AN UNEXPECTED BONUS

It's nice when a project lends it's self to another project benefit. Such was the case with the cabin wood molding project I completed to cover up the handrail access openings. I thought that I might mount a fan to the molding at some point. But, then I thought that  the wood molding strip would also provide an excellent mounting place for ...

MORE STUFF THAT'S NOT NEEDED

It seems organizing and removing of things on board that have no reason to be on board is never ending. A few days ago while  looking for some information on one of the on board pumps I came upon some manuals for equipment that is no longer on board:

These include the Paloma Water Heater. The old Professional Mariner battery charger and the Racor fuel filter which has not been on board for over eight years. No reason for these to remain on board taking up space. Plus it feels good to get them of the boat and simplify things.

DISCOVERIES

We had one day of "mild" temperatures in the fifty degree fahrenheit range. I decide to spend some time in the garage on the never ending struggle to get and keep things organized. I made some progress and discovered some useful things related to the boat. The first were two useful tools for fiberglassing that I had used for a project on my previous boat a 24 foot Bristol. They were a Saturation Roller and a  Corner Epoxy Roller.

The saturation roller needed to be cleaned up a little as it showed  the messy results of my first feeble attempts at fiberglassing back in the 1980's. A few minutes removing the stuck on Epoxy with a screw driver had it good as new again:

Both tools are now reunited where they belong in the bin that holds the Epoxy resins and other tools for fiberglassing. They will be useful if I ever get around to building that dingy I've been thinking about. The other discovery was hidden in an old coffee can on a shelf for decades. It's a small metal vise that looks like it might come in pretty handy on board:

It's old but, still has useful days ahead on board for various projects. Sometimes all it takes is a little cleanup and organizing brings these useful discoveries to light.

ANOTHER GEORGE ORWELL MOMENT ON BOARD

I had a frustrating few days on board recently. I ordered the new pressure switch for the boats washdown pump and it arrived in two days. I bought it to the boat and put it aside. When it came time to attempt the repair I could not find it. Then I had a sinking feeling that perhaps I had thrown the box with the part out with another empty box. I went through the trash bins at the boatyard and found the other box but, not the one with the pump part. I swore I threw out two boxes. Did someone see it and take it? Still not finding it on board despite looking everywhere from the cabin sole to the lockers. I finally gave up and ordered another forty dollar pressure switch kit. It arrived and I bought it on the boat determined not to lose like I did the last one. The next morning just after I woke up I noticed the box containing the original pressure switch was sitting on top of another box right under the table in the main cabin. Though I looked all over the cabin I never noticed it sitting on top of the empty inverter box. It was also no more than three inches from my knee when I was having dinner or using my laptop. As George Orwell said:

"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." 

-George Orwell 

.

SPICING THINGS UP IN THE GALLEY

Tweet
I did a quick little add on into the Galley with the addition of two new spice racks. When you cook on board as much as I do having a number of spices available is a must. I already had one installed for a few years. I added the two new spice racks which makes it easier to find some of the additional spices I use. It also freed up space in the cabinet where I had previously stored them. After the install I pretty much filled them up too. Which means I'll probably have to add another one or two before long.
Tweet

SPRING CLEANING

After Saturday's chilly sea breeze forced me down below I decided to do some spring cleaning. I started with the pile of papers that had been accumulating over the past few years. Included in this pile are manuals for newly purchased equipment and articles clipped from various boating publications that I wanted to keep. The pile grew and grew tucked away in some out of the way space on board. It was time to take the pile put it on the table:

The next step is to sort, file and pitch out what is no longer needed. One thing to keep is the manuals for various pieces of equipment and tools on board. But, what is not needed is those parts of the manual that are not in English. So that's when I take out my Gerber multi tool scissors and start cut out those sections of manuals that are not in English and pitch them out.

On a boat space is always at a premium. You would be surprised at how simple things like getting rid of the parts of manuals that you will never read can free up space for more important documents in a small file box.