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 2014 Archives


 

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2014:

The year is just beginning, we are at home waiting for the weather to become a bit warmer and then we will resume working on the boat, initially focusing on the jobs requiring the boat to be out of the water (a long list: changing the propshaft cutlass bearing, dismantling and cleaning the fuel tank, solving the keel-play issue, cleaning the hull for good, possibly painting the roof top and the deck, and of course all the works to be done on the mast, like installing steps, wind transducer, VHF aerial and radar antenna...)

MARCH:

First few days in Jesolo to dismantle the propeller, which needs the attention of a specialist to change its pitch: apparently the current configuration is wrong, and the engine has worked improperly, but it seems that the pitch can be corrected for a small expense.

The engine is already refurbished, it looks like new!!

I also managed to lift completely the keel, which allowed me to detach and replace the lifting cable: one less work on the list!!

APRIL:

We begin working full-time, although the weather is still cold: we tackle a long list of jobs, before addressing the cabling and installation of a number of missing accessories on the mast.

MAY:

It's becoming increasingly urgent to tackle the cleaning of the topsides and the removal of the old anti-fouling: after the failure of low-effort solutions, we have no other choice but to resort to heavy machinery, and still it takes us about 3 weeks to complete the job and start painting!

JUNE:

Meteo does not help us, and the paint job is progressing slowly, anyway we manage to apply the full cycle (primer, base layer and then antifouling or paint).
We can finally put the new name on the repainted stern and proceed with the renaming ceremony!

JULY:

Time has come to prepare the engine bay: clean everything, replace all pipes, install the fuel-level sensor and the new teleflex engine control.

Finally we can put the boat back in the water and then reinstall the engine and the mast with the new rigging, but a small hole forces us to put back the boat on the ground for the necessary repair.   We are a bit demoralised, there is always a new problem!!

Before putting the boat back into the water, we replace the last bent stanchion that we did not replace earlier in Fiumicino because it required to replace also a lifeline: obviously the stanchion does not pull out, and a half-hour job takes two full days!

Boat in the water, back with the engine technician to solve a problem of rough running of the engine, probably due to the fuel lift-pump: replaced the pump, the problem is still there, and in the end it is traced to a faulty pre-filter (brand new!!).

The month ends while we rig the boat and proceed with the radar cabling and with the installation of the second chart-plotter on deck and of the auto-pilot control head.

AUGUST:

The cabling jobs last until nearly mid-august, after which we embark in a massive clean-up and reordering job until beginning of next month.

SEPTEMBER:

We begin painting the deck, while also dismantling the Aerogen wind-generator for a general check-up; we also take the opportunity to shorten the pole supporting the wind generator.

OCTOBER:

We allow ourselves a two-day trip in the Venice lagoon, spending the night in Burano (moored at the house-boats private moorings...) and taking the opportunity to test all the new systems.

The month continues with painting jobs above- and below-decks, and in the meantime we beging the modification work to put back in service the original water tanks

Once the boat is on the hard for winter, we call the mechanic to help us pulling the prop-shaft out (it needs lifting the engine): the checks confirm the suspicion that the shaft is slightly bent and causing vibration, so it will require replacement!!
 

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