Saturday, May 03, 2008
Spring Check-out
Lousy weather sometimes makes for better boat projects. When I got down to the boat it was quite evident where the leak in my cabin originates. It looks very much like it is the forward mizzen shroud chainplate on the larboard side. I used some of that Captain Tolley's on it and instantly discovered that it disappeared down into the boat. So I got my putty knife out, and I scraped the seal away, loosened the turnbuckle and removed the shroud. Then I used the putty knife to lift the corner of the deck plate and cut through all the goo under there. A little pressure with a screw driver and the whole thing came up like a champ. Underneath was a sizeable and not particularly clean hole where the chain plate itself went through the deck. So I got out the ol' West Marine Silicone Caulk, laid down some goo, and screwed the whole thing back down to the deck. I left the shroud unattached to give the caulk a chance to cure before I put pressure on the seal. I'm also happy to report that the sealing work I did on the gate stancheons on the port side seem to have stopped the leak just aft of the port hanging locker. Those two leaks have been bugging me for a long time but I think I may have conquered them at long last. Only time and decks awash will tell.
I also did some work on the butterfly hatch, which is probably in need of recauking. We'll see what it looks like the next time it rains. Putting the cover on will probably help quite a bit too :)
The wine locker is partially loaded (pun intended). We were a little low on vodka and gin, though there was still plenty of Goslings' on board (and now there's even more). And of course the water situation was dire. I picked up some bottled water for drinking and ice cubes, and I did an initial flush of the water tank. Oh, and I rinsed and refilled the ice cube trays.
I did some systems testing too. I tuned up the HF rig, checked the radar unit, verified that all the navigation lights still work (always a pleasant surprise), checked the anchor light (I couldnt quite see teh anchor light, but something was drawing a half-amp!), and tested the new deck washdown system. I'm very pleased to report (smugly) that everything works as it should.
I did notice that the fan on the D700 was making an awful lot of noise but it seemed to quiet down. Maybe it just got a bit stuck over the winter.
I also did some work on the butterfly hatch, which is probably in need of recauking. We'll see what it looks like the next time it rains. Putting the cover on will probably help quite a bit too :)
The wine locker is partially loaded (pun intended). We were a little low on vodka and gin, though there was still plenty of Goslings' on board (and now there's even more). And of course the water situation was dire. I picked up some bottled water for drinking and ice cubes, and I did an initial flush of the water tank. Oh, and I rinsed and refilled the ice cube trays.
I did some systems testing too. I tuned up the HF rig, checked the radar unit, verified that all the navigation lights still work (always a pleasant surprise), checked the anchor light (I couldnt quite see teh anchor light, but something was drawing a half-amp!), and tested the new deck washdown system. I'm very pleased to report (smugly) that everything works as it should.
I did notice that the fan on the D700 was making an awful lot of noise but it seemed to quiet down. Maybe it just got a bit stuck over the winter.
