If you can dodge a wrench.....

That's right, I cannot play dodgeball according to Patches O'Hoolihan's training methods.  I had a bit of time after work so decided to go get a quick project done on the boat.  While I did get it accomplished, I also have a nice lump on my head from not dodging a wrench.  Ooops!

 I decided to put in the new cockpit drains.  I could have gone with plastic cockpit drains, but I have an aversion to plastic when it comes to drains and thru-hulls. Instead I went with bronze thru-hulls designed for below waterline.  The ones that were in the boat were of a very thin walled bronze, probably from a plumbing store, and not marine grade.  When I went to remove the old cockpit drain, I could not get the nut to move, which resulted in the lump on my head. Instead I took a screw driver and lightly hit the top of the cockpit drain.  It crumpled and split, which makes me very glad I replaced it.

 The only bad thing about using the thru-hulls is that they are not really flush.  They have a rounded flange, so it means that the cockpit may not entirely drain.  While this might be a slight annoyance, in the long run, it is not going to be a big deal.








In any case, after using 3M 4200 (the less permanent version of 5200), I think that they look pretty great.  I have yet to run the hoses so that the cockpit will actually drain somewhere other than the bilge, but that is a project for another day.

HALF SHELL NEWS!!!!

 I took some time on Monday to actually clean the bottom half of Half Shell.  Yes, I think that is going to be the dingy's name.  In any case, the dingy had something close to 20 years of growth from sitting on a beach upside down.  There was lichen growing on the bottom of the boat.  Just the pressure washer did a lot to clean the bottom of the boat, as the photo to the right illustrates.  Unfortunately it did not get the lichen off, because it had 20 years to cement itself to the gel coat.  I had to get a scrubbing pad out and go to town.  I know I took some gel coat off with the scrubbing pad, but darn the bottom of the dingy looks good.

I mean, come on, it looks almost as good as the freshly painted interior half of the dingy.  That is a great step though, because now I can put the dingy back together.  I have a new rub-rail and some stainless hardware to put it back together.  Hopefully this weekend it will be in one piece and ready for some bottom paint and oar locks.  We shall see though.