Ingrid, Bernd, Rachel, Liz and I took the boat out this afternoon. We had a nice motor out to the crossroads just prior to the st lucie inlet where we ran aground. We had a falling tide, so we called in tow boat us and got pulled off. We canceled the day sail idea and did a jib and jigger sail back to the marina. Folks enjoyed themselves despite the mishaps.

Well I completed my new head tank cover plate. The aluminum cover was even worse than I had thought. In addition to having disintegrating hose barbs, the entire cover was riddled with corrosion and more than a dozen pinholes. I am really glad I didn't try to repair. I ended up cutting up a 1/2 inch plastic breadboard and using PVC fittings to make hose connections. Plenty of 4200 for the perimeter seal, and despite a lot of goop mess, it is better than new.

Hopefully this is the last time I will be into this particular crevice of the boat.

I have pretty much worked my way through the entire boat, and yes I have worked on the head tank previously. This time, I had thought I would just clean up a little aluminum corrosion on the coverplate and cinch down the hoses. The cleaning part went easily, but when I tried to tighten the hose clamps, the aluminum fittings crushed. It took me the better part of 3 hours to get the bolts out and try to remove the cover. I quickly realized that I would have to temporarily remove some woodwork on the floor to accomplish this plate removat. Damn those boat designers! This needs a router, and not the wifi type.

My neighbor and I had a brain storming session and decided that rather than take the cover to a local metalshop and pay over 200 for a custom repair, I would rebuild the coverplate using starboard and PVC fittings from the local hardware store. I will let you know how that goes later.

If anyone is interested in a refurbished Groco EB electric head, let me know. I have it sitting on the dock, and my neighbors are suggesting I build a little shed over top and cut a half moon in the door.

Any crew member using that head in the middle of the night would wake the entire boat, and a few boats next to us in any anchorage. Once again I was on the hunt for a good quality manual head for a bargain price. I found one on Craigslist in Houston. The gentleman had purchased a Groco Type K back in 1985 for a boat he was building and never completed the project. The head was new in the original box for a 1/4 of the new price.

This new throne is a beauty and works wonderfully with a very quiet swish swish. I have it plumbed as a fresh water head, so she should be a very sweet addition to the Julie Ann.

For my first blog I thought I would share a major success regarding that necessary evil porcelain throne. No, not the type of cheer for a rewarding "sit and think", but a real capital upgrade. Julie Ann has the main head just off the starboard side of the salon, and has a second headless head up just foreward of the two state rooms. The problem with the head just off the galley/salon is that you have very little privacy with respect to any foul odors etc. The problem with the foreward head is that there was no throne!!

I am fortunate that I have two talents that blend perfectly with my passion for sailing. One, I can fix anything, two, I am pretty good at finding bargains. I found a used Groco EB electric head for a good price and took the plunge. Following rebuilding and painting, I got the beast installed. The only problem.... Push the button and it sounds like a freight train inside the boat. On to plan B.