The Jobs Keep Coming

With the Christmas and New Year break out of the way we really have to start ticking some jobs off the to do list before we start the 2012 cruising season in earnest. We have managed to do a couple of the jobs but as ever more keep getting added to the list.

The major jobs on the list which must be finished before we go away are:

· The outboard bracket. It has been nearly a year since we bought Asbo and whilst the dinghy now sits nicely on the davits, the outboard is still being problematic and at this rate will spend the summer in the cockpit again. In all honesty a 6hp outboard is far too big to mount on the transom on Naughty-Cal but we think that we have a solution which will work so we need to mock it up in mild steel and try it out before we send the bracket away for fabricating in marine grade stainless steel.

· We need to rewire the radar arch. For some unknown reason since we replaced the anchor light the steaming or masthead all round white light has given up the ghost. It is getting power to the connector and wires running through the arch so the problem lies somewhere in the hoop wiring. It should not be a massive job to rewire it all but it needs doing quickly as our first few trips of the year will involve an element of night time and evening cruising.

· Install another 240V socket in the cabin and another in the cockpit. Since buying the slow cooker we have come across the need to install another 240V socket. The slow cooker sits perfectly on top of the gas stove lid, however there is no suitable socket near this area. The socket over the galley sink is used for the kettle and toaster so is no good for this reason. Installing another socket shouldn’t be a major issue and will put an end to trailing an extension lead across the boat from the socket next to the TV. We plan to install a socket which matches the current ones so that it doesn’t look out of place and will mirror the one adjacent the galley sink. We also need a socket in the cockpit area for the laptop and a coffee machine.

· Re tap the threads on the transom gate. The stainless steel transom gate we purchased last year has proven to be a bit of a sticking point of late. When we fitted it one of the threads on the fastening bolts was dodgy so we tried it with just three bolts tightened up. It worked fine for a while but has got progressively worse, to the point the gate is often impossible to open. The fix is fairly simple, Liam will take it to work and re tap the threads, the issue will be getting the gate back off. It was a nightmare to install so will be a nightmare to take off again.

· Various works to the dinghy. As if the jobs on the main boat were not enough to undertake before Easter, we also have various jobs to start and finish in the dinghy. We need to service the outboard motor and give it a good check over to keep it in good running order and reliable. With the motor serviced our attention can turn to the dinghy. We need to remove the lime scale from the hull, sand down and repaint the floor boards and install the bow bag. On top of this once the outboard motor bracket is on the transom of Naughty-Cal we also need to add some extra attachments to the dinghy for the stand off arm supports.

· With the dinghy ready to go it will be time to give Cal a good scrub up. The topsides are ready for a good polish, as is the cockpit and the whole boat needs a proper spring clean, declutter and wash down.

· Finally, and possibly most importantly, we need to give Naughty-Cals’s engine its major service. To keep the engine singing sweetly she has a full service in the Spring and oil and filter changes on a regular basis throughout the cruising season at approximately 100 hour intervals. The spring service is the major one with every service part and filter replaced. It takes a few hours to give the engine a thorough going over but it is worth the time to check that everything is as it should be. It is also a good chance to give the engine and bay a good scrub and clean, so that any leaks can be easily identified. This job is best done about a month before we head out on our first holiday of the year, so that the new belts have time to bed in and any adjustments can be made as necessary in plenty of time.

As you can see we have a busy few months ahead of us and time will be tight to get this little lot finished in time as no doubt we will have plenty of cruising still to do as well.