When One Thing Leads to Another
Boat jobs are a running joke amongst sailors. They always take twice as long and cost twice as much as you expect. So much so that the defacto currency when it comes to boating is the “boat buck” which at last check had a conversion rate of approximately 1 BB = 1000 USD. Of course this is made all the better when you’re a long way from the boat like we are right now, trying to remotely manage projects and make the best decisions you can. Now come along friends, as I take you on a journey through one of our recent experiences.
Our story begins sometime in late March…
Contractor: Sure no problem, I can get that cutlass bearing replaced in a day. Won’t cost you more than $0.5BB.
Me: Great! Sounds good, but just so you know we want the boat in the water by May 31st so we can move all our belongings onto it the following week.
A few weeks pass…
Me: So…. remember me? We spoke a couple weeks ago about getting the cutlass bearing in our boat replaced? How’s that going?
Contractor: Been really busy. What was your launch date again?
Me: May 31st at the latest so we can move all our belongings onto it the following week.
Contractor: Ok no problem you’re all good. We’ll get that done for you.
Me: Ok great! Keep me posted.
Another week passes…
Contractor: So we’ve had a little problem getting your prop hub off so we can slide out that cutlass bearing. Looks like whoever did this job last time didn’t seat it properly and used the wrong type of grease so the threads are all seized and corroded.
Me: Ah that sucks, so what can we do about it?
Contractor: Well, luckily we were able to source a replacement hub for a $0.5BB so we can just cut the old one off, machine the replacement, and have you up and running with a few extra hours labour after the part gets here (add another $0.5BB to be safe).
Me: Ok thanks for sorting it out. Sounds good, but just a reminder we want the boat in the water by May 31st so we can move all our belongings onto it the following week.
Another week passes…
Contractor: So we’ve had a little problem when we took the rope cutter off the prop shaft after cutting off your old prop hub and taking off the propellor so we can slide out that cutlass bearing. Looks like the shaft has some corrosion pitting where the rope cutter sat.
Me: Ah that really sucks, so what can we do about it?
Contractor: Well you can live with it and it could be fine for the next 10 or 15 years, or it could also snap in the middle of the ocean and you’ll lose your prop 2 miles down and be stuck sailing into whatever is the nearest port capable of doing this kind of repair. The other option is to replace the prop shaft. I’m not going to push you either way.
Me: Hmmm… considering we’re planning to be sailing for the next couple years and we’re not sure the next chance we’ll have to haul out and check it, we’d better get it done.
Contractor: Ok great! Well I didn’t want to influence your decision, but if it was my boat I would definitely replace it. The good new is I can get a new high grade prop shaft for another $0.5BB, plus the labour to pull the original shaft and put the replacement in (add another $0.5BB to be safe). Oh and you shouldn’t reuse the original rope cutter due to the corrosion issue, but if you want to have one I recommend you use this type which is another $0.5BB.
Me: Well considering the amount of plastic, orphaned fishing gear, and other debris we’re likely to run across while out there, we’d really prefer to have a rope cutter to protect the prop, so let’s do it.
Another week passes…
Contractor: So we’ve had a little problem sourcing your replacement prop shaft. Turns out the 35mm size you need isn’t widely available in the US, in fact none of the suppliers I’ve contacted have it. I’m going to try a couple more places tomorrow, but our fall back is to have one custom made or possibly order from Europe, either way it could take a month to arrive.
Me: ….
May 30th…
Contractor: Great news, we found a source for you prop shaft which happens to be only a 45 min drive away. We should have it at some point today.
Me: Ok great! Keep me posted!
Me (Inside Voice): So how many boat bucks are we at now? And launch by May 31st isn’t happening, which means we can’t move all our stuff onto the boat starting next week as planned, which means we need to let the in-laws know we don’t need their help/truck/trailer for trip to Maryland next week, which means we probably won’t move our stuff onto the boat in advance of the ‘official move’ after kids are done school, which means we’ll need to rent a uhaul and do everything in one shot first thing in July, which means…. ah screw it the Raps play game 1 of the NBA finals tonight so let’s grab a drink and think more about this tomorrow….
