SEPTEMBER 2014 blue angels

So the Blue Angels came back to Baltimore for the aanniversary of the star spangled banner.  So back to the boat.  This trip went better than last time as there were no passenger injuries.   The show wasn't as impressive as the first time but it was still something not to miss.

Boat Rear Curtain Window project

Got the sewing machine, so I figured I should use it.  I always wanted a window in the rear curtain, because if I left the curtain up on a cold day I couldn't see to the rear.  This project was hard because the material I had to get under the machine was so much it made sewing really hard.  If the seam was on the edge it wouldn't have been a problem but I had to roll up feet of the material to reach the window edge.    

The flap is secured down with Velcro and when rolled up it has a nylon strap with a button.  

Day at the races and the next project

Old Hilltop or Pimlico

I have been checking stuff my bucket list (if I finish it do I die?)  left and right: First horse racing track live event attended. I went with my dad and his friends, who he told me over the years they make a yearly trek to the track.  I have been waiting to do it for years.  I played and went 3 for 4.  I think I like this, but if you know me you know this would be up my alley.  Actually, it reminds me of the first real gambling experience of my life which was playing the horse race game in a casino on Grand Bahama when I was 17.  That was really fun, but this real thing is another level.  It turns out racing here in Baltimore now is only about a month so that is a good thing...

Here they are crossing the finish on the turf track.  

Here is crossing the finish on the dirt. 

Pretty amazing animals.  More people should appreciate this sport so it doesn't die out.  I think lots of younger people would love it if they went.  

So my next random overspent project, where I do the usual and spend more than it would have cost to get it done professionally.  See this hearkens back to the last sewing project where I should have used a better machine.  So I got one, which is a walking foot machine which I should have used for the dog collars and the coaming pads:

http://www.sewingmachineoutlet.com/rex607z.htm

Here's what I am doing, repairing the zipper of the windshield. This was repaired about 4 years ago with plastic tooth zippers, which I learned shouldn't be used on curves.  I got #10 coil type zippers which is what I should've used from the beginning.   

How's this for a title: Lost a Job but Gained a Hobby?

So it's been a few weeks and eventful that's why I haven't posted.  The job loss was not a shock I saw it coming for 6 months plus.  I had been planning for this and have saving and a plan which I may elaborate on.  For now I will say that I am pursuing several parrellel paths and each is promising to get me to the next level in my career.  The weeks I have been off I have felt better than I have for many years.  This is how I can tell I would be a great indepedantly wealthy or retired person.  I have a schedule set for week days.  Work in the morning, walk the dogs, then the afternoons gym, usually followed by cooking dinner.  The lack of the day to day stress of work is a feeling I have never felt before.  Of course a weeks vacation here of there is ok, but there was always that looming back to work Monday.  This is an entirely new feeling that has been so far great. Should I be more worried? probably so, but for now I am enjoying my "faux-retirement".   I also have begun learning a software language which I had on my to do list for years.  I found a class (insert Stanford online link) to learn Java.  I picked it because it is used for mobile app development.  This project is mostly for self improvemnt and now I have the time I am getting it done.  The other part is a small personal project that I will outline on another post when it gets closer to time (i.e. when I learn enough to start writing it).

So was learning Java the hobby? nope!  As if I needed another hobby in this time of financial uncertainty.  Well true to form I have been influenced to take up Golf.  I had hit balls in college at a driving range and it was a good time.  Around graduation set of clubs was given to me and I went a few times, but not having a partner it sort of died off.  In a cleaning mode one day led to the donation of the unused clubs.  Well 15 years later I find myself back at the range and basically as I do with every hobby into it big time.  Thanks to my cousin as he pushed this onto me.  I can't say I regret it.  I am taking a measured approach in that I am only buying a few clubs and the bare minimum to get on the course.  This is not my usual hobby MO of sinking lots of $ into it.  So far I have been to the driving range a few times and plan on my first round in the next couple of weeks.  In the short time back at the ranges I can say I have had some beautiful weather since the horrible winter and I have seen some beatutiful scenes (see pic below).

Other than that I have help my parents with a deck fix up project (see pics below) and done a few projects around the house (flat screen behind the wall install, gardening, got motorcycle out).   I have a big project that it seems I am procrastinating on which is wash, polishing and waxing the boat.  I wasn't going to put it in this year, but as the time came I said I have the time to save the cost of the detailing and frankly I don't think I could live with not fishing at all this year.  So there you have it and more to come.  

