We brought our boat home exactly 8 days ago and since then we have developed at least 4 problems (at last count).  Maybe that picture is not quite so funny.

My initial goal for the first week or two of having the boat was to clean out all the cupboards, assess the storage areas, and start to plan how we are going to fit everything we need for 13 months onto this boat.  Mike’s plan was to learn to drive it, learn to navigate it, and learn to park it.  At this point, however, very little of his plan is working out, so it’s a good thing we’ve got my plan to fall back on.  Let’s call it a lesson in teamwork.

1)  We have had what we’re referring to as a “shore power issue” at every.single.marina.  I mean EVERY SINGLE MARINA can’t have the same problem, right?  So it’s got to be us who has the problem…

The issue is that these green lights on the right don’t ALL or ALWAYS turn on when we plug a big cord into the outlet at the boat slip.  We “should” be running off shore power, but all the breakers don’t show that they are actually getting power.  Also, notice how that white gauge on the left shows power coming in, but that gauge on the right shows that we aren’t really using any power??  That’s apparently not how it is supposed to look.  We used to refer to this problem as “troubleshooting AC.”  We’ve tried new splitters, new power cords, new outlets, and flipping every switch on the boat.

Today, Mike sent me this shocking picture

 

and tells me that he has talked to someone who works on inverters (fancy boat word for things that help store power on boats) and they are both convinced that all we need to do is pull the inverter from the basement (is there a fancy boat word for this?  I will find out, I’m sure…) and mail it to them in Ohio where they will “fix” it and mail it back.  That easy.  WHAT?!  That does not sound logical to me at all,  but it was obvious at this point that this was already happening, so I’m holding my tongue for now.  We’ll see how this goes.  $190 later the 87-pound inverter has been mailed to Columbus and should be back in 3 days or so.  We just want the lights to turn green, people!!

 

2)  The upgraded electronics were supposed to go in last Thursday “in one day.”  However, in order for the installers to get the AIS (automatic identification system) set up correctly, we have to have MC numbers for our boat.  The MC numbers are being held up by the Secretary of State because they need an original copy of the boat’s license/title and apparently we only have a copy.  The original owners now need to order a new original copy which takes about 5 days or so.  Follow that trail back to the original goal, and hopefully our AIS will be functional and electronics upgrades will be complete in a few weeks.  No biggie, really, and certainly no fault of the installers, but just some loose ends and holes in the dash to consider for a bit longer.

 

3)  In an attempt to correct the “shore power issue” we wanted to move to a different slip at the marina that had a different power set up.  We decided to move the boat about 4 slips down over the weekend only to realize that our engines were not working properly.  Hmmm…  Strangest thing because every time we’ve been on the boat so far, they start right up and sound great (apparently–though I’m not really sure what they should or should not sound like at this point).  They would both start right up when the key was turned, but then would immediately turn off when the key turned back.  We tried again and again and Mike attempted every fix he could think of, but those babies would only turn on for about 2 seconds before going quiet.  Even the electronics installer came out in the middle of his Saturday to help us trouble shoot and see if it could be related to his work, but NO LUCK.  Definitely a problem….

So now we are stranded at the dock and even our poor dingy was stuck for a few hours because the big floating condo with wonky power was blocking it in to the seawall.  We finally finagled the dingy out with the help of a neighbor, lots of muscle, and some very long ropes.  However, riding around all weekend in the dingy (because it is our only boat that starts) did not make Mike a very happy camper…

 

4)  Our water heater no longer creates hot water.  Just a minor detail at this point that we haven’t really even considered yet.

 

So, in  the meantime, since we couldn’t work much on Mike’s plan of driving, navigating, and parking the boat, we’ve been working on my plan of cleaning, organizing, and decorating the boat.

The galley faucet and backsplash have gotten some upgrades and look amazing!!

 

 

 

The aft head (back/master bath) is getting the same faucet/backsplash treatment, though the backsplash isn’t quite done yet.

 

 

Mike decided to crawl down into the creepy hole under our bed to see what is down there.  We played around with the aft shower and realized the sump pump for the shower water is down there along with lots of empty space (kind of like the basement, but this part of the basement *could* have water in it, so it is called the bilge).  It looks kinda icky down there, but the good news is that there were no spiders!

 

 

I have been moving pillows and rugs around on breaks from cleaning and parenting.  It is feeling cozier and more like home every day we’re there.

 

I’m super excited to add this fun bit of flare to the wall!  I waited and thought about it and let it sit in my online cart for-ev-er but finally decided this guy is essential to the trip!  I know you all agree!

 

We have spent many hours measuring and imagining patio furniture for our sundeck and we MAY have decided on this set….hoping to get it to the boat this weekend and I CAN’T WAIT!!

 

So, despite some setbacks in Mike’s plan, my plan is coming together nicely.  Aside from the fact that our power is weird and the boat can’t move (minor details), things are going great.  We know that the best way to learn about the boat and the systems is to dig right in, so we’re looking at these waves as learning experiences.  I’m thankful that we’re still in our home and in familiar territory as we figure this all out.  I’m sure a large part of our year will be spent troubleshooting issues, so we better get used to it.

By the way, if you happen to be a marine electrician or Cummins engine expert, please get in touch ASAP!