We've been piddling and fiddling while trying to enjoy the island return. We left St Thomas a few days ago. Spent a night in Lienster Bay on St John, then hit Customs and Norman Island the next day. Actually two days there before heading to Virgin Gorda yesterday.
My major project is complete. The front water tank is repaired for the 5th time. The first two times were done by VIP Yacht Charters. They re-welded some seams. My problem is corrosion on this stainless steel tank from the inside out. I am using a product called JB Weld, which I swear by. It's a pretty pricey product that is essentially liquid metal. My two previous repairs under tough conditions were down island during the 2008 Adventure trip. The first one, I used a inferior product do to availability. It didn't work well. The second repair was limited by availability of JB Weld so I was not as thorough as I would have liked. This time, I have been buying up JB Weld everywhere we've been to ensure that I could cover the perimeter of the tank. It took two boxes of the commercial size JB Weld at $28 each but I glopped that stuff on everywhere I could get too. It's normally a two day job but I did it in one. The front cabin was totally torn up and all its components stacked in the galley. So the entire boat was a mess. My tank lifting rig consists of, back and forth hoisting steps using a spare halyard line. The boat winches do the lifting. As the tank raises, I secure separate safety lines. It's all very time consuming. Since its my third time, I was able to do it in 8 long hours. I can only hope I don't have to deal with it again. But I have my doubts. The tank is too large to remove and replace without huge expense.
We're tackling other little projects. Our next big one will be June 1. YOLO will be outhauled and placed in dry dock while we service the hull. It's in really bad shape and might require some outside services to repair some delamination of the gelcoat. Otherwise, Colleen and I will be renting tools to clean and re-coat the botton. I'm not sure how many days this will involve.
Are you bored yet? I also need to replace the "stuffing box". This is the thru-hull assembly for the propeller drive shaft. At this point, I do not know if I will have the tools for this or whether I'll need to hire it done.
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