End of Season

Thanks to all who performed little and big tasks this year in keeping the boat in repair and for the great posts to the blog that kept us informed. For the most part we made it through a good summer of use.

Thanks to the connection made by Bart with Bulldog Boat Repair we have now teamed up with them for our ongoing maintenance. They hit it off well for us by timely and professionally replacing the water heater. The old one did pretty well for us by making it through about 20 years of service. Bulldog is owned by previous employees of Skipperliner Boat Service before they went out of business so they specialize in our brand.

The boat is being pulled for dry storage at the Bulldog yard in Page sometime this week. We then have Keith and his crew lined up to repair and resurface the top deck and look at raising up the slide.

Bulldog will be winterizing for us, servicing the out drives and doing a few other small repairs during the off season. They will also line up an AC guy to look at the air conditioning units in the spring when we get it back in the water.

Let me know if you have recommendations for other needed repairs or improvements.

George Graff

Quiet Time on the Dock - Graffs, September 5-11

We spent Thursday through Monday camped on the dock. It was enjoyably quiet with the slowing of the season. It rained off and on but overall the weather was ideal.

We noticed that the boat appeared to have not been cleaned well as the floors hadn't been vacuumed. The doors were left unlocked and the left hand refrigerator was set on L.P. and not working because the gas was turned off. It took about a day for it to cool and the smell to dissipate. When we vacuumed we noticed that the bag was full and changed it. There are new bags on the top shelf of the closet in the back bedroom.

We found two dead mice. One in the main garbage can and another under the cover of the hatchway on the front deck. Both appeared to be victims of the poison left on the front deck.

We also found that the hot water heater would not ignite. After much unsuccessful trying on our own, we called for service but we couldn't get anyone there by the time we left on Monday evening.

Both doors locked securely when we left. It is hard to see the latch mechanism inside the hole in the door when the latch is in the open position, but the latch is in there and can be seen when the latch handle is turned to the lock position.

The air conditioning wouldn't keep it cool during the hottest part of the day. We also called for service to take a look at that but I think the service people must take vacation after Labor Day when things slow down for them.

We also noticed some white mold growing in storage area under the front deck where the anchors and such are kept. We propped the hatch open to let it dry out.

While we didn't take the boat out, we did fire up the engines and they seemed to be in good order.

Graffs

Good Times!

We had a great trip in a nice spot on the North East side of Warm Creek Bay.
We didn't have any trouble with the engines. Both started up and ran fine. The large fenders that Scott installed are great. We ran out of time so we had Marina Svcs fuel it and dump the sewage, but the fenders made it nice to bring it back into the slip. When we first arrived the boat had a terrible odor in it.  After searching everywhere we found another nice big rat squished in the folding part of the couches. I believe the Bulloch family may have been sleeping with a furry little friend. Ha Ha.  One of our friends owns a Pest control company. He came down later and brought some traps. We didn't catch any others and didn't find any trace.
I agree with Scott concerning the fridges. They worked, but not as good as usual. If anyone knows they won't be using the boat for their entire week, Id suggest to have someone look at them while it's in the slip and not being used.
Scott had also told me that the propane hose on the fly bridge was leaking. We just ran off the one hose while we were there. I called L.P Tenders and asked them to repair it. I just received a text today that both hoses were bad and that they replaced them Tuesday 8/15.
We didn't run the A/C for more than about 1 hr, so I don't know if it's still having issues or not.
Have fun and be safe out there.

Another great trip

Another great time on Powell.  We went over to Gunsight bay and found a really nice beach.  The water is high and staying pretty steady.   I brought two new propane tanks ( a 5 and a 7.5) both labeled for Dock Holiday. This will give us an extra for each size to trade out with LP tenders. I also installed large fenders on both sides of the boat to protect it better. Hopefully that will take care of the vent cover problem. I noticed that the starboard engine is starting a little sluggishly. Also the refrigerators are working but not well. They might need more coolant or other service. It might be a good idea to plan meals with a minimum of refrigerator need until we can get them serviced. Other than that all ran perfectly. If anyone has tried the anchor straps, let me know your thoughts. I really like them better than the come-alongs.

Dock Holiday Stowaway

Howdy everyone,

We just spent 5 great days out at the lake and an awesome time was had by all!

A couple of notes:

Thank you Ott's for the heads-up on the road art just before Paria. Interesting!

We had some problems getting the fridges to convert over to propane and tried everything. Thought the 10 gal tanks were empty (they felt light) but that was not the case. We did end up filling the three 5 gals and topping off the two 10s, so as of now all of the propane tanks should be near full. We found out you can run over to the State line fuel dock and get them re-filled there if you get in a pinch. I am not sure when the last time LP Tenders was contacted to swap tanks out, but they gave me the info for the refill at State line when I contacted them. The three 5 gals were empty. The final trick to getting the fridges to light was turning them off, then back on again and all was well!

At the dump station we found a stowaway on the boat. Lots of  screaming and laughs to be had, but check out the two on broom patrol, they weren't afraid! It is no longer on the boat, but "swimming" somewhere in the Marina.

