The Importance of a Vent...

(May 11, 2012)
Last night I finally re-installed some hardware onto the boat.  So far it seems we have just been demolishing, removing, cleaning and researching.  It was nice to "build" for once.

The vents that I cleaned and polished are almost all back in place (7 out of 11).  This is the ceiling of the front deck.  Notice the hole?  This is where a vent should be.  There should be 5 vents and a light on the ceiling.  Why are vents important?

I was removing the tape that covered most of the vent holes, the sun had gone down, and there was not much light.  When I removed a piece of tape, I felt something kind of prickly and moist.  I poked it a couple times and decided that I needed a flashlight.  Shining the light up at the spot revealed a nest.  A very big bird nest.  I'm not sure how old this was, but it was old...it was damp and musty and not the funnest part of the renovation so far.  There's nothing like sticking your hand in a hole of a boat ceiling to pull out nest remains...enough to fill this plastic bag:

I also found several wasp nests which I sprayed and removed.  This is why vents are important.  And now they are back in place:

Two of the vents were missing the screen backing, so I repaired those today and will install them tonight:

 This weekend we plan to:

• Replace the window tracks (they arrived yesterday!).  I purchased aluminum tracks to replace the old, broken plastic tracks.  The tracks came from Marinette; they are GREAT to work with.
• Install 2 new air conditioners,
• Bolt down the bridge and attach the railing,
• Continue on the electrical work.

I'm sure we will do some other odd jobs as well (I am going to finish installing the vents, replace a broken through-hull connection and a D-Ring from the front deck hatch).  Here I am removing the broken through-hull connection:

I'm also in the process of searching for new fuel tanks.  They are not easy to find, because it seems this is one area where there is absolutely no standard size or shape.  I currently have two 90 gallon tanks that are 55" x 44" x 9".  So far the best option seems to be a fuel tank made by Moeller Marine Products.  Time to make lots of calls to find an "expert" opinion.

Also, my friend Mary told me that when she is with me on the boat, she can feel the love I have for the boat.  I do love that boat, and I am surprised at just how much I am enjoying this--her ReBirth!