August 15, 2012 2:50 PM
Posted By Robin & Jim
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It's not all fun and games on the water, and every two years we have to have the boat hauled out for new bottom paint and a few other things. We left Cape Lookout and headed straight to the boat yard where the lift was ready for us. When our boat is "on the hard", we still live aboard even though we have no air conditioning when we're out of the water. It's a bit hot in North Carolina in July, but we managed with some 12 volt fans and mid-afternoon breaks to run errands in an air conditioned rental car. One maintenance item we needed to do was to have the stabilizer seals replaced. The stabilizers are active fins that help smooth our ride in rough seas, and the shafts that drive the fins wear on the seals. It's a bit of a job to do, and we called our old friend Bert to help us out. He puts a special fitting into the fin and uses a hydraulic pump to blow the fin off the shaft, and after the seals have been replaced, he uses a 6' long torque wrench to put the fin back on. ![]() We had our own chores to do while the boat yard put new anti-fouling paint on the bottom and PropSpeed on our running gear. Did I mention that it's a little hot in July? We also waxed the hull while we were out of the water, sometimes working in the early morning or after dark to avoid the heat and direct sun. But after a week of hard work we heard the happy sound of the big travel lift coming to put us back in the water. That's the happy sound that comes after the unhappy act of paying the boat yard's bill. But these things have to be done from time to time, and it's better that we keep up with the preventative maintenance to minimize the field repairs. ![]() We were tired and the boat was filthy inside and out from living in a dusty boat yard so we headed to Morehead City Yacht Basin for a few days - to clean the boat up and to visit some friends. And for air conditioning! ![]() From there we stopped for a night in Coinjock, and were grateful for the marina pool to cool off. We trekked through Norfolk, admiring all the activity - tugs, barges, freighters, Navy ships, trains, and airplanes - it's a bee-hive of activity. But most impressive is the long row of mighty Navy ships... ![]() Heading into Kilmarnock, VA we had to shut the starboard engine down - the fresh water cooling pump and several belts went belly up. At least we could bike to our engine parts supplier in Kilmarnock, and we had a marvelous time visiting our friends. But we're getting tired of things breaking! |