Well it's been a while since I reported in and work on Our Boat has dragged to a crawl.
I've been going through the items taken off Our Boat and trying to group them in plastic storage boxes that I hope to use for long term storage on Our Boat. For example all of the extra fuel filters, oil filters, impellers, belts and the like we purchased to bring Our Boat home are now together with some of the same items that were found on Our Boat when we cleaned her out.
There was a wooden box on Our Boat that at one time was used in a store that held sewing items that the previously owner used to hold screws, bolts, washers and the like. I moved the items from the wooden box, that allowed items to commingle, to 2 Stanley plastic, adjustable compartment boxes. It was interesting getting it all sorted out, but that is done.
We have made arrangements to have Ship Ahoy (I've got to find out what Ahoy is or means) do the complete job of detailing Our Boat which includes compounding, microfinish and polish. Michelle the company owner is tenatively scheduled for the beginning of April when the shrink wrap will come off and hopefully the weather will cooperate. In all honesty, that is quite a job and while my Admiral was willing to undertake the job, as I did other cleaning or more mechanical jobs, I didn't want her to get to a point of hating going to Our Boat because of all the work in bringing her back to the condition she, Our Boat, not the Admiral, should be in (I think the Admiral is in great shape already). So Ship Ahoy will do that job and at a very reasonable price (I think).
There is still plenty to do with refinishing all the brightwork, recaulking windows, just cleaning 25 years of use and bringing all the interior wood back with the shine and luster it should have. Cleaning all of the shelves, drawers, counter tops and other surfaces is a job, in and of itself.
We've also been hashing over a short list of boat names and will zero in on one shortly. While 'Our Boat' is definitive or descriptive of her, I think we need another name. The ones we are considering need to pass a couple of tests before we will fully consider a name. First it can't be too suggestive. I thought of 'Naked Boat' because she was really basic when we got her, but then Jane brought up that visitors might think that being naked on Our Boat was mandatory. With some visitors, well, we just probably wouldn't want to see that much, with others, we certainly might, but 'Naked Boat' was tabled. We're considering other names but the second test is, how many other boats are named with that name. NOAA has a site for all of the Documented Boats where you can check on a name. Since we are naming Our Boat for documentation purposes we don't want a name that 100 people have already used to name their boat. The third test is, how will it sound on the VHF radio when we are calling the Coast Guard or a bridge or something similar. I really don't want something cute or hard to understand.
We'll keep you posted on how we are doing and what name we come up with as soon as we do.
The last thing I've been working on is a list of what needs to be done to Our Boat both for the upcoming season and for the next 5 years as we prepare for our 1st big retirement trip of doing The Loop. Keep in mind that Our Boat was naked or bare bones when we bought her so items like a dingy will eventually need to be purchased. An integrated GPS system with radar and all the other goodies is on the list and we have plenty to do for just this coming season. I won't bore you with the whole 5 page list but I'll let you know what we address when we do address it.
Ed from Mobile Marine has been tackling some of the tasks.
I mentioned earlier in this blog the work that we thought the CT yard did, and didn't do. I found out that they may have packed the stuffing box, but used the wrong size packing. I don't know which is worse, not doing it or using the wrong material. Fortunately the shafts weren't scored. Another thing we found out when Ed pulled the shafts, he had to pull the wheels as well (for those that might not know the wheels are another name for propellers) to replace 2 pieces of very thick hose behind the packing gland, that the wheels were of 2 different pitches. I am beginning to wonder if the yard could do anything right. Maybe the previous owner didn't really care since he only used the engines and that doesn't mean he engaged the drive mechanisms, for about 20 hours a year.
When we filled up, after Our Boat was on the hard, there were 2 different amounts that went into the fuel tanks. We didn't think much about it at the time but the light bulb went off when we found out about the prop pitch. Both props are now the same pitch.
There are some other items Ed will tackle as the winter moves along and as I said, plenty of items Jane & I will tackle before the spring.
I've even got a job or 2 for our friend Glenn, who is a master cabinetmaker, although I don't know if the tasks will entail that level of craftsmanship, to handle. But it's nice to know he can handle that level of work.
His first task is to replace the bulkhead, this was mandated by the insurance company after the surveyor reported it, between the anchor chain locker and the forward cabin v-berth. A section has de-laminated and there is some rot that was caused by water either filtering down from the Sampson posts or thru the chain hauser. I've got 1 or 2 other tasks that Glenn can handle on my 5 page list.
Brother Zeke, no he isn't ordained, he's just a brother who isn't a blood brother, and no I don't mean he's not an Indian, although he isn't, we've just known each other since his older brother Mike, who is a blood brother to him, but of course not to me, although Mike is my brother too, and I got to know each other back about 51 years ago, will be helping with some electrical items we want to tackle. Zeke is trained in Electrical Engineering.
It is nice to have friends who can help out due to their levels of expertise.
I've talked to Zeke a little about a new electrical addition I want to make which would entail adding a starting battery to Our Boat. My thought is that currently we have a battery bank. This bank is used for everything from starting Our Boat to running Our Boat, and providing power if we want to anchor. Jane wants to anchor. So I need to make sure that the current bank will support that. I will also need to add an inverter so that the 12volt batteries will supply 110v if needed.
As a test, we thought that first we would pick a day and disconnect shore power, when we get to our summer dockage and just do a day and see what happens. If, while tied to the dock, but disconnected from power, we were to run the battery bank down, first; we would get to see how we are using our power and second; it doesn't have the same impact as being on the hook and running the batteries down. My idea of having a separated starting battery is that it would act like an insurance policy. IF the main bank is too low to start an engine, then switching over to the backup starting battery, would enable us to start an engine, then start the other engine and power back up the house bank.
Another alternative is to have one of those jump start portable systems and yet another would be to have an inexpensive generator, like you get from Harbor Feight, to act as a backup.
Discussion with Zeke will result in the right choice.
So, for now that's what's going on with Our Boat.
I'll report back as things further progress.
