
Until the wind generator gets back and installed, I will have to content myself with whittling away the "projects" list. Yesterday was spend ripping the caulking out of the seam of the hatch in the cockpit floor through which on can remove the engine. With dental pick and utility knife, I removed the caulking and then taped the edges of the seam and then put in new caulking. As always seems the case, no matter how careful I am, a get some caulking somewhere on my hands or arms or feet - somewhere - and leave little dabs of it everywhere until I see and clean it off. Then I have to go around and remove the trail of spots. Ah, such fun. I also washed the waterline. It had a two year build up of brown scum that resisted every single cleaning preparation. I came up with a new one, sand from the boatyard. I wet the waterline stripe down, picked up some sand, pit it on a sponge, rubbed it a p\bit and washed it off. And it worked. Go figure.
Fred came by and discussed re-doing the stuffing box pack and dismantling the flange that connects the shaft to the transmission and lubing it. Both have potential to grow into more projects than I would care to handle or would be competent to handle, and I already have a list. Oh, it is never ending. Perhaps we can tackle it before the wind generator gets back. Perhaps I'll win the Lottery. Who knows?
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
I Still Have ll 10 Fingers!
SHIP'S LOG:
I spent yesterday helping Wayne lay the tile floor in the galley at TYC. Part of my task was to cut the porcelain tiles when they needed to be cut. Power-tools like the diamond-bladed Wet Saw for cutting the tile always scared the hell out of me, but after some very careful instruction from Wayne, it all went off without a hitch. Truth be told, there were only perhaps a dozen tiles that needed to be cut, the rest of the time was spent watching Wayne perform. With great care and efficiency, he set in place about 3/5 of the new floor. The rest will be done today and then grouted on Thursday. It is a nifty learning experience now added to my ever growing catalog of skills. True, I wouldn't jump right in a tackle such a job by myself but I wouldn't be afraid either.
I spent yesterday helping Wayne lay the tile floor in the galley at TYC. Part of my task was to cut the porcelain tiles when they needed to be cut. Power-tools like the diamond-bladed Wet Saw for cutting the tile always scared the hell out of me, but after some very careful instruction from Wayne, it all went off without a hitch. Truth be told, there were only perhaps a dozen tiles that needed to be cut, the rest of the time was spent watching Wayne perform. With great care and efficiency, he set in place about 3/5 of the new floor. The rest will be done today and then grouted on Thursday. It is a nifty learning experience now added to my ever growing catalog of skills. True, I wouldn't jump right in a tackle such a job by myself but I wouldn't be afraid either.
Monday, April 29, 2013
It Be Getting Closer
SHIP'S LOG:
Two days of working on ABISHAG were split by a day of working on the Galley down at TYC. Saturday was a real hammer. I never realized how much work it is to put in a floor. we have been going at it for three weekends straight now and this past Saturday, the concrete board was set in. I never knew there was such an item. It is concrete over a webbing or mesh of fiberglass the size of plywood. It had to be cut to fit (thank goodness we had someone who could actually do it right) then laid over a skim-coat of "mud." It was them nailed in place along the edges and then screwed firmly in place. I don't think that I have swung a hammer that much in my life. By the end of the day ,y arm was ready to fall off but the entire floor in all of its levels is done and awaits only the laying of the tiles on Tuesday. I'll be helping the floorman, Wayne, laying the tiles which probably means I hand him the tiles and try to stay out of his way.
