This is where the grounded material belongs: maintenance, faults, solutions, life aboard, and the many jobs that have to be done before a voyage becomes more than a plan.
Frayed rope ends finally got a proper fix :)
Frayed rope ends do not look good, and they can quickly become a problem if nothing is done about them. So I finally managed to go through the rope ends properly and fix what needed fixing.
I was supposed to deal with the engine mounts, but the seawater pump clearly needed the most attention right now.
The seawater pump has been a source of concern, and it turned out to need more than just a gasket. There was a leak that had to be fixed properly to avoid bigger problems later on.
It was not just dripping a little. Water was pouring out of the pump XD, but now it is tight again!
And then there is the question of keeping the saloon tidy. That did not quite happen, because pump work went on far into the night, which meant breakfast among engine parts instead. There are probably no rules without exceptions when it comes to boat life, and it is not exactly the first time I have eaten breakfast in the engine room, so that will have to pass this time as well.
What was solved temporarily to get the boat to Melsomvik now has to be done properly.
The first major job is diving back into the engine room. The engine has to be disconnected from gearbox, diesel, exhaust, and electronics before it can be lifted out again.
After that, the engine mounts have to be adapted so they actually fit as they should have from the start. This is not the part of the project that makes the prettiest pictures, but it matters more than almost anything else if I am going to trust the boat later.
When the boat is also home, not everything can feel like storage all the time.
I have decided to keep the saloon tidy enough that it works as a place to land. Not perfect, just good to live in.
It sounds small, but it makes quite a big difference. When one part of the boat feels like a home instead of a project, it becomes easier to keep my head together through the rest of it as well.
The unit has been under water, but there are still a few signs of life. Enough that I am not ready to write it off just yet.
After the near sinking, the cooling unit was one of the systems that took a beating. Still, there have been small signs of life, so I am not quite ready to declare it dead.
When the weather turns warmer, a cool box goes from being nice to have to being a very practical necessity. So this one gets some attention before summer starts to mean business.
The next step is finding a hot-water tank that works with the rest of the system.
I need a solution that can be connected to the engine cooling water. Not because the boat is supposed to become a spa, but because a little everyday comfort actually matters when you live on board for longer periods.
The goal is not luxury. The goal is a system that is simple, robust, and gives a little less friction in daily life.
The rig has to be checked through, and the deck has to go back to the groundwork before it can be rebuilt properly.
The rig has to be gone through, and the deck has to be scraped all the way back down before epoxy primer and anti-slip can go on. These are not jobs you dress up. They just have to be done.
I have no desire to discover in the middle of the sea that what I really wanted was simply to be finished. So these are the jobs that can take the time they need.
Once the boat is ashore, the hull has to go all the way back before the new work can be built up properly.
This is one of the heavy jobs waiting in the wings. Not especially sexy, but highly relevant if the plan is to point the bow west and preferably not sink along the way.
