Friday, February 1, 2008

Paying for it all

Not much to write again this week.

I worked a couple of extra days at work to help pay for my new rigging. All parts have been ordered and it should all be ready in 2-3 weeks. I dropped off the furler today.

I took some measurements and did some research on engine cables. I really only need a 36" cable for the throttle but it looks like I will have to settle for something a bit longer or buy through West Marine which advertises cables at about double everyone else's prices. I have some plans to go up to Maine later this month so I think I will stop by Hamilton Marine and pick up throttle and choke cables and a new throttle lever. I have some gift cards to use. A friend of mine in Maine has offered me a heavy shift lever designed to take an old style winch handle. I think I am going to use it for my transmission shifter.

The atomic four transmission shifting mechanism is pretty rough and takes a strong control. The original Triton shifter is a lever under the cockpit sole that actuates the engine mounted shift lever via a 3/4" OD iron pipe. I am going to use my friend's shift lever mounted on the cockpit side with a 'Z' shaped iron pipe. The actual actuating (?) will happen the roughly the same. I had to change it though because the new fuel tank is located right where the old shift lever was. Something had to give and it was the shifter. "Damn that it is all connected", as another friend of mine is commonly quoted. How true.

Otherwise, the boat seems to be handling the rough weather just fine. The tarps are holding up well despite my earlier concern. I checked one evening last week (I stop by the boatyard several times a week just to look). Some rough spots on the hull were highlighted by the low lying sun. Apparently when my sander was dying and I was persevering with half of the dual action mechanism not working I managed to sand some flat spots into the soft gel-coat. I have some long boarding in my future. I am thinking late February/ early March.

Em tasol wantoks

2 comments:

Tim said...

Pictures!? (Pretty please?)

Pictures are never boring even if they are of the same thing week after week.

Britton said...

Well, okay, but like I wrote, there hasn't been much action at the boatyard.