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My last post showed the sad state of the flares we had in our dinghy. Moisture took its toll.
We keep the most recent, expired set of flares in the dinghy. The newest non-expired, legal set are in the big boat (for any CG folks that might be reading). This time I got smart (I think) and vacuum packed the flares before I put them in the dinghy.
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Spring is here. Now is a great time to check the condition of all your safety gear. Be sure to check the expiration dates on your flares. I think these are a little past their prime.
We are selling a pair of Hobie Mirage Revolution 11 kayaks. Oddly, we managed to acquire two more than we need. It’s handy when friends come to visit, but that doesn’t justify keeping four kayaks around. It is time for two to find a new home.
Read on for the exciting details!
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.
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.
Archimedes came with a giant deck freezer on the flybridge when we purchased her. Since that time, the deck freezer has never worked. In fact, it could not have ever worked. Even for the folks that put it on the boat originally. The basic problem can be defined as this — it doesn’t get cold. With the thermostat set to its coldest setting, the freezer will get down to the mid 30’s. That’s makes it a serviceable refrigerator, but this is supposed to be a freezer. It also uses 5-6 amps all the time while the compressor is running.
From time to time I’ve tried to get it to work right, but without success. I’ve rewired the power (more on that later). We had the guts replaced (in hindsight, we probably didn’t need to). And it still doesn’t get cold. The compressor runs all the time and there is lots of frost buildup inside.
We took it to a reputable repair facility. They told us they added refrigerant and it worked right for them. But it still won’t get cold for us.
As it turns out, it took a fair bit of internet sleuthing to locate a likely solution, but I did find it. I think. Maybe. Of course, I could be completely wrong. And I am making a big assumption. I am assuming it can work properly as a freezer.
As the title suggests, we have not been kind to ours. We expect our dinghy to transport us to shore and back, take us exploring, adventuring, joyriding, and perhaps even rescue us in the event of an emergency. Yet we treat ours poorly. Not intentionally. We always have the best of intentions. I’d call it benign neglect.
We’ve had our boat a bit over six years now. The inflatable came attached to the stern. Back in early ’12, we installed new davits, seats, steering, and a new 20 hp Tohatsu outboard. For anyone wishing to relive that exciting story, visit this post.
Since that time, the dinghy has lived on the davits on the back of our boat. Good weather and bad. Tipped up on the stern, it’s convenient to use, but not to work on. We wash it and keep it mostly clean, but that’s just about the extent of our care. As for the motor, I check the oil from time to time. I also check to make sure it is still firmly attached to the dinghy.
The most recent abuse came from sitting in salt water for a month while our boat was in the yard. Barnacles and various slimy things were growing on it when we finally pulled it out of the water. Yuck.