Insert picture from Rocky point
Insert pictures of deck
Insert picture of wall mo

Putting the boat away

So from last week's edition one bad is now a good.  The boat is on the dry land.  Getting it to the marina was fun.  The fog made it tricky as I couldn't see more than 30 yards. There was a point where I couldn't see any land.  I now have to take off all the contents and finish winterizing the engines, but it is high and dry. On another note I sparred for the first time this weekend.  I went against some folks that had more experience than I do. I felt like I was playing a video game with a character that hadn't unlocked all the moves yet, but this is real life and it hurts in real life.       

Beginning of December Good and Bad plus Cabinet project

the good: After one month still doing the Thai Boxing and I hurt less

the bad:   I haven't lost one pound

the good: The Ravens beat the Steelers on Thanksgiving

the bad:   They are 6-6 and are hanging on to a wildcard spot, but they don't look good

the good: I am in 4th place in my neighbor hood fantasy league and hopefully playoff bound

the bad:   I am in last place at 1-12 in my work league (after winning last year)

the good: I have a job

the bad: people got laid off and and we are all at risk within the next few months

the good: I have a plan to move on in my career

the bad:   That I have to move on in my career

the good: We painted the first floor over the last couple of weekends (been dreading this since we moved in)

the bad:   Still have a few doors to complete

the good: My boat is floating

the bad:   That means it's still in the water and the creeks are freezing already

the good: Got the over the range microwave installed 

the bad:   No bad on this (so far) except we still need to get the modified cabinet doors back from the carpenter

Picture 1 is removing the cabinet and range hood.

 

Cabinet disassembled as its being cut down.

The cut down cabinet reassembled.

Vent adapter to adjust the height.

re-installed cabinet and microwave. 

August Boating Trip to The Harbor

Took a little Cruise to the Harbor to hit a restaurant for my sister's Birthday.  It was a rare thing that my boat left the dock and fishing wasn't involved.  The cruise took about how long I expected about an hour and it was a weekend so we had to slow down in the no wake zones.    

Had this nice sunset as we came back in to Middle River:

Finished Boat Switch Panel

 


I don't know if this was published, but here is my finished boat switch panel I did this spring.  

Mid June update

This year I went from the boat projects to the trailer hitch to the motorcycle. Actually the hitch was due to my plan for the motorcycle. I was to take it to get it professionally serviced in the winter. To do that I needed a hitch and trailer (or hitch carrier). Well time moved very quickly and it ended up summer and no motorcycle. I then evaluated the tasks I needed to do and then I did it. Oil change, coolant flush and fill, and brake fluid change. That leaves the suspension to be serviced and adjusted. On that note I found a new shop in Glen Burnie that looks like a likely spot. It is clean, modern and the staff seemed professional (rare in the motorcycle shops here in the Baltimore area). With all these tasks I learned a lot, got new tools and found that shop. Besides that I saved money on the service, but not the time. Was it worth it?  Yes

Spring boat work

Ah Spring....Boat work season.  I alluded to the project I did last week and the one I started the side panel. Well that has led to some additional places which I will get to.  Also on the agenda was the normal boat work for the spring plus some:

Change fuel filters

check all electrics

charge and clean batteries

bleed steering system

paint the nose of the outboard bullets (getting corroded due to the fact they settle in the the water)

replace zincs (Marina to do this and paint the bottom)

clean everything (getting outside detailed by marina)

 What didn't go as planned?  I noticed a steering fluid leak (one side was replaced a few years ago but the other is old) now I have to rebuild to replace the seals

A light is out (and has been) in the helm area so I have to replace that

The fuel is weeping around one of the priming bulbs just like last year which I fixed using a special clamp and tool, but it is now doing it again.  I cut the fuel line because that side was too long and maybe contributing to the leaks (had to buy a special cutter so the cut was straight).   

