When you decide to live on a boat, you know that you are giving up a few things in exchange for others. The biggest thing we gave up, of course, is space – personal space, storage space, and any other space you can imagine.
Some things we gained are weird weekend chores, better views, and mobility. So, it is well known that there is some give and take with boat living.
Roughing It
However, on one particular day, I came to the realization that we were straight up roughing it. How we got to this point I had no clue, but two of the three AC’s weren’t working, making it unbearable to be on the boat during the day. The shower was inoperable due to slow drainage, and a shampoo bottle falling and breaking the tub spout that had corroded behind the shower wall.
On top of that, the brand new toilet in the aft head was draining super slowly, making it impossible to use. Therefore, we were using the marina’s facilities for showering and going to the restroom, and really just sleeping on the boat at night.
So there I was late one summer morning, sweating after returning from the marina’s facilities, and sweating even more once I stepped back on the boat that couldn’t cool below 90 degrees. The cats were sprawled out on the floor as if they are stranded in the desert, with no hope of being rescued.
#End Rant
I shot a very angry text to Tiff about our living situation. I will spare you the full rant, but I basically told her I was ready to throw in the towel, because this boat is the world’s most expensive camp site, and we are one disabled system away from being cave people.
Tiff knows that I eat, sleep, and breathe boat life. I pretty much bleed salt water, so she simply told me to get off the boat for the day, since I cant eat Snickers when I get beside myself (peanut allergy).
I didn’t put the boat up for sale that day, so I guess you can say that I eventually got over it.
Airrr!
The next day, the new AC finally arrived and I was all too excited to get that bad baby installed. In fact, Turbo was pretty excited for me to get it installed too.
Our room is now cooling like nobody’s business, and we were able to move the portable AC out of our room to help cool the main salon area that struggles during the day.
Since we no longer had that huge AC vent hose stretching the span of our aft head, I no longer had an excuse to have an inoperable shower. So, I began frankenstein-ing together the parts necessary.
I’ve come to find that there is no such a thing as “boat plumbing” (besides hoses). Unlike a home, when our plumbing fails, the parts we need aren’t readily available in home improvement stores, or even marine retail stores, or anywhere online.
I’m not sure how many Mermaid tears I need to capture to find a “boat plumbing aisle,” but until then, I have to mock up my own plumbing solutions by blending boat accessories and traditional home plumbing.
The process of spending two hours in Lowes isn’t pretty, but the end result can be very effective.
Not So Bad Afterall
So after a rough two weeks, we were finally able to kick back, relax, and enjoy the “Sounds of Steele” performing at Parrot Key while enjoying the company of our friends.
Wiffersnapper was pulling herself back together in the nick of time, because, well, she was about to put her hospitality skills to the test, with two sets of visitors on the books for the remainder of August!
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Comment by blueturtlegraphics
blueturtlegraphics September 27, 2017 at 10:07 pm
Will,
You speak the truth when it comes to boat plumbing! Just ask Randy all the times he’s had to ‘frankenstein’ parts to get them to work. Yes, sometimes it does feel like camping but if you’re handy (like most boaters have to be) it’s only temporary. It’s a great quality of life but it isn’t for everybody.
Kim and Randy, m/v Blue Turtle