I spent some quality time working on the starboard door a while ago. That post is here.
I took advantage of the good weather last weekend and got the port door done also. This door was quite a bit easier. Just a bit of sanding and spraying on the outside, and a quick wipe with polyurethane on the inside.
Now that we are all caught up with what has been going on, I want to close the loop on a few recent posts …
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We installed trim tabs on our dinghy earlier this year. Since then, we’ve used it for short trips and a few longer cruises. Do I think it is an improvement? I don’t know. It is a nice stable ride and it planes easily. But, the trim tabs sort of turn a sporty car into a station wagon. And it is slower. We lose about 4 knots of speed. And I like speed in a dinghy.
This is going to be a long post about an exciting subject. Fortunately, I included lots of photos so it shouldn’t be too painful.
The starboard door developed a crack in the wood right on the edge by the lock. It’s been this way for about a year. This was the first chance I’ve had to tackle the problem and fix it for good. At least I hope I fixed it for good. You can see in this photo near the lock that the paint was failing. I knew that I would have to take it all off and repaint the door. And of course, then I would have to strip and varnish the trim around the window. That’s why I had to wait until I had a few weekends available. It was not a hard project, but waiting between coats of CPES, primer, paint, and varnish meant it would take some time to complete.
Disclaimer: I try to do the best job I can when it comes to boat projects. I don’t always know what I am doing, though. Since that doesn’t stop me, consider my efforts suspect until validated by a competent authority.
Cam at West Coast Marine Diesel noticed the port engine was vibrating left and right a bit when were in Sidney. After further investigation, he recommended we replace our engine mounts. We replaced the prop shaft and cutlass bearings on the port side two years ago. We certainly don’t want engine vibration to damage any of that rather expensive work. We also have no idea how long the current mounts have been on the boat. For all we know they could be the original mounts. Replacing them seems like a reasonable thing to do. And, of course, it is another project for me.
The paint had failed on the doors that lead under the flybridge (I don’t know the official name for them). I took them home and went to work removing the old finish. I don’t know when they were last painted or with what kind of paint. The finish was dull. Maybe flat house paint?
Wow! It has taken me way too long to get back to the blog and get this written. Apologies to anyone who may have been eagerly waiting for the final outcome. Too much work and other projects not related to boating have gotten in the way. And to be honest, sometimes I just loose the urge to blog for a little while. But it’s back. And I have a few projects to talk so it is time to get this done.