Friday was a day of cleaning and dealing with the stuffing box. I got a late start as I had to pick up a friend at the Fishers Island Ferry terminal at 1:30 and so I didn't arrive at the boat until 3pm. The first task was the stuffing box. this ancient item allows the drive shaft from the engine to exit the boat and turn the prop without allowing water to gush in and sink the boat. There is a bronze item call a gland that fits over the shaft and into which one inserts several rings of "flax packing" filled with wax or grease. This is then slid down the shaft to the stuffing box and tightened down sufficiently to keep water from entering and lose enough to allow the shaft to turn without heating up. It is a simple procedure to replace the "packing" in most case but the design of the engine compartment in ABISHAgG is such that one has to lay-out over the engine to unscrew the gland and its locking nut and extract the packing. One extracts the packing with a packing tool which is basically a corkscrew on a cable. I used to have one when I had the 27 O'Day but it went with that boat when I made it a charitable donation for tax purposes. That'll give you and idea how long ago that was! I got the gland and locking nut off the stuffing box and cleans and lubed them but I was unable to extract the packing. The arrangement of the stuffing box was such that i couldn't even see the packing let alone extract it. Friend Fred has a "packing tool" and will bring it by on his next visit. Perhaps I'll just add grease and leave things as they are. After all, there was no problem that I could tell with the stuffing box and I was merely doing due diligence maintenance. But as they say in Maine, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
The rest of Friday was given over to cleaning the interior of the boat. Not only did the floors and walls need cleaning, so dis the lips and edges of all the hatches. Dirt and petro products and surprising odds and ends collect in and under the edges of all the hatches in the deck. Since you never see them, who thinks to clean them. Doing the first real major cleaning drove home just how much space there is in a 39' X 11'5" boat. And it was all done on hands and knees. what I wouldn't have given for a bucket and mop!
Sunday was the start of paint week. weather permitting, ABISHAG's bottom will be bright red by Friday and ready to enter the water. I had already removed all of the loose paint from the bottom and Sunday was given over to painting those spots. I used a "hard" bottom paint for these spots. It adheres better to the bottom and won't wear away like the ablative bottom paint that will go on. The hard bottom paint is blue in color and thicker in consistence so it builds up quicker and "fills in" better. The ablative paint is designed to "wear off" but the "hard bottom paint" will stay much more readily in place. I st no matter what I do. I still can't figure out why there are some places on ABISHAG's bottom where paint just doesn't stay. I suppose that with a Marine Unit, I could get some bottom paint removal chemicals and strip the entire bottom and them put down a barrier coat and all new paint, but then, I don't have a Marine Unit to play with. Hell, I had to raid my stash of quarters I use for doing laundry when I am living on the boat to come up with enough money to buy gas to get back to New London. Doing the bottom paint forced me to fix a gouge in the keel that was caused when I snagged a fishing wryer. The steel cable cut into the fiberglass enough to be noticeable but no enough to penetrate it deeply. I had sufficient underwater epoxy to fill it and then paint it.
The yard was filled with boat owners getting their crafts ready and I was unable to wash down the outsides of ABISHAG. The wind was honking and those doing varnishing and/or painting would not have appreciated the shower. It will have to wait for this week when I basically have the yard to myself. No word on the wind generator or when it may return. I am both eager for its return and dreading it. Eager, so that the batteries will stay topped up and dreading it as who knows what it will cost. What ever it is, it will be a major "ouch!"
Two days of working on ABISHAG were split by a day of working on the Galley down at TYC. Saturday was a real hammer. I never realized how much work it is to put in a floor. we have been going at it for three weekends straight now and this past Saturday, the concrete board was set in. I never knew there was such an item. It is concrete over a webbing or mesh of fiberglass the size of plywood. It had to be cut to fit (thank goodness we had someone who could actually do it right) then laid over a skim-coat of "mud." It was them nailed in place along the edges and then screwed firmly in place. I don't think that I have swung a hammer that much in my life. By the end of the day ,y arm was ready to fall off but the entire floor in all of its levels is done and awaits only the laying of the tiles on Tuesday. I'll be helping the floorman, Wayne, laying the tiles which probably means I hand him the tiles and try to stay out of his way.
