"When It Rains...

…It Pours" Leaks

I don’t want to get out of my dry truck.

“Oh my gosh what’s it like when it rains? That must like totally suck, right?” - asks everyone who knows I live on a boat.

Well you just ‘batten down the hatches’, after-all. And watch your footing.

Obviously boats are meant to be wet. They even have a high tolerance to get beaten by water sometimes when you take them sailing. Also, I’m a fan of water and furthermore rain is a good thing most of the time. However, the walk from the parking lot -when it’s raining- is down a slippery walkway, and then down a soggy dock, and finally up on to a slippery and damp boat. So it becomes a cautious stroll which seems much longer and tedious when the rain is pouring and the wind is blowing it sideways. I’m not complaining, though, it doesn’t really bother me. Better than heavy, dirty snow and ice that occurs in other places. Plus this is a storm brewed from a southerly (warmer) place so it’s not even that cold.

A Catalina 30 has the reputation for its windows (“ports” - marine term) leaking. In fact most production sailboats usually do at a certain age, but Catalina’s are notorious for it. I have one corner of one window that leaks when it rains. I plan to take it apart some day, clean all the insulation, beef up that corner and re-install it. Heck, maybe this weekend. (I say that in a “Sigh, I’ll do it tomorrow” sort of way) So for now I just place a rag-type towel under were it drips so it doesn’t soak my upholstery. Problem solved.

A neat feature up in the forward V-berth section of my boat is this rectangled sky-light. I’m not sure if it was put there from the factory, or it’s a hole left over from something else and now just made to look pretty, but it lets in some appreciated dim light during the daytime … also, it lets in water when it rains. See for yourself:

A well timed photo snapped the actual drip

Again, a large towel is placed underneath that. It drips on the area of plastic storage bins I keep clothes in. It will probably be easy to caulk or seal with something.

If this upcoming weekend has a dry forecast and no major distractions I have a few things to do, in order of importance:

(1) Disassemble & measure the threads for the raw-water engine pump, to be replaced.  

(2) Measure the height and width of space for A Cenoura’s actual name to be put on the stern, to be ordered.

(3) Clean, restore, and apply teak oil to as much exterior teak as I can - Not varnish.

(4) Investigate cleaning & re-gluing the “hatch-dogs” (Lock-downs) for the forward hatch to save $8 on new ones.

(5) Note measurements for a 2-ball bearing 'deck organizer’ that is cracked. Note measurements for rope clutches. So I can buy new ones that fit right in the existing holes.