The AC system seemed to function fine when we used it although it wasn't run much.

The tension wires were connected on the canopy up top.

That should do it.

Thank you everybody!
Mike and Lisa Hukill

Hi, All--

We came back a couple of days early, but had a wonderful time while we were at Lake Powell this week! The weather was cooler than usual for July--mostly below 100 degrees during the day, cooling to upper 60s at night. Monsoon season seems to be upon us, and we did have a wild and crazy thunderstorm one night. The other days, we could see clouds building with some storm activity but, other than some wind, the storms passed us by.

We brought a couple of eye-bolts as George requested last week. However, we could not install them as we brought 5/16 inch bolts, which were a bit too big for the holes already there. We would suggest that the next person bring a drill to widen the holes a bit--the bolts we brought would be much stronger than the ones that were there previously. We left the eye-bolts in the kitchen drawer to the left of the stove. If you prefer, you can bring smaller ones to fit the holes--I am guessing 1/4" would work.

Also, we noticed that the cable was attached to the other eye bolt in such a way that you would need another piece to make the repair. The cable is attached like this:



So, you would need a piece like a chain link to attach it to the new eye-bolt, kind of like this (although this is a fancier connection than you would need, I would think):

 

Sorry we were unable to make the needed repair, and we hope someone else will be able to attach it with this information. As far as other maintenance issues, we did notice that the A/C was not up to par, as others have mentioned. Also, as we were leaving, we noticed that the back sliding glass door is not locking properly due to a missing piece that should be attached to the door frame.

One other noteworthy incident that happened on our trip--this morning, we got swarmed by newly hatched queen red aunts that were ready to start their own colonies! They decided that the upstairs canopy would be a great place to congregate. Luckily, we did have a couple of outdoor insect foggers and were able to take care of the problem. So, just an observation that nature happens sometimes, and a can of bug spray can come in handy.

Lastly--and this has nothing to do with maintenance, but we thought it was kind of entertaining--on our way to the lake, we started noticing (after Kanab) that some road workers had some fun applying tar to the cracks in the road. They made several pictures with the tar in both lanes and sometimes on the road shoulder. We saw paw prints, snakes, ducks, and other designs as we were driving. You can see them on your way beginning around mile 38 and ending about at the Paria River around mile 20 or so. 

Happy boating to you all!

Kathie and Jim Ott 

Graff, July 11 - 18

We had typical weather for July with hot temperatures and late afternoon wind. We happened on a great spot on the backside of Castle Rock by talking with a group on a houseboat that was leaving the next morning. Since we had a number of coming and goings this worked great for us.

The boat operated without any problems. If the air conditioning wasn't working properly all the time we didn't notice. We checked the water level in the batteries and found them all full. They ought to be checked throughout the summer as last fall when checked it took several gallons to fill them. However, I believe the new battery charging system that was installed last fall may do a better job of not overcharging the batteries and drying them out. We also checked the oil in the generator and engines and found them all full and with good oil color.

We noticed the upper eye bolts for the guy wires that stabilize the canopy on the port side were broken and in need of replacement. We didn't get a chance to get to Page to get them. Hopefully the next owner could take some out and do that repair. I noticed that one of the uprights appeared to be showing signs of weakening.

We noticed that the bag in the vacuum cleaner was full and we changed it out. Our previous trip we found the bag to be overfull to the point that the vacuum would not pickup. We found that it was even clogged out into the hose. There are replacement bags on the upper shelf of the closet in the master bedroom.

We removed the slide by simply hammering out the large pin that attaches it to the mount. We found that the advantage of having access to the back of the boat for easy docking far outweighed having the slide in place. We left it on top so that it could be put back on if desired. I'm not sure if it will be feasible to remount the slide up and out of the way until this winter.

We had the misfortune of extending one of the come-a-longs too far and the cable came out of the hole that holds it in place. It took much much work to wrangle it back in.

Thanks for all that you all do to keep the boat maintained and ready for the next owner! From my angle, its been a good summer so far.

George Graff

Wilding 6-27 to 7-3

We had a great time out at Lake Powell this year! We found a great spot at the far north end of Warm Creek Bay that offered great shade in the afternoon with a good wind break. Weather was great with some typical strong winds in the afternoon from the West. The houseboat ran great. There does seem to be a intermittent problem with the rear (master bedroom area) AC unit. Before we arrived the previous owner had called me asking about resetting the back AC unit and I had forwarded him info on doing a reset. He did the reset and said that the unit was working again. When we got out there and turned the unit on it did work fine for a while (a couple of hours) and then it stopped blowing air. It sounded as if the unit was running but there was no air flowing through the diffuser.  After shutting the unit off and letting it set for a few hours, I turned it back on and it started to work again for a while but ultimately it did the same thing (stopped blowing).  The previous owners had checked the lake water intake and it was clear so I do not think it was a water restriction to the unit. As indicated the unit was running and the boat had water running through the water exit on the port side of the boat unlike when a water source is plugged. I wonder if it is the fan in the unit.

