What Else

I am at the point on the boat I am looking for things to do and trying not to spend any more money.  I ordered some basic replacement parts for the motor.  I had never changed the zinc on the motor so I figured it was due.  When I got the cover plate off there was nothing left inside, just the stud.  A new zinc and new gasket are now in place ready to go. 

I also ordered a new air filter element and a new thermostat.  The air element I needed as the original had turned to dust.  The thermostat was another of those items that I had never replaced but sure felt it was due.  To get to the thermostat the cover must be removed (arrow) then the thermostat replaced and a new gasket put in place.  I had all the parts on hand but then I took a closer look.  There was no way to get at that cover without removing the hard pressure fuel line that runs in front of the bolts.  That would mean bleeding the air back out of the lines.  Getting my  dry dock water tank set up and getting the motor running again to check everything out.  To the best of my knowledge the thermostat was working fine.  Water was flowing, etc.  This is a better job for later when I am on the water, or even if I start to have problems with it.  Right now it ain't broke, so I won't fix it.

The next little job I plan on this weekend is replacing the packing in the prop shaft drip gland.  Probably easier to due while out of the water.  However I don't even know if this needs to be replaced.  I really just want to unseize the nuts and get every thing lubed up with anti seize so if I do have a problem later I know I can get them apart.  It is a very difficult area to access with poor leverage and maneuverability.  While it is off I may as well repack it. You can just about make it out where the prop shaft exits the hull in this picture above.
The one that really needs attention is the rudder shaft.  This is almost impossible to get to. (picture on the right)  Even with the lockers completely empty  I can not get down far enough to get my hands and wrenches in there at the same time.  This would require cutting in an access panel in the floor of the cockpit.  Easy to do but the panels are expensive.  We will wait and see on that one.

Tidying Up - Loose Ends

Lots Tidying up loose ends on the boat.  I still had one area of electrical wires that I had not neatened up yet.  Under the new Cooler platform, a storage space had evolved into a Piccadilly Circus of wires and terminations.  There was a lot of excess wire in this area that would just have to remain coiled up.  I could re-terminate the ends and cut of the excess but I still may be making changes, additions, deletions, etc in the wiring so a little extra can't hurt.

There is also a requirement for vessels over 26 feet in length to post a placard of the proper Waste Discharge Laws and Oil Discharge Prohibition.  These can be purchased for less than $10.00 each but I decided to make my own.  I copied the required text and created the images.  I printed it on 3M clear adhesive film and applied it to 5"x8" pieces of thin aluminum sheet from the scrap bin.  4 mounting holes and four screws later, they are installed.  The Oil Discharge is mounted in the engine compartment and the Waste Discharge is mounted on the galley bulkhead.

The family made a weekend trip out to the coast to look at marinas to tie up that other loose end.  They ranged in price from $0 for a free mooring in the city of Washington to $300/mth at the higher end, full service marinas.  The Admiral was not impressed as most marinas/boat yards tend to be rough areas where dreams go to die a slow, expensive death.  Later in the day I was reminded of a sailing club I had heard about a couple years prior.  I had left it off the list due to distance and the reported wait list.  We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to see the club and meet some more of the members.  If the Admiral and First Mate are ever going to be involved with my passion for sailing, this would be the place.  Safe, family oriented.  A real sailing community.  A rare find in this world of bigger, better, faster.

Good Luck

The setting of a coin under the mast dates back thousands of years and is supposed to bring the vessel good luck.  There are two main competing theories.  First, that it was simply an offering to the Gods for safe passage.  The second, is more sobering.  The ritual is believed to have started with the Romans, whose custom it was to place a coin in the mouth of a dead person to pay Charon, the boatman who ferried the souls of the dead across the River Styx to Hades. So if something were to happen to the boat and she begins sailing under the water instead of on top of it, payment has already been made for all those unfortunate souls.

More importantly, the cautious boaters of today, realize that placing a coin under the mast is another way to earn points for the black box in which your boat’s luck is stored.  Returning the vessel to it's original name, as I plan on doing with the correct denaming and renaming ceremony, is also known to deposit points in the black box.

