Tieing A Knot...: So You Think You Want A Boat

After this post you may think again. The last time Gary did this (port engine after buying the boat) our son Kent helped and it was a much more straight forward (pun intended) job...it seems the path from that engine back was a much easier path. Where were you KENT for this one?? ("at work Mom") This time it took us two long sweaty days (the weather has suddenly become 'summer in Florida') to get the hose from the engine to the exhaust fitting on the transom of the boat. Gary had his thinking cap on let me tell you.

The main hose section was 12 feet long keep that in mind when you see the pictures. The 'tunnel' back to the transom also holds electrical wiring and the water line from the water tanks under the berth (our bed for you landlubbers). Unfortunately when they build a boat they have open access to all of these "hidden obstacles" and don't bother to think ahead to someone who someday may have to repair or replace something.

The biggest problem was getting the hose past the holes in the bulkheads with the water hose also in the space. We first tried to get it in through the bilge with Gary in the bilge pushing and me pulling from under the head sink but that was fruitless. We even tried a Bush Light box to cover the jagged edged hole in the bulkhead that was snagging the hose. The only option was through the sink. We fed it through but slowly as it kept catching on the water hose and wires and the bulkheads. By the end of day one after about 6 hours of pushing & pulling we got it in.

Old hose at the transom

Old hose removed (in pieces) obviously way past its prime

New 12' hose piece

Grasping at straws, but hey.

Using a boat pole to try and guide the hose away from the water hose.
The beige section to the left is the bulkhead just before the storage drawers
with the water hose on the right.

12 feet of 'slightly' flexible heavy duty exhaust hose "goin' down the drain"

figuring out a solution to the hold up through the drawer locker

Progress made

Tight spaces

We had to pull it back far enough to get this end through the hole into the engine room
which was way under the sink.

A much needed bit of relaxation after day one

DAY 2...... we (and yes I say we because I was the number 2 man on the job :-) and the photographer without which you would not have the proof we are surely crazy ) had to install the 4 foot hose section from the engine room bulkhead (or wall) to the engine. This again did not go smoothly. First we had to pull the twelve foot hose back into the bilge about a foot so we could attach the four foot piece.

Number one, the engine room although large by most standards has spaces that are only meant for midgets, not someone Gary's size. It took him about four minutes just to get into position in 'the hole' and another four to get out....

The first time he had attached the elbow to the four foot hose piece that had to be attached to the twelve foot piece...because of that angle the twelve footer would not go back into place no matter how hard we pushed and tugged. So out he came, off came the elbow, which he then attached to the 4 foot piece. I stood at the end of the hose and pushed while he tried to leverage it on...success. For a minute..........he ended up having to take it all apart again because we had to pull the 12' piece back into the bilge again so that he could cut the aft bulkhead hole bigger to accommodate the hose and positioning it to the exhaust flange. Talk about technicalities!!

Crawling out

The mechanics go to formula....wipe that on the flange and you are
assured success.

Putting the elbow on....once again!!

Back in 'the hole' with a new set of clothes....1st set looked like he fell overboard

Re-attaching the elbow and the final push to the exhaust flange....
him pushing from below and me 'weakly' pulling from above. Not easy
to move that which doesn't want to be moved.