07.07.04 - Glorious day, most of which was spent on my hands and knees aboard "MoonTan II" with buckets, brushes, etc., plus a few tools this time. Helped ease the boredom of scrubbing with memories of having just spent Independence Day weekend in Southern California where we met Jack, skipper of "Didjeridoo", a Catalina 25, at Mission Bay launch ramp. After only about ten minutes or so of me comparing what I was seeing on his boat with what I remembered about mine, Jack (the diplomat) recommended that I take the first available opportunity to purchase a copy of "Royce's Sailing Illustrated", suggesting that it might help me get beyond an apparent "language barrier"... you know, trying to describe something to someone without knowing its name or being certain of its function. Probably a good idea. With shipping and handling, the $30 seems to be money well-spent, although it does push the running total up to an even $900 - but who's counting?

With the help of some WD-40, a set of square nut-drivers and finally a cold chisel, I removed the four badly rusted screws holding the boat's head (MSD or Marine Sanitation Device, according to Royce) in place. The unit is a "Handihead II", a Type III device with its own holding tank, requiring no discharge of sewage. Although this particular unit is out of production, the manufacturer, Monogram Systems, FAX'ed me a copy of its User's Manual and Maintenance Guide. This should help me conduct a thorough inspection and cleaning, and to determine if it needs repair or replacement. I've already been informed by Suzy that the head must be in full working order before she will step aboard. After 25 years, modesty is still one of her most enduring and endearing qualities.

Lastly, just to ensure that I have enough side-projects cluttering up the garage at home, I removed the door off the ice box, which needs to be completely re-built, including insulation. I also confiscated the poorly mounted and badly finished front of the under-sink cabinet, the aged and checked wooden outboard motor mount, the rudder / tiller helm-assembly and several of the interior wood sea-rails that surround the sink.

The photo of the rails after a quick cleaning suggests that they may be teak, which would jibe with a reference in an on-line sales brochure describing the original amenities of "MoonTan II's" 26' cousin. There's the tiller itself and several other pieces of wood trim yet to be removed - top and side tracks for the three companionway hatches, a couple ribs on the forward hatch, and a grab-rail or two on the forward bulkhead of the cockpit. If the wood looks this good after soap and water, I almost can't wait to see these pieces after they are sanded, oiled, sealed and dip/sanded six or eight times with marine varnish.

Forward Hatch