Boat Yoga & A Bilge Counter

So it’s become very clear that working on a boat will be harder than working on my car, my house, my whatever.. and by working I mean fixing and replacing stuff.

I recently bought a 1972 Pearson 36... cheap. So yes, she will need some upgrades. I am a pretty handy person so I will admit that I actually enjoy tinkering, fixing, & replacing but I didn’t realize that for most things I will be working on, being a contortionist was also a requirement. I haven‘t done a lot to her yet, just re-wired some lighting, installed and re-wired a new bilge but everything I’ve touched so far has had me in weird twisted positions. I cuss and fuss while I’m doing it but after, when I’ve replaced the old 70’s halogens with new fancy LED’s or installed the new bilge counter, I feel pretty damn good.

It’s so weird, that feeling of caregiver that can take over the boat owner about the vessel. She makes me work for it but at the end of the day, I have stretched, hung upside down, twisted, and squirmed to success. Boat yoga.. but you won’t be catching me in any tight LuLu Lemon outfits.. and you are welcome.

Bilge Counter

The bilge counter I installed is a good remedy for my captains anxiety on how she does while I’m gone. When I purchased her the bilge pump wasn’t working at all. But I had no idea if the water I was finding in the bilge was common, had been there for a while, or what. Now, when I come back to the boat after a few days away I can see exactly how many times the bilge has run since I’ve been gone. The deck has various things that need re-bedded so I do expect some water after rains. (I am looking forward to redoing the deck) So knowing that she is solid and not taking on more than an acceptable amount of water keeps me calm.

Now on to more boat yoga to replace the engine controls panel and the manual bilge pump.

---

Mike D. is the founder of Sail Junky Magazine. Striving to find more purpose in life, Mike writes and shares about his journey to rediscover his passion for living a fulfilled life, especially through the medium of sailing. sailjunkymagazine@gmail.com