janice142
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2011
- Messages
- 1,252
- Location
- USofA
- Vessel Name
- Seaweed
- Vessel Make
- Schucker mini-trawler
Daddy taught me to always do the jobs with my eyes closed. That training so so many decades ago has served me well. A lot of work can be done by feel -- presuming of course you know what you're doing.
Having an assistant is very helpful too. Not having to crawl out, climb over, etc. can be a real blessing. Just having someone who can bring you... well, here we are:
A couple weeks ago I had a CO alarm go off. One of my batts was off-gassing. When I removed the cap from one, the cover slid down in the only dang-near inaccessible spot in that bilge. Okay, I could have gotten to it however it would have been a Fiasco with a capital "F"
This is the cap that I needed:
An upcoming article will extol the benefits of having a spare cap or two on hand. You might keep that in mind for your boats. Having a neighbor with a battery farm meant with a phone call I could get a replacement cap. What a relief!
So yes to having help.
And if there is any way possible to cut a hole to make better access, do so. The designer of my boat was pretty sharp EXCEPT there was no way to access the fuel pick-up lines -- neither tank. Every designer should have to get into the bilge and figure out how an average size man can reach things. A boat should not have to be disassembled for routine maintenance.
You can bet your bottom dollar that if the job is not easy, or inexpensive to pay for, it has not been done as often as is recommended. In my opinion that is.
Having an assistant is very helpful too. Not having to crawl out, climb over, etc. can be a real blessing. Just having someone who can bring you... well, here we are:
A couple weeks ago I had a CO alarm go off. One of my batts was off-gassing. When I removed the cap from one, the cover slid down in the only dang-near inaccessible spot in that bilge. Okay, I could have gotten to it however it would have been a Fiasco with a capital "F"
This is the cap that I needed:
An upcoming article will extol the benefits of having a spare cap or two on hand. You might keep that in mind for your boats. Having a neighbor with a battery farm meant with a phone call I could get a replacement cap. What a relief!
So yes to having help.
And if there is any way possible to cut a hole to make better access, do so. The designer of my boat was pretty sharp EXCEPT there was no way to access the fuel pick-up lines -- neither tank. Every designer should have to get into the bilge and figure out how an average size man can reach things. A boat should not have to be disassembled for routine maintenance.
You can bet your bottom dollar that if the job is not easy, or inexpensive to pay for, it has not been done as often as is recommended. In my opinion that is.