Transmission Woes

Well, looks like we are going to have to replace the transmission. After having a mechanic take a look at it, he told us there was nothing he could do. The yard has been great with giving us suggestions and letting us know how much and how long this whole process will take. But, it was Brad who did the most research and finally found an alternative to the expensive transmission replacement. He located a guy (one of only three on the entire east coast) who rebuilds marine transmissions and has done extensive work with our brand of transmission.

We soon realized this process was going to take a couple of weeks and after sweating it out in the sweltering heat for two days, we knew that was not an option. So, we decided to rent a car and head up for our "Friends and Family Tour" a bit early. This way, we could enjoy air conditioning and also visit people we hadn't seen since before our Bahamas trip. Visiting everyone now would mean that once we finally stopped for the summer, we would be ready to jump right in to working. So, off we went!

We had to personally deliver the transmission to the repair guy and then made the trip up to Franklin. All of us were thrilled to be in the A/C in the car, especially the fur babies and they were soon passed out in the back seat. It was an easy trip up and we were happy to once again be on dry land and in the comfort of a home. And it was great to see my parents, too. ;-)

The plans from here on out are tentative. We don't know exactly how long the transmission repair will take and we have no plans to return to the boat until she is fully ready to move again - it is just too hot. So, we are playing each day by ear and we will return to the boat once we are either done with visiting everyone or the transmission is fixed - whichever comes first.

In the meantime, we are completely enjoying the comforts of land life and are looking forward to catching up with everyone along the way! We are going to be making stops in Franklin, Baltimore, DC, Richmond, and Corolla - if you are on the way, give us a shout; we would love to see everyone!!

Custom Job

Everyone around here was one of about four types of outboards and one of three types of dinghies. They are only differentiated by the size of the outboard or whether you have chaps (material covering the pontoons) on your dinghy. This can make finding your dinghy at the dinghy dock amongst 50 others quite the chore....especially after a few Rum Punches. And it has been said that, down island, the more conspicuous you can make your boat the better. Who knows if this is true, but that's the word on the street.

So, today, we decided to customize our outboard a bit. Brad spent most of the morning pealing off the old Suzuki sticker labels and then used almost an entire bottle of Goof Off to get the glue off the cowling (the cover that goes over the outboard motor).

Then came the fun part. Stickers that we had laying around the boat for years now were finally being put to good use! And now, not only is our outboard recognizable, but it is a great conversation starter. No one will mistake where our allegiance lies.

Before:

During:

Finished Product!!