|
From
Latitude 38 |
||||
|
|
Seayanika Gets a Thruster It's been a couple of months since we checked in with Katriana and Erik Vader who are in the process of transforming a Cal 46 from a bare hull and deck into a cruising boat. Here's Katriana's report on the latest project. After much deliberation, Erik and I decided that we wanted to install a hydraulically powered bow thruster. We knew it wasn’t an “absolute necessity”, but a bow thruster would make both docking and maneuvering in tight areas a much more pleasant experience. And, by the way, I’m ALL for pleasant experiences! Well, opinions abound (and we’ve heard enough of them), but aside from being scoffed at, and just short of being labeled docking-wimps, the majority of those “concerned opinionators” seemed to focus on the cost and complexity of installing one. Based on quality and price we decided to purchase a Side-Power Bow Thruster, distributed by Imtra Corporation. The first step of installation would be the placement of the thruster tube in the bow of the hull, below the waterline. Toward this end, Erik designed a nifty little tool for marking the hole’s circumference using a shaped block of wood and a floating pencil, something in the manner of a compass. But who would have guessed that a perfectly round hole in a “V” shaped bow would more closely resemble a banana on steroids than say, an orange? It looked all wrong to me, but Erik was adamant and picked up his reciprocating saw and began cutting. Admittedly, watching as Erik began drilling holes in our beautiful, seamless, watertight hull, was unnerving. As I filmed the process for posterity, I squeezed my eyes shut, did an impromptu accounting of my karma reserve, and appealed to all the obscure gods and idols, in hopes that he was putting the holes in the right place. After the noise of the saw and the dust settled, we had two gaping, elliptical-shaped holes, into which he calmly inserted an 8-inch round tube which -- gasp -- fit perfectly!
|
Erik Vader tries out Seayanika's new armrest. When the boat goes in the water, a bow thruster will live in the opening. The next step was to glass in the tube, which took about six hours, discounting setting time. All we have left to accomplish is to pop in the motor and blades unit which Erik estimates will take just a of couple of hours. Obviously, it’s easier to install a bow thruster if you can see the inner structure of the bow area, but the ordeal was not even close to the “major” undertaking of which we were forewarned. Jeez, all the discussions and opinion gathering took five times longer than the installation -- "a piece of cake," in Erik's estimation. Readers -- to follow the Vader's progress on Seayanika in between these occasional updates, log onto their website at www.geocities.com/seayanika. |
||
