Life in America - I made the move.

[KiLRoy]

Big question is the state of the stringers under the floorboard. Big but essential job.  Then also the state of the wood in the transom.  Critical stuff. At least inspect

[BOZO]

Did I miss something or has this thread turned Greek. I spraak engerish and the terminology youse are twanging is making my kop draai.... what happened to good old. Cabin, body, chassis and roll cage? M


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[Fudmucker]

BOZO, here's a crash course for you...

https://www.thecampfirecollective.com/blog/the-basic-parts-of-a-boat-and-personal-watercraft/

[Mrs. Zog]

Do you ever feel like you're constantly putting out small fires everywhere? Like beating on a grass fire with a wet blanket, and then a spark flies and it pops up somewhere else, so you run there, and it just never stops... that's been my state of mind for the last few months.

Mostly financial stress. Also my business. Taxes. And of course worrying about friends and family on other continents during this COVID mess - my mother in Germany (she is the only family I have left). Everyone in South Africa. I sleep very little at night.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning... I mentioned a couple of symptoms I'm experiencing, and my Dr. said that this is the body's way of telling me it can no longer cope with the level of stress I'm throwing at it.

Her advice was (and I quote) to "chill the fuck out." 

So, for the foreseeable future, I will try to chill the fuck out.

Easier said than done. For now, I'm self-medicating with donuts. 

I would give my left nut (If I had one) for a bathtub and some foaming bubbles.

[Mr Zog]

I got home well after dark tonight, so now work done on the boat 

But I did catch this stunning sunset on the way home.



When I got home the screen on the bakkie told me that it needed an update 

So I hit the "Update Now" button and the software updated 

I think it may have used my phone that was plugged in for the Android Auto app and found the update and downloaded it. So now the latest software is installed.

Eish... that's a first for me 

[Fudmucker]

Ms Z, there is no point in worrying about anyone regarding COVID - that won't change their situation.. 
If you get it, you get it. Just take all the precautions you can and get on with your life.
South Africa is doing OK with the bug, it's the corrupt politicians that are causing us grief.

(I've stopped worrying about who will win in November.
USA will get the President it deserves.
I have zero influence)

One thing I found helps me sleep better - eat a smaller supper and eat it early - like 4+ hours before you go to bed.
Also don't heat up your body before going to bed - chill it in a cold shower.
If I wake in the night and can't get back to sleep, I have a quick cold shower.
That works wonders.
Slow deep breathing too.

[Fudmucker]

...When I got home the screen on the bakkie told me that it needed an update 
So I hit the "Update Now" button and the software updated 

Now if you were driving a Nevara, your power output would be reduced by 25%.
Easier than solving the fried clutch problem.

[Skeltonsc]

What happened to Peters boat? the one you had for a while? that had a V6 90HP with trim and tilt? maybe............ you could borrow it and fit a new water pump impeller and use that one? just until you find your ideal motor?

you don't seem like the kind of oke to thrash the crap out of anything, but then again outboards are made to run at 4500RPM all day and drink plenty fuel

[Herklaas]

  Mrs Zog, google "Paul Watson on stress", the capt. of the Sea Sheppard, some good advice there. It might work for you, but then again we are all different. 

[Oubones]

Gary, nice boat and I know it is going to be a showpiece shortly!
Mrs Zog, if you can do something about something causing you stress, you are doing it! I am sure of it!
If you cannot do anything about it or you have done your bit, chill and leave it as stressing is useless!
Good luck and strongs to you both!

[Mrs. Zog]

Finished today - Book 32 of 2020

[Mr Zog]

What happened to Peters boat? the one you had for a while? that had a V6 90HP with trim and tilt? maybe............ you could borrow it and fit a new water pump impeller and use that one? just until you find your ideal motor?

you don't seem like the kind of oke to thrash the crap out of anything, but then again outboards are made to run at 4500RPM all day and drink plenty fuel

When we bought the house I took the boat back to Piet. We didn't have the space for it here, it's very big, and I certainly didn't have the money to start a renovation either. That boat had a lot wrong with it, and it is also a lot bigger than I can handle by myself, launching and recovering etc.  Piet has since sold it.

[Mr Zog]

So this weekend was hellofa busy, but not a whole lot got done on working on the boat.

Saturday morning I went to see Piet. He is the guy that had the 50HP Suzuki engine. He had already moved it out from under his shed and put it on a stand. We messed with it for a few minutes, but I decided that I'd just load it up on the bakkie and mess with it in my own way at home. It looks like the starter motor is sticking, but the engine turns over by hand very well. Piet has a John Deere tractor with a pipe sticking off the front of the bucket that he used to pick up the engine and put it onto the back of my bakkie.

Then I went to see another buddy, TJ. Also an ex-SAFFER. He had told me that he had some left-over fiberglass for me. TJ gave me a black garbage bag FULL of big offcuts and scraps of various rolls of different types of glass. He also gave me about 3 - 4 gallons of fiberglass resin (not epoxy resin) in a 5 gallon bucket, as well as a belt sander (a nice 6 inch wide one!) and a thickness planer. The planer is a good one, old but in very nice shape. But it needs a motor and the pulleys. I can get a motor at work at cost price (or a good used one) and the pulleys are apparently only about $5 each on ebay. So when I get a chance I will investigate getting it working again.

I took my haul home, and offloaded it all into the garage...

