A hole is to dig

Whew! I've successfully installed a new thru-hull and seacock for the head. It looks great! Of course none of this plumbing stuff can be tested without sticking the whole stinking boat in the water so.... I'm sure it will be fine. It's hard to drill a hole around a hole with a hole saw (don't say hole!) as there is nothing for the pilot bit to grab onto. Additionally, I couldn't drill from the inside where I had epoxied a plywood pad as there wasn't enough room for drill and bit to get lined up. So, I used the idea given to me by my clever old dad... I drilled a hole using the hole saw into a 3/4" piece of plywood. Then, my friend Chuck held this board tight against the hull, centered over the existing hold while I drilled away from the outside in. This worked great and gave me a better chance to make the hole perpendicular to the hull than hoping from the inside.

Today I'll do the same with the engine thru-hull. I got that one off yesterday and have the new Marelon replacement ready to go. There is already a pad in the engine room for the thru-hull and room to drill this one from the inside. I'll still need to use the "sleeve method" for drilling though and hope I can hold the board and drill at the same time.

As to the remaining thru-hull for the sink drain...I give up. It is really glassed in with a load of fiberglass and it is right next to the water-lift muffler. I can barely get at it. I tried to unscrew it yesterday but have no leverage for this job. I suspect that this went in BEFORE any engine or galley item was in the boat. This is always a problem with boats. What they say about fixing and installing stuff may not always be possible without completely taking the boat apart. I did take the valve itself apart and cleaned it up. It looks sturdy and free from any rust. Since this one is for the drain it is important that we keep stuff from going down there and possible jamming the valve.

Since my last update I've received and returned the new rudder! They made one for a newer Catalina that has a flat spot where the rudder tube exits the boat. My boat is angled there. To their credit they are not arguing. I'm shipping it back today and they are going to fix it and ship it right back. "They" are newrudders.com

We closed on our house back on Tuesday and are now living in an Extended Stay America in Des Plaines. It will serve it's purpose just fine but if I can get into the water earlier than 5/27 I think we'll move aboard then.

This weekend we will paint the bottom of the boat and start to put it back together. There is stuff everywhere from our various projects. Stay tuned for pictures!