cockpit drain removal or HOLES IN YOUR BOAT!

Wow. We were really dreading the whole cockpit drain removal. I guess it's because it's a hole in the bottom of the boat. And holes just don't seem like things you'd want to find in your boat. But indeed, they have their place and purpose. I think the scariest thing about removing the cockpit drain was just not knowing exactly how you remove something like a cockpit drain. Trust me, there are no instructions on the internet. The best you can find is something along the lines of "....and then remove the cockpit drain. Now that the cockpit drain is removed you can begin....." That's about it.


So, here it is....the cockpit drain that we want to remove. Having no clues, we had to up and figure it out on our own.





We figured out this much: it would take some kind of wrench on the top part, from inside the boat, and some kind of wrench or tool on the bottom part, from underneath the boat.


The bottom looks like this.





A standard plumber's wrench would work on the top part, but with those weird keyholes in the bottom I was not sure how we'd be able to unscrew the whole contraption.





Old bike tool to the rescue! I found an old Park bicycle tool that I'm not even able to indentify. It must have been for some old, obscure parts, because I've been working on bikes for years and have never had a need for it. It was one of those that came with a bunch of tools a friend gave me. Well, now it's the official "cockpit drain removal tool." Hell to the yeah! :)


So, the next question is would it come loose easily, or would we tear up the boat trying to get it apart?





No worries....came out easily.





And I know exactly why it came out so easily....one word...one dreaded word for boat owners....





It was sealed with SILICONE.


Who in this world actually thinks silicone is for a below-the-waterline seal? The previous owner of my boat, that's who.


Once it came out, the last bit of keelson could be removed. Nasty, eh?





And all the fiberglass around the thru-hull (hole) was just perfect.


Nice job, Pam (inside the boat).





Nice job, Karen (underneath the boat).

sometimes beating things with a hammer works

The removal of Wahoo's rotten, or semi-rotten keelson has been a tough task. It's only rotten from the cockpit drain thru-hull about halfway up to the transom. The rotten stuff came out easily, naturally. The not-so-rotten wood? Well, not so easy. First, it's encased in fiberglass and polyester resin, and that stuff is hard. Had to cut the glass out first with the dremel.


Then....





Yeah, that did it. Beating the crap out of it with a hammer actually worked. Took about 3 hours total to get it all out and sanded down.


Here's what it looks like sans keelson.





VICTORY! :D It's a wonderful feeling to have it all out finally.


Boat work is in full swing now. It's warming up, and I'm motivated like never before.

no more dustbuster

Since starting work on Wahoo, which besides the complete reseal of the hull-to-deck joint has mostly been just removing rotten wood and grinding a whole lot of fiberglass, we've had to rely on a dustbuster to suck up all the glass dust, etc. It's one my grandfather gave me that you plug into the lighter in the car to get juice. It works pretty well, actually, but I was having to pull my truck right up next to the boat in order to use it. And hey, it is a dustbuster, and therefore not really intended to be used in the manner in which we have used it.


But no more, for last weekend we jumped up a level or two (or ten) in terms of sucking power when we got a wet-dry shop vacuum from Home Depot. Nice.








What sporty colors! It must be a racing vacuum. :D


Bring on the glass dust, baby. I'm ready!

Boat bling

My birthday was last week. I'll be honest, I'm not really liking this whole pushing 40 bit, but I guess it's better than the alternative. :D


The coolest birthday present I got was from my brother's girlfriend and all around kickass gal Christy. She snagged a most important piece of boat equipment for Wahoo.





Nice, eh? And I am certain that this will be the most used tool on the boat. :D


In other boat news, the garage/boat tent has truly proven it's worth....and then some. It's held up to three severe storms already with no sign of wear or damage at all. I'm impressed. And when I up and move to Florida in a few years, the whole contraption can come with me.

Another major boat repair item was also secured this week - a wet/dry shop vaccuum. Should make fiberglass dust cleanup go much quicker. Also got some replacement filters for the respirators. We are good to go for this weekend. Am really hoping to kick the repairs into high gear in the coming weeks. Wahoo won't fix herself, so I guess I better get after it. ;) Time to get out of Dodge.

Wahoo gets shelter

I bought Wahoo (not her official name....yet) back in July of '07. Since that time she has been sitting out in the elements behind the garage in the back yard. I've kept a series of blue tarps on her to protect her from well, mostly rain, as every drop that hits her top pretty much ends up in the cabin.

Let me state that while these blue tarps are really great and have kept Wahoo dry and mostly protected for months, the Louisiana sun and heat really eats them up quickly. You can get about a month of use before microscopic (and some not so small) tears begin to appear anywhere the tarp has been stretched.

And the worse thing about the tarps is you have to remove them all before you can really start working on the boat. And then, of course, put the tarps back on and secure them when you're done. It's a lengthy process. And one that while a pain in the butt, has kept Wahoo nice and dry.

So, I've been pondering what to do about some more permanent shelter for Wahoo as we go through the long process of complete sailboat restoration. Enter Tractor Supply. Minden just got a Tractor Supply. --Those of you not from Minden, or familiar with it, can't possibly fathom how great this is.-- Well, Tractor Supply has a portable canopy for about $89. And as an accessory you can get 4 walls and auger-type stakes to help hold it down.

So, yesterday Mom and I started construction on said canopy/garage. It took a few hours and there were a few moments of great frustration, but it all went up nicely, and with just the two of us to construct it.





And from the side...





And completely enclosed....





I think the neighbors will appreciate the new look...





Doesn't she look all nice and protected? I don't know this for sure, but I suspect this is the first covered shelter my poor little boat has ever had. S'okay little Wahoo....it's all better now.

This should make a huge difference in pretty much everything Wahoo-related.