Top 5 mistakes thus far

Well, this is a learning experience.

Here are my top 5 mistakes so far

1) Not replacing the suspiciously loose plastic paddle wheel when I was hauled out the first time

This started leaking as soon as I went back in the water, and after 2 weeks of trying to patch it, I had to admit defeat and hoist it out of the water again, costing almost 1000 dollars in the end

2) Cutting a hole in the bulkhead under the sofa

This is related to above, and I’m blaming this on inhaling too much expoxy. In frustration I cut a hole in order to get better access to the paddlewheel, only to realise a day later that I needed to replace the whole thing. I still need to fix it.

3) Not moving the batteries over the other side

When I moved the batteries back outside, I had a chance to move sides with them, which meant they would be the same side as the control panel, saving lots of wiring. I didn’t, and there is a very slight list to one side which would have been fixed if I had had the batteries on the other side.  I plan to fix this when I get my new battery bank installed.

4) Having midline tied around a chainplate

Was fine until a big gale, when it started causing alarming creaking noises. I had to go out at 3am in a windstorm and redo the entire line, excluding the chainplate

5) Accidentally shifted gear from neutral -> forward while at high RPM

This lead to a worrying crunching sound, and now there is a whining noise from a crunched bearing. Apparently it’s still fine for a good while, but it was a needless mistake to make and may mean I have to replace the gearbox at some point.