16 JANUARY - 2017 POST # 3 - PLIMSOL TRIMMING
Making some changes . . . changing over our onboard bulky computer desktop system on So fea, for many reasons: modernization alone for 2017 is going to laptop, and away from desktop/nettop, but, diminished office space, and a change in useage (away from our International Poetry websites), and going heavier onto the cloud and into Twitter also play in.
The re-ballasting of So fea to a bow "up" waterline stance (static) was needed for water runoff and proper scupper feeding to aft (rather than storing pools trapped forward). . . so, the tools and heavy stores had to move aft to where the computer station was.
Not carrying/holding the 400 gallons of fuel (required for a "working" cruise-boat) raises the ass end around 5 inches . . . (@ 6 pounds per gallon = 2400 pounds), keeping the aft water tanks full, and adding the tool weight aft really helps !
We already transferred some lead ballast port to starboard for trim, but the nose down attitude traps 4" of water on the bridge deck (unable to drain), since all of our deck drains are located aft in each well or deck area, usually the V berth area is empty (except for anchor chain), and the full fuel tanks would keep us level, and full water tanks would raise the nose another 1 1/2' or so, sitting at the dock.
So now, and next, the aft berthing compartment is being repurposed and will be shared as a tool area (in a under bunk unused cavity), and the desktop computers are going away for laptops, to free up desk space.
For some lapse of engineering thought the 24" X 84" X 72" raised queen sized mattress support platform is "empty" underneath ? lots of cubic storage - all was unused ... but not any longer !
Ordered a smaller "big" toolbox for this project, to allow yet another re-sorting of all my tools that are in the big roll-away, getting real with what I need, and what I will "do" on vehicle repair in the future (vs. having it done) and, going to try and get it all aboard, and do away with the warehouse (or reducing down to a storage trailer).
So fea started out with only one drippy leak when we came aboard, moving and modifying things around created two more, (all of these were found and fixed), snooping around and ripping things out revealed two ominous long term leaks that have been seeping for years, one is an ongoing search-and-destroy, the other involves doing the entry hatch supports over with 1 x 4 instead of the factory 1 x 1 ..... what were they thinking ? Installed some engine room lighting (DC led's), and starting on the head swap-out.... really an ugly nasty job ! rain-rain-rain highs of 50 degrees, lows of 45 degrees five days/nights in a row . . . a 5 degree temperature spread !
The re-ballasting of So fea to a bow "up" waterline stance (static) was needed for water runoff and proper scupper feeding to aft (rather than storing pools trapped forward). . . so, the tools and heavy stores had to move aft to where the computer station was.
Not carrying/holding the 400 gallons of fuel (required for a "working" cruise-boat) raises the ass end around 5 inches . . . (@ 6 pounds per gallon = 2400 pounds), keeping the aft water tanks full, and adding the tool weight aft really helps !
We already transferred some lead ballast port to starboard for trim, but the nose down attitude traps 4" of water on the bridge deck (unable to drain), since all of our deck drains are located aft in each well or deck area, usually the V berth area is empty (except for anchor chain), and the full fuel tanks would keep us level, and full water tanks would raise the nose another 1 1/2' or so, sitting at the dock.
So now, and next, the aft berthing compartment is being repurposed and will be shared as a tool area (in a under bunk unused cavity), and the desktop computers are going away for laptops, to free up desk space.
For some lapse of engineering thought the 24" X 84" X 72" raised queen sized mattress support platform is "empty" underneath ? lots of cubic storage - all was unused ... but not any longer !
Ordered a smaller "big" toolbox for this project, to allow yet another re-sorting of all my tools that are in the big roll-away, getting real with what I need, and what I will "do" on vehicle repair in the future (vs. having it done) and, going to try and get it all aboard, and do away with the warehouse (or reducing down to a storage trailer).
So fea started out with only one drippy leak when we came aboard, moving and modifying things around created two more, (all of these were found and fixed), snooping around and ripping things out revealed two ominous long term leaks that have been seeping for years, one is an ongoing search-and-destroy, the other involves doing the entry hatch supports over with 1 x 4 instead of the factory 1 x 1 ..... what were they thinking ? Installed some engine room lighting (DC led's), and starting on the head swap-out.... really an ugly nasty job ! rain-rain-rain highs of 50 degrees, lows of 45 degrees five days/nights in a row . . . a 5 degree temperature spread !