More Little Projects Continue (and will until we depart. . . )

So, by now you have concluded that I’m a liar. All my projects are NOT finished, as I wrongly reported. I’m working down through my “nice to have” list now, and included one here that wasn’t listed earlier, although I’ve been planning it for a while.

Ship’s Compass

My old bulkhead compass is tired, dark, and impossible to read any longer. It had to be replaced, but I was thinking it would be done underway, because I didn’t think it would arrive with enough time to install it before departure. It arrived a week early, so here we go.

Old compass. See what I mean? At one point, years ago, the cover was blown off, and that sealed it’s eventual doom as UV darkened and clouded the clear lens of the compass.

New compass. Bright, clear, readable. Ridiculously expensive.

I had to create a new bezel for it from scrap teak I had. Cutting this shape out of a small piece is perilous. The danger is that the piece will split with the grain if any stress is applied. I managed to cut it out without incident, but split the top inch off when drilling mounting holes to screw into the bulkhead. Fortunately, God made epoxy glue for just such an event. I glued it up, and the crack is invisible.

Here it is, installation almost complete. I need to trim the bungs and put two more coats of varnish on it. Note the nice, tight-fitting cover!

Stove Storage Board

This one was on the new list, and I’m glad I had the time to get to it. The shelf board was really quite damaged from rain water ingress (which means I should also try hard to find and fix the leak).

Admittedly, this isn’t marine ply. It’s birch ply, and I chose it specifically to match (as well as possible) the teak ply that was the original. I got the color right, for the most part, and it stays hidden most of the time, so the species of wood isn’t critical. Regardless, this shelf lasted well over ten years. The new one will do better, since I sealed it with epoxy before installing it.

Here it is, stained but not epoxied.

Installed, awaiting the adjacent hinged shelf to be attached.

Here’s the assembly all put together. The hinged shelf folds up and the stove top stows behind the hinged section.

Like this . . .

The stove top comes out to play when it’s needed, and it all gets put away when not needed.

Like this. . .

Punch List Complete (new list started!)

This makes me feel good!

I’ve accomplished all my boat project goals for prior to departure. Now I’m just doing a few “nice to have” minor chores before departure. A partial list is below:

Remaining Boat Chores

Cover plates for bow cleats v-berth (Fabricated, now being varnished)

Renew lashing for dinghy firehose (needs only partial relashing)

Wire in a couple more charging ports (I have them, but need to do)

New Stove Storage board (The old one is rotting and needs replacing)

Chase leaks? (These are topside rainwater leaks that show up near the gunnels. Not serious, but If I can think of nothing else to do, I’ll chase these)

Anchor for Dink (Ordered)

Evaluate wet suits (Still in the attic. . . )

Get new flares (Ordered)

Trip Aloft Complete

Whew. Not my favorite chore, but I’m glad it’s done. I had three objectives: 1. replace the deck lamp 2. install a new halyard cage over the steaming light/deck lamp fixture, and 3. inspect the rig.

I used the Mast Mate system for the first time, and it was a learning curve. This is the web ladder attached to sail track slugs that you haul up to the masthead, then climb like a ladder. Easy, right? Eh, not as easy as it looks. First, it’s made of web material, and it is very strong, put together very well. Second, it’s made of web material and it stretches. A lot. Like, when you put your weight into the first step, stretches no less than 12 inches. That makes all of the rungs just a little farther apart. If you’re not flexible enough, you will have trouble reaching the next step with your off leg. Third, it’s flexible. This is a big deal. We climb ladders, no problem. But the ladders don’t flex and sway. Mast Mate flexes and sways a lot, so holding on with your hands is critical, and the wider a grip you can take, the better for stability. If you are hoping to grasp the next step above you with your hands, you will absolutely feel insecure. Finally, don’t forget that you are climbing straight up. That’s not nothing, especially if you’re getting a little older.

Also, it’s best to have someone on deck handling a safety line for you. Ruth was on the deck following me up with the bosun’s seat. It’s also helpful if you know what you are going to do when you are up there, and have your work planned. We weren’t quite as organized this time has I have been on past trips aloft.

