Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its off to Work I Go...

At this rate I am going to run out of projects. Ha ha ha ha, lol, ha ha, he he, lol, lol, rothflmao......

Okay, I'm back, I think I hurt something though. When you laugh so hard and then start to cry as the realization of how incredibly sad and incorrect the statement is, I think there is the potential to damage internal organs. However, I can't afford any down time with injuries, so I guess I'll just have to buck up and get er' done.

But seriously. The project list is definitely getting smaller. Dad has been here pretty much every other day, and I have been digging up things for him to do. Since he is limited to the shop due to mobility issues, I spend my day out there too. Which means I have no excuse to hide from the boat projects. Mind you, I don't get things done as quick as I might, between making room for him, and visits, conversations, plus the veritable Big Brother (big daddy) looking over my shoulder. Actually, Dad has been pretty good, he only calls me a #$%@^ idiot 4 or 5 times a day, which is an improvement. Then there is the, "do it your way, your goin' to anyway", or "don't listen to me, I don't know #%^$ all". But I have gotten accustomed to him over the years. Learned how to ignore his comments, I should say.

One of the many little projects I've got Dad to take care of is to make a second 1/2" thick aluminum wrench for my stuffing box. I made one earlier in the year, but had an adjustable that fit the other nut, so there was no rush to get the second one done. It has been sitting on my drill press since May. With the tools available to me it is a 3 hour job. But now I have two custom made wrenches. Ironically, the Bayfield 29 next to me in the club has an ever so slightly larger nut than mine, so these are really just for one boat. But having them means that adjusting the packing gland is an easy procedure, likely to get done more often.
 At one point Dad was getting really bored, and I couldn't for the life of me think of something else for him to do. Then I remembered that the anchor rodes needed to be spliced onto the anchor chains, and the anchor snubbers need to get made up. Neither of us had ever spliced rope to chain, and Dad had never spliced a rope, "Ever". We sat down in front of the computer, and thanks to YouTube, managed to get an idea of how it works. Voila...

 Total we made up:
- 100' x 1/2" Nylon rode to 130' 1/4" HT chain for the main bow anchor;
- 180' x 1/2" Nylon rode to 30' 1/4" HT chain for the secondary bower;
- 200' x 1/2" Nylon rode to 10' of god only knows what size of chain for the stern anchor; and
- Qty 4 - 30' x 1/2" Nylon snubber/dock lines with 12" eyelets in one end.

I really didn't need to have these done just yet, but since its on the list somewhere, its a worthwhile endeavor.
 In between, I managed to get the face frames for the galley cupboards made up, sanded down and measured up for doors. I am almost out of hickory, I just hope there is enough to finish all the little projects. Apparently Dad has some 2" stuff up in the barn, but I couldn't find it the last time I was up there, so we'll see.
The projects I don't have pictures for:

New screen in the hatch sliding screen;
Built a 1/2" plywood box for the generator, and in the process of covering it with epoxy;
Made a fish billy with a weighted tip, in case Serena needs to be a widower; and
Made a table that mounts in the middle of the couch.

Today I am headed to the boat to get the rest of my screened hatch covers, remove the remaining six winches, test the galley face frames for fit, see about making a proper opening door for the cockpit hatch, and, oh crap, I know there was something else...... I'll remember... Maybe.

More later. I have to go get my tools together. Right, put the fridge doors in place. See, told ya I'd remember.

Cheers, and fair winds.

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