well, here we go

[jim rosenthal]

List for this weekend: new trim tab cylinders (after trimming the mounting ears on the new ones to fit; evidently Boat Leveler has now made them thicker), a new depth sounder transducer, and finishing the replacement of that seawater intake hose I started.

It does not feel much like spring here in Annapolis; it is wet and gray and cool. Nearly April, but it still feels like early March. Blue Note's launch this year is complicated by the departure of my usual canvas folks who take the winter cover off and store it for me; had to find new people on short notice. Now we are supposed to get rain or snow on Tuesday, so she's not going in right away. The yard still has to paint the bottom and the running gear, and replace the zincs.

But since the Earth continues to go around the sun, spring will inevitably appear, and boating season WILL begin.

I keep telling myself that. If I do it enough, I will believe it. I think. Meanwhile I am going to attend the ritual spring sock-burning in Eastport, hoping it will attract good mojo to my boating efforts.

 

[SeaEric]

Meanwhile I am going to attend the ritual spring sock-burning in Eastport, hoping it will attract good mojo to my boating efforts.

I have never attended that particular event but I assumed that it mostly attracted stoners and drunks. Perhaps I'm wrong? We want a full report.

 

[Artzco]

Good luck and hang in there Jim. Spring is very close. We have our sock burning party in next few weeks.

 

[bobk]

Geez, we Floridians are missing out. We don't have sock burning parties here. Hmmm. Oh, we never wear socks

 

[jim rosenthal]

Actually, this party was at the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Eastport, and was attended by quite a few people- they sold out of tickets. (I had an in and got one before they were all gone) Not too many stoners and drunks but quite a few families with children, big and small, live music, and quite good food including a lot of roasted oysters. The museum is worth a look- small but some nice exhibits and the setting and view of the water are peerless. A splendid time was guaranteed for all, and had by all.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, sorry the boatyard, the trim tabs are done (except for attaching the cylinders to the tabs themselves, for which I am going to wait until the tabs etc are painted) On to the next jobs, which are to finish the replacement seawater hose for the port engine, and to replace the depthsounder transducer. This may be interesting. It's been in there a LONG time.

I forgot to mention that one of my friends considerately brought a pair of socks with the name of a local EM practice on them. Right into the fire, they went.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Two down, one to go. The new seawater hoses for the port engine are in and squared away. AND, the old depth sounder transducer is out of the boat, but not without a fight. Some idiot (me for example) installed it with 5200 years ago before I knew better. The fairing block will have to be made over, which I don't think is too much of a problem; I still have a couple of days off. And fortunately the hole in the boat is the correct size for the new transducer sleeve.

Airmar has made some improvements in the way they do all this (these are probably not new, I just haven't had to buy a new transducer in a while): the system is now modular in the sense that you put a sleeve into the boat which will fit several different transducers, and they all have a short (6 ft) cord on them which in turn plugs into a cable that has a matching plug on one end and a termination for the brand of depth sounder or fishfinder that you have. You can also remove the transducer with the boat in the water and put a blanking plug in.

I will not install the new sleeve with 5200. If I were doing this from scratch, I would get a tilted-array transducer, but it is easier to just make up a new fairing block than to try to get the old inside fairing block out, too. That one, of course, was also installed with 5200 by someone who will remain nameless, and will probably be there long after I exit the building.

 

[q240z]

I absolutely second your sentiments about this bloody winter, Jim. I didn't realize my Roamer was in the swampy part of the yard until the water table came up from the second snow storm. It just won't go away, and it's RIGHT where I need to be to install the shafts!

Good job on the pre-launch work. 5200 and silicone are two things I don't allow on any of my boats, but I'm pretty sure everybody's made the mistake of trying it at least once.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

4200 is the right caulk except where the sun shines on the caulk, (Florida). For exposed areas 4000 works great. 4000 isn't very popular so make sure you get fresh stuff.......Isn't global warming wonderful.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I have most of this tube left over from doing the trim tabs. Biggest thing is going to be making up the fairing block. Next time I do this, it's going to be a tilted array mounted straight into the boat's hull with no fairing block. Mind you, I hope that's not soon.

What's really funny about this is that I can only run one depthsounder at a time if they are both set on 200kHz. If I run them at the same time, they see each others echoes and get confused. So the video sounder has to be set on 50kHz- where it's less accurate in shallow water.

The one that I am working on is a stand-alone which just does digital depth. I don't know about how others feel, but I am not willing to rely on having only a depth sounder which is part of an integrated system. (and takes up part of the display screen for navigation, too) I would rather have some backup depth information.

 

[jim rosenthal]

A hitch in the proceedings due to lousy weather (and SNOW predicted this afternoon, can you believe it?) also the need for new fairing blocks, kindly made up on short notice by Eric Jans, from specs courtesy of Slane Marine. These are now on the dining room table with epoxy drying on them. Depending on how rotten the weather gets here, I may be able to trial fit them this afternoon.

The English term for a trial fitting is "offering up", which seems peculiarly appropriate given the number of offerings we make to our boats.....anyway, if the 15 degree one fits as it ought to, I may be able to get the bronze transducer sleeve installed this afternoon, which would be very nice. I still have to pull the new cable through the boat using the old one as a guide.

I can't tell if the light at the end of the tunnel is actually the end, or a locomotive coming towards me, but I might know soon....

 

[jim rosenthal]

Progress: trim tabs in and working (and a tip of the hat to Brian at Boat Leveler, for getting parts to me ASAP) so I could rebuild the trim cylinder that was already in place. Also a hat tip to Dean's Yacht Services, Jabin's Yacht Yard, Annapolis, who got the winter cover and frame off in record time, and the yard crew at Smith's Marina in Crownsville, MD, who have squared away the bottom. Only thing left is to wash and AwlCare the hull, and in she goes. Dean's is also going to do the topsides spring cleanup, I think.

There was an article in one of the recent issues of PropTalk, a Bay magazine, about Smith's; turns out this year is their eightieth year in the same family, the third generation now running it. Nice folks, and a competent and absolutely honest boatyard.

I still have to pull the new transducer cable through the boat, using the old one. That's for this evening, I think, unless I decide to screw off and go to the blues jam instead and play some guitar. An ever-present hazard on Weds night.

 

[q240z]

Excellent!

You'll have your boat splashed in no time. When you're done, if you find yourself twiddling your thumbs, I've got a few things that could occupy your spare time.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I'm sure you do. I'll make it a point to run down there and pitch in. Just let me get through a few thousand other things up here.