Transmission on Hold

I got the engine mounts loosened and blocked up the aft end of the engine under the bell housing on Sunday. However, I wasn't able to free one of the bolts that attach the mounting brackets to the transmission, so I sprayed and tapped it and closed everything back up. I'd hoped to work on it again yesterday, but found out they were planning to move me to get another boat out some time this week.

They won't move her far, but I don't like the idea of having the engine supported by blocks on one end while she's bouncing around on uneven ground. That's just asking for trouble and these guys don't inspire me with that much confidence anyway, so I'll wait till we're settle again before I work on it again. I ended up having to pull all the drains, seacocks, drive shaft, and batteries in order to get to it. I'm sure glad we're having such nice weather, but I'm not sure what I'll do if it rains. Thankfully, none is in the forecast till the weekend.

Chainplate watch:

Since I can't work on the transmission right now, I decided to try to finish up the chainplates. I ordered the bits yesterday, so they should be here tomorrow. I also got them all cut today. They let me use their bandsaw, but the bar I had was too long to work by myself, seven feet, so I had to cut it in half by hand first. I used a hack saw and ruined two blades before I finally got through it. In fact, I had to walk down the the hardware store this morning and buy some new blades. I got a few extra just in case, but only used one and it still looks good.

I also bought more alcohol fuel since it was relatively cheap, and a new grabber tool I can use to clean out some debris in my water tank -- looks like some broken plastic. I have an old one, but since I use it to retrieve stuff I drop in the bilge, I decided not to use it in my water tank. I'll try to keep them separate. I might try to flush the tanks this evening.

Head watch:

I've decided to buy a flexible holding tank -- and just never use it. It will make me legal, and is probably the cheapest and easiest way to go right now. They tend to have pump out issues, but as long as you don't use it, you don't need to worry. I won't use it at sea, but will need to lock the seacock when in no discharge areas. A custom rigid tank would have been best, but those get expensive real quick. I'd tried to use a composting toilet, but don't have enough room in my head to mount and use it.

I'm still not sure how well the flexible tank will fit in the space I've got, but as long as I can get it hooked up and it works when and if they ever inspect me, it'll be fine. The inspection process is pretty simple, they just drop dye in the toilet and flush it, then if they see the dye in the water, they fine you -- about $2,000, I think.

Compass watch:

I've decided to buy a new dual-reading (can be read from both the cockpit and the cabin) bulkhead mounted compass. I have a binnacle one mounted at the wheel, but you have to be at the far aft end of the cockpit to read it. There's already a big round hole in the bulkhead where a compass was once mounted that I need to fix anyway, so I might as well mount something else there. Not only will it be much more convenient, it'll make the binnacle one unnecessary.

I've actually been considering getting rid of the wheel and going back to using a tiller, so this will make that decision easier too. My wind vane will work with either a wheel or tiller, and I already have a tiller -- it's for emergency use and looks like it's never been used -- so that's not a problem, but I think it actually works better with a tiller. I'd have to modify the hole in the cockpit sole, but that's not a big deal -- though it's more work than I want to try to do here.

Zoe watch:

I think it's time for another hair cut. It's not that hot, but she's been getting a little overheated during the afternoon, so I'm planning to trim her tonight once it cools down. She likes to hang out on the deck in the evening, but the mosquitoes have been so bad lately, that I've been trying to keep the hatches closed once the sun goes down. I walked around and got rid of most of the standing water, so hopefully it'll get better. It was pretty nice last night, but the breeze may have grounded them.