Aging boats are so fun

[TMW]

I'm in the middle of some unexpected work this winter. It's so typical but it never fails to surprise me how quickly a simple fix can balloon into something so much bigger.

This Fall, I decided to replace badly rusting oil pan, on the generator, before I had to clean a giant mess. So the yard pulled it when I came out for the season and I took it home to do that along with the normal maintenance, a valve lash and anything else I can find since I'll have a good look at it. That's leading to it's own set of problems but at least it's warm here to work on it.

It got over 50 degrees here last week and I knew I had extra to do this year. So I went to yard to get a head start on the spring work and this is where the real fun starts. Since the gen was out, it's time to pull and repair that leaky steering ram. I should have known what I was in for when the bonding wire came off in my hand as I tried to remove it. The bronze foot, of the ram, was close to the aluminum water tank. Dirt and salt built up and electrolysis did its thing. I found a small leak. So I think, OK, this has to come out for a better look. Worse case scenario, I may need a new tank. Outside the cost, how bad can that be? Plastic will be better anyway and with the gen already out, I have lots of room so this should be "simple enough" to swap out.

Of course, once I started, I found that the boat was actually built around the water tank. So getting it out meant dropping the port rudder post and sea strainer. Disconnecting a dozen bonding and miscellaneous wires, hydraulic lines, cockpit drains, plumbing, moving a giant, cold, wiring harness all to make enough room to get to the point where I can pull the tank out enough to get a good look at it. All that took a couple hours just to confirm what I already suspected. The pin hole is actually a much larger 1/4 x 2 inches hole and it has to come out. To get the tank fully out of the boat it has to come through the back seat where the gen usually sits. I knew the basic measurements where tight but, for sure, it's too big because the welded hose connections can't clear the opening. Now, I have to cut the tank and remove it in two pieces rather than cut and repair fiberglass. That's the next step for this weekend and I'll see where that leads.

Time will tell but I think, getting a new tank in "should" be easy. I can get it a little smaller without losing much. But now I'm looking at the other water tank, on the starboard side, and common sense says I should pull that too but I see no evidence of an issue. My wife will certainly argue but there has to be an optimist in me somewhere, because this one "looks easier" to get out. (I may never learn)

Bottom line is, even if you don't have aluminum tanks, take time and check those bonding wires on everything you can. I don't think using aluminum was the best choice here, but I have to beleive the bonding wire was working, for many years, until the connection went bad. I check the through hulls and engine bonding annually but you can be sure I'll be crawling around as much as possible looking at all the connections I can get at.


Anyone else enjoying off season boat ownership?

Joe

[WillieC]

Yup, still waiting for parts from the UK. Snow couldn't have come at a better time.
It's always sumthin!