Sunday 18 Oct, HHN, boat winterizing day 18:
Another bright but chilly morning here in Maryland. I’m determined to be focused today. No digression or procrastination will be allowed!
First job is to rebuild the 2 Furlex upper swivels which I had dismantled and cleaned up last thing yesterday. There are over 100 loose ball bearings, so best that I rebuild these soon or those balls will surely wander off in various directions… as balls do! It’s a satisfying task, because all the parts have come out like new; excepting of course the 2 major parts that I had to destroy to get the swivels apart. But who’s counting . With Selden waterproof grease wiped over all the pieces, and a lot on me too, I manage to get all the ball bearings in place first time without the usual escapees. The finished products swivel perfectly and very smoothly. Job done.
Next, I’m back off to Weaver with trolly in tow. This time with lots of small parts to polish, mostly from the large Lewmar mainsheet block and the spinnaker halyard block. Both were in a poor working shape. So, although not a priority, I had taken them apart, cleaned, and now all the bits need polishing. After an hour, I’m done and on my way back. Tempting as it is to rebuild the 2 blocks, I will leave that as an after-dinner task in the cozy cabin.
Right now, I’m determined to finish, as far as I can, taking apart the 3 Furlex hydraulic motors and gear boxes. As the mainsail (mast) one is taken apart, not only is the grease brown with rust, but water actually pours out of the thing! Like the cutter motor, water has got in, and it’s certainly time for a rebuild. And also same as the cutter motor, I get to a certain point than can go no further without a special puller tool. I’ll go see the engineering guys here in the yard tomorrow, and see what they have.
Lastly, the genoa motor. Being on the bow, this one gets the most seawater over it so I’m braced for a mess. But thankfully, this one is perfect. The grease is old (as expected after 12 years) but no sign of any water or corrosion in this one. Phew! 1 out of 3 is better than 0 out of 3. Like the other two, I get to a point where I can go not further. I really hope I can completely dismantle these beasts, somehow. I’ll consult with Selden tomorrow.
It’s been a messy day. Grease, grease and more grease, and most of it dirty grease. All my tools seem to be greasy, my hands and arms too. Horrible stuff. But it’s all done, all cleaned up just before dark, and I venture inside for a hot shower and food. Hmmm, what I would do for a nice soak in a hot bath tub right now!
For dinner it’s pasta, and I suddenly fancy a nice red wine to go with it. I manage to dig out one of the bottles we had found last year in a wooden crate next to the dumpster. Most of the 9 bottles were 2003-2006 vintage. Half have been bad, but some have been fantastic. We have 2 bottles left. The one I chose is a 2006 Lucente from Tuscany and… boy-oh-boy is it ever good! So, there I am, with my pasta, a fine wine and 2 sheave blocks laid out in front of me for entertainment! As planned, rebuilding these is an after dinner task, but probably not a good idea after ½ a bottle of wine. I don’t remember putting them together, but there they are now, all looking perfect on the table. And no extra parts lying around! Maybe wine and boat maintenance is a good mix after all!
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