Friday was a day of cleaning and dealing with the stuffing box. I got a late start as I had to pick up a friend at the Fishers Island Ferry terminal at 1:30 and so I didn't arrive at the boat until 3pm. The first task was the stuffing box. this ancient item allows the drive shaft from the engine to exit the boat and turn the prop without allowing water to gush in and sink the boat. There is a bronze item call a gland that fits over the shaft and into which one inserts several rings of "flax packing" filled with wax or grease. This is then slid down the shaft to the stuffing box and tightened down sufficiently to keep water from entering and lose enough to allow the shaft to turn without heating up. It is a simple procedure to replace the "packing" in most case but the design of the engine compartment in ABISHAgG is such that one has to lay-out over the engine to unscrew the gland and its locking nut and extract the packing. One extracts the packing with a packing tool which is basically a corkscrew on a cable. I used to have one when I had the 27 O'Day but it went with that boat when I made it a charitable donation for tax purposes. That'll give you and idea how long ago that was! I got the gland and locking nut off the stuffing box and cleans and lubed them but I was unable to extract the packing. The arrangement of the stuffing box was such that i couldn't even see the packing let alone extract it. Friend Fred has a "packing tool" and will bring it by on his next visit. Perhaps I'll just add grease and leave things as they are. After all, there was no problem that I could tell with the stuffing box and I was merely doing due diligence maintenance. But as they say in Maine, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
The rest of Friday was given over to cleaning the interior of the boat. Not only did the floors and walls need cleaning, so dis the lips and edges of all the hatches. Dirt and petro products and surprising odds and ends collect in and under the edges of all the hatches in the deck. Since you never see them, who thinks to clean them. Doing the first real major cleaning drove home just how much space there is in a 39' X 11'5" boat. And it was all done on hands and knees. what I wouldn't have given for a bucket and mop!
Sunday was the start of paint week. weather permitting, ABISHAG's bottom will be bright red by Friday and ready to enter the water. I had already removed all of the loose paint from the bottom and Sunday was given over to painting those spots. I used a "hard" bottom paint for these spots. It adheres better to the bottom and won't wear away like the ablative bottom paint that will go on. The hard bottom paint is blue in color and thicker in consistence so it builds up quicker and "fills in" better. The ablative paint is designed to "wear off" but the "hard bottom paint" will stay much more readily in place. I st no matter what I do. I still can't figure out why there are some places on ABISHAG's bottom where paint just doesn't stay. I suppose that with a Marine Unit, I could get some bottom paint removal chemicals and strip the entire bottom and them put down a barrier coat and all new paint, but then, I don't have a Marine Unit to play with. Hell, I had to raid my stash of quarters I use for doing laundry when I am living on the boat to come up with enough money to buy gas to get back to New London. Doing the bottom paint forced me to fix a gouge in the keel that was caused when I snagged a fishing wryer. The steel cable cut into the fiberglass enough to be noticeable but no enough to penetrate it deeply. I had sufficient underwater epoxy to fill it and then paint it.
The yard was filled with boat owners getting their crafts ready and I was unable to wash down the outsides of ABISHAG. The wind was honking and those doing varnishing and/or painting would not have appreciated the shower. It will have to wait for this week when I basically have the yard to myself. No word on the wind generator or when it may return. I am both eager for its return and dreading it. Eager, so that the batteries will stay topped up and dreading it as who knows what it will cost. What ever it is, it will be a major "ouch!"
Thursday, April 25, 2013
It's The Little Things That Count
SHIP'S LOG:
Yesterday was a day for doing several little things. None of major importance but things that needed to be done just the same. The largest of these was varnishing. The new caprail was stained the day before but it was yesterday that it got its three coats of varnish. It fairly sparkles. it looked so good that the rest of the caprail also got a coat of varnish as well. Right now the caprail looks very good though the new section makes the rest of the caprail look like it is in need. Perhaps next year if I still own ABISHAG, I will do the rest of the sections of the caprail though doing this section was so much fun, I am not sure that I could stand it.
Usually I let the teak on the exterior of the boat "go grey." Rather than paint, oil or varnish it, I let it take on the natural grey of teak exposed to weather. The teak deck has been untouched by me and will remain so as you can really paint teak as the oils leach out and prevent the paint from staying long. Oiling the teak makes it look nice for awhile, but the oil attracts dirt and you have to wash the deck regularly. this removes the softer parts of the teak and it quickly becomes time to replace it. If you varnish the teak deck, it really looks sharp but any moisture turns it into a very slippery and dangerous surface. In addition, the upkeep of the varnish can be a full-time job. Just letting it "go grey" - weathered - gives you what you most was, the best footing on deck when you need it.
I did however varnish the shroud rollers. These are teak tubes that en-capsule the forward two shrouds on the main mast which allow the Genoa sheets to slide easily without snagging when the boat is tacked. I didn't bother to sand them so that the varnish would give them the red-gold color of teak. The varnish in this case was merely to preserve the wood.