Maybe it is just me and I hesitate to say this as it is possibly common knowledge amongst all the owners but I have never been able to bring the trim up and down on the houseboat out drives. If any of you are like me, I stumbled on to it while on the lake this time. In order to raise the trim you need to hold the two upper buttons on the trim adjustment at the same time. As you push both buttons you will notice the gauge indicating trim start to move up on the correlating indicator above the buttons (and the out drive does raise) . To lower the trim you hold the lower button down and you will once again notice the gauge showing the trim going down. It was really nice to be able to raise the trim this trip as I came in to the beach. Hope this helps someone else!

I replaced the fire extinguisher in the kitchen and had to go get propane on my own as LP services did not come out and switch the tanks as requested by Sorensons

Sorenson 6/20 - 6/27

Just got off the boat Monday 6/26. Everything worked on the boat for the most part.  The A/C worked as good as can be expected on the beach.  I spent the last two nights in the slip.  The A/C in the Master Bedroom labeled (main air conditioning on the breaker panel) didn't work well when I was in the slip.  Dennis follows me so I notified him. He sent me a manual to reset it. Once I did, it worked fine for a few hours and then wouldn't blow cold air. The thermostat shows that it is cooling and everything is working, but it doesn't blow any cold air. Each time I turned it off, waited 10-15 minutes and started it back up and it would work for a few hours.  I crawled under neath and the water filters looked clean and the water discharge on the side of the boat appeared normal.  We may want to have the A/C contractor look at it.
My personal boat was checked for Fire Extinguishers, so I checked Dock Holiday.  Three out of four are Ok and aren't expired, but the one by the kitchen sink shows empty. I also let Dennis know. He is going to try and bring a new one down.
I never could get the slide pump to pump water.  I agree with a new slide up and over the railing. There is a boat on "O" dock that has one that goes up and over the railing that looks like it would work really nice.

Nielson 6/13 - 6/19

Raw water pressure issue seems to be resolved, after pump replacement and cleaning/replacement of intake plumbing. No other mechanical issues of note, boat ran well. Raising slide off swim deck would certainly be an improvement, in my opinion. Thanks to George for taking on manager role and setting up better communication options. And continued thanks to Scott.

Bulloch trip 6/6/17 to 6/11/17 and anchor straps info

The boat ran great with no mechanical problems.  The raw water pump seemed to be unable to build up sustained pressure.  I cleaned out the intake filter and the water intake under the boat, but it did not make a difference.  The pump might need to be replaced.  Otherwise all ran very well.  The water is rising about 6 inches a day so anchor as far as you can and use come-alongs or straps if you can to avoid having to re-dig the anchors.  Remember to anchor the bow.  That is especially important when the water is rising.  

George has been looking into options to raise the slide so it will be safer and out of the way of boats and wave runners.  We think that we can connect it to the upper railing and construct a small ladder to get up to it.  We will continue to explore that possibility.

I have purchased (personally) two sets of two (four total) heavy duty 10,000 ratchet strap assemblies. The connections, ratchets, and all other necessary components are in two black tool boxed in the bilge space by the bar.  They are labeled Strap Boxes.  These are to be used in place of the come-alongs and extend much further and work much better and smoother.  The ratchet assembly attaches to the anchor or rock strap and the strap then extends and attaches to a figure 8 knot in the anchor rope using 3/4 inch shackles.  Like a tie down strap, the strap is pulled through until fairly tight and then snugged down with the ratchet.  Anyone is welcome to use these, but please clean and put them back.  As I said, these were personal purchases.

Please take advantage of the blog that George has set up.  It can be a great help if we will use it.
Scott

Graff

Dock Holiday partners,

Welcome to the Dock Holiday Houseboat Blog.

Its purpose is the sharing of information with the group and facilitating coordination of maintenance.

Thank you Dennis for your many years of service keeping the boat in working order.

With the additional demands that have been placed on Dennis's time, I will be taking over his duties and hope this blog will in fact be helpful in keeping everyone informed and in coordinating maintenance activities.

The blog hosts a Google calendar which is editable by all. It has the 2017 schedule posted to it. Please update the calendar as you trade weeks. Please also update it for days or weeks that you will not be on the boat so that maintenance can be scheduled for those times and reduce disruption to planned usage.

Ideas for improvement to the blog are welcomed.

If you wish to add other email addresses to the account, that can be easily done.

We used the boat our scheduled week in May and had a great time. The water was too cold for all but the bravest but the weather was very nice. We took the boat out for two nights then came back in before windy weather started. We pumped the water from the engine compartment that leaks in when the boat is put back in the water from dry storage. The small wet/dry vacuum works well for that after removing the filters. The microwave wasn't working so we gave dimensions to the Hukill's who I believe took a new one out and installed it. Everything else seemed to work.

We observed several slide configurations on other boats that we thought would work well for ours to get it up out of the way to allow docking small boats against the stern. We intend to see if we can get that done soon while in the water.