I did get a call Friday night from one of my boat neighbors because the front of my tarp was coming loose. He and another friend secured the front with random bits of string and advised me to fix it ASAP. That sure made me feel good all Friday night and Saturday morning as I listened to the winds howl...
In the past, I have rolled up a piece of strapping in the front edge of the tarp and clamped it all with spring clamps. This has always worked well and makes it really quick to open up. It is not going to work this year though. The problem is that the front of the structure is much wider than in years past and there is a lot more frontage for the Northeast winds to push against.
In a torrential downpour I secured the front of the tarp by wrapping the ends around the front pole and securing them to the bows. I alternated among the first three bows so as not to load up any one too much.
Last year I pulled the ends of the ground frame in towards the bow and you can see that last year's cover was a lot narrower and more pointed. You can also kind of see the clamping system I had.
So, I guess that means I won't be going in and out of the structure from the front as much. Luckily the back opens up nicely.
Today, after the heavy rains quit, I was able to draw some antifreeze into the raw water system using my nifty 'T' valve and spare hose. It took less than a minute. I put the end of the hose in the bottle. I threw the valve. I cranked the engine. The engine ran for about five seconds. The bottle was empty. I had antifreeze coming out the exhaust at the counter. Simple. I don't think I am going to worry about an oil change or adding Marvel Mystery Oil this year. The engine only ran for an hour and it still has a lot of MMO from last year's winterizing.
You can see in the picture all of the shavings from the bamboo plywood sole that is going in. I didn't have a chance to finish that up today. Its becoming a high priority item now though.
I also cleaned up and brought home all the extra lumber. I probably have enough to make a little workbench under the bow...
5 comments:
Looks cozy in there. A few lights, a radio, a work bench...your winter is all set!
With that fancy cover, why can't you work when it rains? Your overly delicate conviction?
Lights radio, workbench is exactly what is going through my mind. Whether setting up a real shop under the tarp is a good idea is another story.
The boat does stay very dry. Its going back and forth to the truck with the toolboxes that is killer. Especially when there is several inches of standing water under the boat. I was planning on working under the tarp Saturday but I got so drenched fixing the tarp that by the time I had showered, put on warm clothes and had a cup of cocoa all of my ambition had washed away...
Ambition can be so darn fleeting.
What you really need is a workshop IN the boat.
(note to self: next boat must be large enough to house its own workshop)
-MH
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