Trip reports are usually interesting travelogue type articles. This isn't one of those. This is just a summary of our first trip up to take care of our new home, Asilo. Actually right now she is carrying the name "IInd Chance" and a hailing port of San Diego. And that won't change until the weather warms a bit.
This trip was about projects. The survey report had some recommended issues that need to be dealt with so we can report back to the insurance company. Nothing serious, mind you. Just a hose clamp here, a fire extinguisher there and the ever important placards. Yes, boat owners are required to post instructions about trash disposal, oil disposal and carbon monoxide dangers for the general non-boating public that may happen to board their boats. I say this because anyone who has a boaters safety card has been schooled and tested on these topics extensively. So I can only assume that these garish decals are for the innocent folks who happen to board my boat and immediately look for some engine oil to spill or start tossing garbage overboard. Sorry, I'm ranting.
Back to the projects!
Here's one I'm particularly proud of. That is the shower sump pump. The hose coming out of the top is new. The old one was cracked and spit water when the pump was run. This hose goes through a hole in the bulkhead, under the head and resurfaces under the sink where it makes a large loop and then exits through a hole in the side of the boat. Simple! Nope. The access to the pump end of the hose was easy, but the cabinet door opening under the sink is about eight inches square. And it swings on a hinge mounted at the bottom. So the first job is to remove the cabinet door. Four little screws. Simple! Not. Four little corroded in screws. But once they were out and the door was out of the way I weasled myself in enough to loosen the hose clamp and pull the hose off it's fitting. Then a messenger line was tied and taped on and the hose was out! Off to West Marine for some new hose. Nope, out of that size of that type of hose. But they had the much better quality, much more expensive hose of that dimension. Guess that'll have to do. Back to the boat, attach the messenger line to the new hose and start pulling and pushing the stiff hose into spaces unseen. Ultimately I had to reach into the hole in the bulkhead and grab the end of the hose. I'm imagining it's a bit like delivering a calf. Breech. But it's done! You should know that I chose this job to do because it looked like it would be a breeze. No sweat, I can have this done in less than an hour. Yeah. Just getting the cabinet door off took about an hour.
The moral of the story - as all boat owners, know any boat project will cost at least double the time and triple the money you budget for.
