This week, the weather was considerably more pleasant with the sun warming the boat nicely. We erected our ladder and primed and painted the starboard side window frames using Rustoleum gloss black paint, applied with a brush. The paint, or whatever it was that Silverton originally used, had either worn off or had taken on a very worn appearance. It looked a lot better when we finished, although we doubt that anyone will ever notice it.
Then we finished painting the port side frames. We hadn't intended to paint the frames around the front windshield but since we had the paint and masking tape right there, we decided to do that too.
The front windshield frames look really good, although no one will ever see it because during the summer, we have a Sunbrella cover for these front windows. Without that cover, our 16,000 BTU air conditioner can't keep the cabin really cool on the hottest summer days.
(Doesn't our little table lamp look cheery down in the cabin? In six or eight weeks it's going to look even more cheery because the boat will be in the water and we'll be sitting next to that lamp enjoying a cocktail.)
It took hours and a half a roll of painter's tape to mask the windows properly but it was worth the effort. A stupid photo? Probably, but we had the camera there, so what the hell?
Another thing on our winter list is to replace this cruddy deck fill for our water tank. Not only is it a piece of cheap plastic (or something) crap, but the cap is marked "Waste." This drives Frances nuts because she's afraid that during the summer, the dock guys will stick their hose down that thing and pump the water out of our tank, leaving behind enough bacteria to kill us both.
We pried the old deck fill up just to check on the hose size. We want to order a new one this weekend before te Defender Warehouse sale ends. Might a well save a few busk where we can.
On Sunday, we began by replacing the covers that go over the drains on our newly painted salon windows. We have no idea what these things are made of but they are flexible and had a lot of dirt trapped behind them. When we first removed them prior to painting the window frames, we took them home, cleaned them up and then applied ArmorAll, the first coat of which was absorbed instantly. We applied a few more coats and eventually it began to build up on the surface. Maybe this will extend their life for a while.
Next we tackled the deck drains. They are located in a channel at the rear corners of the cockpit deck. Beneath the deck, those two drains are connected via a tee to two more drains that are under the engine hatches. The drains themselves are actually just 1-inch mushroom head through-hull fittings. Everything was connected using a variety of 1-inch ID hose types that lead to two through-hull fittings in the transom, just under the swim platform.
The mushroom heads on the drains allowed dirt to collect around them and they always looked terrible. Towards the end of last season, the port drain clogged up with something so today, we removed all the fittings, clamps and hoses from both sides.
Getting the hoses off the fittings at the corners of the deck would have been easy if we weighed 70 lbs. and had six foot arms. We did get in there eventually and applied out trusty heat gun to get the hoses off. We also found the obstruction. It was a tiny round piece of plastic and we know how it got there, but we won't tell except to say that the crew member who put it there has furry paws.
We've ordered new deck fittings that have a very thin top (instead of the mushroom head) and that should let dirty water and debris drain more easily from those corners.
Before leaving, we masked several of the steps on the ladder leading to our bridge. We refinished that ladder completely several winters ago but have since noticed that when going up and down that ladder, we step on exactly the same spot on each step. That has worn the finish off the step.
We'll build up four or five coats of Sikken and that should hold us for a couple of more seasons.
It's also time to change the port and starboard running lights to LED types. We may have to hunt around a little for exactly the same type and style of light but the research is fun.
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