Tuesday 5 Nov, HHN day 25: Last jobs under the boat then a big tidy up ready to launch. And finally we unpack the new outboard and Highfield dinghy and introduce them to Cloudy Bay for bonding!
Last day on hard, and looking forward to go in the water tomorrow. At least it will be warmer. Air temperature dropped significantly throughout the night and we wake up to only 15degC inside the boat this morning. Bbrrr….maybe not a good idea to lower the heat last evening.
Over breakfast we call Pumpstoponline in Florida to finalize the order for feedwater pump. And again, to make the most of the shipping cost, we by 2 shaft seal kits and a spare capacitor while we can. Then off to Phipps Boat Works to get the bill, and to Liz at Free State Yachts to warn her she will be inundated with deliveries this week after our weekend online shopping frenzy.
Today’s jobs start with carpentry, cutting out a new bottom for the galley sink cupboard (thank you, Ray, for the plywood). We were keen to replace the old one as it had too many holes in it where the 3 old pipes had been. Once it’s cut to fit perfectly around the only pipe we have left, Glen applies a coat of epoxy to seal the wood. Yesterday evening I thought he was joking when he said he will epoxy the newly wire-brushed bronze fittings so that they maintain the gold-ish color. But he is true to his word, he indeed uses the leftover mix to coat them in the clear epoxy. What will he think of next, I wonder.
Then under the boat he finalizes the last three remaining jobs. On the boat anode he seals with 5200 at the front and the back of it so that it doesn’t accidentally catch a rope around it. Water will still run through the middle part. Late morning we receive the order from AB Marine with the Gori propeller threaded pin, the part which we accidentally threw away. That was an expensive mistake, as this delivery cost us $120. Now Glen can finally finish up the propeller by installing the tip anode. And last, finishing touches on the ceramic coating and taking off the plastic sheet and masking tape which was placed to protect the fresh antifoul paint from the polish splatter. Then that’s it, hull finally conquered at long last.
We are now ready to go in the water, but not before lifting the outboard and the dinghy. So the spare engine is off the bracket and into the boot of the car, ready to be taken to the Suzuki dealer nearby to show Glen how to dismantle the shaft for more compact storage. The new engine had a big “welcome to Cloudy Bay” as we lift and sit it on the pushpit outboard bracket. And we would really like this engine to stay with us longer than the previous two! Then the long awaited moment, unwrapping the new Highfield CL340 dinghy. It feels like Christmas. We are nearly jumping up & down with joy as Glen inflates the tubes, so many aspects of it that we like so much: wider bow, comfortable seat, fuel tank in the front locker, rubber-padded floor and bow seat, etc. And it’d better keep me drier!
Hm… new dinghy means long list of new projects: glue new locking castles on the dinghy tubes and reposition the castle blocks on the underside of the davits, potentially modify the aft lifting points, make dinghy tube covering, etc. All in good time. And we start with the easiest project, the fuel pipe. The standard one does not reach from the bow locker to the back of the dinghy, so off we go to West Marine to buy 11ft of nice gray pipe and connectors. Then we feed it under the floor, and we are done. Well, partially. Connecting to the fuel tank will have to wait till the tank dries. It seems to have got water in it over the summer.
Ray comes to the rescue again (thank you), this time with the forklift to raise the dinghy to the swim platform where Glen is ready to clip it to the davits strops. Moment of truth: does it fit the width of the davits like we expect it to? Looks like it does 😊 As for the davit blocks, we will only need to reposition the bow one, the aft one matches the middle of the tube just fine.
Earlier on we went to the marina office to reconfirm we are ready for launch tomorrow. They check their schedule and indeed have us booked, but can’t commit it will actually happen tomorrow. Hm, knowing them I’m pretty sure the travel lift team will be knocking on the hull at 8am tomorrow.
A little bit of tidying up under the boat, doing a dumpster run and taking the tools up onboard. Looks bare, yet tidy down there now. But still another hour of daylight, so Glen continues the jobs with wet sanding the plywood which he epoxied in the morning, ready for me to varnish in the coming days. Oh, and speaking of epoxy, the fittings which he coated earlier look beautiful now that the epoxy is dry.
After dinner is time to tidy up the cockpit too. All those boxes (paints, brushes, rollers, masking tape, polishing gear) that have been piled in and around the cockpit need to go back into the cockpit locker. Those jobs are finished … We hope!
As we go to bed we are actually feeling a little reluctant to launch. The boat is so nice and quiet at night, with no rocking or lapping noises. Maybe we should just “cruise” on the yard for a bit longer!
