Drift Away is fairly spacious for a boat, but it's still a pretty small living space. Our main saloon (for my landlubber friends, it's one of those nautical terms that no one understands but we use the word anyway. Sometimes it's also called a salon, so it's either a western bar or a beauty parlor) is about ten feet wide and fifteen feet long. It is our galley (kitchen), living room, and dining room. It's cramped enough, but then add two medium sized dogs and a cat who insist the sofa is theirs and it's ridiculous. Walking from one end of the saloon to the other involves doing the "doggie ballet", pirouetting over and around dogs, a cat, and pet toys. And try finding a place on the sofa!
Yelling doesn't work.
Oh, Chevy may look remorseful, but trust me, he's not.
So, sometimes we just sits.
Gertie will move, but not the dogs.
Luckily for Gertie, she can sit just about anywhere.
So, having enough of our crowded living conditions, I decided to do a boat project- replacing the frozen deck pump out fitting for the waste tank. It inadvertently got epoxied shut when the decks were fiberglassed over. Fixing this is important because we have no other way to pump out the tank. Although we use the marina facilities almost exclusively, this will have to be done soon. The first job was to remove the old fitting from under the deck. It's inside the box on the right, which is in the foreward stateroom.
The box on the left is the heat/air conditioning vent. Then there's a small space, and then the box covering up the waste hoses. I didn't have a screwdriver small enough to get in that tiny space so I just pried the panel off. I found that the space was much too tight to remove the old deck fitting, so I decided to just leave it and drill a new 2" hole, install the new fitting, and disconnect the hose from the old one and run it to the new one.
Fortunately, I pulled the replacement deck fitting out of my project cabinet before I started drilling or removing anything.
It was time for my victory beer. As I gazed across the saloon, I saw my honey sitting there. I admired her curves, her beauty.
"I love you. I don't know how I'd get through life without you." I said aloud.
"Is that you or the beer talking?", Pam said.
"It's me, talking to the beer."
Blue Moon, you know just what I was there for, you heard me saying a prayer for...
Yelling doesn't work.
Oh, Chevy may look remorseful, but trust me, he's not.
So, sometimes we just sits.
Gertie will move, but not the dogs.
Luckily for Gertie, she can sit just about anywhere.
So, having enough of our crowded living conditions, I decided to do a boat project- replacing the frozen deck pump out fitting for the waste tank. It inadvertently got epoxied shut when the decks were fiberglassed over. Fixing this is important because we have no other way to pump out the tank. Although we use the marina facilities almost exclusively, this will have to be done soon. The first job was to remove the old fitting from under the deck. It's inside the box on the right, which is in the foreward stateroom.
The box on the left is the heat/air conditioning vent. Then there's a small space, and then the box covering up the waste hoses. I didn't have a screwdriver small enough to get in that tiny space so I just pried the panel off. I found that the space was much too tight to remove the old deck fitting, so I decided to just leave it and drill a new 2" hole, install the new fitting, and disconnect the hose from the old one and run it to the new one.
Fortunately, I pulled the replacement deck fitting out of my project cabinet before I started drilling or removing anything.
Yes, for the more observant of you, it says "water", not "waste". So much for that project today.
The only other project I had to complete here in Annapolis was to install a 3000 watt inverter (converts 12 volt DC to 115 volt AC ) so we can run the refrigerator while underway. The most difficult part of this job was sorting out the boogered up wiring in the accessory panel. I decided to use an unused circuit breaker for a long gone VHF radio, hooked up some unused 10 gauge wires under the helm (I hope that's heavy enough) and install it under the helm station, where an old inverter was that I tossed, and it was done.
"I love you. I don't know how I'd get through life without you." I said aloud.
"Is that you or the beer talking?", Pam said.
"It's me, talking to the beer."
Blue Moon, you know just what I was there for, you heard me saying a prayer for...
Blue Moon...a wonderful beverage.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blog, it is a life we aspire to after our young ones (9 & 5) are out of the nest. Thanks for keeping us inspired until they do.
One thing I've found with minimal housing Dave, the space expands in the summer, and contracts in the winter. Luckily for you, the solution is geographical.
ReplyDeleteTo bison daddy.... Why wait?what you could give kids with actual life adventure is so much more than what's wrapped inside four walls of a house..... There's a world out there that all our kids should know.
ReplyDeleteTo Tom, even still space can be precious. :)
Pam
Your space looks comfortable Dave. It's not all about the walls anyway. Congrats on 25k hits!
ReplyDeleteWinter hit Maine a couple days ago, the cold was bracing. Moderating now though.
I still wonder if a winter onboard in Annapolis is really that big a deal for people from upstate NY.
Is 10 Gauge the feed to your fridge, or from the batteries? If it is from your battery it is undersized.
ReplyDeleteConrad- It's 10 gauge from the circuit breaker to the inverter, about five feet. I think it will be OK.
ReplyDelete