The sander and the planer from TJ



And the Suzuki 50 HP from Piet. Getting it off the bakkie and into the garage was a MISSION, that thing is HEAVY 



On the way home from TJ, Maja called me. He is the other SA guy that put me onto the Boston Whaler initially. He said that I need to meet hom at the sellers place because the seller has found the boats original fuel tanks and I need to come get them. So after dropping the first stash off at home Mrs Zog joined me for the drive down to Sebastian.

At the sellers house I met Maja and grabbed the two fuel tanks. They are the original 1977 steel fuel tanks. Both have some old fuel still in them, and both are not leaking at all. They need some love, a sanding and a respray maybe, but maybe I'll try keep them original?



Maja also had a box of stuff that he had lying around in his garage that he had brought for me. A marine 2-way radio, including all wiring and antenna, a fishfinder depth sounder with transponder etc., two marine speakers, and a 12V plug-in spotlight.  He also gave me two radio covers. Awesome!!!



On the way home from that trip I stopped off at Harbor Freight. They had a special on a temporary carport, and I also had a 30% off coupon... 

[Mr Zog]

I didn't get much more done on the boat or related stuff Saturday evening, but I did modify the PVC pipe framework that I had built for the F150 to keep the dogs from jumping off the bakkie.

I had to cut 8 inches (200mm) off the width, that is how much narrower this bakkie is compared to the F150. But I did have to add 13 inches to the length (325mm) because this bakkie doesn't have a toolbox on the back. Now I just need to go buy some more chicken wire from the co-op this week and I can recover the frame and then I need to make an elevated platform for Maggie so she can see out... 

This morning my first order of business was top get the boat moved from the side of the house to the back yard. This is a lot easier said than done. Because of the pee-corral, and the workshop, there is a very tight corner with an uphill slope into the back yard. With the Jon boat it isn't much of an issue; the boat is lighter, and the lawn tractor can push it no hassle. But this boat is heavy as all fuck, and there is no way the lawn tractor will push it.

So I hitched it onto the back of the bakkie, and with 4WD selected to prevent slipping or spinning tyres on the damp grass, I backed it up and into the bend as much as I could. Then Mrs Zog helped me to physically push it up and into the back yard. The last stretch was easy, it's downhill again... but getting it back out may be another mission 

Then I assembled and erected the carport shade jobbie. I used 6 ground anchors (the type that screw into the ground for Hurricane strapping) to secure each leg to the ground so that any passing storm would not pull it up and away. Now I will be able to work in the boat out of the direct sun, or rain, and the leaves that are dropping from the two big trees will mostly not fall into the boat either.

Then I popped up to Home Depot again and bought some 2x4's, and I went to West Marine and bought two inspection hatches.

Back home I did the mowing and the weed eating, just in time before the rain arrived. Then I used the 2x4's to make a basic stand for the boat engine. I even added 4 castor wheels that I had to make moving it around the workshop a bit easier.    Mrs Zog had to help me hold the stand steady while I lifted the engine onto the stand... damn that thing is HEAVY 

Anyways, that was my weekend. Not much done on the boat, but at least it is now in the place in the yard where I need it, and it is covered. And the engine is on a stand in the wrkshop.

And I scored a SHIT-TON of very useful stuff too!

Oh, and the deal with the engine with Piet... If I get it running (I should, it looks really good), then I need to replace the propeller shaft because it is apparently worn from previously being adjusted incorrectly (part available on Amazon for $87, including shipping).  Then I can mount it on the boat and give it a good test. If it is right for the boat, the price is $200. And if it is too small, then I can still use it until I do find a better replacement, and then I can either sell it and give Piet his $200, or I can just give it back to Piet and he will refund me the $87 for the new propeller shaft. 

Either way, I can't lose. If I do decide to not keep the engine, and sell it, I will probably easily get $1000 to $1200 for it... so Piet's price of $200 is a real bargain! He is a good friend.

Anyways, I did manage to get y'all a couple of pics of the boat in its new work shop, you can see from the light coming out of the workshop windows that it was already quite dark...





And here is the Suz on its stand...



Tomorrow I have the appointment with the root canal specialist. Eish... 

[Tom van Brits]

It amazes me how many South Africans are in the States, even here in our small town and all over.
Hope you get that motor running again without spending too much. 

[BigEd]

It amazes me how many South Africans are in the States, even here in our small town and all over.
Hope you get that motor running again without spending too much. 

Give me a inch of a chance and I'll be there too!

[Fudmucker]

It amazes me how many South Africans are in the States, even here in our small town and all over.
Hope you get that motor running again without spending too much. 

Give me a inch of a chance and I'll be there too!

I think there are probably over a million Saffers who would be there if they let them in.

[BigEd]

It amazes me how many South Africans are in the States, even here in our small town and all over.
Hope you get that motor running again without spending too much. 

Give me a inch of a chance and I'll be there too!

I think there are probably over a million Saffers who would be there if they let them in.

In 1997 I was too young and inexperienced, now I'm too old and sickly...

[tok-tokkie]

I see the thicknesser is a Shop Smith.  I had the classic Shop Smith woodworking saw/disk sander/drill press/lathe multi tool with the additional band saw.  Really excellent quality equipment.  A good score you got there.  If you ever have an option for the tool I had then jump at it.

[allan.cawood]

It amazes me how many South Africans are in the States, even here in our small town and all over.
Hope you get that motor running again without spending too much. 

I’ve already started the process to make the move ... my folks stay in Connecticut. And I have a job that I can walk into ... so this Saffer is taking his family over ... just a few hoops (rather large ones) to jump through.


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