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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Immutable Rules of Boat Repair and Maintenance

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/30/2008 : 12:58:33

Feel free to add your own...

Immutable Rules of Boat Repair and Maintenance

1. All jobs will require 2 times the amount of time listed on the instructions or 3 times your estimate.
2. No job is ever truly finished without at least 2 trips to the evil empire (west marine or local equivalent)
3. Repairing something not broken will result in breaking something that needs repairing.
4. The part you need is only carried by the out of state (or country) marine manufacturing company without a website.
5. Mounting hardware is rarely included. When it is, it doesn't fit or work in your specific application.
6. If you are lucky enough to receive instructions with your purchase, they bleed when wet, get wiped with caulk or become unreadable in some way shape or form. If they are still readable they are written in another language.
7. You will receive at least the same number of opinions, plus 2 as the number of people you ask for advice. None of which match exactly what you are trying to accomplish.
8. Whichever method you opt for when repairing the boat, mounting new equipment, or replacing old equipment will immediately be met with dissenting opinion from 2 out of every 3 old salts you talk with.
9. There is no such thing as OEM parts in a 25 year old boat.
10. The second you throw out the old part you replaced and the moment you realize you could have used part of it for another project or malfunction repair is only a few days apart.
11. Even after the best jobs and upgrades you are still the DPO to the new owner.

D. Wolff
DPO C25 Hull 401
Currently Sailing "Champagne and Ripple" 1982 O'day 30

Chief Measurer 2002-2006
Vice-commodore 2007

Edited by - on

jerlim
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1484 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 13:52:42

That pretty much sums it up!

Edited by - on

cat1951
Admiral

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USA
636 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 14:00:05

One other:

The odds of forgetting the tool that you need to fix something are inversely proportional to the distance you have to go to get it.

Edited by - cat1951 on 06/30/2008 14:01:17

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 14:11:18

If your boat's in my marina, they can't fix it.

No, I'm not bitter

Edited by - on

piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 15:03:05

Those rules are irrefutable!

#3 and #5 are my favorites. Case in point, I am looking at padeyes. They dont include backing plate or screws.
Steve A

Edited by - piseas on 06/30/2008 15:06:30

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 15:08:50

The last bolt or screw you need to remove or install will shear off at the head.

The little bitty screw you're trying to install into a poorly designed fitting will fall onto the deck and either bounce into the water, or into the gravel, depending on whether you're in your slip or on the hard.

Edited by - on

piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 17:37:33

I wish I was so lucky to bounce and fall in some gravel. Thats hard being in a slip.
Steve A

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 21:08:38

Agreed, and.....

No the caulk will not last beyond it's opening date.
Fiberglass fabric will never lay nicely.
You will always make up more resin than you need or you will not have enough.
Cutting the cable to length before you run it will cause it to be too short
Failing to cut the cable to length will cause you to cut it and have a useless waste amount.
The hose is never as long as you expected, unless you thought it was too long, then it won't be long enough.
When you mix two part epoxy, you'll always end up with a half golf ball and wonder what to do with it.
After the two part epoxy sets, you'll find a use for the left over... now solid and usless.
The duct tape will not stick unless you don't want it to!
Heatshink tubing will never fit over your connection unless you have excess.
A piece of 'rope' will be too short to fulfil a function and too long to do it without cutting.

Paul.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 23:22:29

Those are good ones Paul.

I have a big crack in one of the support posts in my garage, I've been slapping extra epoxy into it for years. One of these days I'll fill it in completely.

Edited by - on

Stardog
Captain

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USA
319 Posts

Response Posted - 07/01/2008 : 08:17:03

It's also worth making a sacrifice to Aeolus and Posiedon. If you don't, you risk something really bad happening after you make your repair; a new halyard parts the first time you hoist sail, a dog runs off with your new winch handle, etc. The most commonly accepted sacrifice is the blood garnered from your knuckles when a wrench slips and you punch a bulkhead with full body weight behind it.

Edited by - on

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4303 Posts

Response Posted - 07/01/2008 : 22:48:40

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stardog
 
... when a wrench slips and you punch a bulkhead with full body weight behind it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Have you been watching me work on my boat, car, etc...?

I've also found that swearing and throwing things makes me feel better!

Edited by - GaryB on 07/01/2008 22:50:55

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 07/02/2008 : 07:25:49

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by GaryB
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stardog
 
... when a wrench slips and you punch a bulkhead with full body weight behind it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Have you been watching me work on my boat, car, etc...?

I've also found that swearing and throwing things makes me feel better!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

All projects on our boat have an MF rating....that is how many times we use the MF word

Based on that - another law - You will swear 3times more this hour than you did the previous hour on all projects

Edited by - on

tinob
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1883 Posts

Response Posted - 07/02/2008 : 12:18:09

SOUNDS MURPHY'S LAWISH TO ME.........

VAL ON CALISTA,#3936, PATCHOGUE, N.Y.

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 07/02/2008 : 12:34:34

The area of your project or repair will be in the most difficult to get at part of the boat and will require you to get into contorsions to do the work.

The battery pack on your cordless drill will die halfway into the project.

The battery charger is at home.

You will break the drill bit that you need to complete the job.

You will get your hands covered in Marine-Tex regardless of how hard you try not to.

You will get 5200 on your nice shorts or shirt.

The Admiral will notice your shirt/shorts and look disgusted.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 07/02/2008 : 14:40:10

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Nautiduck
 

The Admiral will notice your shirt/shorts and look disgusted.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

That's what that look was for...

Edited by - on

Deric
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 07/02/2008 : 15:09:16

There is always start over work becuase after the repair and everything is set, one part is discovered remaining; of course, it is an internal integral component.

Deric

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 07/02/2008 : 18:23:22

No job is ever done unless you drop at least one critical tool or part in the water.

No job is ever done unless you find at least one old part firmly corroded and will not budge.

Few jobs are completed without some sacrifice of blood.

Never, ever, plan on "just spending a few hours on this project, then going sailing."

Edited by - on

Deric
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 07/02/2008 : 19:30:33

I'll add to Jim's statement: Few jobs are completed without some sacrifice of blood -- AND much much more sacrifice of money.

Offer your wallet to the Sailboat Repair God less you be smitten with repairs more severe than the plague of locust $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Edited by - on

ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 07/03/2008 : 17:03:09

If and when you get everything back together, you will find out that at least one part you chose not to touch "to keep the job small" will:<ul><li>actually need repair more than the part you repaired/replaced</li><li>in fact prevent your newly repaired/installed part from working properly</li><li>not be removable or reachable without removing the part you just put in using a "this is not coming off until someone takes a chainsaw to this boat and sells it for parts" method</li><li>turn out NOT to be the guilty party after you break the new part trying to get to it</li><li>still need to be replaced after you break it in a fit of rage</li></ul>

Edited by - ilnadi on 07/03/2008 17:07:07

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