Fuel Tank and Fresh Water Reservoir Installed

Travis:

With the bilge rot beneath the sole of the saloon replaced with new mahogany and painted with two coats of epoxy and two additional coats of grey bilge paint, the tanks were ready to go back in. My friend, Tristin, was unable to finish welding up all of the leaks in the fresh water tank before his wedding, so I had to do it myself. For the record I want to say that TIG welding is lame, and I can't imagine how anyone could find it enjoyable, but I was able to successfully repair

 all of the remaining leaks. The fuel tank had at least 3/8" of sediment in the bottom so I gave it a thorough cleaning and then polished up both tanks to a non directional finish. The tanks are pretty heavy and we were not really sure how they could be lifted up to the deck without the danger of damage to the topside paint, the tanks, or to ourselves. As our great fortune would have it, just as we were unloading them from the truck, Mike, who works at the boatyard, offered to lift them with the yard's man lift. OUR HERO!!! As no good deed goes unpunished however, he soon found himself stuck in the soft ground and had to call in reinforcements to pull out the lift with a tractor. The lift then made easy work of loading the tanks onto the deck. Installing them was a bit more difficult but they are in and secure. Next week we remove the engine from it's compartment and put it on a stand in the saloon where it will be overhauled. I am building the apparatus that will make this possible this week. I am more than a little afraid, but I am sure it will go well as planned. It should make for some good pictures at least.