Boat work finally completed!

Like most things in Mexico, it took longer than expected but Antipodes is back in the water and safely tied up at Ensenada Cruiseport.
On April 7th, I moved the boat over to Baja Naval (the local shipyard) to have them install the ballast and new flybridge hatch and swim platform deckplate. This was apparently the first time they had ever installed ballast in a steel boat so there was a lot of discussion back and forth as to the best approach. They started off by dumping about 8000 lbs of steel ingots (all stamped “USN Ballast” from a scrap naval ship) in the shipyard. They had one of the yard workers dip each one (50 lbs each) in phosphoric acid to neutralize any corrosion and then in a coating liquid to seal the ingots against rust. Then I took them in a small cart through two gates, down a ramp and along 300’ of dock to the boat and then loaded them onto the deck in roughly the right location (fore and aft). This was to make sure that the boat trim was proper with the ballast on board. Once it was all on deck, one of the yard workers got down in the inner holds and I handed each brick down to him for placement. I have absolutely no idea how he managed to do his part without mangling his fingers.
Once it was all in, I took it out for a quick sea trial to make sure the addition of the ballast actually helped. It’s like a different boat. Before the boat technically met the ABYC stability requirements but only barely. It was also very twitchy when making radical course changes. The roll period was also odd in that the boat would roll very quickly to one side or the other and then “hesitate” before recovering. With the ballast, the roll is a lot more ponderous and deliberate and the boat tracks nicely with a lot less heel in sharp course changes. Needless to say, I am very happy with the change!
Once that was all settled we began the process of trying to get the boat on the haul schedule. That really wouldn’t be possible until the welders were scheduled to start (since they don’t like boats just sitting around and cluttering up the yard). We finally got hauled on the 14th but nothing really started until the 21st. Due to other schedule commitments, I was getting a bit antsy.
While the boat was just sitting there, I decided to tackle a few additional projects. During one of my previous visits I discovered that neither automatic bilge pump actually worked. I replaced the float switch in the midships pump and that solved the problem but I was completely unable to reach the engine room pump. Once the boat was out of the water, I literally dove in to try and solve this.
After disassembling half the engine room I finally got my hands on the bilge pump (what a mess). The float switch is definitely bad but the pump appeared to be ok. Since I don't EVER want to have to do this again, I am trying to find a non-submersible diaphragm pump that I can mount next to the hydraulic pump and then just run a hose down to the bilge. I'll need to come up with a bracket for the float switch but that should be pretty straightforward. I also found out that the high water alarm switch is bad. And I broke the stuffing box packing tool. Kind of a frustrating and painful day.
When I found the 2nd float switch (and couldn't figure out why it was there) I emailed the previous owner because it looked like maybe the old switch had died and maybe someone just tossed a new switch down there rather than try and remove the old switch. The previous owner’s answer led me to believe that he had never even LOOKED down there!
So I dove back down past all the crap that I had disconnected (plates, drive shafts, hoses, etc.) and then traced the wires (painfully) up to the pilothouse and that’s where I figured out that the second float switch was a high water alarm. For the life of me, however, I couldn’t figure out where it was actually attached to a power source. After hours with a multimeter and much head scratching, I finally confirmed that it had NEVER worked since it wasn’t attached to power.
I made a quick trip to San Diego to get various parts (pump, switches, hose fittings, etc.) and after several painful days I got the new bilge pump installed and the float switches working. If either of these fail in the future it will still be a little painful to replace them but it won’t require the assistance of a shipyard!
I also took the time to replace the shaft stuffing (the stuff that keeps the boat from leaking where the prop shaft goes through the hull). I also replaced all of the hull zincs.
On Monday the 21st the welders all showed up and sparks started flying. It wasn’t until Monday the 28th, though, that they finally finished up and we got the boat launched. I did manage to find the time over the weekend of the 26th to get a lot of painting done so all was not lost. Since I had replaced the shaft packing, I was very glad to see it not leaking once I got underway!
The really good news (other than the apparent high quality of the workmanship) was that this whole thing cost about half what it would have cost in the US!
Anyway, it looks like we are pretty well ready to get underway on May 23rd for Alaska!
(Quick note on Mexico - On one of my many trips to the hardware store I saw an amazing transportation sight. A smallish motorcycle with a seat that was CLEARLY only big enough for one person. That didn't deter the two large gentlemen who were riding it! The one in front sat on the gas tank with feet dangling and operated the handlebars, throttle, clutch and front brake. The one in back sat on the seat and operated the rear brake and gear shift. In spite of the obvious potential for conflicting goals and activities, they seemed to manage quite effectively as they buzzed down the street, weaving in and out of traffic. I quickly lost sight of them as I had to keep a sharp eye out for open pits in the sidewalk....just another day in Mexico!)