While Natalie was visiting her Mom and Grandma in Florida I was working on getting Astraea ready to move aboard.

 

With the portlights out I could see why we had water damage. The caulk was 30 years old and dried out and not providing an adequate seal.

Just because the portlights were out, they weren’t ready for the powder coat shop. The glass, knobs, gaskets and old caulk still needed to be removed.

Chris, from BarbaraAnn helped me plumb the toilet on St. Patricks day while drinking Guinness. We ran hose from the head to the Y valve (mounted on the bulkhead of the head closet) and then to the overboard discharge. Before mounting the Y valve, I discovered it was full of calcium deposits. Calcium precipitates from urine during normal toilet use if it’s left standing in the hose. Flushing vinegar is supposed to help reduce the deposits if you do it regularly. After seeing how it constricted the flow through the Y valve I want to do whatever I can to keep buildup from occurring.

Eric helped cut a hole for the new holding tank. It was intimidating cutting through the boat, but worth it since we’ll be able to fit a 36 gallon plastic tank. We built a mock up tank out of cardboard to see if my rough measurements would work.  The measurements worked, with a few inches to spare for supporting structure.

Eric and Jaime were a great help. They pulled down the old veneer, taped plastic over the windows to keep out the rain and helped with cutting a hole for the new holding tank. Thanks guys, you’re awesome!

It’s going to be a busy next few weeks because Natalie and I are expecting visitors in April. Our friends Emily and Jeff are flying in from Vermont and Colorado. Jeff’s a pretty handy guy. He just remodeled his house and Emily and her boyfriend are renovating theirs. Looks like I’ve got a couple of extra hands on the way!