Oh and still working on the side panel shown below.  

chartplotter fishfinder install

So I started working on my boat a few weeks ago and realized that I had noticed my fish finder was failing.  Given that if I wanted to replace it I had to do it before the boat went into the water, I decided to do it. I picked a Raymarine E7D mainly because my current units worked for over 15 years and I was familiar with them.  I decided to install the unit in the old electronics enclosure cover.  This isn't ideal because they are exposed to the world, but I noticed that all the other boats in my marina had electronics even more exposed. I decided to keep my charplotter even though the E7D is a multi-function display (MFD). I will use it until it goes up and dedicate the MFD to fish finder mode.  I had my marina install the new transducer mainly because it required under the waterline holes be drilled and they had it at a reasonable price.  Next was the mods to the mounting panel I did at home.  The first picture shows the templates and the second shows the old chartplotter (RC420) set where it is to go.  I plan on putting a new plate on or a cover plate when that one is done.  At the same time I did this I decided to do two things that were out of scope for the install.  One was pretty straight forward and I figured I had the dash apart I should replace the side panel that wasn't replaced when I got the new engines.  It was cracked and wrapped.  The new side panel is shown below with the trim tab controls installed.  The second out of scope item was driven by having a VHF radio that supported DSC or digital signal calling, which means it can send and or send and receive position data via NMEA 0183.  The radio is in the radio box above the helm.   The new MFD (and the old one for that matter) has NMEA connections and I thought I would set up the system to support that again while I was wiring up the E7D.  Well that was a mistake. The day of the install I got the display wired and mounted and the side panel on.  Then I started to look at what it would take to get the NMEA up to the radio.  This was going to require running 8 wires up to the box through the hardtop tubing.  I found an unused 10 gauge wire running up there but the first problem was were did it come out under the dash. The second problem was what wire could I find that was 8 conductor stranded in a small enough size to be run up there.  To solve the wire location  problem I had to take apart the area under the seat where the wires came in from the hardtop and then traced it back under the dash.  I then attached a weed whacker line to the 10 gauge wire and pulled it through.  Once done I decided that I needed 2 pull wires in case I lost the new signal wire or it broke.  Both happened by the way multiple times.  The second problem had me go to West Marine (the wire they had was too big) then to Home depot (only had solid core telephone or CAT5 cable, would break under vibration) and finally a electrical supply house (didn't have anything like what I needed). In the end I went back to West Marine and bought wire that was 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the 10 gauge wire.  As I said I spent 4-5 hours trying to pull this wire though. As I was doing this I realized that the radio I had only needed 2 of the 8 wires and only sent location data and wouldn't receive it and display on my MFD.  In the end unless I upgrade my radio this isnt half as neat as I thought it was going to be. After a long hard day I buttoned everything up and caulked the panels, but then I said I should do the other side panel which doesn't require getting under the dash but has 10 switches and lettering on it which is going to require some real work. Also I can now route the engines data to the MFD (and vice versa) via the NMEA 2000 or deviceNet network that they can share. That looks like it is straight forward but will require a cable or two and opening the dash again (nice summer project).     

Below are some more pictures.  Under the side panel, the MFD and old chartplotter as installed, under the seat (you can see the orange weed whacker line used to pull), The radio box, the display's wiring (re-purposed the old engine terminal strips that were left after getting the new engines).

@ the ravens game

Finally 2012 was the year I got back to a Raven's game.  It had been about 3 years or more since I had been to a game.  Now I love the Ravens but the hassle and cost of going to a game was a problem. I enjoy the games at home but I had the itch to go every year.  I splurged by getting club level tickets.  Our company Christmas party was at M&T on the club level and at that point I decided when I go I was going club level.  It was nice.  About the game well we stopped by my cousins' tailgate and had a good time.  But now to the game.  I have to say I knew we would probably win, but I didn't expect what happened.  See the picture below where I tried to take a picture of the final score.  For the ravens to score 55 points in one game was a record and not something I had ever thought possible.  The struggles of the offense this year were well noted but the orgasm of scoring that occurred Sunday was ridiculous.  I enjoyed every minute of it in fact we scored so much it got tiring having to get up and cheer so often.  I remember the highlight of the ravens game was the defense would make a big 3rd down stop and that's what you got to cheer for, not Sunday.  No Sunday I felt like I was watching the Rams back during the greatest show on turf days.  Now I will say the defense gave up twenty, but I think they played well and going forward Suggs is getting back up to speed and the other linebackers and the secondary are stepping up.  On another note I took the boat boat out for the last fishing trip of the year as I had already pretty much winterized it the weekend before. It's time to put it up but it's sad as another season gone too quickly.  

Coaming pads install step 1

So here are the coaming pads installed:

All I have left is adding the snaps.  Here is the kit I had for years.  Of course I only had 1 of the side of the button I needed.  I did a trial on my prototype and it looks like its going to be easy.