Change of Plans in Demopolis

We have spent more time in Demopolis, Alabama than any other place since we have been on the boat. We were planning this to be a short stay before we moved further north, but plans changed. We arrived in Demopolis on May 30th. We were tired from the 6-day trip, so it was nice to have a quiet weekend to relax and get rested up for the work ahead. We had our first potluck dinner on Saturday night and really enjoyed talking to some old friends and many new ones. 

We rented a car in Demopolis on June 3rd and drove 3 hours to Gulfport. Kim drove the truck back to Demopolis and I drove the rent car back. We had a small refrigerator and window unit air conditioner in the truck that we had brought from the ranch. Both systems do not work on the boat when we are out of the water. The AC makes life possible in the yard and we can refrigerate a small amount of food. 

We were planning to haul SHIFT out of the water on Tuesday, June 4th. We would then clean the bottom and then do a light sand and be back in the water by Friday. 

As it turned out, when we got her out of the water the bottom was covered in small barnacles. This hard growth must be scraped off. It was during this process that I noticed that there was some significant play in the cutlass bearing. This is the bearing that keeps the prop shaft centered on the stern of the boat. You can see the play in the bearing in the video below.

Kim and I got to it and in about an hour of hard work, we were ready to be taken over to our slip in the yard. Fred and Rico got us blocked up and we were ready to go to work.  We started the sanding process that afternoon. I did some research because I have never removed a cutlass bearing. All indications were that it is a fairly difficult job, but I decided to go for it. 

Over the next three days we sanded the entire bottom of the boat. I also disconnected the prop shaft from the motor. I was able to then remove the stern tube from the transom. I ordered a replacement bearing and had it shipped in. I took the stern tube to a local machine shop to have them remove the bearing and then press the new one in place.

This is the hull after we scraped it. I forgot to take a picture before we got moved into the yard. Each one of those white dots was a barnacle. 

We both took turns with the sander. It was hard, dirty work. We were covered by blue powder. We looked like Mama and Papa Smurf.

This shows the before and after the work with the sander. We bought a respirator to keep our lungs protected from the caustic paint and barnacles. 

In this shot you can see the prop after I spent a couple of hours cleaning it. There is a missing zinc on the end of the prop. That fell off somewhere between Marathon and Gulfport. The good news is we had put another one on the shaft just in front of the prop. 

It is HOT in Alabama this time of year, so we fell into a routine where we got up at about 5:00am and worked until about noon. It was just too hot to do much after noon. It quickly became apparent that we would not be done in 4 days. The Yard owner and lift operator would be on vacation the following week, so we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be in the yard for 2 weeks. We came out on June 4th and were ready to go back in the water on June 18th. 

Here is a shot of our spot in the yard. We borrowed the scaffolding to help with work on the upper hull. The stairs were great. Much better than a ladder. 

After lots of preparation work it was time to paint the hull.

This is Kim in a paint suit. We both got geared up and put two coats of paint on in about 4 hours. 

We think it came out looking good. 

The tape had not been removed in this shot, but you can see the improvement. 

This is a shot with the stern tube removed. 

I spent one day installing the stern tube and another day installing and servicing the feathering prop.

I am happy with the outcome. There is no play in the new bearing at all. You can see the zinc on the end of the prop that was missing in the previous shot. 

We then took the time to wax the hull with the help of the scaffolding and apply a new blue stripe. 

Here is a shot of the new stripe. It was gold before, but much of it had been worn away. It is not exactly the color that we wanted, but we now like it.

On Monday June 17th the yard came and put us in the slings, so that we could paint under our pads and blocks.

We finished the final sanding and paint work and we were ready to go back in the water.

SHIFT on the move. It is always scary to see our home moving in the lift. 

The water is low right now, so here she is over the well about 15 feet off the water. 

On the way down. Rico on the left was a big help while we were in the yard. 

Big sigh of relief as SHIFT settled in the water. 

We had a small issue with the front sling slipping a little bit. The slings are tied together, so all was good, but it still didn't help the nerves. 

I did not like to see that on my brand new wax job, but I was able to get it looking good after we got in our slip.

Here we are back in our slip in the marina. It felt so good to have all of that work done.

I also changed out the packing on the shaft seal while we had it apart. I have spent the last couple of days fine tuning the packing nut tightness. I think we are now ready to begin the rest of our trip up the waterways to Kentucky Lake. On June 20th, we again rented a car and drove it and the truck the 6 hours to Kentucky Lake. We rented our slip and left the truck. We got back to the boat about 11pm. 

I am writing this on June 21st. Our plan is to depart early on the 22nd and head north. The trip should take between 7 to 10 days. In my next entry I will begin telling that story.