I found that stepping into one loop pulled the next loop up (opposite side) toward the side where I had my other foot bearing my weight. It was awkward to get my off foot’s toe in the loop, so I found that I could set my heel in through the front side of the loop. I was wearing work boots with a good heel, and they gave me a lot of confidence that my foot wouldn’t slip out. A rigid shoe, or boot is important on another level. If you wear deck shoes, you may find as I did that the loops squish your feet in a very uncomfortable way. Work boots were definitely the answer.

At the spreaders, I unscrewed the remnants of an old cage that had come loose in two out of three attachment points. I then drilled new holes for the rivets I was going to use – the screw holes were too small, so I drilled them out to the right size. I pop riveted the new cage on, and found that it was so much easier than drilling and tapping new holes for machine screws would have been. Plus, I used aluminum rivets, and eliminated the need for an anti-seize with stainless screws in an aluminum mast. Thanks to my neighbor Mike for suggestion to use rivets instead of screws.

After servicing the light and installing the cage, I climbed another 10 feet or so in order to get a better look at the masthead fittings. I didn’t get up close and personal, because by that time I’d been aloft for about an hour, but I think I saw enough to satisfy me that all the nuts and bolts were still tight, the split pins in place. I’ve taken the masthead fittings apart before with the spar on horses. Nothing really goes wrong up there. It’s all pretty static.

Down on the deck, we discovered that I’d gotten a couple of halyards on the wrong side of the spreaders, so I went back up again and sorted that out. It was faster and easier the second time because I had the technique down much better.

There was no bird on the masthead while is was up there, like this photo features! I’m glad it’s done, and that I have only one more significant project to complete before I can start cleaning and reorganizing. Actually, I don’t have to wait to clean and organize. . .

Cockpit Sole Paint and Exhaust Hose Replacement

The work list is growing shorter. I’ve ticked off most of the major projects on my pre-cruise list. The major items that remain are:

Finish/install new forehatch (I just applied the eighth coat of varnish today)

Inspect the rig, and do a few chores aloft

Install solar charge controller and complete wiring of solar panels

Fabricate new bug screen for companionway

Modify mainsail cover to fit new sail

There are a half dozen smaller jobs to do, but they won’t stop us from cruising. Things like cleaning (of course), installing USB ports, fans, reorganizing lockers. . .

But today’s post focuses on paint and exhaust. Last year, I removed six bolts from the cockpit sole that held the rudderstock bracket in place. I cleaned up and repainted the bracket with rust-resistant paint. Then I filled the bolt holes in the sole with epoxy, redrilled, and reinstalled the bracket while sealing the bolt holes with butyl tape. The cockpit sole, however, is still ugly from the surgery, so it got a coat of flat white paint. Here are before and after photos:

Dingy even after a good scrub and power wash. This time I had the foresight to include the caulking line in the paint area.

And. . . should have taken a photo after I pulled the tape, but you get the idea. While I had the paint out, I touched up a couple of areas on the bow where the while gel coat has begun to wear through. I looks a little splotchy because the hue of while isn’t the same, but it is an improvement, and not too noticeable.

My boat tech neighbor was looking around in my engine compartment and noticed that my exhaust hose was near the end of its life. That was a good catch. Springing a leak in that part of the hose means water and exhaust fumes in the bilge. I obtained six feet of exhaust hose and installed it. Where exhaust hose is concerned, the heat gun is your friend. Heating the end of the hose made it much more manageable, both to install, and to remove the old hose from the hose barbs.

That hose has been in place since I repowered the boat in 2007. It appears to have been the wrong size, now that I look at it. The hose was 1 7/8″, but should have been 2″. It’s the proper size now.

New hose installed, and worry for problems in that area set aside.

Project Updates 14 April

I’ve been at work with a lot of little projects. Ironic how after servicing the cooling system and the fuel system, I then had problems with both. I rediscovered a basic truth regarding cooling systems: the reservoir tank must actually have coolant in it to work! I had added about half the amount needed, then ran out of coolant. My test run of the engine revealed that it would run at idle just fine with no problems, but under load, the over-heat alarm would sound. Back at the pier, I checked the coolant level – aha! Ran to the store for coolant, finished filling the reservoir – cooling problems solved.

