Sat 17 Apr, HHN day 4: It’s one of those rare days where you almost lose count of all the things you’ve achieved. Aft toilet serviced, 8 clutch bolts all removed, prop-shaft released from Aquadrive, PSS shaft seal removed, all dorade vents removed and cleaned, liferaft removed. Wow – did I really do all that?
Lets start at the beginning:
Toilet tinkering: After yesterday’s frustrations with the prop shaft and the clutch bolts I started with something easy. The aft toilet had been leaking. The macerator motor comes out easily and sure enough the main seal has failed. Also, the macerator blade is so caked in hair I really wonder how it dealt with some of the large items I put down there, daily! (sorry if you are eating right now….). I have a seal kit ready, but I find all sorts of other seals in there. So, I take the whole thing apart to discover where they all go. Good job, because the shaft seal, which stops all that pooey water entering the electric motor, is completely shot. 2 hours later, job done, and bathroom clean again.
Clutch bolts: Next easy job is removing the bolts holding the starboard deck clutches. Having removed the bathroom ceiling and un-done all the nuts last evening, it was just a matter of unscrewing the bolts above deck. Now for the significantly more difficult port side clutches. Here the ceiling does not remove so I have to do a Houdini act though a small hole where the secondary winch motor resides. But first, that motor needs removed for me to get access, and of course its bolts are up top and almost impossible to get to. It takes me 2 full hours to remove just 4 bolts and get the winch out, by which time my hands and wrists are red with abrasions and cuts. Good job Oana can’t see.
Then, standing on a stool, I manage to get my full arm into the ceiling void where I can just barely reach the nuts that hold the clutch bolts. If I’d fallen off the stool, either my arm would have broken or the ceiling would have been ripped down … or both! Another 1 hour and the 4 nuts are off and clutches above deck removed. I’ll put the new ones back on once I have a few other jobs that need sealant.
Dorade vents: for some reason, when we get a full wave over the deck, these vents sometimes dip water down into the cabin. So it’s time to get them off and reseal them. We last had them off in 2017 when we had sanded the decks, and maybe we didn’t put them back right. About 100 screws later, all 7 are off and their various bits get a good clean up. They were all covered in mildew, so I’ll also soak them in a bleach solution before putting back. Thankfully, with the boat shrink wrapped, I don’t have to worry about any rain coming in while the vents are off.
Liferaft: it’s time for a service. Last done in 2018. I need to get it to Baltimore. But how to get it off the boat? This is where having the mast down and boat shrink wrapped is not a good thing. I manage to remove liftraft from in front of the windscreen and get it onto the side deck. And that’s where it will have to stay until Ray manages to persuade some local child to rent us his skateboard for the day. With the liferaft on a skateboard, I think I should be able to wheel it to the aft deck as I crawl behind it. Without wheel it will be impossible. It weighs about 50Kgs.
Prop shaft removal: Yesterday I had managed to get the CV joint off but got totally stuck when the bolts securing the shaft clamp inside the Aquadrive would not budge. I was very afraid of stripping out the heads with my impact wrench. So, for the last 24 hours I’ve been periodically applying heat, then using liberal amounts of penetrating oil. Now it’s time to give it another go. All bolts now come out, apart from one …. the one that I partially stripped the head yesterday. But being very patient and trying different methods it finally yields. You could have heard my yelps of delights miles away! Next challenge is to release the shaft clamp. But to my surprise, one hit with the hammer and out it popped. What a relief. Following that, I had the PSS seal off in no time, ready to install the new one when it arrives from Sweden next week.
Quite a day. Feels so good to get stuff done without roadblocks for once. Now, tomorrow is Sunday. Should I have a day of rest? NO WAY!