I also repainted the boot-stripe, the white band just below the caprail. Varnish drips, along with Gorrilla Clue overruns from the temporary fixes to the old caprail made it look bad. So I scraped off the drips, did a little sanding and slapped on the paint. ABISHAG looks just fine.
I found the screwdriver that the interior of the boat ate the other day. it is amazing how I can lose stuff in such a confined space. But what the boat gives back with one hand she takes away with the other.Some how a plastic container of paint brushes has gone missing. SIGH! They will turn up again, hopefully before I am force to go out and buy more.
One of the things that I must do every day now is cleanup. Each day when I finish up with whatever tasks are at hand, it takes about 30 minutes or so to put all the tools away in their proper paces, a tough thing sometimes when the boat hides some of them. Then it is necessary to vacuum the interior as an amazing amount of dirt finds its way aboard. The winds this spring have been rather spectacular. It is a bit unnerving at times to be sitting on ABISHAG and feel her rock ad sway in the wind. And the wind is coming out of the west for the most part which means right into the main cockpit hatch. And with it comes leaves and dust and all sorts of detritus. Left to accumulate, it will all turn into "dust rhinos" that will take a pitchfork to get rid of. The pollen has also started to fly as well and it really gets everywhere. How it gets into closed lockers is beyond me.
Next week will be "bottom painting week" and then its a matter of waiting for the wind generator to get back from its trip to Florida. Fred's assessment of the repair is that the repair company will charge $100 to open the box, $100 to install the $2 diode that burnt out, $100 to test it, and $100 to put it back in the box and ship it to Yankee. I tell that to everyone in the yard and they all laugh sadly, knowing from their own similar experience with marine repairs done by others, that it is too damn true!
Yesterday was a day for doing several little things. None of major importance but things that needed to be done just the same. The largest of these was varnishing. The new caprail was stained the day before but it was yesterday that it got its three coats of varnish. It fairly sparkles. it looked so good that the rest of the caprail also got a coat of varnish as well. Right now the caprail looks very good though the new section makes the rest of the caprail look like it is in need. Perhaps next year if I still own ABISHAG, I will do the rest of the sections of the caprail though doing this section was so much fun, I am not sure that I could stand it.
Usually I let the teak on the exterior of the boat "go grey." Rather than paint, oil or varnish it, I let it take on the natural grey of teak exposed to weather. The teak deck has been untouched by me and will remain so as you can really paint teak as the oils leach out and prevent the paint from staying long. Oiling the teak makes it look nice for awhile, but the oil attracts dirt and you have to wash the deck regularly. this removes the softer parts of the teak and it quickly becomes time to replace it. If you varnish the teak deck, it really looks sharp but any moisture turns it into a very slippery and dangerous surface. In addition, the upkeep of the varnish can be a full-time job. Just letting it "go grey" - weathered - gives you what you most was, the best footing on deck when you need it.
I did however varnish the shroud rollers. These are teak tubes that en-capsule the forward two shrouds on the main mast which allow the Genoa sheets to slide easily without snagging when the boat is tacked. I didn't bother to sand them so that the varnish would give them the red-gold color of teak. The varnish in this case was merely to preserve the wood.
I also repainted the boot-stripe, the white band just below the caprail. Varnish drips, along with Gorrilla Clue overruns from the temporary fixes to the old caprail made it look bad. So I scraped off the drips, did a little sanding and slapped on the paint. ABISHAG looks just fine.
I found the screwdriver that the interior of the boat ate the other day. it is amazing how I can lose stuff in such a confined space. But what the boat gives back with one hand she takes away with the other.Some how a plastic container of paint brushes has gone missing. SIGH! They will turn up again, hopefully before I am force to go out and buy more.
One of the things that I must do every day now is cleanup. Each day when I finish up with whatever tasks are at hand, it takes about 30 minutes or so to put all the tools away in their proper paces, a tough thing sometimes when the boat hides some of them. Then it is necessary to vacuum the interior as an amazing amount of dirt finds its way aboard. The winds this spring have been rather spectacular. It is a bit unnerving at times to be sitting on ABISHAG and feel her rock ad sway in the wind. And the wind is coming out of the west for the most part which means right into the main cockpit hatch. And with it comes leaves and dust and all sorts of detritus. Left to accumulate, it will all turn into "dust rhinos" that will take a pitchfork to get rid of. The pollen has also started to fly as well and it really gets everywhere. How it gets into closed lockers is beyond me.
