August 20, 2008.

Thankfully we’re back to the grind of working on the boat. The week in Jersey and then the quick romp out to Penn State were exhausting.

I’ve got the watermaker installation almost complete. I’ve got all the components installed and have all the plumbing lines done. The sea strainer, the low pressure pump, 2 pre filters and various valves are all below the sink in the forward head. The hefty high pressure pump is behind a false drawer that hides the guts of the bow thruster. The membranes that actually produce the fresh water are bolted to a bulkhead in a forward hanging locker.
So the components are pretty much scattered about, but the end result is a pretty slick installation.

I decided to plumb the product water line straight to a dedicated faucet at the galley sink. When you start to make water the first few minutes of production are pretty much wasted. We intend to collect this water for washing clothes and other chores. As the water comes from this new dedicated tap we have a meter to check the quality until its drinkable. Then we just have to flip a single lever under the sink and the product water will flow straight into our water tank. The new tap gives Christy the option of filling any water bottles and jugs directly from the watermaker before it reaches the tank. She’s happy, I’m happy.

I was finally able to locate the type of grease required by the Max Prop. So the prop is greased and the new zincs have been installed. I also got the third coat of Cetol on the rub and toe rails. After that I sanded the rest of the topside wood and got 2 coats of Cetol on all of it as well.

Tonight after showering I found that the sump pump wasn’t working. That meant I had an inch of standing water in the shower stall. Crap. So I got out my meter and checked the breaker, yup, power was fine. Then I checked it at the switch, power there too. Crap. Next was to check it at the pump and yup, power there too. Shit. That meant the pump itself was dead.

I figured that hopefully the pump was clogged with enough hair to make it seize up. Be careful what you wish for. I’m practically standing on my head in the engine room dissembling the pump when I discover that it was jammed with hair. In fact there was so much hair I might be able to pass it off as another Bigfoot body. It certainly smelled like a mythical five hundred pound swamp dweller. So I was freshly showered, yet sweating profusely, while standing on my head and fondling the remains of a five hundred pound swamp dweller. Yet another day in paradise. On the bright side though, the pump went back together like it was supposed to and it even works. I don’t mind repairs that are cheap.

A quick side bar about living on the boat while it’s on the hard. Tucker has mastered the fine art of relieving himself on the bow of the boat. He only does it once in a while but at least if he has to go, he does. Now that we’re not in the water anymore it’s not all that great but it’s not like I can ask him to unlearn this new behavior.

In the water, when he goes, it’s a simple matter to go forward and flip his tiny Schnauzer turd over the side. Then a quick shot with the anchor wash down pump and all is clean again. I’d have a pile of turds next to the boat if I did that now so I have to use a bag and collect his gifts. Then I have to run the garden hose from the spigot on the ground. I suppose it could be worse, he could be a pony.