I need a second boat. It's not an option when leaving your house requires a boat. My 23' panga needs a lower unit on the outboard. It also needs to lose a lot of weight. The wood flooring substrate has been thoroughly soaked four times. That's 3/4" of heavy plywood, water soaked and covered with a thick layer of fiberglass.
On Tuesday we towed the boat over to a guy who started working on it last December. Just cut the whole floor out and replace it with slats of treated lumber. This makes it easier to inspect hull integrity and wiring. It should also result in the loss of about 600 pounds. It's been there two days, nothing has been done to her.
I had taken the outboard off the bathtub I was driving around and recruited I guy I had met to help me carry it to a mechanic's house. Couldn't expect the mechanic to lift anything. I placed it into a water filled plastic barrel, cleaned off the engine. He pulled the flywheel cover and tried to start it. He got the pull rope caught under the flywheel. Using a screwdriver and needle nose pliers I worked the rope out and wrapped it and started her up. He ran it for an hour. No sign of oil leakage.
I stopped for lunch at a fast and cheap restaurant and ran into a woman I know. She wants to film wildlife, including snakes. Well, the guy who is supposed to be working on my boat is one crazy bastard who will happily catch large highly venomous snakes. You want him to milk venom out of one? I am sure he will. Ok, let's go get the outboard. I asked the mechanic to help me carry down the street and onto the dock. He assured me that it was easier for one person to carry than it was for two. Fine, then I'll carry the gas tank. He would have none of it. So I recruited Matt, who was about to go out with me and we carried the motor while I reinstalled it. I am telling you, this guy is the laziest mechanic ever.
I took the woman and her friend over to meet the crazy guy and just one look at him at she thought he was perfect. After that I took to Old Bank where we tried to get with Bruce, who runs an organic farm. No answer. I called a girl who is staying there. She was off to town. All right, I took them for a "meet the neighbors" tour around Bahia Honda, Indians, gringos, and a black Panamanian who lives in a really cool house hidden in the jungle. Back to town, dinner and home. Shit, I forgot my backpack. Back to town, retrieved it from the restaurant. Back home. I pulled the up to the dock, swung it around and pulled it back on a rope very close to shore.
In the morning the tide was low and she was sitting high, dry on the bottom and filled with water from the morning's rain. I bailed her out, got into the muck and lifted the stern and pushed her into the deeper water. Back up to the house, shower, change clothes and off to town. Next to no oil had been used in 36 miles. I guess I had gotten the boat almost out of oil. The guy I got her from is pretty meticulous, I was certain that he would have had his workers check. Never assume anything.
Now if only one of my phones would charge up. One seems to be taking a charge. I shall see. I don't know how long it will take until I can power it up. I am supposed to be smoking some chicken for a group of 28 tomorrow. Where is the guy with my smoker?
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