Boat preparation

2 years is a long time out of the water. Equipment and supplies needed checking, finding and purchasing.

Got stuck into cleaning her up, leaves, dust, grime and some mold had to go, so got to it with the hose, bucket, sponge, dust pan and vacuum cleaner.

Set the rig up to check everything was there and functional.

Rig check

The new motor looked good but the wobbly bracket needed fixing.  A check of the bracket mount bolts involved removing them for inspection. The first bolt sheared off when the spanner turned it, long term crevice corrosion was caused by dissimilar metal use (galvanized washer on a stainless bolt! ).

Decided to beef up the backing plywood inside the locker while it was dismantled. Cut some 1/2" construction ply to fit across the available space (used a cardboard template first), re-used the smaller old 3/4" backing ply over that. Bought 4 brand new slightly longer  stainless bolts with matching stainless washers and nuts to hold it all together. Its easier to have 2 people to drill the holes through one inside and one outside. Added a small 3rd backing wood low down as the bolts were too long and more the merrier. The bracket was allot more solid than before, the flex in the thin fiberglass transom was almost eliminated.

Rigged outboard safety ropes as well, to guard against the slight chance of it falling off it mount.

Plywood backing and new bolts for outboard bracket

The bracket backing plywood, was treated with penetrating decking oil to prevent any future rot. This treatment soon escalated to other wooden parts of the boat -  gunwale timbers, hatch boards, locker floorboards.   The oil was on special at a well known large hardware chain website, 4 litres for $23, but it was hard to find.

The expired flares were replaced, they have a 3 year expiry date. The galley boxes were checked out and restocked - Tinned and dried food, stove fuel. The chemical Portable-loo was cleaned, watered and new chemical bottle bought. Water and fuel tanks were filled. The new outboard ran well in the test drum.

The new 12 volt deep cycle battery went in, the tie down clamp wouldn't fit over the top so temporary thin rope was rigged up to hold it. To re-cap, the deep cycle can discharge to around 20% capacity without damage so should be better and last longer than the previous starter battery. 75 amp hours is allot of capacity. It is re-charged by smart charger connected to a 240 volt power lead.

Upon re-connection,  nearly all "Terias" 10 watt bulb lights lit up immediately, only the stern light cast a weak glow so new bulb from the Caltex service station mini-mart fixed that cheaply. The VHF radio crackled to life and heard the coast guard weather forecast. The LED anchor light passed as did the navigation lights ( port is LED, starboard still 10 w bulb)

New deep cycle 12 volt battery - 75 amp hour capacity.

The old tail lights board was plugged to the ute's 12 volt system.  Red tail lights and brake lights, yellow turn indicators all good. It was a bit of a surprise as it uses old style 10 w bulbs which had a history of not working due to bulb terminal and connectors corrosion.   However, regular CRC (WD40) spray maintenance over the years I've owned it prevented this and kept it in working condition. Every boat needs a can of this amazing stuff aboard at all times, to spray electrical connections and working parts.