Roots of a Voyage
Part Eight: Labor Pains

by Dave and Jaja

During DRIVER's survey (which we performed ourselves) I had inspected every inch of her hull and appendages. Her steel rudder was indestructible. The stock was supported on the transom by two hefty bearings and it was socketed into a shoe at the bottom of the solid steel skeg. A stout tiller steered DRIVER, providing sufficient leverage for the helmsman even in steep following seas.

The leading edge of the keel was made using a sacrificial steel tube, and the bottom of the keel was made with one inch thick steel plate. Her hull plating was sufficiently reinforced with frames and stringers, and the bow section was doubly braced from within. We had great confidence in her construction.

For a twenty-year-old steel boat, DRIVER was remarkably rust-free; we'd learned that the cabin wood work had been completely removed six years earlier and that the inner hull and deck had been sand blasted and epoxy painted. I found some light rust inside the engine compartment and a few instances of rust between the stringers and the hull--an area particularly prone to problems. No used boat is ever perfect.

To facilitate painting, I pulled the near-new, Volvo 2003 series engine out of the cabin and rested it on wooden blocks in the cockpit. By having to remove the hoses, control cables, and electrical wires, I became acquainted with what those things were for, and handling them gave me the chance to inspect their condition. The real test came when it was time to reinstall the motor because I'd lost my notes and had to put all the pieces back together by memory.

DRIVER's large fin keel doubles as a 110-gallon diesel fuel tank. This was a big selling point; we would have a 700-mile range under power (for an emergency). The first time we went below I found a dozen fuel filters in a head locker. A more experienced engine man might have deduced that the fuel tank was fouled, but when I saw the filters I assumed the previous owner was a cautious man who knew what he was doing.

To clean this keel tank, I spent half a week on my hands and knees, excavating a mountain of green ooze from inside the four-foot reservoir tank using an electric bilge pump and a wet-and-dry vacuum. With thoughts of shipwreck charging my imagination, I cut more inspection ports in the tank to gain complete access, then used a mirror and a flashlight to ensure that I attacked every nook and cranny. While I toiled, I daydreamed about entering an unfamiliar harbor in a storm, with dangerous currents and unforgiving rocks on the foreshore; in a situation like that, an ill-timed, clogged fuel filter can represent a fatal grounding if the motor conks out. I wondered if a hired hand would have put as much effort into the job.

I doubted it.

In subsequent years, whenever we had to bully our way through rough seas to reach a secure anchorage, I thought of those few days that I spent scrubbing and cleaning the inside of the diesel tank.

Perspective can be a reliable work mate.