Project Log: Sunday, November 21, 2010
The old steel fuel tank was cluttering up the cockpit
and needed to go. Because of the tank's bulk and
weight, I needed some help to get the tank to the
ground, and during its original removal I'd left it in
the cockpit till I could come up with a good way to get
the tank safely to the ground.
I set up a 4:1 tackle, which I tied to the corner of the
pilothouse. With the other end secured to a line
wrapped around the tank, it was easy enough to lift the
tank onto the coaming one corner at a time, then drop it
down outside the hull in a controlled manner. I
wasn't too worried about a rogue scrape or bump at this
point, since I'd not yet addressed the hull surface
prep, but nonetheless I used an old sheet to keep the
tank fittings from scarring up the boat on the way down.
The high level of dust reflected by the flash in the
middle photo apparently came from moving the ladder,
which was covered with sanding dust, to make room for
the tank's descent.
From seemingly insignificant progress grows the
opportunity for greater project advancement. |
