Another soggy weekend.

Friday night I got another coat of urethane on the table, though they look the same as the previous picture so I didn't take a picture.

Saturday I started off mowing the back yard with the push mower.  The  lawn tractor would have gotten stuck; there was still standing water in spots.  I ended up completing the back yard with it drizzling on me (and the rain continued the rest of the weekend.  Sigh).  

After that, there were a handful of indoor/under cover items I did, but not a lot of progress.  I took my Dremel and tried cutting out the center of one of the lugs to see if I can get the cables for the power center installed that way.  It didn't really work.  For a low power circuit, I would have just tightened the crap out of it and not cared, but not for 80A.

The battery and charger came in for that freebie camera.  The camera works.  It is a much worse camera than I thought, the Kodak software is pretty awful, and doesn't let you change anything.  You basically have an auto mode and that is it, which is kind of sad.  It is reasonably modern hardware (15MP, HD video, etc) but its software is definitely holding it back.  It doesn't even have the special shooting modes that most have these days.  

I also noticed Friday that there is a leak in the plumbing under the bathroom sink.  This joint has been a problem before.  The problem is that the installation kit that came with the sink and vanity isn't PVC.  The PVC cement (this is the second time I tried to cement it in) doesn't hold onto the polyethylene.  So I tried silicone this time.  Other than some noob turned the water back on to test it before reconnecting the pipe, the silicone tore off when I was reconnecting it up and it now leaks worse than it did before.  I might stop at Home Depot to see if I can find an actual PVC hookup so the cement holds better.

In today's rain watch, the water is rising in the carport.  The shiny part in the middle is water, and it is several inches deep now.

I also brought my truck in Friday to get the alignment checked and get a tire looked at.  Turns out there were no holes in the tire that they could see with the soap, so they cleaned it up and put new bead sealer on it.  It didn't work.  They mentioned when looked at it that the rim was really bad and if it was the source of the leak that there was so much rust they might be able to see it with soap.  They didn't want to clean the rust off and check since it would make it worse if it was the rim.  So it looks like when I replace the tires, I will be replacing the rims.  At least the alignment was still good, so I don't need new tie rod ends or ball joints or anything.

Also on Sunday I did a quick cost analysis on rebuilding that boat.  I can get a turnkey boat on Craigslist for 2k, and a nicer one for 3-4k.  I estimated the cost of rebuilding the boat at around 3500, so it doesn't really seem viable.  It is perhaps a nicer boat than what I would get from a turnkey solution (most of those are just small aluminum boats someone stuck a motor on), but those are all I need.  THey are only good for a couple of people at most, whereas I could in theory bring along 4-5 people in the bowrider, and the bowrider would be nicer in the larger lakes like Winnepesaukee, but I don't see having more than one or two tops passengers out on the water.  It is possible that the estimate was high, but parts for rebuilding boats are getting really hard to find.  For those curious, the spreadsheet is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s9JsoTW8Y3khIM3dg8Fcd1safnQvY596rwvFceAfato/edit?usp=sharing

A little progress, but not much on the checklist.  I got invited to go hiking at the end of August in the Rockies in Colorado, so I need to start working out so I don't die.  I am behind on my projects for the year, so I really wish the rain would stop.

2021 Projects:

• Prepare summer equipment
• Carport repair
• Windows in shed
• Shed supports
• Table
• South wall siding
• Bridge over creek
• Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
• Trailer hub
• Rebuild smaller trailer
• Level back yard
• Level side yard
• Level front yard
• Clear trees to creek
• Remove dead/dying beech trees
• Retaining walls?
• Eliminate pile of crap in back
• Camper Power Center (portable AC power source and generator)
• Baffle box
• Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
• Driveway round three
• Fix shed door.
• Fix shed floor.

Short update. Finally a day without rain.

I finally got a day without rain this week, so I got some project work done.  I got the first coat of urethane put on the pieces of the table.  Unfortunately, with how humid it was, they were still tacky when I went to bed, so I couldn't get a second coat.  Since this is a table and subject to washing/scrubbing/mild abuse, I wanted to put three coats on it.  

It also appears that the glyphosate I sprayed my driveway with was largely ineffective.  I didn't expect it to kill the knotweed, but I figured it would at least kill the grass and weeds in my driveway.  Some of them don't look healthy anymore, but even after almost a week, nothing is dead.  I mixed it very strong too.  

This puts the table in progress.  Unfortunately after today (I should get the second coat of urethane on tonight) it looks like we are back to raining every day.  This is getting old.  And my yard is getting thick.  We have gotten so much rain even my leech field is flourishing; it usually dies off after the spring showers in May and doesn't come back until the following year.  My creek is still very high, and it is usually barely running by this point.  

