Service and Repairs

Weather: Sunny, temp range 72 to 84 degrees; calm wind

Comment: Eric (ifbkeys.com) repaired, under warranty, the carburetor cut off switch problem on the Nissan 2hp dinghy motor that had been broken since the motor was delivered. Before leaving on the trip, I talked t the factory rep and told him of the problem. Apparently it is common, clearly a design defect. Eric’s repair, as per factory specs, was to put two zip ties on adjacent hoses to hold the valve in place. It was a simple remedy, and although not as secure as it should be, should work well. One wonders why the factory rep didn’t tell me about the recommended “fix.” Instead, he sent me the parts to reassemble. The problem is that the valve is tucked in below the motor and, short of removing the motor, there is no access to the shut off valve.

Eric (ifbkeys.com) also serviced the Yamaha’s (changed the oil, cleaned the oil and fuel filters, lubricated the fittings and, repaired the lockdown mechanism). The lockdown repair was simple, the pin was missing.

We also hired Bobby Hardy to glass in the transoms. There are cosmetic issues where the decks turns down to the transoms the molded steps are attached by calking material and bolts. I’m concerned that leaks may develop. If we are able to go to the Bahamas, a big if right now as there are still several issues still need to be resolved, I don’t want to chance water intrusion if the calk should fail.

On another note, after the bottom was painted, water trails began to appear on both rudders, the bottom of the transoms, at one point on the starboard keel. Although the water trails seemed to be insignificant, I asked the yard foreman evaluate them. He concluded that they were insignificant. We can address them when we lay the boat up.

Eric noticed a leak in the hydraulic steering system. The yard will have to look at it tomorrow.

Finally, I asked the yard for a quote on washing and waxing the hulls. Their detailer reported that she would not be able to bring it up to an acceptable and uniform shine and that she’d do the job, but we’d be wasting our money. We are going to clean the brown stains (aka Chesapeake smile) off with FSR and then wash them. We may even try a Teflon polish to see if we can recapture some of the shine.

Gary arrived at about 1900 hours. It’s great to see him and have him visit. He’s going to help sail to the Bahamas, but we won’t be able to go for at least two weeks. Gary said his has until February 14 before he has to get back to NJ. It doesn’t look like we’ll be ready by then.

We talked for a while before hitting the sack at around 2230 hours.