After a somewhat drama filled first trip off the dock we made it to Florida and got hauled out just in time for an all time record breaking Arctic Intrusion to liven up my first day and a half under the boat. One amazing fact is what people think 3M 5200 adhesive will do for you. There are many things it won't do and I found one staring me in the face when I noticed some de-laminating at the base of the strut (where it is attached to the boat). When I stuck in a screwdriver I could see it was all gooped as a filler. 5200 is a very poor filler. With a couple hours in the bitter cold I was able with screwdriver (chisel/pry bar), hammer, knife, vise-grips get the at least 3 tubes of the crap out. When it warms up I'll get in there and grind it all clean then put in a proper filler. The strut itself looks good and secure from the bottom but I'll see if I can get a half a turn or so more on the nuts inside when I get that chance...and warmer please.
The next morning was sooo cold I found something to do inside, remove the exhaust elbow that had been so over-tightened it actually split the rubber. Because of that the aluminum housing elbow is suspect and may have to be replaced (update...does not need to be replaced). Next to that is the raw water intake hose and strainer, when I reached and grabbed hold of the hose to remove it from the thru-hull, it tore apart right where it attached to the thru-hull, again, over tightened. What was scariest of all was the first thru-hull I went to remove, up forward and "almost" in the sun was so lose that when I stuck in the nipple wrench and before I even went in the boat to put a wrench on the inside, the mushroom fitting began to unscrew and as my eyes bulged even further open it was completely out in 3 full turns....that's only three threads!!!! no bolts, no backing plate, nothing but fricken silicone!!!!
So glad we planned a short trip for our haul-out. The weather may not be as warm as we'd like but the boat surely needs our tender loving care. Of course this kind of stuff really is a big, very big step above, "tender loving care." This is boatyard heavy cost repairs that many have no clue how to do. I have the tools and a love for making things........better! My own Painkiller!
After it was cleaned...
What came out of that space from the inside...
What it kinda looked like from the outside.
The next morning was sooo cold I found something to do inside, remove the exhaust elbow that had been so over-tightened it actually split the rubber. Because of that the aluminum housing elbow is suspect and may have to be replaced (update...does not need to be replaced). Next to that is the raw water intake hose and strainer, when I reached and grabbed hold of the hose to remove it from the thru-hull, it tore apart right where it attached to the thru-hull, again, over tightened. What was scariest of all was the first thru-hull I went to remove, up forward and "almost" in the sun was so lose that when I stuck in the nipple wrench and before I even went in the boat to put a wrench on the inside, the mushroom fitting began to unscrew and as my eyes bulged even further open it was completely out in 3 full turns....that's only three threads!!!! no bolts, no backing plate, nothing but fricken silicone!!!!
So glad we planned a short trip for our haul-out. The weather may not be as warm as we'd like but the boat surely needs our tender loving care. Of course this kind of stuff really is a big, very big step above, "tender loving care." This is boatyard heavy cost repairs that many have no clue how to do. I have the tools and a love for making things........better! My own Painkiller!
I have personally witnessed your desire for, and capability of, making things "better".
ReplyDeleteYour boat is lucky to have you.
Some things just MUST be checked out. One has to know what you have under the water before you trust your life against the sea. Of course you can pay people to do this for you..........
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