How many boat owners does it take to change a light bulb?
Just one, but... it's gonna take a while.
In the previous post, I mentioned the starboard nav light being out. I checked the circuit, it was good. Time to pull the light fixture off. Whoever installed the light at the factory must have used a high torque driver to put the screws in - the phillips slot was almost completely mushed out. So, instead of a 5 minute job, I moved the boat so I could get the light at a lower part of the dock, fussed with the screws for a good half hour, got the cover off... and didn't have a replacement bulb. Hopped on the motorcycle and went to NAPA. After 15 minutes of looking, neither I nor the counter guy could find anything remotely close. But, I did get to hear about his new satellite TV. Moved on to O'Reilley's; more looking, no bulb, but the guy there told me all about how he cut his foot in the bathtub this morning. Moved on to the hardware store; more looking, no finding, but I didn't have to hear any stories from the guy at the counter... only, "I have never seen such a thing," referring to the bulb. On to John's Marine and Tackle. John is one heck of a guy, but rarely has what I'm looking for in stock. It's hard to know for sure, because the store is almost always dark. And today, even though the sign said Open, the door was locked. John is blind and knows his inventory by feel. He opened the door, we visited for a bit, then he felt the bulb and said, "I think I've got some of those." He went box to box, would occasionally hold up a blister pack and say, "Does this look like it?" Hard to tell, 'cause it was dark in there. I took each item to the door to see. While he didn't have a similar bulb in stock, I always have an interesting visit with John. He's the guy who told me years ago how to stay out of the shallows: "Don't sail where the short legged birds are standing." At the time I thought he was a smart-ass, but it has proven to be good advice in this part of the world.
I did find a similar (not the same) bulb at a place that handles supplies for the shrimp boats. Most of them are 28v, so it was a fluke that he had a reasonably close 12v bulb. Back to the boat, put it in... it works! Put the cover back on.
Only three hours to do a 5 minute job.
In the meantime, Joan made a screen door for the boat, used the scrap memory foam from yesterday to make a couple pillows, including custom-sized pillow cases, and arranged things in our storage area to be packed into the truck or boat.
Ah, the difference between working on your own and having to depend on someone else. :wink:
Best wishes,
Jim B.
Just one, but... it's gonna take a while.
In the previous post, I mentioned the starboard nav light being out. I checked the circuit, it was good. Time to pull the light fixture off. Whoever installed the light at the factory must have used a high torque driver to put the screws in - the phillips slot was almost completely mushed out. So, instead of a 5 minute job, I moved the boat so I could get the light at a lower part of the dock, fussed with the screws for a good half hour, got the cover off... and didn't have a replacement bulb. Hopped on the motorcycle and went to NAPA. After 15 minutes of looking, neither I nor the counter guy could find anything remotely close. But, I did get to hear about his new satellite TV. Moved on to O'Reilley's; more looking, no bulb, but the guy there told me all about how he cut his foot in the bathtub this morning. Moved on to the hardware store; more looking, no finding, but I didn't have to hear any stories from the guy at the counter... only, "I have never seen such a thing," referring to the bulb. On to John's Marine and Tackle. John is one heck of a guy, but rarely has what I'm looking for in stock. It's hard to know for sure, because the store is almost always dark. And today, even though the sign said Open, the door was locked. John is blind and knows his inventory by feel. He opened the door, we visited for a bit, then he felt the bulb and said, "I think I've got some of those." He went box to box, would occasionally hold up a blister pack and say, "Does this look like it?" Hard to tell, 'cause it was dark in there. I took each item to the door to see. While he didn't have a similar bulb in stock, I always have an interesting visit with John. He's the guy who told me years ago how to stay out of the shallows: "Don't sail where the short legged birds are standing." At the time I thought he was a smart-ass, but it has proven to be good advice in this part of the world.
I did find a similar (not the same) bulb at a place that handles supplies for the shrimp boats. Most of them are 28v, so it was a fluke that he had a reasonably close 12v bulb. Back to the boat, put it in... it works! Put the cover back on.
Only three hours to do a 5 minute job.
In the meantime, Joan made a screen door for the boat, used the scrap memory foam from yesterday to make a couple pillows, including custom-sized pillow cases, and arranged things in our storage area to be packed into the truck or boat.
Ah, the difference between working on your own and having to depend on someone else. :wink:
Best wishes,
Jim B.
As it comes together, I'll post.