We have been on First Light for a few days, digging into the "TO DO" list while burning up vacation time I was about to lose. It has to be admitted I am slow getting back into the swing of all things boat. The first time I un-retired was to a boat yard for a Florida Summer workout. That stint included gutting and rewiring a Sport Fisher from fly bridge electronics to bilge pumps, anchor windlass to trim tabs. In between was every knik-knac a rich person wants: AC, Heat, TV, fancy lighting, sound system, electric head, router, and a humungous battery bank to make it all work while at anchor. (Don't ask me, I thought it was insane as well.) It was a big and involved job that took months.
The second time I un-retired was back to the same boat yard, a stint that lasted a year. No single big job, just a relentless stream of engine, electrical, electronic, fiberglass, and general maintenance work. This last time I un-retired was to an air-conditioned box stuffed with airplane parts that get fooled into thinking they are actually in the sky. The tools required to fly the SIM are an i-Pad filled with approach plates and lesson plans, and a pen. Indeed, in the going-on-three-years that this un-retirement has lasted, about the most difficult mechanical thing I have done is adjust the de-railer on a 21 speed bike. Something even easier than it sounds... and it sounds pretty easy. So being surrounded by more tools than most people now-a-days have ever seen, with a list of projects months long? It is fair to say I am feeling a bit out of practice. So I decided to hold the engine and wiring work for later and get warmed up with something simple.
Unlike Kintala, First Light has more than one way into the boat. The main one is two giant sliding doors that make up most of the aft wall of the salon. The second is a smaller door next to the (Inside!) helm station. After sitting for the better part of two years, all needed both hands and a bit of grunt to open and close. Why not start with something easy like cleaning and lubing the tracks? That was three days ago.
The doors do, in fact, now open with one hand. But… the main doors aft still don’t match edge to edge when closed. The latch doesn't latch and there is a gap in the middle. Simple fix, right? There has to be a ride-height adjustment on the door, just adjust it. Yeah. It came off missing one of two identical bits that the door edge rides on. A bit that apparently disappeared into the great blue somewhere as it isn't anywhere near the scene of the crime. Fabricating a new bit is no big deal, but a new bit identical to the old bit isn't going to fix the problem. The door will still ride too low. Fix? The old bits were 2 x 1/4 x 1/8 inch and glued to the carrier. Make new ones 2 x 1/4 x 1/4 and lift the door edge another 1/4 inch. Easy but...why are the doors that far out of whack?
The boat has been on the hard for two years. Can things have shifted that far? I don't think so, but it is possible. Is there some hidden structural problem with the doors that went undiscovered during the survey? I don't think so, but it is possible. In any case several attempts proved that the gluing the new bits in place proved inadequate. Some very careful sizing, drilling and countersinking was brought into play to mechanically support the adhesive.
Edit: We have since found this piece in a bucket of spare parts that might be missing from the doors. Anyone with previous experience please chime in...
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| The red arrows are pointing to the gap |
I did discover an actual structural problem while working on the doors. The (Inside!) helm station door has delaminated along its aft edge and there is no seal between the door and the cabin. It is an open no-toll highway for cold air (It's going to be 29º tonight) and insects. I have no clue how the door actually comes out of the track to be repaired. Is isn't something we will have the time for on this trip so figuring it out can wait until later.
We haven't been entirely stymied. The salon ceiling had ugly, broken, white accent strips that made the place look like a decrepit hunting trailer. They are now brown accent strips on a white ceiling sporting shiny hardware—pleasing the little bit of mechanic's OCD I carry around in my brain and evidence that we have actually accomplished something. Lines have been added to keep the flybridge drain water from staining the aft cabin wall with new lines replacing those on the flybridge cover.
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| Newly installed hoses down the side of the window |
We have also figured out why the hatch to the flybridge is so hard to open. Someone did a excellent job of routing out the track to a very tight tolerance with the slide brackets, apparently unaware that wood swells when it gets wet. A bit of sanding should take care of it.
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| The green arrow points to the slider and the groove it rides in |
Deb has been busy as well. One survey squawk was the lack of a barrier between the AC and DC portions of the breaker panel. Not something that was required when this boat was built. Several different marine electricians have suggested that the only fix is to rebuild the entire panel to meet the requirement. Something completely out of the question. We have come up with a different way to insulate the AC from the DC. One that includes a flexible insulation barrier fit and around the wiring maze and held in with snaps and/or Velcro. Since the sewing machine is still in St. Louis, the project won't be finished till the next trip and photos will be forthcoming.
The transition from cruising to being land-bound was jarring. Truth to tell, the only thing making it tolerable was the blessing of having taken up residence so near some of those we love most in the world. We are as fully assimilated back into land living as we are ever likely to be. Enough so that any abrupt shift back to cruising would have been a bit bumpy. That transition will be far more palatable spaced out over the months as we turn this old boat into our new (and part time) home. Another blessing for which to be grateful during this Thanksgiving week on the boat.
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