Tuesday 26 June 2007

Boat jobs

Thought it was perhaps time that I recognised that while Morgana is a lot newer than Magna Carter, and less 'major' work needs doing, there are still quite a few small jobs that need addressing... some less critical than others...On the major list, is the engine... three things...firstly, a minor one, its puffing a bit of blue smoke... Its obviously oil smoke rather than steam, and isn't black, so not unburnt fuel.... Suspect that the bores are getting a bit worn... its not a huge problem, as the oil consumption is very low, so i'm not going to get too hung up about it... esepecially as she starts beautifully, on the first turn every time.... but perhaps worth keeping an eye on..Secondly, the temperature guage on the cockpit doesn't seem to read properly... it starts as you would expect, but then maxes out at about 45 degrees... opening the engine compartment after a long run confirms that the engine isn't running at that temperature!, but I need to get to the bottom of it, as it might not set off the overheat alarm if needed... suspicion must lay with the sender.... usual process of elimination will be followed...Finally, as far as the engine is concerned, I need to stick a bit of paint on the top of the gearbox.... the impellor cover leaked, and now it is fixed, its time to sort out the small patch where the saltwater has caused the surface to corrode before it turns from a cosmetic to a mechanical problem....Outside of that, the ST50 GPS works OK, but takes a while to get a fix, and isn't as accurate as the GPS on the new Lowrance plotter, so that needs connecting up in its place... easy enough, but a ball ache job to run the cable through....The Autohelm seems to be working just fine now... it hasn't played up at all since the delivery trip, so I wonder if a bit of use has perhaps freed up a sticking gimbal in the Fluxgate compass......I still need to replace the cap on top of the shroud guard.... the new one I bought is the wrong size.....A couple of the hatches need a bit of careful inspection... I thought they were leaking, but opening them properly, and giving the rubber seals a proper clean with soapy water seems to have cured the problem.....I need to fit a 'string hammock' above the shelf behind the chart table... there is a large unused space, and if I can get the significant pile of 'useful bits' such as various chargers, spare bits of string, etc etc off the shelf, then I can use it as a very acceptable bookshelf, and get the alamanc, pilots etc out of the way, making access to the binoculars, and other essentials easier...There is a small edge on one of the cockpit seats where the teak is lifting... it needs a dab of sikoflex to put it back down...The gas pipes between the cooker and the solid copper need replacing, and it'll be a good opportunity to get the cooker out and clean behind it properly.... also, i'd like to fit a short wire strop at the same time to restrict the swing backwards, as currently it is possible for the oven to 'bottom out' under extreme angles, and i'd like to prevent that..I need to get the chain out, and mark it up properly... its been guess work thus far.... with me probably letting out too much, but if summer ever arrives, then tighter anchorages might mean a bit more prudence in scope... and I also, at some point, need to splice on a bit of anchorplait, as currently there is only 30m chain....And last, but not least, I need to plumb the shower back in on the transom... that means draining the water system down, otherwise, I'll have a repeat of the soaking that I got last time I disconnected it......Its so nice to have a list of jobs to do that generally aren't on the list marked 'reconstruction'!!!!!

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