2021 Projects:

• Prepare summer equipment
• Carport repair
• Windows in shed
• Shed supports
• Table
• South wall siding
• Bridge over creek
• Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
• Trailer hub
• Rebuild smaller trailer
• Level back yard
• Level side yard
• Level front yard
• Clear trees to creek
• Remove dead/dying beech trees
• Retaining walls?
• Eliminate pile of crap in back
• Camper Power Center (portable AC power source and generator)
• Baffle box
• Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
• Driveway round three
• Fix shed door.
• Fix shed floor.

Lazy weekend.

Saturday I was kind of lazy and didn't do much.

I started by getting the boat off the truck.  I get a "how well can you jack-knife a trailer" tutorial every time I try to turn around a trailer up there, and as usual it took me half an hour to get the damn trailer turned around enough to get it on the slab; it is surprising how slow this trailer turns, I am accustomed to my utility trailer which cuts fast.  I am beginning to wonder if it would be easier to just back the trailer all the way up the driveway.

Even after leaving the boat sit all night tipped back to make sure all the water was out of it, I still ended up using the jack to get it off the truck.  I probably could have lifted it off, but it was dicey whether I could have lifted it high enough to get a concrete block under it without injuring myself.  If I get ambitious, I might move the boat backwards to balance the weight over the axle a little better.  I think if push came shove though, I could move it enough to get it back on the truck without a "how well can I back up blind" exercise.  It might be worth buying a tongue jack for the trailer though before I go to move it again though.  

I also went to return the anti-sway ball I had ordered from Amazon back in April (May?) that they wouldn't cancel (I tried several times every time they delayed it).  I got my money back, but apparently they don't require I actually return the ball, so I have a spare it appears.

I also went and picked up a free point and shoot camera.  The guy claims it works, but the charger is gone for the battery.  I figured an 8 dollar gamble for a new charger and battery was worth it.  I don't particularly care for Kodak point and shoots, but it is better than the nothing I have right now.  

I didn't really do anything else other than finishing cleaning up the Kitchen Aid and other stuff I brought home.  

Sunday I actually forced myself to do some stuff.  I finally got my yard mowed.  The mower wasn't happy, I could see it spraying water in spots, and I nearly stalled the Cub a couple times (gotta go full speed...).  I didn't do the really wet spot down on the bottom right because it probably would have gotten stuck.  I also didn't do the backyard, though the far back is actually the driest part of the yard.

I also went out and started to spray down my driveway.  In a couple of spots I actually mowed my driveway.  The glyphosate doesn't kill knotweed, but it should hopefully kill the stuff in my driveway.

I also went and pulled out the the parts for the table to clean up and urethane, should the rain ever stop.

I also noticed that the silicone had detached itself from the base of the toilet again, so I went through and am trying vinyl tape.  Maybe this will work better.  

I woke up this morning to a flat tire on my truck and more rain, so I decided to go and look at my creek while the air compressor was filling.  It is high.  Very high.  

Even the path leading up to the creek is under water.  This is about as close as my lot ever gets to flooding though.

Given the lack of availability of the generator I chose for the power center, I reviewed the generators in my list, and right now the Champion is the next best option.  It is a dual fuel generator, which is nice.  I could probably get dual 30 or 40 lb tanks, tie them together and not have to refuel the generator the entire trip.  Or at the very least, I can run it for two days on a 20lb tank.

This doesn't start anything else on the checklist, but the table is looking like the next project.  There isn't much left on it to do, I did all the staining and cutting and stuff last year, so it should be quick.

2021 Projects:

• Prepare summer equipment
• Carport repair
• Windows in shed
• Shed supports
• Table
• South wall siding
• Bridge over creek
• Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
• Trailer hub
• Rebuild smaller trailer
• Level back yard
• Level side yard
• Level front yard
• Clear trees to creek
• Remove dead/dying beech trees
• Retaining walls?
• Eliminate pile of crap in back
• Camper Power Center (portable AC power source and generator)
• Baffle box
• Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
• Driveway round three
• Fix shed door.
• Fix shed floor.

New boat.

I came across a free boat on Craigslist today and decided to pounce despite Elsa being overhead right now.  It is a roughly 14' (maybe 16?) fiberglass boat.  The guy said the boat was junk, but it doesn't look terrible to me.  It had a nice galvanized trailer under it.  If I determine the boat really is junk, I can just toss it in the dumpster I will need to get this year anyways and I have a nice boat trailer I can bring down.  

It was a real pain getting the boat hooked up.  The drain hole was plugged up, and there were at least 4-6 inches of water in the bottom, I could see it coming up over the floor.  Since the boat was on a hill facing down, I couldn't lift it to put it on the truck, and had to use my floor jack to lift it and then back the truck perfectly underneath it.  And with the truck cap all fogged up and the fact that it was too close to the road to come in at it straight, it took me 15-20 minutes to get it on the truck.  I am glad it didn't tear my hitch off; if I couldn't even budge it, the tongue weight was likely rather high.