Next week will be "bottom painting week" and then its a matter of waiting for the wind generator to get back from its trip to Florida. Fred's assessment of the repair is that the repair company will charge $100 to open the box, $100 to install the $2 diode that burnt out, $100 to test it, and $100 to put it back in the box and ship it to Yankee. I tell that to everyone in the yard and they all laugh sadly, knowing from their own similar experience with marine repairs done by others, that it is too damn true!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
It Is Getting Closer To Being Done!
SHIP'S LOG:
It actually turned out to be a rather nice day, well at least for a couple of hours around mid-day. When the wind stopped blowing, it really warmed up and made one lazy about working on the boat or anything else for that matter.
Yesterday was consumed with the port side caprail, all 11'3" of it. The five pieces of it, necessary to make it fit due to the curving of the hull, had been shaped and screwed in place with a bedding of vinyl adhesive sealer. The screw holes, which were counter-sunk, had all been bunged of filled with wood filler. All the gaps that existed between sections, which existed because I can't measure worth a damn, were filled with spacers and/or wood filler. The last few tasks needed to be done to finish it off.
The new rail had to be sanded, first to prepare it for staining and varnishing, and secondly, to shape it and bring it into a semi-matching state with the rest of the caprail. I had no tools aboard capable of doing the job, so I borrowed a belt sander from my good friend, Skip, who is also the source of the oak I used for the rail.
Even with the proper grit of course sand paper, the sanding was chore. The end results were far from perfect but they certainly are serviceable and now that it is stained, it really looks pretty good. All that remains to be done it the varnishing and the job will be complete. Next Spring, when it's varnishing time again, if I am unsatisfied with how the caprail looks after a season on the water, I will take more time to bring it into a more perfect match with the rest of the caprail. Then again, perhaps I will rip out the rest of the caprail and replace it and then bring it into match with the new section. Who knows? It is part of the fun of boating.
I got to sand the repair to a small ding on the hull that penetrated the gelcoat. It wasn't a dreaded blister and was easily repairable with epoxy. I also epoxied and sand the a place on the rudder where the wood was exposed and it's ready for painting.
But perhaps my greatest maintenance success was the boat hook. My poor boat hook has gone through a lot. The last survivor of boats hooks that made the trip south, It had been bent in half on the ICW and was repaired by Dave "Dr. Fix-it" Dixon in Beaufort, SC. His was an elegant fix in that he took part of a spar for an old sailing dingy the BYSC had laying around, cut it to size and inserted it into the tube of my boat hook and pop-riveted it in place. I didn't have an aluminum tube laying around but I did find a broom handle that someone broke and discarded. It wasn't a total fit but it was closed enough. Inserted into the boat hook tube and set in place with stainless steel machine screws, it was a good fix, though after two such fixes, I will probably loose it over board and have to buy a new one.
Today is a wash-out. Rain will prevent varnishing, inside or out, as well as hull painting. It will give me a chance to pick up a few small items that I still need. Wednesday promises to be sunny and bright and dry and so I will do the painting and outside varnishing, NOAA getting it right that is.
It actually turned out to be a rather nice day, well at least for a couple of hours around mid-day. When the wind stopped blowing, it really warmed up and made one lazy about working on the boat or anything else for that matter.
Yesterday was consumed with the port side caprail, all 11'3" of it. The five pieces of it, necessary to make it fit due to the curving of the hull, had been shaped and screwed in place with a bedding of vinyl adhesive sealer. The screw holes, which were counter-sunk, had all been bunged of filled with wood filler. All the gaps that existed between sections, which existed because I can't measure worth a damn, were filled with spacers and/or wood filler. The last few tasks needed to be done to finish it off.
The new rail had to be sanded, first to prepare it for staining and varnishing, and secondly, to shape it and bring it into a semi-matching state with the rest of the caprail. I had no tools aboard capable of doing the job, so I borrowed a belt sander from my good friend, Skip, who is also the source of the oak I used for the rail.
