From the Land Rover Owner mailing list. .

Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 12:40:25 -0800
From: jouster@rocket.com(John Ousterhout)
Subject: Re: Shipfitters?

Mark asks: What is "shipfitters disease"?
(an example:)
Well, it's a nice day to work outside, and that cleat is loose, so I'll just
tighten the screws. Oops, one is stripped, so, to do it right, I'll remove
the cleat and see what the problem is. Oh, dear, dryrot!! Well, it's only in
this one plank, and I can easily replace it. Gee, all the screws are loose,
better replace the whole frame while I'm at it. Oh, shoot, I'll have to take
out the wiring harness and chain plate, well, the wiring harness really
needed to be replaced anyway, and now's a good time to get that chainplate
regalvanized. Fooey, now it won't match the other-ones, so I'll just do all
of them, won't that look nice. And since I'll have to repaint the new
planks, I might as well do the rest of the hull or it won't match. And the
shiney hull will really make the cabin trunk look chalkey, and I really
wanted to strip and varnish it, so what better time? And since it'll be out
of commission for at least a week, and I'll have to take out the cabinets to
redo the wiring properly (all those funky splices can finally go), I can
redo them at the same time. Gee, with all that room, and nothing to get
dirty I can finally pull the head and find out why the engine's been burning
oil. I'm sure the shop can have it done before the cabinets are ready to go
back in. In fact, this may be an opportunity to rebuild the bottom end,
after all, it's 30 years old and bearings and rings will never be easier to
put in. I could even paint the block while it's out, and galvanize the
through-hull fittings, paint the bilge, and get that new pump for an early
Christmas present, maybe new sails to go with the new paint, revarnish the
mast, replace the sticking sheave while I'm up there, maybe a new antenna,
or at least the coax. Heck, the radio's as old as the boat, and since I'm
this far into it.....