November’s 10th, twenty seventeen – part deux
The task today, removal of the holding tank from Fracas, yes ‘that’ tank. The stainless steel tank was seeping and we all know what that means, so it has to go. This tank is 35 gallons and is wedged in a 34 gallon space. I could vision the path for the tank to take but the tank did not share my vision and resisted. I dressed up and wore my long sleeve black gloves, to hell with the fashion police.
In order for the tank to slide ( actually not a good word to describe what happened ) out the following had to vacate the space under the cabin sole: refrigeration, shower sump pump, and the water pressure tank. The tank then came out about half way easily and then refused to move further. I was losing my vision and required an aid to keep things moving. I was thinking much like you are just now that ‘dulcolax’ would get things moving. Being a more practical guy and I wasn’t sure how or where to put ‘dulcolax’ I got the car jack.
Prior to this afternoon, I have never been below the floor boards in the aft section of the car. The jack was restrained in it’s purgatory with the donut tire and perhaps that’s where it belongs. I removed the three required moving parts out and attempted to put the jack in a position to assist with the tanks…’movement’. The result, the tank slid out until it was clear and centered under the mid beam of the cabin sole.
Now the movement had to go hard to starboard. The issue now would the tank move enough sideways for it to come out. The jack again came into play. Eventually I heard a gentle muted pop and it seemed that the tank was free. Not so, the tank was wedged between the centre beam of the cabin sole and the boat. The curve of the hull conspired with the tank to resist extraction. There was no more room to move to starboard… I had a Yuengling.
There are many devices on a sailboat to make work easier. For example, winches enable we old folks to multiply our strength. Block and Tackles or is it Blocks and Tackle… I attached the device to the main boom and the tank. What could possibly go wrong you might ask? What indeed I thought? My vision saw the tank, with the assistance of the block and tackle , rotate and hang like a fish on a line. Tying a line to the tank was another matter. Let’s just say that my rudimentary knowledge of proctology and a bowline did the trick.
Just like you are thinking, with a few aggressive grunts coordinated with tugs on the block and tackle and much like shite through a goose, the ‘awful’ tank was born. We continued to lift the tank until it was swinging over the boat. The boom was swung to port and lower away.
Now what? We don’t have a shovel and I’m not sure ML could dig that big of hole, and if she could and did what would go into it? Burying was out. Perhaps if we wrap it up nicely, put a boat name on it and write ‘don’t steal this’ in really permanent sharpie…
The tank sits a short distance from FRACAS nicely wrapped with the name of a nearby boat (not Fracas) on it… I bet it will be gone in the morning. A shitty thing to do. more later