...who is already out cruising. Actually we have yet to meet, but I read his blog and he reads ours. Anyway, he spends his summers working on boats to fill the cruising kitty. When the housing market fell on its butt taking the economy and Deb's job with it, we started thinking we might have to do something similar when we head out.
We may have to re-think that thought. I just spent 8 hours installing the V-drive in Kintala. I have never tangled with a job as utterly insane as this one...and I am a guy who has changed the outboard fuel cells in King Airs, the inboard fuel cells in Navajos, and done mag work and rigged the gear doors on early model Cessna 337s. Who ever designed the V-drive / bracket / up-side-down engine mount maze that is a Tartan 42 drive train is a severely damaged individual. I have, and I mean this literally, come out of street fights where I felt better than I do right now. Not the ones where you win after the other guy gets in a good lick or two. No, this is more like the ones where the other guy lays a serious beating upon you; makes you think about crawling under the bed with your buddy Jack and not coming up for air for days. My arms are scratched, torn and bleeding and the fingers on my left hand are numb. (Making it fun to try and type.) My left shoulder feels like its been dislocated and my back is threatening to revolt. Joints I didn't think I was using are bitching up a storm. As soon as I make the drive home the plan is to wash down a hand full of aspirin with a Rum & Coke and hope I can get out of bed come morning.
Fill the cruising kitty by working on boats? I'd rather get paid for evaluating experimental dental procedures.
But the good news is the V-drive is installed, the shaft is aligned (I think), the cooling loop is closed, and all 6 mounts are in. One more insanely hard day of effort, maybe two, and Kintala might actually be a boat again. That, or I will discover something that I don't know about yet, in which case I will still try and convince myself we are making progress.
Right now it is time to pack up, head home, nurse my wounds, and take a bit of joy out of a long, hard fought day. I'm pretty happy to have gotten this far this weekend.
Header 2021
2 comments:
Sounds like a normal day working on a boat.
If the people who designed the layout of equipment on a boat had to work on it and repair it things would be a lot different.
Everybody thinks I have a big boat, I wish that they would change my starboard water pump impeller for me. :(( ( which I have to do to have two engines again )
Glad you got the V drive back in.
Bill Kelleher
When you motor out the fairway, raise the sails and voluntarily kill the engine these days will be forgotten.
When you were writing about the vee drive 4 months ago things sounded a lot more bleak. Congrats....
When you get to Annapolis I can get you some work.....lol
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