Tuesday, October 21, 2008

"It's only Curtis." - SEA WEASEL Gets A Safety Upgrade


When asked about my rusty chafing life lines and the broken stanchions I always used to reply: "It's only Curtis up there."   And this was true it was only Curtis (our foredeck), I mean it was not like someone important was going to fall off the boat and freeze to death; but it got me thinking.  What if someone did go over the side?  Someone important like Fatty?  This was too much to bare so I began to look into getting them replaced; after all who can put a price on human life?
-I can-
Do you know how much new life lines cost.  You have to have the rigger come down to the boat measure it all up and make them.  Well crew be damned I thought; I was at least safe back in the cockpit.  Later while monkeying around with the lifelines I discovered that they could be taken off without cutting them up.  This would save me having to have a rigger come down to the boat and do all the work.  I would also be able to reuse some of the fittings.  But this was still to expensive for Curtis.  Then I realized it would make the boat look a lot better and how can you put a price on that?  
I took them down to the rigger's shop (Protech) and had them done up in 2 days.  After going on a never ending journey to Ontario I found the only shop that carries old CS 27 stuff and ordered a new stanchion and two new bases to fix up everything.  D-Hog even joined me one messy afternoon to rebed the bases.  So after 2 broken drill bits and about $10 worth of hard ware falling into the ocean I can now say I have safe new life lines and boy do they look great! 

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