I need to flip it over to scrub the bottom and so I decide to do it off the stern rather than to go ashore. By cleaning it at the boat I have all the supplies and tools I might need and I can take a break easier too. So everything in the dinghy has to come out, that is, the motor, the anchor, the fuel tank, and the oars. I secure a line to the port side and run it up to the stern of Summer Snow. Then I put the starboard side of the dinghy against the swim ladder and pull the line while standing at the stern of Summer Snow and the dinghy flips over nicely.
In this photo I have been working on it for a while but when I started the whole bottom was like the dark part. Yuk! The stuff is really tough and you have to scrub and scrub some more. After I get the thick stuff off I start to work on the really stuck stuff, I think they are barnacles. They require lots of "elbow grease" with a 3M pad. I suppose there is some goop I could buy to take them off but the closest West Marine is 200 miles away. A fellow sailor stopped by and suggested I use lemon juice to remove them. I thanked him for the tip but thought to myself "if I had some lemon juice I would make lemon aid and drink it, I sure wouldn't give it to the barnacles".
So here is the clean or I should say "cleaner" bottom. There is still a few barnacles but this will do for now. Perhaps when I get back to the US I can get some "gook" or whatever and make it like new again. I ran the port line under the upside down dinghy and put the starboard tube next the the swim ladder and flipped it back over. Put my motor and stuff back in and am ready to go ashore again.
While you work with your dinghy,
ReplyDeleteCold Weather Behavior…
60 above zero: Floridians turn on the heat. Minnesotans plant gardens.
50 above zero: Californians shiver uncontrollably. People are sunbathing in Duluth.
40 above zero: Import cars won’t start. Minnesotans drive with the sunroof open.
32 above zero: Distilled water freezes. The water in Bemidji gets thicker.
20 above zero: New Mexicans don long johns, parkas and wool hats & mittens. Minnesotans throw on a flannel shirt.
15 above zero: New York landlords finally turn on the heat. People in Minnesota have one last cookout before it gets cold.
Zero: People in Miami all die. Minnesotans close the windows.
10 below zero: Californians fly away to Mexico. Minnesotans dig their winter coats out of storage.
25 below zero: Hollywood disintegrates. Girl Scouts in Minnesota still selling cookies door to door.
40 below zero: Washington, D.C. finally runs out of hot air. People in Minnesota let their dogs sleep indoors.
100 below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Minnesotans get upset because the Mini-Van won’t start.
460 below zero: ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale). People in Minnesota can be heard to say, “Cold ’nuff fer ya?”
500 below zero: Hell freezes over. Minnesota public schools open 2 hours late.
Ha ha,
Kay
Can’t get the picture to copy but they have a simple plan for a Red Neck Dingy on the internet. Get two old railroad ties and attach a lawn chair to them, then put a battery and trolling motor on it and you have transportation to and from shore. Plenty of room for a second lawn chair if you use full size ties.
ReplyDeleteJohn