Cockpit Sonar

Well after nearly two years I finally moved the black and white sounder from the helm to the cockpit. There is nothing I hate more than drilling holes in fiberglass. For some reason no matter what I do I get chipping and cracking around the hole. I tape off and drill through the tape, use new sharp bits, keep the drill straight and steady. I have come to the conclusion I am just not meant to drill holes in my boat. With that said if I ever need holes drilled below or near the water line rest assured that it will not be me doing the drilling. Anyway, at least it is not cored or structural, and the mounts cover the unsightly details. She is all mounted and wired up to power and NMEA wires to the GPS. I just need to tighten the screws down once the silicone sets and tie down the excess wire under the second station in the cockpit. It will be so nice to just turn around and see bottom contour, depth, water temp, and location without having to run inside. Which I usually end up banging my head in the process. We should also be able to click off waypoints from the cockpit now as well. It is going to be a whole new experience this year...cockpit sounder, wireless VHF mike and remote control of the stereo all from the cockpit. Now all I need it three extra hands so that I can play with all my cool toys and fish at the same time!

New Radio Install

Well it was pretty cold...but once the heater was up and running for a little while the pilothouse and cockpit were somewhat warm. I stripped out the wiring from the old radio and fishfinder. I then cleaned up some wiring I left a little long in case I wanted to make changes and then began wiring up the new radio. I also connected all the NMEA wires for the GPS, fishfinder and radio so everything can communicate to each other. I still have to apply power to everything and make sure the connections are all correct but if I interpreted the manuals right the connections should all be good. I then re-tied all the wires back into one nice neat wire bundle. In the process of relocating the VHF antenna wire I discovered the solder on connector was not soldered all that well. Next trip down I will re-solder that connection and maybe I will see improved radio range from what I already think is pretty good range.

When I was running a new accessory, always on wire I noticed a pretty heave smell of gas. My fuel filters were very loose and actually dripping slowly. Only thing I could think of is that the gaskets had shrank from the recent cold weather. I tightened them up and they did not leak the rest of the day. Hopefully the cold weather is what caused this and hopefully only a little leaked out and still have a mostly full tank.

Remote PM???

Why yes! I just finished cleaning the portable head. I left it in the garage a few days in hopes it would clean itself but for some reason it did not. I made an executive decision...paint or clean the head. You would think that would be a no brainer and most would opt for painting but I have been painting for two days and nights and needed a break. It actually was not that bad, the tablets I have been adding each time it was emptied and filled with fresh water kill off any smell at all and leave a somewhat pleasant smell. It is the slush, chunks and color that are less desirable. Probably TMI but thought I would share. Well at least it is done and I can get on with the more fun and enjoyable projects.

More PM

Well I guess if you can't be on the water then the next best thing is being on the boat! I finished removing all items from the boat. It is amazing how much stuff you end up with, it is equally amazing that the boat still floats with all this stuff. Anyway I began the cleansing of the interior as well as electronics musical chairs. I removed the bracket and wiring for the old fish finder to make way for the new Uniden VHF. I installed the wireless second station charging cradle on the v-berth bulkhead and could not complete the wiring because they do not include an in-line fuse. Can you believe that, you spend over a hundred bucks for a second mic and they can't even give you a 2 dollar fuse holder. It is just as well since I really should install an new buss bar with power that is always on regardless of batter selector switch position. This mic needs to recharge and there is also a need for accessory power for other devices to keep memory so I will add that to the distribution panel next time. I also decided to try replacing the gimbel pins on two of the rod holders with stainless hardware in lieu of replacing the whole rod holder. Only time will tell if this will hold up to wire line trolling which is what busted out the pins in the first place. Hopefully they will hold up that way I can order a new Avet reel instead of two rod holders. I also vacuumed the whole interior, something that was long over due. Once all the other wiring and work is done inside I will wash down all interior surfaces and oil the teak. Hopefully between working on the house and 47 days left before launch I can get all the planned projects done this time.

Interior PM This Weekend

Well the outside of the boat is done and now it is on to the pilothouse and the rest of the inside. I hope to get down this weekend to do some more work in preparation for Winter Flounder season. It is only 63 days away and you would be amazed how fast 63 days slips by when your boat is not completely ready to back in the water. It is amazing how much stuff you acquire throughout the year. I now know why my fuel consumption went up...I have about an extra 100 pounds of gear from the previous year. Anyway I will be cleaning the fiberglass interior, cushions, windows, carpets, head, teak, etc. I was thinking of trying Interlux's teak products...Premium Teak Restorer and Premium Teak Oil. Anyone have experience with them? Please post comments good or bad.