August 23, 2010.

Life is good, but time is flying. We’ve been spending every extra minute working on the dodger and bimini. In the photos there doesn’t seem to be much progress being made, but there has been. I sprayed both units with Interprotect 2000 barrier coating. This will aid in sealing the fiberglass and adds another waterproof layer of protection before final paint.


Once the Interprotect was applied the added benefit was that several anomalies were readily apparent in the dodger’s finish. So on Sunday Christy and I applied some filler and spent several hours wet sanding in an effort to improve the surface’s finish. We ordered some special rubberized non skid paint for the top of the bimini so once that arrives, I can apply it and the bimini will be officially done. The weekend after next is our target installation date and we are SO ready to be done with this.

At work this week I had the opportunity to repower a customer’s sailboat. The old 18 horse diesel was taken out and replaced with a 29 horse, brand spankin’ new Yanmar diesel. I’ve pretty much had the project to myself and I have to say that I’m pretty proud as to how it’s going.


Once the old engine was removed I had to cut away a lot of the old engine bed to make room for some ½ inch aluminum “T” that will act as the mounting platform for the new engine. The new engine is 4 inches longer than the old one and I really had to rely on the old adage “measure 67 times, cut once”. The new engine fits like a glove. I had to send the prop shaft out to have 4 inches removed to accommodate the new, longer engine. There’s now less than an inch of shaft left between the dripless seal and the engine coupling. The engine was stripped in an effort to make getting it into its new home a little easier. It slipped in perfectly with loads of room to spare. It actually looked a little small in there for a while. Of course, now that the alternator, starter, exhaust manifold, primary fuel filter, electric fuel pump, water lift muffler, raw water strainer and associated hoses were all added the space is getting a little tight. But the important thing is that it all fit and is actually pretty user friendly so far as future servicing goes.

Back on our boat we made a bit of a discovery. The galley sink wasn’t draining so I thought it would be a simple matter to remedy the situation. I looked under the sink and was expecting to see the drain leave the sink and head straight down thru the hull. That would be normal, but evidently the Veranda is a little more special that we had realized.

I was surprised to find out that the drain made a 90 degree turn and headed for the engine room. WTF? I can’t believe in all these years I never noticed that before. I headed to the engine room and found that the drain was actually just over 12 feet long and traveled a slightly sloped path as it headed for a T in the drain line for a cockpit scupper. The entire sink drain was practically horizontal for over 10 feet. So, inanimate matter has been gradually building up in the entire length of the hose. Crap. Removing the drain hose and taking it outside and beating it on the dock would require a minimum of 4 hours. So I invented the Verand-o-Rooter. I took an electrical snake, put a heavy wrinkle in it, slipped on the spout from a silicon tube and bent the end of the snake over. I forced it up the drain line as far as I could and was pleased to find out that every time I withdrew it I was able to pull pieces of dead rodents or what ever disgusting shit was in the hose out into a bucket. The drain is now clear and the water disappears like it oughta.


While walking through one of the yards today I was struck by just how many cruising boats there are for sale here. Oversized anchors, wind generators, solar panels and dinghy davits are in evidence on

most of these boats. It’s ironic how 2 people can look at the same boat and while one person sees the end of a dream another person gazes and imagines the possibilities.