Measure Twice, Buy Once

Another update? So soon? Well don't get used to it, because in two weeks we are boarding a plane for Kenya and won't be back anywhere near The Boat Yard until late July.

Which explains why I have been working so furiously over the last two weekends to get some things done. A bonus this weekend: a near 70 degree day that allowed me to open the boat up and dry things out. Ahhhh.

With the fireplace in its home, I decided to finalize all of the plumbing and wiring for the propane system as my first chore for the weekend, starting with the hose for the galley stove. Once I cleaned out the port side lazarette, I wedged myself in there and ran the hose up high against the underside of the deck so it will be out of the way and won't get any abuse when we drag things in and out of that locker. Note to self: make sure you have all of the tools you will need before crawling down there. Getting in and out of that space is not easy. You can't see it in this picture, but I did at least think to tie the lid open so as not to get trapped when a gust of wind slammed it shut.

Here you can see the hose, which I wrapped in some plastic split-tubing for a little extra abrasion resistance. I have miles of that stuff from clearance sale last summer, so I might as well use it. I used the bolts from the hinges on the lazarette to connect the zip ties, saving me the trouble of putting more holes in the deck.

While we're down here, check out that lovely plywood backing block for the winch stand. Awesome. Add replacing those to the list of things to do...

And here is a bonus image. The view from below decks:

The galley supply line fits perfectly, with just a little slack at the propane connection. It's as if I had planned it.

So then I shifted my attention to the starboard side, where the supply line for the fireplace will run. I had already run it through the cabin back to the starboard lazarette. Now all I had to do was finish the run to the propane locker. I gave it the same treatment with the split tubing for chafe protection and attached it to the underside of the deck. Perfect.

Except that it's 2 feet short. Insert string of expletives here. I SWEAR I carefully measured that run before buying the hose. I remember running surveying tape along the proposed path AND adding 3 feet for good luck.

Now I have to go back and undo every hanger along the way (every 12 inches or so) and take the fireplace out in order to disconnect the hose. F Bomb. F Bomb. F Bomb.

Oh, and the longer hose is $100. Do you have any idea how much PBR $100 will buy?

So I abandoned that project for the weekend, started a shopping list for my next trip to Disneyland, I mean Fisheries Supply, and got to work on some other random projects.

• Finished painting the forward cabin. It's all sparkly white now and looks fantastic. When the newly finished wood panels are back in place, it will look amazing. I didn't really appreciate how nasty the old finish was until the new paint was on and dry.

• Cleaned up the space where the old fuel tank used to live and made measurements and plans for the new tank. We gain 3 gallons of fuel and upgrade from a steel tank to a poly tank, but it will require cutting up this space to make it fit.

• Painted out the port lazarette in lovely BilgeCoat White. It looks sharp. Take my word for it.
• Then I retired to the beach and treated myself to a little camp fire. Just one of the many perks of The Boat Yard.