Biggest Irritant ?

[BareFtGrl]

So in learning about sailing... more specifically, maintenance of a sail-able boat. I'm curious? What is the thing that absolutely irritates you most? I have seen a million (figuratively, of course) posts about the engine? Is this the one thing that sailors find to be the biggest pain in the a**? I'd really like to prepare myself to "take it in stride" and (hopefully) not freak out at the one thing that will be a repeat offender to my maintain/repair/replace budget?

[zeehag]

electrical systems. they always neeed connections fixed, something added, something subtracted and always need improvement, unless you go thru it entirely and fix it before it gets ye.


oh yeah, then something electrical breaks.....

[xymotic]

Stupidity.

especially things that can kill you.

Especially things that can kill that the PO did to the boat.

So, yeah I guess my biggest irritant is the P.O.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by xymotic

Stupidity.

especially things that can kill you.

Especially things that can kill that the PO did to the boat.

So, yeah I guess my biggest irritant is the P.O.

rofl---seems to be a constant , in many cases.....

[BareFtGrl]

Ahhh...right! I'm still working on that one myself actually. Three months+ in and I've replaced a thru deck socket..a light fixture.. and still have to get up the mast in my bosun's chair (thank you Dulcesuenos for selling me that) for the anchor light. Today we've had our outboard maintenanced and learned about "veneer" that can accumulate in the carburetor. A $240.00 bill total for everything engine but she purr's now. And so...we are understanding the acronym BOAT but I am not a feared or dissuaded. Better for me to have the "heads up" as to those needy things that having a sailboat means.

It is a part of life...and being a live aboard is the life I long for.

[ozskipper]

large stink boats creating enormous wakes near moored and anchored boats. Oh and everything else about stink boats.

As your knew to sailing you will quickly learn that a "stink boat" is defined by anything without a mast and sails.

[cdennyb]

Scrubbing crap off the bottom, all the dammmm time.

[rgscpat]

Varnish, I think it's called (gunk in the carburetor, common in gas engines where fuel has been sitting for long periods). The coating of old fuel is apparently called varnish because that's kind of what it smells like. I have a small outboard that needs carb re-building, but the engine is old enough that parts aren't readily available, so I'm trying to figure out what to do. Maybe soaking some of the parts in an appropriate strong cleaner will help loosen the varnish and gum.

However, it's not the carburetor in old motors or even engines as a whole that are the most irritating system on boats in general.

In my opinion, by far and away the most troublesome and irritating part is the nut that holds the steering wheel.

[bangkaboat]

Originally Posted by zeehag

electrical systems. they always neeed connections fixed, something added, something subtracted and always need improvement, unless you go thru it entirely and fix it before it gets ye.


oh yeah, then something electrical breaks.....

+1 & it's always that connection that you have to climb the mast, or crawl into a settee, for. Or it's those teenie-tiny wires that your new electromagic thingamajig has that you have to take 6 things off to access. My wife is flying to Hawaii for a week, right after we get back to our boat in L.A., because she knows I'm going to work on the electrical first. Smart woman, my wife!

[sailcruiser]

Originally Posted by xymotic

Stupidity.

especially things that can kill you.

Especially things that can kill that the PO did to the boat.

So, yeah I guess my biggest irritant is the P.O.

Was just saying this over the weekend!! Agreed.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by BareFtGrl

Ahhh...right! I'm still working on that one myself actually. Three months+ in and I've replaced a thru deck socket..a light fixture.. and still have to get up the mast in my bosun's chair (thank you Dulcesuenos for selling me that) for the anchor light. Today we've had our outboard maintenanced and learned about "veneer" that can accumulate in the carburetor. A $240.00 bill total for everything engine but she purr's now. And so...we are understanding the acronym BOAT but I am not a feared or dissuaded. Better for me to have the "heads up" as to those needy things that having a sailboat means.

It is a part of life...and being a live aboard is the life I long for.

Its varnish..varnish not veneer..veneer is that little strip of wood that covers a cheap "peace" of wood ..silly rabbit..tricks are for kids

[BareFtGrl]

Varnish.. At least it started with a "V" and ya'll could figure out what I was talking about. Aaannnnd it must have been that the "PO" hadn't run the thing in a while because he had to buy a new battery just to get it started for us. But...we're getting there, in regards to bringing her up to be a pretty good little boat. Nothing major because it's not got major stuff in it. I personally, am not afraid of the electrical stuff but I hate engine work! Doesn't mean I'm not gonna to deal with either and curse like a truck driver when something goes. LoL! It's just that I want to learn the most irritating constant of having a sailboat might be so I can get aquainted with whatever it is a little better before hand. Oh! Come to think of it....plumbing...I not a big fan of plumbing stuff either.

[captain465]

BareFtGirl,
To save yourself the problem of varnish in the carb.........when done with engine, shut off fuel supply while still running...allow engine to run itself out of fuel...no fuel, no varnish.

[sailorboy1]

electrical issues are the biggest PIA, you don't really ever fix them you just chase it from the current location into some new location where it will take a while to grow again into something that makes its' present known

[Minggat]

The biggest irritant is that it never ends, combined with balancing between needs and wants.