When I got it back to work, I poked the drainage hole with my umbrella and got it to start draining.  I went inside after about ten minutes and it was still draining like this.  I am guessing this is why I couldn't lift it since I was trying to lift a hundred or maybe more gallons of water with it too.  With that much water in it, I would guess that the hull is watertight.

The transom is clearly junk.

The interior doesn't look terrible, but the floor is broken and falling in up under the front platform.  That likely means all the flooring needs to be replaced.

There is a spare rim in the back, though I didn't verify it fits on the trailer.  A lot of junk too.

This was the only damaged fiberglass I saw.  Should be easy enough to fix.  There are a few holes where there used to be things as well.  

The trailer is a nice Karavan galvanized trailer.  The passenger light is busted, but the driver light worked.  The tires hold air, though one of them was low.  Taking the hundred gallons of water out of the boat will help though.  I will just drive slow when bringing it home.

I apparently forgot to take a picture of the whole thing, which I will later.  I didn't really need another project, but I have one.  If the boat really is junk, then I will just crush it and throw it in the dumpster and just sell whichever trailer is leftover.  If it isn't, I have another project for next year (I already have too many for this year).

UPDATE - Here is the whole boat.

The front platform.  I am really not sure what the platform is for.  If it were a fishing platform, I would expect to see a seat post or at least holes where a seat was mounted.  

The broken passenger light.  I might for now just put my spare light on it I have in the shed.  It isn't a submersible light, but should survive for a while.

The fender wells are gone.  

The control center of the boat.  It has a surprising amount of things for such a small boat.

It has been a couple of hours since the initial post.  The tire that was low looks much better now.  It is weathered, so it will eventually need replacing.  

The fish finder appears to still be there.  Considering everything else has been stripped from this boat, I am really surprised this is still here.  The sensor was still on the back as well.  

It was apparently a Columbian boat, though this is literally the only branding/decal I saw on the boat and was oddly placed on the splash well.  Google suggests Columbian made fiberglass boats in the 60s, but they weren't a long lived brand and there isn't much on them.

Even the coupler is in good shape.  The wiring will need replacing sooner or later, there are far too many patches in it for my liking.

One odd thing, the trailer doesn't have a winch, just a chain to hook on the bow eye.  I will definitely put a winch on it at some point.  

When I took the second round of pictures, I was able to shift the boat around on the trailer by hand which supports my theory that most of the weight was water, though it was still far heavier than I expected.

Back home.

I got back from a trip to KY yesterday.  My Dad will hopefully post more stuff, but I worked on his new extension while I was there.  I did the electrical work, and he did a good chunk of the insulation work (he cut the walls, I installed them, and he did the ceiling with my sister's help).  The structural work was done by Amish contractors.

The lights aren't done, but the drywall (and possibly painting) needs to be done first.  The drywall was being done when I left.  While I need more practice doing drywall, the last time I did any it looked pretty crappy afterwards, and I didn't have enough time to do it while I was down there.  And this way it hopefully doesn't need to be redone in a few months because it was taped wrong...

The microwave made an amicable load tester (and I cleaned it as a bonus).  Everything was fine, no sparks or smoke or anything.  

I also finished getting my anti-sway setup while I was down there.  The first one I ordered kept getting delayed, so I got one while I was down there, though the first one I ordered was rolling around in the UPS truck somewhere.  The replacement arrived just fine though.  I didn't get to test it, but the hookups to the truck are ready now.  

I checked on a few things when I got home last night.  The yellowjacket trap was largely a failure.  There were a few things in there, but no bees.  

I have been gone for several weeks.  The yard needs mowing, badly.  It is supposed to storm all week though, so it will have to wait for the weekend.  The Cub won't be happy about it, but too bad.

I also found a mouse that apparently likes Pine-Sol.  I put some in my trash can so it doesn't smell before I left, and there was a mouse in the bottom of the can when I got back.  None of my traps had been touched, so I might need to rethink my mouse trap strategy.  

My emergency supply of cheese was still good, so that crisis was averted.  I don't particularly like having to go shopping right when I get home.  

I have been gone long enough that my coming home was a commotion.  My porcupine decided to come see what was going on.

The cap is confirmed to not impact my gas mileage; I actually got over 19.5 on a tank on the way back, which is the new record for the truck.  I will have to get the front end looked at though; I drove my truck through a pasture while I was there, and it was pretty clear from the wear marks on the drive home that the truck is riding the edges of the tires again, even though it was just aligned a couple months ago.  Ugh.  I did get to drive through a half dozen or so fireworks displays though, so here are some fireworks pictures.