Fuel system glitch: I bled, rebled, rechecked all the hose fittings. . . still having problems. Engine would surge, especially under higher rpms, but even while maintaining a cruising speed, it would surge unaccountably. The one area of the system I hadn’t serviced yet was the Racor filter. I removed the old filter after draining old fuel and a little water from the separator, then installed the new filter and rebled the system. Problem solved. Yeah, it was pretty dirty.

While removing the sails last fall, I found a large section of leach on the jib that was separating at the seam line, so I knew that a repair was in the cards for this spring. Several weeks ago I spent a couple hours watching my favorite murder mystery while repairing the sail.

My repair material of choice is white Gorilla Tape. Very sticky, easy to apply to both sides of the material, very strong. I always sew down the edges with my Speedy Stitcher.

I also installed the two-speed winches my neighbor gifted me. Though not pretty and shiny, they work very well. The newly lubricated pawls and gears provide a satisfyingly sharp “click” as they turn.

Above is a fuzzy photo of the mounting from underneath. The tasked presented several access challenges. The first was accessing the port side winch fasteners through an access hatch. There was a fair amount of room to operate the tools, installation of the new pieces wasn’t hard. What made it difficult was the original fasteners were close to two inches too long. My painful arthritic hands needed multiple rest breaks to unscrew the nuts. It seemed like miles of thread! As you might be able to see, I replaced the fasteners with much more appropriately sized bolts. The starboard side wasn’t too difficult, even with the same ridiculously long bolts. Access was much easier.

I also stripped the interior cushion covers off the settees and washed them. I don’t have an “after” picture here, but I was very pleased with the result. The colors are bright and clean again.

Finally, i have just applied the sixth coat of varnish on the forehatch, although this photo was taken after the fourth coat. I’ve very pleased with how the grain is filling and how shiny the hatch is becoming.

Its actually a good bit nicer looking than this now.

Today’s main project will be to ascend the rig and check everything over, with my neighbor’s help. I will also install a new deck light and line cage over the deck light. I own a Mast Mate flexible ladder that I can hoist to the masthead, but as I experimented with it yesterday, I learned that it is still quite difficult climb. The steps are flexible, of course, and it takes a good bit of strength, flexibility, and stamina to use it. I don’t have any of those attributes anymore, so a bosun’s chair is going to be my vehicle.

Projects Progress

Spring is in full cry and warmer temperatures dominate. I’m down to wearing jeans and a sweatshirt over long sleeves. That also means bottom sanding/painting season has arrived, and both are accomplished as of this writing. Might be a record for me having it done this early before launch. I’ve also had time to wash and wax the topsides, so there is a nice protective shine ready for the new season.

All of this, of course, is the normal spring activity for the upcoming season, but this year is special since we are cruising to Maine June-August.

Engine Service

So with the exterior completed (for now), I turn my attention back to the systems. In view of a summer of extra reliance on the engine, I’ve ordered and replaced all of the cooling system hoses. My aching back is bearing testimony to the amount of time I’ve spent bowing in supplication before the aluminum idol. It’s just not a posture that I can long endure, so my fervent prayers were for the timely release of old hoses from hose barbs. This went pretty well, and my prayers did not go unheeded. Only once did I resort to the heat gun, which when applied, made the installation of a particularly difficult hose very easy. I also took the precaution of replacing the thermostat, saving the old-but-still-working part in case of unexpected failure. I had similarly ordered new belts, but have only replaced one. . . seems that I ordered the wrong part for one of them, so I’ll try again soon. I’ve also thoroughly inspected all of the fuel lines and found that they are in good shape, mostly. The only areas of wear or cracking were at the clamp ends of the hose where there is flex. I cut 3″ to 4″ inches off the ends and reattached. I did completely replace one 10″ piece of hose that connected the fuel filter to the injection pump. It was hard and no longer flexible. Finally, I adjusted the valve lash back to .008″. It had crept out to around .015! How does it get that far off? Oh well, better that it crept wider than smaller.