Even with the proper grit of course sand paper, the sanding was chore. The end results were far from perfect but they certainly are serviceable and now that it is stained, it really looks pretty good. All that remains to be done it the varnishing and the job will be complete. Next Spring, when it's varnishing time again, if I am unsatisfied with how the caprail looks after a season on the water, I will take more time to bring it into a more perfect match with the rest of the caprail. Then again, perhaps I will rip out the rest of the caprail and replace it and then bring it into match with the new section. Who knows? It is part of the fun of boating.
I got to sand the repair to a small ding on the hull that penetrated the gelcoat. It wasn't a dreaded blister and was easily repairable with epoxy. I also epoxied and sand the a place on the rudder where the wood was exposed and it's ready for painting.
But perhaps my greatest maintenance success was the boat hook. My poor boat hook has gone through a lot. The last survivor of boats hooks that made the trip south, It had been bent in half on the ICW and was repaired by Dave "Dr. Fix-it" Dixon in Beaufort, SC. His was an elegant fix in that he took part of a spar for an old sailing dingy the BYSC had laying around, cut it to size and inserted it into the tube of my boat hook and pop-riveted it in place. I didn't have an aluminum tube laying around but I did find a broom handle that someone broke and discarded. It wasn't a total fit but it was closed enough. Inserted into the boat hook tube and set in place with stainless steel machine screws, it was a good fix, though after two such fixes, I will probably loose it over board and have to buy a new one.
Today is a wash-out. Rain will prevent varnishing, inside or out, as well as hull painting. It will give me a chance to pick up a few small items that I still need. Wednesday promises to be sunny and bright and dry and so I will do the painting and outside varnishing, NOAA getting it right that is.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Little Things
SHIP'S LOG:
It was a beautiful day and I spent it doing a lot of little tasks on ABISHAG. The boatyard was over-run with boaters who had as yet done not one thing to get their boats ready for the season. True, the weather had a lot to do with it but this is a late time to get started. Then again, at least they are getting started. And there are still bunches of boats still all wrapped up, safe and snug, against a winter that is already gone.
None of the tasks today really caused me to break a sweat, but as with lots of boat jobs, they did all take longer than one would have thought. Despite, or perhaps in spite, of all my careful measuring of the wood for the new caprail, I had a pie-shaped gap between two sections that could not be ignored. Too big to fill with wood filler, it required the cutting a shaping of a piece to fit. I still have the teak remains of the old rail so I cut out an appropriately sized piece, trimmed it, set in in place, trimmed it again, and glued it in place. Along with inserting one piece, I had to trim off the fixes I made for similar gaps the other day. When this was done, the rail was ready for sanding which I will do today. Then it is stain it and varnish it and the job is done. Huzzah!
The area under the galley counter and sink, wherein formerly resided the water maker, is/was a rather abused spot that needed painting. Painting is often better than cleaning as many times, even after cleaning, painting is required to make something look descent. Again this was a simple task as I had a spray can of primer and a spray can of paint already, something that I had picked up for some project that didn't get done and is now forgotten. The fumes were awful but dissipated quickly and the finish coat was done and dry in 12 minutes. Anything is better than the fumes from the bilge paint which is still off-gassing.
The next job, though easy, was messy - cleaning and lubricating the winches and the shackles. Exposed as they are to the weather and the salt air, they need yearly cleaning and lubing or they don't work. It may actually be the reason why the main halyard winch will not turn when cranked. Perhaps corrosion has "welded" it in place. If i could get it off the mast I could find out but the stainless steel machine bolts that hold it to the aluminum mast are corroded in place and nothing I or Fred have tried will loosen them up. Hence, I can't solve the mystery of the non-function main halyard winch because I can not disassemble it "in situ."
The strange thing about lubricating grease, the very element that you put on something to make it move easily can/will/does turn in time into a think, sticky goop that actually retards movement. Disassembling a winch to clean and lube it, sometimes a fun job in and of itself, requires that you first that you clean it. If it hasn't been done in awhile, it requires cloths to wipe off the grease, "picks" to get the harden old grease out of those places where the cloth can't reach, and something to cut and remove the remains of the old grease and no matter how careful you are, grease gets everywhere. In the end you must give yourself to the mess knowing that you will eventually have to wash down the boat anyway.
