Haulout 2013, Day Twenty

We finally got the shafts back this afternoon, but too late to do anything with them.  What was only supposed to take two days, took nearly a week.  The whole project has been like that, but I’m still hoping to get back in the water on Day 22.  If we don’t make that, then I’ll have to bribe Billy to run the Travel Lift on a weekend.  We can’t be without our home any longer.
 
Machining the collar for the starboard stern tube didn’t go so well – the fiberglass kept breaking.  So instead we’ll use a piece of 2” heat shrink tubing.  It’s probably only slightly better than the layer of hose that was there before, but it’s what we’ve got.
 
Another problem has raised its head.  When the new shafts go in, it will be with new cutless bearings.  Of course, we wait until the day before to try and get the old bearings out, and I can’t get them out for anything.  The next step will be to use the reciprocating saw (yeah!) to cut through the bearing WITHOUT cutting into the stern tube.  I can’t wait.
 
The boat has to be moved tomorrow.  There’s a boat behind us that is going back in the water and we’re in the way.  Moving the boats around the yard is like a puzzle game sometimes.
 
The starboard engine is caught up to the port one now.  The raw water plumbing is finished and the start battery is installed.