It's Good to Have Carpenters as Friends-Building the Dock Shed

Well spent all last weekend building the shed on the dock.  On Friday, I finished the deck and the floor of the shed. The first screw up was the lumber supplier only sent us enough lumber for 2 walls.  My two best friends showed up to help me in this endeavor, Ron and Jerry.  Ron laid out the design and walls, Jerry cut the lumber and I got to hammer in each and every nail! By the end of the day we had the four walls up and two rafters. 

I then cooked a very nice T-bone steak for my friends.

Sunday I noticed the shed leaning.  This was our second mistake. It would seem I under estimated the weight of the shed on the floats.  It was so bad, we could work safely.  So I had two barrels left, sunk them in the back and then put air in them.  It helped a lot, but it was still leaning.  Getting additional floatation under the shed just became a priority.  I called a guy in St. Helens and he will be coming out later this week to look at it.

We started our day with calm conditions and we assembled and Ron put up the rest of the rafters.  We then places OSB on the roof and covered it with a special plastic.  While we were stapling this down Kay screams at Ron and I to hold on!  Hugh waves came crashing in which rocked the dock and the shed with us up on top.  I am scared of heights anyway and I just about started crying and those waves hit us.  We think they came from a cargo ship in the main channel of the Columbia which was going a bit too fast.  We started to put the metal roof on and by this time it was raining and blowing and got too dangerous to continue.

Then we had 2 full days of rain.  On Wednesday I crawled up on the roof with PFD and rope and placed 3 more panels before I got a little scared being there by myself.  Yep Kay found out and chewed me a good one.  So Ron shows up the next day, yep by him self and finishes the roof.  Kay didn't chew on him....mmmm

We need to o some touch up, trim and I bought a electrical panel to install this weekend.  Once I get the inside done with electric and water, we can move in the washer and dryer and officially move on to the boat!!!

With the high water we are getting trees like this coming down river.

Working on the floor.  For those back east, look I am wearing short sleeves!

Putting the last of the deck material on

High water

Our supply....for only two walls.  Not happy with Clats lumber

To keep the moister from coming up through the floor, I put roofing felt down, then tyveck plastic over that.

Ron scoping out the first wall

Teaching Kay about carpentry....

Floor done

Ramp is almost level

Nailing the first wall

This was hard on the ol' back....

That looks about right!

OMG I am getting old!  Druppy drawers! 

First window going in

Looking good

Installing 6 inch lag bolts to hold it all together

Cutting under cover.  It is the PNW with liquid sunshine

Second wall up!  Starting to look like a shed

Construction zone

Tommy (Jerry's Cousin) and Jerry

Who me?  Ponding nails for the third wall

Opps we are a little heavy....

Third wall

Lag bolts.  This wall ain't going no where

Putting siding on

The leaning Hilton!

Nailing the top of the paneling

Leaning more.  Looking real close to the water!

1st rafter

Lining it all up

The roof starting to go on

More rafters.....

Cap't Ron

Getting ready for those T-bones

Hanging the door

End cap

Kay picked out a nice door

Hold it straight!

I am, the building is just leaning!

Installed door

I put some float barrels under the end.  It helped, but still need more

Don't let me hit my finger!

I am trying to hold it level!

That was close, almost fail! 

Old fat man crawling onto the roof!

Nailing roof sheeting on....

I hate hights

Haft the roof done

Putting down the tyveck, then the metal roofing panels

Did I mention I hate hights

Stapling it all down

Brother Jerry!  Blue roof panels

Tommy

Ron

First roof panel going on

Almost done, but lots of work inside

Nice and dry!  Roof on

The Homestead!

Repair of the Crapper-Vacu-Flush

Ok folks this is a pooper of a subject but there are boating folks who read my blog and I can pass on my experiences.

On my boat I have a Vacu-Flush system.  I have a forward and aft head.  The pump will pump ait out of the system, then when you press on the flush pedal this breaks the vacuum and pulls the waste down the pipe, then the pump takse over and pumps the waste into the tank.  The it keeps pumping until a sensor tells the pump to shut off and the system has vacuum for the next flush.  First the issue was the system was bleeding down every few minutes, thus turning on the pump.

I had to buy a special vacuum gage.  I started at the pump and disconnected the hose.  Yep crappy, smelly job.  The pump held the vacuum.  I was also replacing the rubber line as it was hard and most likley over 20 years old.  Then back up the line I took the hose up line from a "Y" pipe on the aft head line.  At this point is where the aft and fwd head come together to a single line to the pump.  I checked the vacuum and it checked good.  This tells me the fwd head is good and the leak is in the aft head.  As I was putting it all back together, I crack the "Y" pipe and had to order another.

Once I received a new pipe I installed new hose from the outlet of the vacuum tank to the "Y" pipe.  The next test is at the inlet of the vacuum tank.  This tank also hold the shut off sensor.  It checked good and the pump shut off.  Vacumm was held for several hours.  So the leak is ether in the 30' of hose to the aft head another horse shoe pipe or the base of the head.  When I went to reconnect the hose to the vacuum tank, I had cut it too short!  Uggggggg.  This will suck as I would have to remove the line that runs some 30' from the aft head throgh the engine room to the tank under the galley floor.  Off to West Marine and bought 30' of new hose.  This is the same time we were having 26f nights and 30f days!  The pipe is hard and not pliable.

Kay helped me pull the new line which took about 3 hours.  She came up with an idea to soften the line by heating it with our buddy heater.  It worked! Then I could get the line to lay flat in the engine room!  Ugggggg again!  Kay suggested that I start the engines and heat the engine room up!  Great idea sweetheart.  It worked.

I hooked up the hose to the vacuum tank and tested the line at the aft head.  Checked good.  Then I installed the horse shoe pipe, tested and checked good.  Installed the base of the aft head checked good!  Well then I guess the original leak was in the 30' of hose.  Installed the head bowl and then system was tested and operates as advertized.....Below are some pics.

Aft head with hose removed and horse shoe pipe

Aft head bowl

Old 30' hose and yes it was cold outside

Installing new hose through engine room

Heating the end to soften the hose

Vacuum testing new aft hose

Vacuum testing aft head lower base

Before installing bowl, there are two rubber gaskets this is the first or thin gasket.  Notice the notch?

Second rubber gasket.  This is the thick one and aligned with notch.  You can see the different color between the first gasket (grey) and the top one (black)

Installing bowl centering over flush ball

New bowl clamp.  Per the instructions, the tabs go on the front with a gap in the back.

Clamp installed

Water valve

Holds water?  Good to go.

Adding the blue stuff

Ready for use....

My Best Friend, My Wife, The Admiral!

I just wanted to say a little about my wonderful wife, my best friend Kay.  As I get closer to retirement, and a little older, I have come to realize as we get ready to set out on our final adventures that my wife Kay has stuck by my side through really bad times and good time to today when we are preparong for a great adventure.  She supports me in all I do in fixing and building our new home.  She is giving up her land legs to float on a yacht that will take us up and down the west coast.  She deserves more than I could ever give her.  When others haven't she has been by my side sometime encoraging me, hold me when I cried and helped me when I was angery.  She is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me.  I and hoping and praying that we will have many years of adventure ahead and the good Lord will see fit to give us calm seas and a gentle breeze.......I love you Kay with all my heart and soul and without you I would not be the man I am today!  Thank you sweetheart.