Sunday, May 25, 2008

Rust, powder coat, and Sterling Hayden

Powder coating isn’t as durable as I was hoping it would be. The previous owner found an ancient manual windlass off a 60 foot boat and mounted it on the front of Romance. I like having a manual windlass and this one is super heavy. The only bad thing is that the windlass has been allowed to rust, a lot. I needed to pull it off the boat to get it cleaned up. I was going to just hit it with spray paint, but decided to spring for sand blasting and powder coating. Turns out cast iron isn’t a good candidate for powder coating. It degasses and the finish is pretty fragile. Not good for something that takes much abuse like a windlass. Oh well, so I’ll have to hit it with paint every now and then. It is still a significant improvement over where I started.

The other thing I had to do was get two teeth welded up on the main cog. I found a good machine shop that welded lots of new metal back on where the old tooth used to be. Once enough material had been built up he ground the metal into the same shape as the rest of the teeth. This way the windlass won’t skip when I am actuating the lever. By the way, the windlass is the big winch that pulls up the anchor and chain.



I was cruising a few blogs and rediscovered one of my favorite quotes.

"I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.

The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?

-Sterling Hayden (1916-1986)


It’s still hard for me to part with so much hard earned money. This quote reminds me why I’ve made the choice I have. At the end of my days the size of my bank account is of little consequence. I want to enjoy the time I’ve got. Five months to go….tick, tick, tick.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

This quote inspired my latest blog post.

Margarita Mirasol said...

Exactly. You have to do it. Life is so bloody boring otherwise. You realise that once you've crossed to the other side.
Coming back to Japan was the worst decision I have ever made but in doing so I learned more about what I believe to be important in life - and that is living it to the very full, far, far from the madding crowd.
5 months for you. Uncountable months for me.
By the way, the windlass looks good.

Anonymous said...

Good Job!: )