Strainer Installation

I ordered and installed gaskets for my new-to-me bronze Perko water strainer. This was another exercise in plumbing, hose barb sizing, and appropriately locating for optimal operation. I fastened a piece of plywood inside the engine compartment upon which to mount the strainer. I didn’t anticipate that the foam sound deadening material would twist up on the drill bit and make things difficult. I wound up having to cut a window in the foam for each fastener hole.

The strainer attaches to the two screws in the middle of the board, then all the plumbing can be completed.

Attach hose barbs, well wrapped with Teflon tape, then connect hoses. The locating trick was attaching the right-angle hose barbs so as not to kink the hose. I also had to change the hose barb on the through-hull fitting from a 90 degree to a straight barb. Now all the hoses lead fair.

Yeah, I know that hose clamp is too big and the tail is too long. I’ll change it soon. I’m interested to see if there are any leaks in the system. There always seems to be an adjustment or two that needs to be made to get a drip stopped. We’ll see. Same is true for the engine cooling hoses. I’ll need to spend some time just sitting in front of the engine while it’s running to watch for drips.

Two-Speed Winches

I serviced the two-speed winches given to me by my neighbor. They were in terrible shape – just completely gunked up with old grease, dirt, dust and funk. However, I could not figure out how to get them completely disassembled. I got the drum off, and the upper pauls out, but couldn’t figure out how to release the center shaft assembly.

I looked on line for the winch manuals, and lots of models of Lewmar winches were illustrated. . . but not the particular model I have. Improvising, got a quart of solvent, a couple of throw-away paint brushes, and a small soft bronze wire brush and washed. And washed. And washed some more. The old grease was very stubborn. I got a can of degreaser and washed some more. They are much cleaner than when I started. I bought two new snap rings at the hardware store to hold the drums in place, since neither winch had them. I greased the bearings with lithium grease, and oiled the pauls with 3-in-1 oil. Now they work smoothly and give that satisfying “click” as I turn them. I will install them sometime soon, but for the next few days, we have rain. Rainy days give me a chance to catch up blogging!

Spring is Sprung

Ah yes – the signs of Spring. Warmer temperatures, copious rain, budding leaves, crocuses, trees leafing out, and people in boat yards getting ready for the boating season.

Scuffed and sanded – all that sanding dust is in my shop vac now.

I love the smell of anti-fouling paint in the Spring time!

Some of the keen-eyed among you might notice a change of color for the bottom paint this year. This is as a result of deep research and scientific investigation. Following my deep look into bottom paint color, I went to the store and got blue, because they didn’t have the same red color that I really wanted. Oh well. . .

I launch this Tuesday, then begin the other ritual of Spring – cleaning the boat so we can standing being on board. Four months of winter storage and closed-upped-ness affords the perfect environment for the growth of mold and mildew. That must be eradicated before any cruising can take place.

I also have a slate of projects for this year. Some new-to-me items that have come into my possession for installation include a hardshell case for our Lifesling MOB system, and an older GPS chartplotter. That, combined with the usual round of re-varnishing and cleaning should keep me busy while the virus keeps us all at home. Luckily, COVID-19 doesn’t affect sailing or cruising, since we don’t normally come in close contact with anyone else while doing so. Come to think of it, that is often one of the main attractions of cruising!

Low Water and Haulout Slipped

First, just a few photos of a big tide on the low end, and what it does to boats in my marina.  My boat dried out like this one one time, and it bent a stanchion as it leaned over against the finger pier – that’s the main reason why I haul out every winter.  The boat featured here is a Compac Yachts 23.  These are beautiful little boats, with quality componants, a fixed stub keel, and I suspect, pretty sailing characteristics.  I’ve always admired them, so it’s nice to have one in the marina to look at all the time.

If you’re interested to know more about Compac Yachts, here’s a link: https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-23-mk-3

The tide is about -2 feet today, so all the shallow slips dry out.  We had a shallow slip when we first came to this marina, but after the first season, we asked to move the boat to one of the deeper slips.  We haven’t had a problem since then, but we also don’t leave the boat in the water for the winter either.

