1. Washer/dryer:
When we
first moved aboard the Kittiwake, I ran a load of wash in the combo
washer/dryer. It will only take a small
load, but it is such a blessing to not have to use the marina laundry
facilities! While the dryer portion of
the cycle was running, we discovered that the vent to the outside of the boat
was not connected. This caused steam to
stay inside the boat – never a good thing.
Like anything on a boat, the unit is a tight fit in a cabinet. Fortunately, there is an access panel to the
rear of the unit from the guest berth. Since this was far down the list of things to
be fixed, it took a few days for Dan to get to it. He had to pull the unit out of the cabinet,
then contort himself to get the dryer hose reconnected to the outside
vent. Now, I tend to run one load just
about every day – it does take a while to go through both the wash cycle and
then to dry the items. But, again, what
a wonderful asset to have on board!
2. Shower:
The first
time I took a shower on board, I didn’t know that the shower sump pump needed
to be turned on at the electrical panel.
Oops. The sump filled, then ran
over, making a mop up mess in the hallway.
After that, I knew to have that pump on (actually, we keep it on now). But, we still ended up with water in the
hallway – not as much, but enough to be a nuisance.
Dan took the sump and pump and hoses apart, to discover that the filter
was clogged from use. Yuck – it’s one
thing to have to clean out our own hair, etc., but this was probably years in
the accumulating. Anyway, it’s all good
now – no extra water in the hallway!!
3. Lectra/sand
sewage treatment system:
With this
fairly sophisticated system, sewage is treated with salt and electrical pads
that render the sewage perfectly clean and able to just be pumped overboard –
Really! Proven fact. There is a panel with lights that confirms
the successful treatment. Unfortunately,
the message we got was that the treatment was NOT successful. With Dan busy on other systems,
I took it upon myself to read the manual and investigate. The first possibility of a problem is that the
electrical pads were dirty. The solution
is to use a solution of muriatic acid, let it sit in the system for an hour,
then flush. Still, it was not
successfully treating the sewage. Next,
the suggestion is that the system isn’t injecting salt, or enough salt, to make
the treatment work right. It was time for Dan to investigate, meaning he had to
go into the compartment where the Lectra/Sand system resides. In order to work on the engines, the
Lectra/Sand system or the generator, Dan has to contort himself to lower into
the appropriate chamber, tucking his head to avoid hitting on the floor
above. Getting out is a real trick,
too. Good thing he’s a thin and still
fairly agile person! When he examined
this system, he didn’t like the look of one connection to the submersible
pump. The pump is in a vat that includes
salt and water. We have to periodically
add salt to this system. The connection
was bad, but the pump was totally dead anyway.
We ordered a new one and it should be here today. In the meantime, to determine if the lack of
salt was the only problem in the system, we add a couple of cup or so of salt
each time the toilets are flushed.
Yay! The system is happy and is
correctly treating the sewage now.
I already
described the extensive work done on the electrical system – took forever, but
we are now in a much better position. We
have an inverter that will service us very well, while underway or anchored
out. We have a generator that works
(after the mouse nest was removed and wires replaced!). Dan has replaced many of the ceiling lights
with more efficient LED bulbs. He has
replaced a hinge on the cock pit gate – it was broken and had been sort of
fixed. It looked bad. Now, it’s good. We have cleaned the outside of the boat,
which takes scrubbing. Dan polished the
horn, something that the Coast Guard requires on the boat. The air compressor that powers it works just
fine.
All in all,
we are feeling much better and much more ready to cruise! The next few days, Dan plans to do a tune up
on these big diesel engines, a cost of $500 to have it done. My Dan has the skills and know-how to do it
himself. Fortunately, the previous owner
had installed an oil change system, which makes changing the 3 gallons of oil
for each engine much easier. We are very fortunate that the
Kittiwake had been very well maintained until the last two years. But, the owner had been ill, and the boat had
not moved much in that time. Boats don’t
like to sit still – thus, here we are bringing her back to being in good
shape. Sometimes, I think about other
couples who buy a used boat. If Dan wasn’t
as talented as he is, we would really be in a fix – at the mercy of anyone who
wanted to be hired to do all this work!
We are so lucky!
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