Work interrelationships
25 May 2023 | Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand
Jay Brosius | bright sun, clear sky, 70s
Yesterday morning was the best weather day I have seen in NZ since arriving. A clear blue sky, small puffy clouds on the horizon, temperature in the mid 70s. Lot of work going on in the yard. Me, I spent the day inside preparing the boat for a new vinyl floor. Essentially the old floor needs repair in some places in order to be a good foundation for the new floor. I had to piece in some new vinyl into gaps in the old vinyl to get a smooth continuous surface. It also needs a thorough cleaning to ensure there is nothing on it that would interfere with adhesion. I write this at the beginning of the day, and so far the weather looks comparably good. Marvelous!
This vinyl install had to wait days till the battery install was finished so that I could use the room for the batteries to store things now on the salon floor to make way for the batteries. But when the electrician had some work delays, I tackled the toilet vacuum pump checkout. Hmmm, won’t cut off…must mean that there is a vacuum leak somewhere. So out came everything in that compartment to access and remove the pump for service. Fortunately I had a collection of spare parts I could use, new values and pump bellows, so I overhauled the pump using them, and cleaned out the chamber underneath. Yup, bald duckbill valves. Messy job! Reinstalled and connected up, it did pull a vacuum and cut off. However there is also a vacuum leak at the toilet base, which I have yet to tackle in order to do the floor. As often the case, a checkout can become a bigger job if things don’t check out.
And in the process of checking out the pump, I found water in the bilges in that compartment under where the pump sits. Obviously not sea water, had to be rainwater. I was pretty sure I knew the problem, the ring bolt at the bow on deck that went through to the inside for its nut and used to hold the lifeline forward ends had been overtightened when installed by the builder, causing a local minor dished spot in the deck I had noticed. Now the bolt’s old sealant was leaking, it had been poorly sealed, and with every rain the dish was collecting water, which ran down the bolt shaft and dripped into the hollow boat forepeak space below. From there it could start finding its way aft (a little leakage aft can notify that there is a problem forward). So I had to remove the ring bolt and find a way with better washers and sealant to fix that leak. Done.
Second problem was removing the water. Much of it was inaccessible, being at the bottom of a collision space sealed from the rest of the boat except by some seepage. My existing hand pumps could not reach it. So another trip to the boat parts store to see what they had as suitable resources. I found a nice portable submersible 12-volt pump that when fitted with a long hose and all taped to a staff could be extended down into that space. Success. I know the other bow is going to be the same, so I’ll have to repeat the ring bolt fix and pump-out on that side too. More time-absorbers not on the list.
Moving the sails back into the room where the pump is once the pump is good and the water is cleared from there and the forepeak space forward of it — I use that room as a sail locker — would clear the salon of bulky sails in bags so I could start flooring work.
See picture of today's salon. The tall blue bag with white sticking out in the background contains a small #2 working jib foresail, the yellow bag contains my main sail, the black bag with the center hole contains an asymmetrical spinnaker, the red bag contains the storm jib, the plastic bag in the foreground contains a parachute to use as a downwind sail (been around for a while but not tried yet), and the big grey foreground bag contains my genny foresail. The #1 working jib is hoisted and furled right now.
Amazing how many jobs interrelate and depend on each other.
The new solar panel has arrived, and the new davits frame in the rear is just about ready for it. They may come by today to start installation.