Splash -- I'm in for 2010

[Porkchunker]

Finished doing some minor maintenance and waxing the topsides. Decided to skip waxing the hull until I do a bit of gelcoat repair.

Dropped her in the water on Friday, ran her up and down the Pax, put her in a slip for 9 days, and and then brought the trailer back home.

Today after running around half the day getting parts/supplies, I started rewiring the trailer. Wire was shot...especially at the points where the wire rubs and all the connectors. I've got all the old wire off, all the old lights off, and the new wire run through the trailer tubes. All connections at the lights will be shrink-wrapped butt-connectors. No grounds will be made to the trailer where they get dunked in salt water. All those connections will be made near the hitch where I can inspect and re-do them as needed. So...each light gets it own hot and ground lead all the way to the hitch. Used a lot of wire, but I don't want to do this job again.

All lights will be LED.

Next light-job is to replace all the incandescent lights on the boat with LEDs.

After re-wiring the trailer, I'm going to replace a lot of very rusted 'U' bolts.

As I was doing the work, I noticed a leak in the hydraulic line for the brakes.

B.O.A.T = Break Out Another Thousand.

Dave

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[striperon1]

Do you have a place to buy U bolts with good prices?

 

[Solomons 2310]

Pulled up next to you in at a stop light in Prince Fredrick Fri. noon(recognized the boat name from this site). From a roadside perspective she looked good!!! Sorry to hear about your trailer trouble. It's always something.... "Kelly Marie" on 68...

 

[Megabyte]

I'm in my slip now too!
Way to go Dave.

 

[Parkerman]

I pulled the cover off yesterday while I was down in DE. Clean and dry. Picked up my prop from the shop ($80.00)and re-registered for another 3 years ($61.00) and got the boat fishing license ($50.00). There goes the budget again!!! After spending a week in NC with the folks in 85 degree weather I am itching to get out on the water. It will be the middle of May if I am lucky. You guys aren't making it any easier either. Can't wait for the August raft up. 8)

 

[In Agreement]

If you still have all the lights off, you might want to seal them with clear silicone. I bought a new trailer with LED's and the lights slowly quit working a few at a time. Bought all new ones and sealed them up the best I could and so far all is well. 8)

 

[B-Faithful]

Glad to hear you are in the water! I also have a laundry list of things including detail but they will have to wait until after trophy season.

Hope you get out and get her dirty soon!

 

[Porkchunker]

All the new wire runs are in and all the lights are connected with shrink-wrap butt-connectors. Next step is to start connecting all the runs at the tongue.

Took the cutting torch and started after a lot of badly rusted square-bolts. Learned that trick when I was a teenager working on a metal fabrication job. Never remove rusty bolts/nuts with a wrench if you can safely get a cutting torch on them.

New stainless square-bolts started arriving. Replaced 16 of the 1-9/16 x 3 x 3/8 that hold the quad-rollers. Hoping the 3 x 5 x 1/2 and 3 x 6 x 1/2 come in tomorrow so I can finish most of the hardware.

Goal is to get the trailer done by Saturday and get the boat back on Sunday morning when my transient slip rental expires.

Will try to get some pics of what I'm doing.

Dave

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[Porkchunker]

Finished all the wiring today and tested. Perfection.

Tomorrow AM I'll break out the cutting torch again and cut off some old rusty square-bolts and replace them with SS. Regardless of how much I accomplish tomorrow, I have to be out of the slip and on the trailer by tomorrow PM. Whatever trailer work I didn't accomplish this spring, will have to wait for another day.

Dave

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[Porkchunker]

Most of the work was finished today and I took the trailer back down to Solomons. Mated the boat and the trailer. New rollers need some adjustment to ride properly...but I'll do that another day.

One of the SS nuts froze on the new SS square bolt. Couldn't budge it on or off. No problem I think...I have a couple of spares (I always order a few extra). Took out the cutting torch and heated the bolt cherry red and hit the oxy lever. No dice...now I remember you can't cut SS with a torch.

So out came the hand-held grinder, and a few minutes later I had the old bolt off and a new one on.

Lesson: grease the threads of all SS bolts before you install them or put on the nut.

Dave

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