Trip 102/103 - Tuesday/Wednesday Evening - August 11/12th

Tuesday night I left Burnsville, went home, over to Stillwater and back home and then to Lake City. Got the compression post back in, and continued to prep the mast.

 

The Expedition heater core started leaking, so I had to use the 911. For all the time it has sat, it sure works great. Has 178k miles on it and still idles as it did. The cylinders are low expansion aluminum alloy and electroplated with Nickel-Carbide, a very hard substance. Hence, virtually no wear on the bores.

 

Finally got the connector and installed it.

 

This is the inside of the pedestal next to the post. The wires will come thru the deck down the center of the post and exit here.

 

The line indicates where the left edge of the hole will be.

Holes cut, edges sawed, time to file it smooth.

Looking good ...

 

I used a jack to lift the deck to make room to slip in the post. Boy, did the deck crack and creak. I only gave it 1/8" over the height of the post.

 

Installed, front and back. There is a trim piece that covers the back joint with the bulwark.

 

A couple weeks ago, someone piled into the mast overhanging the transom. Bent the stern pulpit to about where the red line is. I threw a line at the top of the 2x6, stood on the dock and kicked the boat outwards and gave it 4-5 good tugs, and it came right back.

How do I know it was "straight" again? See the square which defines the 2x6? The posts that go from the deck to the top edge of the pulpit? Measure both diagonals and if they are equal, things are looking good.

 

"Boys and their toys ... " . . . (One day ... )

 

Remember last year when we dropped the mast and all these shavings came out? And each trip, more and more poured from the insides? Something that looks just like old fashioned excelsior?

There is more!

Somehow, birds are patiently threading straw and weeds into a hole at the top of the mast.

Amazing!

Where the red line is, is an inside edge of the hollow part of the post. I notched the plastic a bit so it protrudes 1/4" into the cabin ceiling.

All caulked, and ready to go.

As the hot summer sun cooks the deck, over 1-2 years, the moisture in the wood will eventually be dried out.

 

I decided to wrap the spongey stuff folks use to wrap hot and cold water lines with. This worked great and should muffle the wires when the rap the mast insides.

 

Getting the wires ready.

 

All set, ready to wrap it up.

 

Tom making some final adjustments.

Each side of the masthead.

 

The bow has alot of stuff protruding past and would hang way over the dock. So, we turned Empty Pockets around.

 

At the transom. We wrapped the antenna with some foam so folks could see it. We plan to return Friday night and get it in the air.

 

Later ...