It is also tradition to set a coin that was minted in the year of launching.  Since my boat was built in 1969 and there is no absolute proof that it was launched then, I am using the year of construction vs 2013 when she will be relaunched.  In 1969 there were no coins minted in Hong Kong, believe it or not.  Since in 69' HK was still part of the Commonwealth, I took the liberty of searching for a British coin from 1969.  In our last trip there this past summer, on our last day there, I located two  10 pence coins from 1969.  These I set on the mast step plate in epoxy.  There is also some concern as to weather they should be placed tails up or heads up.  Having two coins the same, I took the middle road and set one with heads up and one with heads down.  I wonder if she will sail better on one tack or the other?  It turns out most people glue the coin in place with epoxy or 3M 5200 these days, but it does worry me though; I hope Charon can get it off should the need arise.

Nesting

Not a nesting dinghy, although I would like to build one very soon.  More like the nesting that happens before an impending birth.  That is what I feel is going on now.  No major stuff is being purchased or installed or modified.  Just little tweaks and touch ups.  I had two small pin prick holes in the paint on the deck I wanted to fill and touch up.  It was a weekend of mid 70's so the time was right.  I also took advantage of the warm temps to replace some of the pin stripe decal on the port bow.  I set my 1969 coins in epoxy on the mast step for good luck.  I also re attached the hardware on the forward hatch and reset the hardware, chocks on the bow.  The screw heads were not perfectly flush and I was worried about additional line chafe.  Most of the screws were removed and sanded on a little bit to get them sit recessed.

I finally after all these years began painting the underside of the main hatch.  The logical thing would have been to paint this when it was off the boat.  A comedy of errors prevented this and it was reinstalled on the boat unpainted.  That was nearly a year ago.  Now that is was always on the boat and always in an open position it was never in full view.  Out of sight, out of mind.  It has only been recently that I have been in the main cabin with the doors and hatch closed and the little heater going that it has stared me in the face.  The warm temps prompted me to apply some yacht enamel yesterday.  It is humid out so it did not dry fast enough for two coats but it will be in the 60's today so I should be able to get another coat on tonight.

The first mate has been working on the Admiral to replace the front v-berth cushions like we did the main saloon cushions.  When the Admiral and First Mate pair up the Captain is over ruled, at least while in dry dock.  So out again for more 4" foam.  The old foam was extracted and the covers washed.  The old foam might be the original 43 yr foam.  It definitely came from HK as Chinese writing was still visible.  It looked nasty and even if it was not original, it would have been at least 25 yrs old.  A little freshening seemed in order.

Finally there was some decorating going on.  I wanted some throw cushions of a certain size to add some color and the double as a pillow at night in the cabin.  I purchased 4 that fit the bill within 20 min.  I was informed that they would just not do when I proudly displayed my successful acquisition to the Admiral and First Mate.  3 hours of pillow shopping later, I now have 5 pillows of varying patterns and sizes, none of which I had originally intended on and I'm not sure will even work.  Pillows are an easy compromise.  They do not affect the performance or safety of the vessel.  See how much I have grown.

I also picked up a paper towel holder.  Simple, wood, mounted to the bulkhead.  Functional.

Ready to Roll

 My mast has a new berth.  It no longer resides in the basement hung from the rafters, forcing you to duck every time you go downstairs.  I had some friends over and together we organized a mast extraction through the basement window.  I had earlier in the day hooked the boat up to the truck and pulled it completely out of the tarp cover.  I set up two sets of block and tackle along the main ridge pole of the tarp structure and set two saw horses on the ground under neath them.  I further reinforced the tarp pole structure by tying off the four corners and putting cross ties between the two center pairs of poles so the middle did not bow out from the load.  This type of structure is not meant to carry a load, just a plastic tarp.  A 300 lb. wooden mast may be asking a bit much.

 We pulled the mast out and laid it on the horses.  I attached the tackle to two straps that I rigged around the mast.  I stopped to inform everyone that the structure may not hold and everyone should have an exit strategy worked out should failure occur.  We began to raise the mast by pulling on the 3:1 purchase tackle I had set up.  The tip was going up fine but the butt was having difficulty and was bending the pole almost to the point of failure.  We stopped and decided that we should redistribute the load better.  I had set the straps at thirds but obviously the base of the mast weighed more than the top so we shifted everything 3-4 feet and tried again. 

