One Job Leads to Another...

If you've ever refit a sailboat, you quickly learn that one job will most likely expose the need for another job(s) and often demand it/them. Thus, it has been so with my new water tanks.  The new water tanks are ever so slightly taller than my old water tanks, (keep in mind, my "Westsail 32" is one of the last ten made and was built by P&M Worldwide - not by Westsail Corp.), so I don't know if P&M just made their bilge more shallow or what, but my forward tank was riding up a 1/4 inch too high and the hatch was riding atop of the forward tank: not to mention there was NO ROOM for plumbing the tanks.

Hence, I had three choices: lower the bilge, raise the floor, or send back the tanks and try to locate smaller ones. Lowering the bilge was/is out of the question and as far as I am concerned, sending the tanks back to California, paying shipping, packing, eating the shipping cost, etc... was/is way too much trouble. That left me with raising the floor.

Annie had sunk on the hard at one time and the original sole had been exposed to water for an extended period of time. The original plywood sole, (not fiberglass as "real" Westsail 32's made by Westsail Corp.), weathered the sinking well... but... my thoughts are a new 3/4" hardwood epoxy sealed sole screwed and fiber-glassed atop the old sole will solve my tank height problem and reinforce an old sole that has had a rough life.

Therefore, one job led to another; all tank and plumbing jobs are therefore suspended and a fresh hardwood sole is now the job on the table.

I took roofing felt and used it to cut and fashion a pattern for the sole, (roofing felt works so much better than paper). I divided the pattern into three sections: Companionway/Galley, Main Cabin, and Fore-ship.

I have decided that since Annie is going to be a cruising boat/live-aboard and not a showboat, (not to mention I'm not a rich guy - two grand plus for a Teak and Holly sole), I will epoxy the three joints of the new sole together, paint with a waterproof mold resistant paint and then cut a rubber mat material used in garages to provide more water proofing and slip resistance.

The rubber matting will be divided into three sections as above and will cover hatches. Access to the hatches will be allowed by simply rolling the rubber mat back.

It may not be as pretty as before but it is economical and practical, (actually I think it will look OK).

Fair seas and God bless!

Let the Plumbing Begin!

The tanks are in and the tanks are in... now let the plumbing begin!

The tanks arrived via FedEx and during my lunch hour, I ran them to the boat and plopped them down into their new home, (a nice clean painted bilge). Perfect fit! I still have to run to Walmart to pick up my Pool Noodles to cut and mold and place on the sides of the tanks, but they are in.

The accumulator tank, water strainer, check valve, and water filter are on order from Amazon and will arrive on Monday, (I already have the 12 volt pressure pump - came new with the boat). The PEX lines and fittings along with two single faucets will be picked up at Home Depot tomorrow and I will begin working my way from both sinks to the tanks. Actually, the pump, accumulator tank, strainer, and filter will all be mounted in the engine room so all lines will run there... then to the tanks. I would love to come up with a deck fill for the tanks but that will be another project for another day.

The tanks will be strapped in place tomorrow and the plumbing will begin. Say a prayer...LOL.

Fair seas and God bless!

Waiting on The Tanks

My water tanks have made it from California to Florida via FedEx. Westsail Parts Company shipped the tanks on Friday, (thanks Bud), and they have arrived in Orlando at 3:18 PM today. Hopefully, FedEx will get them the rest of the way, (two hours), by tomorrow. 

The bilge is clean and painted waiting on the tanks. I think I am going to use pool noodles on the sides of the tanks to keep them from shifting side to side.

Once they are in place, then comes the hard part...plumbing! I'd like to devise a deck fill of some type. Has anyone done a deck fill on a W32? If so, please share!

Fair seas and God bless!

"Out with the Old..."

When it comes to my leaky water tanks, "Out with the old and in with the new."

I recently discovered that one of my aluminum water tanks has a leak. How did I discover such a thing? Easy, I filled both tanks to the brim and within 24 hours, one tank was empty... hence, leak! 

So, instead of taking out the thirty-two year old leaky tank, locating the leak, having it welded, replacing the tank, and hoping it doesn't spring any other leaks, I ordered two new polyethylene tanks from Bud Talpin at Westsail Parts Company. 

Surprisingly, removing the old tanks was a breeze. After siphoning out the water from the good tank, removing a few retaining straps and fittings, Jesse and Don (thanks guys), and I simply lifted them from their long-time home, loaded them into Jesse's truck and we were finished. It was amazing how much dirt and crud was under the tanks!

I cleaned up all the crud, pressure washed the bilge, and tomorrow, I will paint the bilge and prepare it for the new tanks. 

I will install a pressure pump, accumulator tank, filter system, PEX Plumbing lines and fittings, and two single spigots (one in the head and one in the galley), and Annie will have pressure water. Hooray! 

Fair seas and God bless!