....And Then Reality Hits

[Shenandoah52]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Maybe I just got lucky, but my point was not about the actual components.

No, your point was completely valid. I spent a good many years making a living working on boats and your point about some boat mfrs using a higher level of craftsmanship has been my experience. There is a huge difference in the levels of how boats are assembled not unlike in the automotive world. And this runs across all systems and component installations.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by hamburking

SNIP

Confused, I looked at the new owner. He said to me "choke? What's that?"

You win the internet for today.

[MarkSF]

When I got my boat with a Universal 5424, I had the opposite problem. I couldn't figure out how to turn the engine off! Ended up calling the broker I purchased through.


You push the throttle against quite a strong spring. Hadn't seen that before.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

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But take heart, toilet-related problems can be a bit intimidating, but some (many? most?) are really easily and simply fixed... Just gotta start by knowing which system has which problem, relevant cause, etc.

Good luck! Take another deep breath! (If your toilet environment allows.) Enjoy! Eventually...

-Chris

And, believe it or not, there are actually books that an help you learn.'


There's one about heads, too:


https://shop.sailboatowners.com/sear...+of+boat+odors


Buy it.


Also, none of us was born an electrician. It's one of the things you need to learn instead of depending on others. Charlie Wing's books is a good place to start.


Good luck, happy reading.

[garychurch]

Don't feel alone...I have the same story. We were aware the boat needed work and tlc.

It was a year and a half of living aboard doing repairs and maintenance on a daily basis.

After a few months I was ready to chuck it all but kept on and finally had a boat that I am very happy with. Of course the was after untold hours of work and significant unplanned dollars.

I would suggest you need to spend time on your boat and take a few shakedown cruises before heading out to see the world.

[moseriw]

Welcome to the club.
This years issues:
windlass gear broken.
Have to mount extra battry in bow as the Voltage Drop due to thirty feet is THIRTY percent.

Gearbox: replaced the heat exchanger 2 years ago - need to refill completle after fourty hrs. Where the f... is the oil going too...
Onan Genny... stopped working three yoears ago - replaced rawwater pump
now the inner cooling circuit looses fluid when working...
Maybe the next heat exchanger to throw over river jordan.
Solar Panels.. hired an electrician just to do a faulty installation
Now I am on number three of solar chargers and the next 800 USD lost

Well well - one gets accustomed to it.

[Sea Scamp]

Hi,

With your Toilet, some times they can get an airlock in the pump, especially after sitting, you can usually tell by the water whiing around and not going anywhere/ the bowl can keep filling up to.

When this happens just give the electric pump a couple of quick short go's, you should see a couple of air bubbles come up, once cleared.

In a bad case usually when a guest uses it, they will keep going till the bowl is nearly full. Simply turn off the water supply, and press the button a few short times, like before, until you see the bubbles come up then suck it down. Don't forget to turn the water back on.

Hope this helps

Cheers

[Felixthecat]

Look I know exactly how you feel about dreams, reality and the sharp fall that can take place and the feelings that can bubble up. The sweat that beads on the brow as you better half glares at you while you try to make their "day out" better.

I am really in no way would try to offend you, but we are talking about failed air conditioning (quite a luxury for sailing) and two failed heads (out of three!). I am sorry but really sailing is not about air conditioning and creature comforts...... these are diametrically opposed to the concept of sailing. So I think the best thing to do is re-evaluate what you really want. If its a weekend away every now and then with some guests, have you tried simply chartering vessels for the weekend (no maintenance required!) since you live a fair way from the sea? Chartering can be awesome. Some of the most carefree times on a boat are when its not yours!

I have owned different types of boats and I agree the ups and downs can be hard to take. The only way to get lasting joy is to be hard on yourself and disallow yourself from buying something you dont really need.

I have just sold my catamaran and bought a 1/3 share in a mono hull..... after years of exceeding my needs I am finally in a good space.

Contentment is the key. If air conditioning is needed we have already failed.

[Togreenfeet]

Ok I have to ask a really dumb question. Did you pay to have the vessel surveyed? Why is it none of the BS came up during the sea trials ( my boat) ???

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Felixthecat

I am really in no way would try to offend you, but we are talking about failed air conditioning (quite a luxury for sailing) ... I am sorry but really sailing is not about air conditioning and creature comforts...... these are diametrically opposed to the concept of sailing.

Even very active cruisers can end up spending boatloads of time at the dock. Our summer here (semi-near where Scarlet's boat lives) has been almost 55 days of 90+F degree weather, oppressive humidity, and nothing much int he way of wind for sailing (typical July and August on the Chesapeake).

We spend somewhere around 150-200 days aboard every year, and July/August suck without AC.

-Chris

[stduckie]

Hello all. Albeit a stink pot owner [Carver 3607 T Cummins] I can empathize. I now live aboard and have over the past 1 1/2 years have understanding of the true meaning of "BOAT!" and have dutifully broken out several thousands; nothing major just stuffs that has been ignored by previous owners. Best to all.

[Aldous Snow]

One can substitute “airplane” or “RV” for every mention of boat in this conversation.

[Dani-lu]

It takes quite a while to truly dial in a boat. Once dialed in you get to really enjoy your boat, and you feel great knowing there is not much you don’t know about her. Even when dialed in, things will break. Fixing them as soon as possible keeps the list shorter and less overwhelming. I try to fix one or more things per day. If you don’t try to tackle all things at once, it leaves you more time to enjoy your passion. Right now, you need to focus on the big things that keep you from leaving the dock. Smooth seas!

[mfahrenthold]

The Electroscan is a system separate from the toilet, not part of it.
Call the manufacturer and they will help you.
Your toilet that was not pumping out may have shellfish, etc. attached to the thru-hull outlet. Take the hose off, open the valve and see if water flows. If not your valve is stopped up from the outside. Clear it by pushing a screwdriver thru to knock the debris out of it. Don't forget that when the water starts flowing again CLOSE THE VALVE. Walla, you are ready to flush again.

[codefoster]

I didn't have time to read the whole thread, so I apologize if this was said already, but I would challenge you to embrace all of that (the problems, the ever growing task list, the challenge due to lack of experience, etc.) as part of the dream.

Someone told me shortly after I bought Skookum that it was foolish to buy a boat. His reasoning was that if you like sailing it makes far more sense to just rent a boat when you want to go... that you'd spend far less that way. That had me thinking for a long time, and the realization that I came to was that although he's right about the financial comparison, I didn't just want to sail... I want to be a sailor. I want to have a relationship with a boat... one boat... my boat, and just like human relationships, they take work... a lot of work. In fact, every one of us knows that the work hours far outweigh the "thrill" hours.

So I hope you enjoy standing in front of fasteners at the marine store fretting about which ones you need, learning how to care for the teak, working on your maintenance scheduling, climbing the mast, scrubbing fiberglass stains, waxing, and doing engine maintenance. Truly, this is the dream!