 This worked better and we had one person on each end pushing up as we pulled on the lines.  We got it up as high as the block and tackle would allow.  I went up and attached three tied down straps around the mast and ridge pole.  From either end on ladders we lifted/shouldered the mast up inch by inch and took up the slack in the tie down.  This way were able to raise it up a foot higher up to the peak and tie it off. 

 I climbed up on the boat and had someone back up the truck as I guided the mast over the center line of the boat.  Once everything was in place and cushions/pad set we manually lowered it a few inches to rest on the bow rail, coach roof and stern rail.  It was a nerve racking hour but everything worked out OK with no damage to boat or friends. 

 All that remains is finding a home port over the next month and trucking her out there.  Before that I have to figure out an electrical issue with the wiring on the trailer.  When I plug in the trailer the bakes go on.  Somewhere the brakes are seeing 12v all the time and locking up.  Unplug the trailer and the brakes go off.  The good news is the brakes work.  Each truck may be different, Ford, GM, etc. so I have to dope out which wire in the harness is the brakes and set it straight.

During the week I installed some brackets on the cradle so I could transport the boom safely .

Getting Comfortable

 I have been poking around ideas on how to best outfit the interior.  High on my list was new cushions in the cabin.  I am guessing the foam inside of them was original.  11 years ago when I got he boat the Admiral sewed new covers.  The foam inside stunk so bad we soaked them in the tub in a mild bleach solution to kill anything that might be growing.  We did this because buying new foam seemed kind of expensive and having just built the house we were watching the dollars more closely.  Now after the cushions residing in the basement for 10 years it was determined the covers needed to be washed and I wanted new foam in the two main cabin cushions.  I found 4 inch foam locally at a discount place and had new foam for both cushions for $70.00.  That's about 30% of what it should be.   So the boat has newly washed, fresh covers over nice new foam.  Then to go the extra mile the Admiral decided we needed fitted sheets and proceeded to make fitted sheets for all 4 cushions and is working on pads as well.  I will be looking around for 4 medium size salon cushions that can fit into a pillow case and double as a pillow at night.

My latest find was a hanging closet organizer to keep the the hanging locker from going to waste.  It fits perfectly and leaves room on the the side for a hung jacket.  There is also more room in behind it so i may add some hooks for hanging foulies.

To be seen

The Flag and staff are finished and I made a mounting base from Sappelli to add to the stern trim.  It is mounted with Silicone Bronze screws and then I bore a 1 inch dia hole to take the staff.  The staff is secured with a recessed ss screw in the base.  Now I can clip on the flag when on board and the staff will stay securely in place when I am not.

I picked up another AquaSignal Series 25 Anchor Light.  I then took it all apart and ripped out the guts so I could mount in my Bebe LED anchor light bulb.  These are made in Fiji by local people and shipped all over the world to sailors.  They are prized for their brightness and durability.  The Series 25 housing is just to give it some more protection from the elements but it could exist just fine as it is made.

I picked up a small diameter Master Lock will in the store to help keep the honest people honest.  i still need to improve the rubber stops that I made on the doors that no longer protect the paint job since I added this cam lock.  I am waiting to see if I leave the doors on when sailing in nice weather or take them off as I plan with the lift off hinges.

I also assembled the required flares and visual aids for coastal cruising and put into a plastic case I had.  There were actually flares on the boat when I bought it from 1981 and 1996.  They are only good for 3 years.

Moving In

The shelf has been remade with a cut out on the one side that doubles as a trash receptacle and gives access to the sink thru hull shut off.  The trash bag is a recycled grocery bag that is held up by 4 furniture leg pads inverted on the four corners.  The handles slip over the pads and are secured until removed.  Double bagging may be the best method in case of leaks.

I installed the final bit of wood trim at the companion way to clean up the edge.  The finished top step has been re-installed with a piece of traction tape for safety.  I began moving stuff on board now that all of the major work is complete.  Filling up the drawers and cupboards with the cruising/camping essentials.