Following the winches there comes the shackles. Shackles on the halyards, shackles on the topping lifts, shackles everywhere. And then there are the blocks: blocks on the Genoa track, blocks for the furling gear, blocks for the spinnaker,blocks for the outhauls. Lube, Lube, Lube! Not difficult work but messy, messy, messy.The trick in all the lubricating is not to use too much as it can be worse than not using enough. This flies in the face of the American ethic that if some is good, more must be better. In this case it is definitely not the case!
Monday's pan of attack is to sand down the new caprail. The next plan is to do the touch up sanding so that the rail is one continuous "perfect" rail from stem to stern. The plan then is to fill any remaining gaps with wood filler. Once that dries, the plan is then to stain the new wood and then varnish, always remembering that Custer had a plan too!
It was a beautiful day and I spent it doing a lot of little tasks on ABISHAG. The boatyard was over-run with boaters who had as yet done not one thing to get their boats ready for the season. True, the weather had a lot to do with it but this is a late time to get started. Then again, at least they are getting started. And there are still bunches of boats still all wrapped up, safe and snug, against a winter that is already gone.
None of the tasks today really caused me to break a sweat, but as with lots of boat jobs, they did all take longer than one would have thought. Despite, or perhaps in spite, of all my careful measuring of the wood for the new caprail, I had a pie-shaped gap between two sections that could not be ignored. Too big to fill with wood filler, it required the cutting a shaping of a piece to fit. I still have the teak remains of the old rail so I cut out an appropriately sized piece, trimmed it, set in in place, trimmed it again, and glued it in place. Along with inserting one piece, I had to trim off the fixes I made for similar gaps the other day. When this was done, the rail was ready for sanding which I will do today. Then it is stain it and varnish it and the job is done. Huzzah!
The area under the galley counter and sink, wherein formerly resided the water maker, is/was a rather abused spot that needed painting. Painting is often better than cleaning as many times, even after cleaning, painting is required to make something look descent. Again this was a simple task as I had a spray can of primer and a spray can of paint already, something that I had picked up for some project that didn't get done and is now forgotten. The fumes were awful but dissipated quickly and the finish coat was done and dry in 12 minutes. Anything is better than the fumes from the bilge paint which is still off-gassing.
The next job, though easy, was messy - cleaning and lubricating the winches and the shackles. Exposed as they are to the weather and the salt air, they need yearly cleaning and lubing or they don't work. It may actually be the reason why the main halyard winch will not turn when cranked. Perhaps corrosion has "welded" it in place. If i could get it off the mast I could find out but the stainless steel machine bolts that hold it to the aluminum mast are corroded in place and nothing I or Fred have tried will loosen them up. Hence, I can't solve the mystery of the non-function main halyard winch because I can not disassemble it "in situ."
The strange thing about lubricating grease, the very element that you put on something to make it move easily can/will/does turn in time into a think, sticky goop that actually retards movement. Disassembling a winch to clean and lube it, sometimes a fun job in and of itself, requires that you first that you clean it. If it hasn't been done in awhile, it requires cloths to wipe off the grease, "picks" to get the harden old grease out of those places where the cloth can't reach, and something to cut and remove the remains of the old grease and no matter how careful you are, grease gets everywhere. In the end you must give yourself to the mess knowing that you will eventually have to wash down the boat anyway.
Following the winches there comes the shackles. Shackles on the halyards, shackles on the topping lifts, shackles everywhere. And then there are the blocks: blocks on the Genoa track, blocks for the furling gear, blocks for the spinnaker,blocks for the outhauls. Lube, Lube, Lube! Not difficult work but messy, messy, messy.The trick in all the lubricating is not to use too much as it can be worse than not using enough. This flies in the face of the American ethic that if some is good, more must be better. In this case it is definitely not the case!
Monday's pan of attack is to sand down the new caprail. The next plan is to do the touch up sanding so that the rail is one continuous "perfect" rail from stem to stern. The plan then is to fill any remaining gaps with wood filler. Once that dries, the plan is then to stain the new wood and then varnish, always remembering that Custer had a plan too!
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