Saturday, October 26, 2013

What worked and what didn't

Well after nearly 3 months absence from the boat, I got to see some of the results of my labor.
What worked
Getting rid of leaks. This was a biggie. Last time I was at the boat, I fixed a blocked scupper in the cockpit and as a result I had about 30 buckets of water to clear out of the bilge. This time I had virtually nothing there. That doesn't mean to say that I am finished in this department.

Solar fan. When I opened the boat up, there was no smell. Unbelievable! So I will be getting more of these fans. I was tossing up whether or not to get some dorade vents or solar fans, but I am tending towards the solar fans.

New upholstery fabric covers for cushions. These came out looking really good. I was not sure whether or not the fabric I picked out would be any good or not but as it turned out they look super. Thanks Dorothy.

Led light stick. Really strong light and just a few dollars. I have played around with different forms of lighting and really like these light sticks. They have a strong magnet on one end so they will stick to anything metallic. Here am I replacing my bilge pump with one of those light sticks stuck to the fuel tank.

What didn't work
Coating on bowsprit. I am going to have to do some serious work on my new bowsprit next time I come to the boat. It looks terrible.
Glass for oil lamp. I looked around for a glass chimney for the oil lamp above the stove and ordered the smallest one I could find. It is still too big. Back to the drawing board. It fits upside down!

Port hole covers - did someone say termites? I tried a short term fix for the keeping the port holes dry with plastic and zip ties. Only half of them stayed on.
Unfortunately I found evidence of insect activity on the microwave that sits under a porthole. The wood is damp and this could indicate that I have a serious problem developing. I need to raise this issue to the top of my to do list.
One small project that I managed to complete while I was at the boat was replacing the Whale gusher bilge pump in the cockpit.
I had messed around with the old one and finally decided I would just replace the whole jolly lot.
I am not sure what this piece of paper is but I think they are called directions.
You have to act like Houdini in the enclosed space next to the engine. I am glad I am small.
While I was there, I exercised the 40 year old sea cocks.
This one has seen better days. I really need to look around for a replacement.
One wooden object on the boat, still baffles me. I still have yet to work out what it is for. There are 2 of them either side of the boom crutch.
Goodbye Onapua. See you in another couple of months.

1 comment:

  1. Peter,

    Those mysterious blocks of wood are likely there to support the aft end of a bimini or sun shade which when rolled up around a pole can be tied in place on the gallows.

    Maybe?

    Werner

    ReplyDelete

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