Well, back on topic for Mothra the Mariner. As noted before, this old O'Day Mariner had been sitting for quite some time before I picked her up. I've been methodically going through all the bits of broken or just plain worn out hardware. Gee, I think I've probably spent as much now on new Harken stuff as I did to buy the boat! Recently, I've switched my focus from broken stuff to things that are just plain bad. For example, there are an awful lot of non-stainless steel fasteners in this boat. I've started pulling some of the more critical fasteners (like, oh I don't know, say the three quarter-inch bolts that hold the mast step in place.) Yikes! Don't know how long they've been there, but an alarming amount had rotted away. Or how about galvanized plumbing elbows screwed to bronze thru hulls for the cockpit drains. It's all gotta go. Latest project was properly eliminating the holes remaining from the original marine head (yes, in 1969 it was legal to pump raw sewage back out.) When I got the boat, it just had a bolt hose-clamped into the end of the flimsy plastic tubing. Well, did the right thing and pulled the plastic thru hulls and fiberglassed over the holes tonight.
Ready now to go in the water for a nice Father's Day sail with a bit more peace of mind :-)
About this blog
Well, this blog started out as a chronicle of the restoration, and adventures aboard, the O'Day Mariner, Mothra. But since then, and thanks to Mothra rekindling my love of sailing, it's often taken over with other sailing content. So be it. I'm having so much fun with the new Megabyte, I gotta share that, too.
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