A little photo of the muddy foreshore

I delivered Cay of Sea across the creek last week for haulout.  Here’s the evidence.  Winterizing seemed unusually easy this year. . . hmmmm, I wonder what I forgot!  She’s out of the water now, and I still need to put on the winter cover.  I guess that will make it seem like I’ve done enough work.

Varnishing the Time Away

I’m waiting for parts to reassemble my engine.  Not major parts, just gaskets, O-rings, seals – that sort of stuff. But I really can’t put it back together and stick it back into the hole without these essential, though minor, parts.

Meanwhile. . . I need to varnish stuff. So that’s what I’m doing. Not a lot of effort involved, just patience. The first item needs a bit of introduction. I built an anchor platform about 8 years ago, and used red oak, which has proven to be very strong. I’ve had trouble keeping a good, protective finish on it, though. The first finish I used was epoxy underneath 4-5 coats of varnish. Seems like this should have been good, but it failed much sooner than I thought it should have. I refinished it after several years and used only varnish, but didn’t religiously recoat twice a year, and didn’t consistently fix the nicks and flaws that inevitably gathered on its surface, due to the nature of its use. Finally this past winter, as the finish completely failed where the roller axle is mounted, that glued-up block of oak split, doubtless due to water intrusion and the freeze-thaw cycles.

              This is the original design

And here’s a photo of the winter’s damage:

If you look carefully just above the top of the roller, you can see a large crack in the wood, which runs right to the place where the axle is mounted.

So here’s my solution. I have acquired a cost-free stainless anchor roller (thanks again to the free-cycle bins at the near by marina), and it looks like it will work perfectly mounted on the anchor platform. I cut off the damaged old roller and mounting, and relieved all the edges.

I’ve drilled the mounting holes for the new roller plate, and today I finished the final coat of vanish. 5 in all.

And this is (roughly) how the new roller will mount onto the old platform.

All my varnish items here on one table getting “the business.”

I think what has struck me most about this whole varnish routine this spring is how much bugs seem to love vanish. I think wet, sticky varnish is a bug magnet.

 

 

Spring Launch – Finally

We traveled to South Korea for the last half of April and spent two weeks with my daughter, son-in-law, and their kids. So while the yard was unable to launch us in early April (we were blocked in by other boats) we decided to wait until we got home. We arrived home on Thursday 2 May, and Cay of Sea was launched the next morning.

                     Hangin’ in the the slings

 

My artist-wife’s interpretation of the launch. That’s me in the blue shirt (what, didn’t recognize me?).

 

                           Down in the water

I scrambled on board to check for leaks as she hung in the slings. All’s well (after a super quick adjustment of the stuffing box), and off we go to test the new prop.

First impressions of the new prop: lots of speed for a little rpm, and a lot more torque than the two-blade prop provided (although it wasn’t bad). But . . . I’ll have to have the pitch adjusted (decreased). I can achieve hull speed at 3200 rpm, but the engine is rated to rev at 3600. That means the engine works a bit too hard, although I’m not getting any black smoke at any rpm, which is good news. So there’s another date with the travel lift in the near future.

Two days ago, I spent a couple of hours cleaning the interior – almost done with the visible stuff.  I’ve still got the quarter berth to empty and clean. Then I want to go through all the lockers and clean and reorganize.

Because I needed an emergency haul-out last fall, I didn’t get a chance to do the normal fall maintenance, so I still need to change the oil. I’m going to change out the transmission oil this time too, and adjust the intake/exhaust valves, plus drain and refill the “fresh water” cooling circuit. Then I start on renewing some of the varnish, especially anchor platform, as the finish has completely failed on it. Last year I acquired a 50-foot length of anchor chain, which is more than twice has much as is currently on the rode, so I’ll install that as well.

Finally, I’ve included a page from Ruth’s travel journal. In particular, the last day of the trip when we were on the plane for 12 hours.  I think you will enjoy it.

We couldn’t sit next to each other, and we were in the middle seats of the middle row. I sat directly behind her. All told, it was a 28-hour travel day.