Good approach, Janice! If you notice something amiss when peeking through the opening is it large enough to allow repairs to the fuel pick-up lines, or do you have to cut a larger opening?
Nice article about the importance of regular cleaning and maintenance, and great suggestions on cleaners. You do really good work, and you are a fine writer. JTK
Jan, I don't mean to hy-jack your thread but can't find a place to ask the questions, "What is the deal I read about, your green and red tides? R they really killing the fish in great numbers? We R having a scourge of smoke issues here. Blown down from BC and up from Ca. Bad air not fit to breath, eyes burning, flue like feelings and I want to get out of here but no place to go. Is this because of global warming or R the Russians at it again? Stay safe, Sid.
Hi Pam. That Beckson is large enough to get to the fuel line. I replaced same... okay, my friend Edwin did the magic. And yes, it was a real pain in the transom. But he did it!
The fuel lines in Seaweed were over 30 years old. That's too long. I really should have replaced them when I bought the boat -- it's a Good Idea to replace very bit of engine rubber (belts, impellers, hoses) when you buy a boat. I did the belts and hoses on the engine, but not the ones to the tanks.
There will be an article about access upcoming. That truly is the bane of many boats. Although mine is far better than some, there is room for improvement.
The reason that port (the access Beckson plate) is that size is because that is the size I had on hand. I reused something from another area. That's not ideal, but there you have it.
Seaweed is not perfect. She is fun and a terrific home. I am very fortunate.
Thank you Pam for your note. I appreciate it.
It's always a pleasure to hear from a fellow captain. And thank you for the lovely compliment. Live Long and Prosper.
Cap'n Sid:
Regarding Red Tide, this has been around forever. Periodic fish kills are something I remember from my childhood aboard our boat. Red Tide is nothing new.
As for global warming, my school books said an upcoming Ice Age was going to kill us all. Whenever someone talks doom and gloom I look to the money. Who profits from the scourge of the day?
The forest service stopped allowing burns, and that has created this massive mess. The quick burning flash fires so to speak burn off the underbrush. Then it was decided that the fires were dangerous. That created and exacerbated this mess.
Here in Florida the flash fires cause the oak trees to drop their acorns. That causes more oak trees. No fires means more pine trees which choke out the oaks. Then the pitch from the pine trees is super hot which destroys the oak trees (kills them) making what was old-growth hard-wood forests a charred ground. It's a mess.
Now the whole oak tree/pine tree thing was described to my children and I during nature walks in Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, FL) twenty some years ago. Back then every Friday and Saturday the Parks Division offered a two-hour guided tour of a park. We went on Friday because it was free. Weekends cost $. So we learned a lot of nature stuff and had a good time too. The walks were from 9 to 11 and we went every Friday for years. I would pack a lunch and we would eat/explore after our walk.
I remember this woman (Julie maybe) who was a retired high school science teacher. She loved the ecosystems, and could explain life cycles... just a fascinating naturalist. She was very fond of the deeper areas of parks, off the official trails. She is the one who explained how important fires are, PROVIDED they happen frequently enough to burn off the underbrush. That keeps the woodland creatures safe. If memory serves me that is...!
I remember there being terrible fires (Carolina's?) one year when we were heading south that made breathing difficult. We ended up going off-shore to avoid the problem area. This was 50+ years ago, so my location may be off. I do recall that horrible closed in feeling. Not being able to breathe, etc. We ended up going off-shore to get to clear air.
Much the same was done when we'd run into Red Tide. It's a warm salty water phenomenon, and has been around longer than we have! There is a freedom with having a way to escape. That is what our boats offer. A means of going, and bringing all our stuff with us.
Thank you for the comment... your idea of a place to ask questions is a good one. I might give that a go too... It would offer a place for folks to introduce themselves too. Anyway, once I get through these next few weeks (it's super busy here) I'll look to getting that going too. Thank you Cap'n Sid.
To continue the red tide discussion, Mote Marine on City Island between St. Armands and Longboat Keys near Sarasota, has experimented with adding ozone to the water to kill the algae that causes red tide with good results in their open tanks. They are now testing the process in some of the canals around Sarasota. My concern is that at the 300 gallons a minute they can treat, there are millions of gallons that need to be treated-but it's a start! Stay tuned. Btw, if you ever get the chance EVERYONE needs to visit Mote Marine lab. Cheers, Captn David on SURVIVOR
I was thrilled to learn about Mote... It sounds like a great place to visit. And that they are doing work on the red tide scourge is cool too. Rather than having folks hunt down the information you provided, I wrote an article, including the Mote of course for everyone.
Link (you'll have to copy/paste) http://janice142.com/Articles/RedTideAndForestFires.html
That was great information. Thank you Cap'n. And thank you for your comment. I look forward to visiting Mote. J.
This applies to anything plastic that’s got to be out in the sun.
My two examples for you are :
My remote temperature units that hang under the tree. I buy a white plastic tall coffee cup from the dollar store. I spray it with the white rustoleum spray paint. It keeps it clean, it keeps the plastic from absorbing dirt, and it reflects any incidental sunlight.
When I had the house in Maywood, I had an outside barbecue. Within 5 years, the sun killed the plastic handle on the house gas shut off. When I replaced the handle, we could not find the same handle so I had to have a plumber replace the whole valve at a cost of $150. This time, I took the handle off, and carefully sprayed it with rustoleum spray paint that they claim will cover plastic. It did. That plastic handle was still going strong after 12 years.
This sounds great. I spray painted with that plastic paint a black anchor ball. It's still going strong though only two years so far. I am glad you had good results. Thank you Sir for your comment. J.