Bottle Jack

Well, it wouldn't be a boat if everything was easy, now would it?

I loosened the prop, but need to unhook the coupling and slide the shaft forward before I can remove it, so I climbed into one of my cockpit lockers to see what tools I'd need. But when I looked at it, I noticed that the rear engine mounts bolt through the transmission. So, I can't just unbolt the transmission and pull it off.

At that point, I figured I'd give Boston another call for advice -- he's sorta my personal "boat talk" guy. Anyway, he said it shouldn't be too much of a problem and suggested I buy a small bottle jack to support the aft end of the engine so I can unbolt it from the engine mounts. I still need to figure out how to block up the jack, but I might have to go all the way down to the bottom of the bilge.

It looks like the weather should be okay tomorrow, so I'll see if I can get everything ready. I may or may not be able to get a bottle jack tomorrow, but there's another guy living on a boat here named Gary who offered to drive me down to a store to pick one up on Monday afternoon.

Gary's a neat guy. He teaches social studies in a Bronx high school, is a song writer, and lives on his 40' Beneteau. It's a beautiful boat, and seems like it's twice as wide as mine, especially inside. In fact it looks like a really nice Manhattan efficiency apartment inside. I still love my boat, but what a difference. I guess I just love pretty boats.

I love pretty women too, but as with boats, the prettier they are, the more dangerous they can be. I've got a good looking boat, but she's relatively safe. I'm not sure about Gary's boat, but she seems a bit too beamy for me -- built more for comfort than safety. She's more like a wide sled with a fin keel, whereas mine is much thinner and has a modified full keel with a swept forefoot. I'd actually prefer it wasn't swept quite as much as it is, but she still sails pretty well.