Crash course in boat maintenance

It is almost 6 weeks since I trailed Little Dragon home from Lawrence and I have spent most of that period on maintenance. Although the hull is in excellent shape it is becoming clear that many of the fittings have worn out and need replacement, plus I have to admit to causing one or two of the problems.

I owe a huge vote of thanks to both Richard Flavell and Peter Barnes - both boat builders who freely gave of their time and skills to undertake the repairs that were beyond my skill level (most of them).

Richard (the first photo) repaired the hole in the fibre glass hull caused when the boat jumped off the flat roller on the winch. I repainted the patch on the hull (at least I can paint). It also took a day to get all the fibre glass fibres out of the cabin.

The outboard motor went to the workshop and I was told (as Peter suspected) that there was water in the carby.

It was a hassle getting new pintles for the Zodiac. The old ones were just stupid plastic pegs that didn't handle my "robust" rowing. I am not surprised that Zodiac finally replaced that model with steel pegs, the "new improved model". Zodiac say that their inflatables are only designed to be rowed in an emergency- absurd. I don't want to lug around a second motor. I'm having enough trouble with one.

Next it was the submersible trailer lights. They are only a few months old but Nicky noticed that one of them wasn't working. So I am sent back and forth between the auto electrician and the supplier (one half an hour drive north and the other half an hour drive south). Finally the supplier gives me a replacement and the auto-electrician rewired them. The auto electrician hadn't bothered to wire them in a waterproof way first time. Well why would I want the wiring on submersible lights on a boat trailer to be waterproof?

Now on to Peter Barnes and his Brunswick backyard workshop (plus Margaret's many cups of tea and cake - thanks). Peter fixed things that I knew needed fixing and other things that I hadn't even noticed. This is a list of some of them, but I am sure there are more I have overlooked:

a) fixing the jammed spring on the outboard (I had taken it to two outboard engine workshops and both denied that there was a problem)
b) fixing the staunchion to the deck (it had come loose)
c) trying to level the rollers on the trailer so that the boat winches in straight on the rollers. To do this Peter and I got the boat off the trailer and onto his lawn. Then he welded a chunk of stainless tube onto the winch to raise it up as he reckoned it was too low. Finally came the task of getting the rollers level - it took hours to get the rusted on bolts off and to get new ones bolted back to his satisfaction.
d) However Peter looked at my rusty trailer with alarm and said that if it was his he would clean it up. That suggestion resulted in me taking the trailer back to my garage at home and spending a week full time working on it - in midsummer heat. The result is shown in the photo below. I hosed it 3 times to desalt it, then painted with turps to degrease, then a coat of rust converter, after that 2 coats of metal rust proof undercoat and finally 2 coats of white rust proof enamel. Many thanks to Noela and Keith who each spent a day helping with this task.
e) as if he hadn't done enough Peter set to work on the rudder and rudder box/stock. The stock needed sandblasting and a weld to repair a crack that could have become serious in due course. The rudder itself was sloppy in the the stock and has been "bogged" to take up the slack and the lines into and out of the rudder were wrong, so old holes have been epoxy up and new ones drilled.
f) the lifeline needed renewal. Peter offered to suage on a new one. That turned out to be another fiddly task, but it does look good now with a pretty pale blue drinking hose round the new lifeline. My role was to hold the end of the measuring tape.
f) fitting 2 new skim boxes as the old ones were cracking. I could have done that myself but Peter had the vital stickaflex.
g) replacing the flat roller on the winch with a "V" shaped one that I hope will stop Little Dragon's bow jumping off the roller.
h) just as I was about to drive off Peter pointed out that the brakes are binding - probably caused by putting the brakes into the water when launching. So he set to and took the wheel off but wasn't able to free them up. That may be a job for the trailer workshop soon, before the rego is due.

I have learnt heaps but I fear that without years of training and a well equipped workshop I am likely to remain a "trade assistant - incompetent".