Friday, April 4, 2014

The Four Hour Job.....5 Days Later

Updated

....of actually disconnecting the engine hoses, throttle and transmission cables, fuel lines, grounding wires etc and be ready to lift the Wester Beast off and into the air free from it's motor mounts is a fairly accurate assessment of the actual time it takes. But that's not a cruisers reality.


   The first day (Monday and Tuesday) I tried with what I had on board, some block and tackle, pry bar and various blocks of salvaged woods from land. OH! Did I mention I'm doing this job while floating off of a mooring in the harbor?
     This was not enough ummff for me to work alone and comfortably hoist this beast into the sky for even the short time it takes to build a cradle under it. I also in this one day (cruiser time) managed to get most of the  actual fuel tank free of any straps and most wooded framework out of the way for the no doubt future flawless attempt to get it's 80 gallon mass past the moved engine, into the cabin, then out the companionway hatch to rest gently in the cockpit of my lovely yacht....stay tuned!


The next day was spent running around (backpack at the ready) on free buses out into the boon docks of Vero Beach to acquire the proper tool for the job...a one ton chain fall that a guy can trust while working alone under a Wester Beast of such proportions. $10 bucks a day rental.


   So the next day (Wednesday and Thursday) I managed to lift and lower the bitch, six or seven maybe nine times before I got the cradle high enough to clear the sole/floor. That's so I could roll the Wester Beast out of the way to make room for the fuel tank to breeze by when the time comes.



 Here it sits very comfortably on it's cradle that you can't see, along with the 1" PVC pipe under that cradle, that let me roll her on forward smashed up tight to the galley door. It's out the way.... but gawd almighty it's it's smack dab "in" the way!!!!


 After it was well situated and out of the way but also in our way,  jammed into the doorway forward, I was able to play around, at that end of fun day time, sloshing and mopping all the diesel after-math and debris with all the long lost screws and all the other shit that gets lost over the years under such a Wester Beast. !!!!But Wait!!!!!  The true meaning of this picture above is, this was the next morning after cleaning. The pink puddle is how much fuel (they dye it you know) leaked from the tank in 12 hours. Proof that these past two days, is a step in the right direction.....no matter how much one might think that it SUCKS!


  So now we come to the fifth day, which was basically all morning running around on buses (literally running with a chain hoist in a backpack so I could catch the return bus and not wait an hour) returning the hoist before being charged another day. Shit like that takes the wind out of your sails man, you need heavy get-er-done attitude after a morning like that. I prevailed....I siphoned out  approximately 50 gallons of diesel fuel into as many 5 gallon jugs as needed and filtered them too. At first I could put that little pink hose drawing diesel (see it?)  right into the filter on top of the jugs, but as the tank emptied I had to get lower, so here you see me filling a gallon jug one at a time and then filtering it into the endless jugs. Thanks Jay, my neighbor, for having a bunch of extra empty diesel jugs.

What a week it was....living the dream!

Update:    How nasty can the inside of a fuel tank look?


16 comments:

  1. What about the palm trees and thatched huts and hula girls and sunsets and Heinekens and tiki torches and conch burgers??

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    1. That's the life of Riley, I never met him.

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  2. You are crazy! Too much work!! Headed to Coconut Grove today then Miami Beach on Sunday! Can you row that hulk down here?

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    1. Too much work??? Oh, I guess I could of rented a condo and hired someone to rid me of this pest.......I'm talking about the leak of course.no reference to your past escapades.

      At this point, we'll be sitting here in Vero for awhile so if you don't go east or west and my stars get aligned and we head 'souther' for a crossing we may just meet up. You know we want to...I have a pest that MUST be dealt with.

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  3. Hey Ken I dig these blogs you have always been a true adventurer So impressive and admirable you need to eventually write a book:):)

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    1. Yeah, there's that book I've been meaning to write. Maybe when I get the tank back in.......

      Thanks Vinnie, glad your along for the ride. I still soooooo want to do a trip to Sicily with you, let me know when your ready!

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  4. I do believe that is the definition of nasty.

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  5. Question: Why would you not clean and repair the tank you have rather than buy two new ones, as I believe you intend to do?

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    1. Well the two tank plan is gone seeing how I removed the engine. Repairing corroded aluminum can be a lost cause. There are ways to cheat and beat, fiberglass, patches, etc. Do you know me as that kind of guy? I plan on cutting the bottom out today I hope, do a thorough examination of all the sides and see if it's not corroded too much inside, so a new bottom can be welded on after a thorough cleaning. Any questionable aluminum in there and it's a new tank....period!

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  6. Jee Wizzards Ken. That's a friggen project and a half bro, make it a two project - project, with the tight space and all. Your lucky you got the skills and knowledge. As you should know, there is no such thing as a couple hour project when working on anything mechanical. One hour turns to six, one day turns to five, two days turn to ten, it grows exponentially and will break a weaker man yourself. My hats off to your stick to it and not getting drunk under a palm tree in front of your new condo. I see conch burgers and Heineken as your reward.

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    1. There will be palm trees.....just later.

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  7. Ken your get it done attitude always marvels me! You get the dream, I know you do. I agree with Phfrankie that tank is nasty. Huge peace of mind finding and fixing that thing.

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    1. As you must know by know....this is playing to me. I'm loving my life to the fullest!

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  8. I admire your self-determination and go-get-em spirit. I'd love to spend a month with you out at sea but since I can barely, if I'm lucky, change a tire I'd be useless.

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  9. Thanks but I doubt that. You could help me with all the big words while I write "my" book!
    Loving your book Scott! I'm savoring it in between all the work when I take a break during the day with Vicky!

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