First weekend of summer

It's been a month and a half since the boat went in and there's a lot to update.

Fixes complete:

• The spotlight -- I finally got it fixed.  When I dug into it the first time, I learned a few things.  One, there's an inline fuse for the spotlight, a 10A automotive-type tube fuse, which I managed to blow by shorting out the power leads.  Two, this thing is poorly sealed and the connections were pretty corroded.  This did fix the up motion on the spotlight, so I at least had both axis of rotation working.  After cleaning the connections, I thought I had good voltage at the light itself, but since there was still no light I assumed the bulb was bad.  I tracked down a replacement cheap on the internet ($30 vs. $85 for the same bulb from Marinco).  Still no light, and when bench tested (why didn't I do this first?) the old bulb still works.
  
  The second time, I finally had the brains to short the hot lead directly to the spot & flood circuits and the light lit, which meant the switch was bad.  Tracked down a replacement switch and got it replaced.  The replacement is lighted like the old one, but required shorting power and the illumination lead with a jumper since the original control package has no separate power lead for the switch light, as the OEM switch is connected internally.
  
• Water system -- That's fixed and works fine now.  I was sucking air on the input side.  The pump had been replaced in about 2010 or so, based on the manufacture date of the pump.  It has a mesh filter inline on the suction side to keep tank silt out of the lines.  It's integral to the fitting, but the way the pump was mounted you couldn't fully tighten the fitting without the filter getting in the way.  I moved the pump about 1/2" so the filter could clear the mounting surface and once tightened water flow returned to normal.
  
• Squeaky Belt -- this was a dodged bullet!  We lost a bolt from the bracket on the belt tensioner pulley.  I retensioned the belt with no effect on squeaking.  My marina owner came out and listened and found both the bolt missing and found the bolt.  We got it back on and the squeak went away.  I'm glad this was easy, because we could have lost a belt and had some real problems.
  
• New TV installed -- I put in a new 32" flat panel TV.  This was mostly straightforward and I was pleased that we generally get broadcast channels, although reception can be dicey.  Sorting out reception means seeing if we have the amplifier the parts diagrams says we have and what kind of shape the cabling connections are in.  It may be that the existing antenna (and amp, if it exists) just aren't great for DTV broadcast, but sorting this means getting behind the main panel which is not trivial and right now is a lower priority.
  
• Rug life extension -- Our poor cockpit rugs are kind of gross, and when I lifted them to clean some dead bugs discovered I'm suffering from the dreaded disintegration of the backing.  I took them off the boat and coated the backs with 6 cans of white Plasti-Dip rubber spray.  This should encapsulate the backing and provide a more durable wear surface.  6 cans should be workable coverage, but just barely.  I discovered too late that I should have used the "paint on" variety for thicker coverage, and more likely, I should have used a white elastomer roof sealant.  But what I ended up with seem decent, and the rugs got a good scrubbing with a hose and detergent, so they are about as clean as they will ever get.  We'll get at least a season out of them before eventual replacement with SeaDek or some other flooring.
  
• Grill element replaced -- this fixed the grill, and we have enjoyed burgers off it at anchor. It works slick and will be a great way to make hot food on the boat.
  
• Pending fixes -- the icebox/fridge in the cabin had the door fall off.  The door pin sockets pulled out of the door.  I think I can fix them with some epoxy.  I ordered a replacement fridge for the cockpit, which ought to be an interesting installation.  In theory it should fit as the dimensions are identical to the original and its from the same vendor, but I suspect some fitting will be required.
  

Overall, it's been a good experience.  We've been mostly cruising at about 9 mph, which keeps fuel burn low.  This speed was impossible in the Yamaha, especially on open water.  It was kind of a plowing speed on that hull, and we got beat up bad in open water.  But this boat's size, power and hull make that speed stable and easy to manage, and I generally prefer cruising slow for the scenery and lack of noise/wind.

This weekend it's projected to be in the high 90s, which means the lake should be warm enough for swimming and give us a real taste of what summer on this boat should be like.