Things I Learned the Hard Way!

[Pirate's Booty]

1. NEVER put regular toilet paper in the bowl as it clogs the septic pipes and makes a REALLY nasty mess. If you are at the dock, have your guests use the marina restrooms.

2. Make sure your surveyor checks carefully for termites, so that your Mom doesn't find them later while cleaning out the drawers.

3. Don't blow out your fuses on your second night aboard by plugging too many things into the outlets (and if you do, don't blame it on your boyfriend since it wasn't his fault and he is the one who will buy you new fuses and install them to boot!)

4. Don't drop a panel of your deck in the water when you remove it to scrub it with bleach (and if you do, make sure to hit the deck, grab a corner and call for help - you have 10 seconds before it sinks). A tip: if your bilge pump works you don't need to remove the deck at all, the water will go into the engine compartment and the pump will take care of the rest.

5. Make friends with your neighbors as they will have the phone #s of the repair people to fix the above mistakes and they will know what parts you need if you decide to do it yourself.

5. Do wake up early and enjoy the quiet morning tranquility.

6. Do add to this thread to help out this learning Lady Pirate!

[Surfesq]

1. Don't be a loser and advertise your thread on other threads!
2. How the Hell do you get termites on a boat? They come up from the ground into the wood.
3. How old is this boat?
4. You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend.
5. I pretty much have a no-dumps in the boat unless it's too far to swim to the beach rule.

[hellosailor]

Fuses, outlets, septics PIPES? Just seems alien for "Sailnet, the world's largest online SAILING community".

On a houseboat, or something that has become a houseboat, you can have that. But on a boat, where you happen to be living aboard, you need to remember it is a boat and not a house. In theory you have all the likely spares aboard, including at least two for each fuse. (Two, because the first one you replace may very well blow right away again.)

You have no septic pipes, you have a marine head and the waste lines. In most nautical kitsch shops you'll be able to find a little placard to hang in the head, over the head, that says "THIS IS A HEAD NOT A TOILET. NEVER PUT ANYTHING IN THE HEAD UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY EATEN IT."

And you'll learn that some toilet paper has fine print on the bags saying it is safe for all toilet and septic systems. But basically, anything that dissolves into mush when you place a sheet of it in a glass of water is safe for a marine head. The cheap stiff budget-priced stuff...isn't. That stiffness is because it has been "built" too well and it won't melt in water, the water the soft linty stuff does.

The good news is...if your decking is heavy enough to sink, it probably is good dense decking wood. An old marine aviation mechanic once taught me that the reason all of his tools had holes in handles (and often a cord in the hole) was because when you are working on a seaplane, floating in some lagoon over a hundred feet of crystal clear water, the most aggravating thing in the world is watching your wrench drop all the way down to the bottom, where it is still perfectly visible and totally out of your reach.

"One hand for the boat, one hand for yourself." And that means the decking either gets tied off, or held in your third hand (teeth). Takes a while to make the transition, don't sweat the small stuff.

[Pirate's Booty]

In response to Surfesq:

1. This thread needed the publicity and I need the help - just take it as a compliment, you don't get them every day.
2. The termites get into the wood on the docks and some have wings. They fly from the dock to the boat (it is only 1 or 2 feet), some termites just hitch a ride from a shoe to get aboard. I found out it is a problem with several boats at my marina.
3. The boat is a 1970.
4. Yes, I did tell you - remember "Mr. Beef Cake" who BBQs ribs for me?
5. I will have to adopt your "no-dump" policy as I wound up with quite a mess on Sunday morning.

6. Another tip: Some boat name decals can be removed with no damage to the boat simply by scraping them if you have very hard fingernails and a lot of determination. My mom and I pulled all the old stuff off without too much trouble.

[Surfesq]

Yes, I run such a popular thread. lol. It's the same 20 guys reading it 50 times a day.
As for No. 4....That was a private email you sent me with your picture kookmeyer. (No one knows we are actually friends so keep it a secret).
The termite thing freaks me out. I think your seller had to know and probably had a legal obligation to disclose it. I can almost understand the surveyor missing it. He is focusing on other issues.
You really need to get your boat examined immediately by an independent surveyor familiar with this issue. Here is what he needs to tell you:
1. How long has this been a problem on this boat.
2. You found it in a day. Would the other owner have known?
3. Any evidence of permanent structural damage?
4. Cost of treating and repair.

[sailingdog]

Termites on a boat is probably a very bad thing... Definitely check with another surveyor as SEsq suggests.

[TrueBlue]

Wouldn't the owner of a 36 YO powerboat with obviously no, or little experience, be better suited to a powerboating forum? I fail to understand this poster's attraction to a SAILING forum.

Try this site: www.boatered.com

[Surfesq]

True Blue: What's the big beef? She is nice and adds a little spice to the forum. Besides, isn't a Nauticat a Motor-Sailor?

[TrueBlue]

There's no beef with me - and she is a nice person . . . just seems like she'd get better responses to all her houseboat issues at BBs that are frequented by powerboaters. Sorry if the tone of my post was off - didn't mean to sound like a segregationist.

And yes, a Nauticat is a hybrid, dosen't scream around the bouys, but after all, is still a sailboat .

[Surfesq]

I didn't take it that way. I was just having a little fun. PBooty insists that because she sails with friend that she can ask stinkpotter questions on this site. Back to topic:
What the heck kind of Marina is infested with termites? I get your boat out of there ASAP.