Good weather for wrenching

It was a good day for wrenching on the scooter. Temperatures were in the 40s and it was sunny. That meant it was nice enough to work on the scooter but a bit cool for riding it. 

The little Honda PCX 150 was due for an oil change. My model does not have an oil filter. Instead it has a fine copper mesh filter that looks like an over sized thimble. It’s possible to gently clean the mesh and reuse it. Rather than mess with that I just replaced it as it’s a two dollar item. 

The next item that was due for replacement was the air filter. It came as a bit of a surprise to see just how dirty the filter got. Then I thought back to all the miles of dirt road driven and it suddenly made sense. So how did I end up riding so much dirt with a machine really not meant for it? First of all there are a lot of pretty cool dirt roads to drive around here. The second reason is for practice. The Scooter Cannonball is still on my radar and there’s usually a fair bit of dirt on the route. 

Last fall I had to replace a swing arm bolt and was able to find a replacement at Tractor Supply. There probably wasn’t any real reason to change it to an OEM part but I did that anyway. It has been my experience that Honda OEM parts are generally the way to go. They are less likely to leave you stranded on the side of the road. The last thing I did was check all the other bolts and screws on the machine. 

My next project will be probably involve changing the drive belt. The replacement belt and necessary tools are already packed on the scoot if the old one fails. However, it makes sense to replace it before it fails. Mr Murphy dictates it will otherwise fail at an inconvenient time and place. 

There’s some nicer weather on the way so I’ll probably be doing more riding than wrenching in the near term.

-Sixbears

Making it happen

Slowly moving forward. There is so much to catch up on. Sunday my buddy came over and did that minor roof repair that's been bugging me. My leg is still weak from the long recovery after my injury. Now is definitely not the time to stress it by working on a tall ladder. Glad to have the help.

While he was here we changed the oil in my van. Normally I don't bother changing my own oil. It's so inexpensive to have the car's oil changed that it's not worth getting my hands dirty. The van, on the other hand, costs in the neighborhood of $110 – 120 to have a garage do it. The 7.3 turbo diesel takes a lot of oil and has an oil filter the size of a small trash can. Doing the work at home cuts the price in half.

In other news my lovely wife have definitely decided to look over a couple larger sailboats. Right now I'm waiting to hear back from one boat owner and plan to contact a boat yard today. With luck we should be able to check out a number of boats in the same trip.

Old sailboats can be bargains or they can be money pits. I don't mind so much the things that take labor and a few materials: minor fiberglass repair, paint, carpentry, cleaning, some stitching on cushions and sail covers. That sort of thing is no big deal.

It's stuff like bad rigging, broken winches, engine trouble, extensive wood rot, bad sails, keel and other hull problems -some things add up quickly. Older bargain boats are usually not worth paying for a professional survey. While I'm no expert, I can spot most of the trouble areas.

There are real deals to be had where the cosmetics look bad, but all the stuff that matters is sound. One thing where sellers sometimes try to make their money is by selling you the dinghy too. We are perfectly happy using our big Sea Eagle inflatable kayak as a tender. No need to buy a dinghy.

We are in a position where we don't “need” a new boat. That certainly takes the pressure off. Another advantage is that most people are no longer happy with 27 – 30 foot boats. These days people are told you must have at least a 40 foot boat. We were happy living for four months on our 23 foot Ranger. A few decades back, it was common for 30 foot sailboats to be seen all over the world's anchorages. Now, not so much. In a lot of cruising areas, the number of visiting boats is way down. Perhaps the idea that you must have a huge boat is keeping people away?

It's still possible to get out there for the cost of decent used car. Guess what, the sunset from a small boat is just as pretty as from a large one. The very few people who look down at you for being on a small boat are not worth hanging out with anyway. We found that plenty of people actually admired us for sailing on a 19 foot boat. Old salts would come up to us and say, “that's real sailing.” Then they'd say how they regretted ever selling their small boat and getting a bigger one.

Of course, much depends on your sailing partner. If your partner needs a condo that sails, you are in trouble. Even a 40 foot boat has funny toilets, cramped showers, poor laundry options, plus power and water restrictions. It's too far to the opera house and everything is damp. (dump the partner and get a small boat, you'll be far ahead of the game.)

To sum up, I'm getting better, some projects are getting done, and we are sailboat shopping again. Life is looking up.

-Sixbears