Monday, March 17, 2014

Boat repair while stuck in Fort Lauderdale


Still in Fort Lauderdale. Still waiting (a week now) for winds to subside so we can travel up the ditch to Stuart - and no chance before Wednesday. We need 3 days motoring to get to Stuart. Two days if we go outside in the Atlantic, but it better calm down a lot for us to go back out there again.

Will probably leave the boat somewhere in Stuart for the summer.

Meanwhile, we have been spending the last few days trying to find the leak in the fresh water system - it looks like it probably is in or under the 40-gallon fresh water tank, which is built in to the hull of the boat, is under the not-removable aft cabin wood under the mattress, and is made of unsealable plastic. Not in something easy to fix like the tubing or the water pump.

This could cost us a lot to repair. Got a guy coming to look at it today - might get it fixed here in Fort Lauderdale, or in the place we leave the boat in Stuart. Wondering if it would be cheaper at this point just to sell the boat.

You might say I am getting overwhelmed with the amount of time and money and work and frustration I am spending on boat repair. I, of course, can't say that - I have to look at the brighter side: I am learning a lot about boat repair and maintenance.

This is a lot like fixing an airplane engine while in-flight. We have to tear the boat apart while trying to live in it. So it goes ...


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