On the Hard

The hulls have been AwlGripped to the level of the deck: water level up outside and under. Unfortunately another weather wave is forecast for tomorrow and Monday; then the 4th and another $65 without work/progress: boo-hoo! Anyway we are progressing and it still looks like 6 weeks total.

Let me relate the story of the engines and sail drives. We ordered two Yanmar 4JH5E Angie's with sail drives from a distributor in Florida recommended by our good friend Rob Dehaan on Southern Comfort. This was May 10. The purchase was shipped in error to St. Thomas, USVI by the retailer in Miami designated by the distributor. He says the it was because the warehouse people were morons, and then ducked for cover and out of sight. The distributor was no help, either, and Linda had to find a shipper in St. Thomas and have the "package" re-shipped to San Juan, of course at out expense. Linda and I drove our contractors panel truck to old San Juan, loaded the engines and sail drives up, and brought them back to Puerto Del Rey Marina where Kuhela sits high and dry getting her new paint job. There the contractor, Bob Lamire, discovered the gear ratio in the proves was wrong as to the size and weighted the boat. Seems the distributor forgot to look at the information I sent on his form and that this year there were to gear ratios for the sail drives. He'd sent what he had in stock. When so informed, he said there was nothing he could do: neither take them back and exchange them for the proper ones, or find new gears to put in, or anything else. He basically ran for cover. I then begged him for safety reasons to help us out, and because we are paying $65/day to be out of the water, and he relented. At the same time we went to the local PR dealer to buy spare parts and I asked if there were and gear parts to be had there. As the SD60 sail drives are so new, there is nothing in the computers as yet. So, in comes the Yanmar engineer to see what he can do. When he hears our story of woe, he lets Yanmar Atlanta know what is happening. And, low and behold, our distributor is falling all over himself trying to straighten this out. Suddenly two correct sail drives are located in NJ, and a buyer for our wrong ones is located in the BVI. This all happened Friday last during a sales trip to the Keys while fielding on the road hundreds of calls and emails. So, as is stands today, I must wire transfer $8,000+ to the FL distributor to get him to authorize the shipment to PR and sell the wrong drives. If all goes perfectly, the drives will leave NJ Thursday, arrive San Juan Monday or Tuesday next (weather permitting), and be installed by a week from this Friday. While all of this is going on, I'll be negotiating with a guy in Texas to buy my "wrong" ones. I'll let you know.

 

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