Monday, 24 October 2011

The rules of boat maintenance

As i sit here in the dark, i'm reminded of several of the unwritten rules of boat maintenance...

Rule 1 - the one tool you will need most is the one tool you have left at home

That stubborn bolt would have been a lot easier if i'd remembered the spare 10mm socket after the boat one went for a swim a couple of years ago

Rule 2 - the law of expanding opportunity

No job is too small to reveal another task that will need completing prior to finishing the first. This rule can expand to several iterations.

Rule 3 - the rule of started jobs

It is required of all boat maintainers to have at least 4 current jobs on the go, and to do a little on each in random order

Rule 4 - the more essential it is, the more likely it is to get broken

Especially when its your one and only light, hence me sitting in the dark

....so, after removing yet more wire from the engine room, i've started cutting the wood for the engine room cladding, which needs doing before i start to rewire in earnest so that the wiring can be clipped up neatly... And after cutting the first panel, have concluded that it will not go in while the plumbing remains in place... So i have to start that tomorrow as well...

In the meantime i've started taking the headlining down. This sounds like a straightforward job... Oh no, not a chance... It needs to come down to put new wiring in for the lights, and also because its a bit tatty, so we're replacing it all. Only every bit is held in place with wooden battens that have been screwed in and then the screw holes plugged with wood to hide them. So every screw needs digging out... Removing 4 panels took me 3 hours, and another 25 to go...

On the positive side, i put a temporary feed to the water pump, so now i have running water to make tea and wash my hands.

It looks like it'll be a busy winter though...

And now off to bed.. If i can find it in the dark.

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