I walked down the driveway the other night, taking the trash to the curb and saw my old friend, the constellation Orion. I love watching Orion over the course of winter, noticing how it moves through the night sky, low on the horizon when it first appears and getting higher and higher over time. Then, of course, it is gone from view until next fall. Walking back up the driveway, I heard two more old friends, a pair of great horned owls. I like to believe it is the same pair. They have been here for a number of years and at times they wake me up at night. They must be very close to the house. I also notice the local squirrel population in my yard goes down when these two are around.
I like to go out once a month or so and plug in the battery charger to keep them up to snuff. This winter has made it especially hard to get out and check on her. All the boats are blocked up side by side and bow to stern, it is very tight between them. Add in a good amount of snow and cold weather and you end up with a problem. The snow slides off the shrink wrap from all the boats and creates miniature mountain ranges of ice that make it next to impossible to get between the boats or to work on them. I want to get the props off and checked and be ahead of the spring rush. Not sure if that will happen in time.
So, over the winter, I have been collecting parts I need for a launch this spring. First up is the port engine. Each fuel injector line has a metal and plastic support to limit vibration induced failure. But for some reason, the number six injector line is missing the support bracket. It was never there as far as I can tell. So, I managed to find a bracket, painted it and have that ready to go. I have all the engine zincs needed, including the generator. The hull zincs looked like they had life left in them, but I am not sure if they are zinc or magnesium. The boat came from fresh water, so there is a great chance these anodes are magnesium, useless in salt water. Better to change them and know for sure they are correct for us. A new pair of two-inch shaft zincs are also ready for installation.
Last year, the oil pressure sensor on the port engine went bad and I replaced it. One thing I never thought about was that before starting the engines, the monitors always showed an oil pressure of about thirty PSI. With the new sending unit, the port engine oil pressure is zero before starting and then goes to a normal reading when running. So, the starboard engine’s pressure sensor needs to be replaced, too. I have the new sensor ready to go. It’s not in a great spot, being located behind the after cooler, but at least I will be working between the engines and can kneel down. On the port side, I was working over the top of the engine upside down!
One problem I want to address this year is the sun glare in front of the helm area. The windshield is laid back at a steep angle and the helm area itself is a sparkling white gelcoat. It reflects on the windshield and reduces visibility. Last year, I cut a black silicone gasket sheet and used it to cover that area. It did cut down the glare, but it was also shiny and created its own problems. So, this winter I used that material as a template and cut some black foam board into shape. I will give that a try this season. If that doesn’t work, I will have to give in and paint the area flat black. I’m trying to avoid that because it is not an easy area to paint cleanly and it is hard to get directly behind the helm. It was actually an option the original owner did not select.
And last on my list, in addition to any routine maintenance ( cleaning and prepping for bottom paint, hull waxing, etc.), is a repair to the exhaust pipes at the transom exit. Last fall, when winterizing the boat, I noticed the starboard exhaust pipe had started to delaminate. I really don’t need exhaust water or fumes entering the hull while the engines are running, or any seawater entering while at rest! So, I will sand that area and use a good structural epoxy to repair that.
Now if only this weather would start cooperating!