What a whirl wind. Everything just seems to happen so fast. We are sitting in our camper outside of Serena's parents house. She is still asleep, trying to catch up on some badly needed down time. I, of course, wide awake and searching for my second cup of coffee.
We hooked up the trailer yesterday, and towed all of our belongs out of the driveway for the last time. As exciting as it all is, there is some trepidation as we leave the known for the unknown, but I guess that's how one makes adventure. The house deal still needs to go through today, and we don't settle into the campground until Wednesday, so still in a state of of constant change, kind of like a science experiment where the hypothesis has still not been proven. We said so long to our friends and neighbors in Riverside Pines. We have no doubt that we'll see them again pretty soon anyway, but just in case. Besides that, we would never do them the disservice of not recognizing their friendship, cause they have been really good to us over the last 3 years.
Vita is wet. Saturday was crane day, and even though the preparations were a little extreme, we had her ready for the water. She started a little rough, but got going, and when I tried to leave the wall, I put her aground. The stern was moving out, but it must be pretty shallow there. Eventually, with some helpers, we managed to get her pointed in the right direction, and headed toward her slip. About half way there the engine quit. And it was not going to restart. Air in the lines, clogged fuel filter, dirty air cleaner, all possibilities. I was planning to do a complete service on the engine anyway, so I'll probably alleviate the problem during that process. The fuel filters haven't been changed in at least 3 years, and the fuel is 2 or 3 years old, so I am afraid she is badly overdue. We haven't used her much though, so most of the problems are from sitting around too much, not from lack of maintenance. I'll add it to the list, but I have to order the parts first.
The good news though; no leaks. PHEW...... I was pretty confident that the new seacocks and thru hulls were good, but human error being what it is, you just never know. An 1/8th of a cup of water ended up below the galley sink, not even enough to make it too the limber holes to the bilge. It took me a little bit to figure out where it came from, because it was right beside a new seacock, but it looks like it was some water that flowed from wherever it was trapped, when the crane picked up the boat.
It was a really good lift-in day. We were finished by 2:00. I was just so fried from all the activity going on in my life over the last couple of months, that it was all I could do to stay involved. Serena on the other hand was a trouper. She loves crane day, don't know why, but its on the list of things she would prefer to do with her weekend. She didn't even stop for lunch. She did however make me take her out to dinner, to a restaurant in a neighboring town, that we always wanted to try. Its not like I was in the mood to cook either.
We did manage to complete a bunch of projects since the last report, but no pictures, just too preoccupied. So I will try and get some of those up later in the week. Wednesday or Thursday we'll be hard at it again, making new lists, re-prioritizing, and trying to get the boat livable by June. Ughhhh....
At least there is no grass to cut.... Fair Winds......
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Post #100, Wow....
My first thought on post #100, is what possessed these people to let me write this much stuff, and put it out on the internet for everyone to see.
It is ironic though that post #100 is being written on the eve of us losing communications at our house. That's right, although we don't actually hand the house over until a week from tomorrow, we lose our telephone, tv, and internet, good bye house, hello world.
We also moved out of the house today, into our travel trailer. This will be home for the next 6 weeks, in various locations. Its a long story, but there is nothing left in the house. I am sitting on a lawn chair in the living room, with a bucket for footstool, and my belly as a mouse pad. Other than that, she's pretty empty. When I am done this post I will join Serena in bed; in the camper.
Its small, but in truth, how much space do we really need. This is a very comfortable little home with a queen size walk around bed, and all the amenities that could fit. Warm and cozy.
My friends at Marine Outfitters, and my buddy Jack have managed to get me the parts I needed to finish all of the through hulls, so that is very good news. They should be at the yacht club tomorrow. I can't say enough good things about Marine Outfitters, and Jack of course can't be replaced; even if he wasn't picking up my parts. ha ha
Yesterday was run ragged. I went to the work party at the club, because I had promised to clean the brush off of the beach, and it was the only time my truck was going to be empty. Then I had to rush home to take a load of garbage to the dump. The new home owners showed up, and I had a ton of little things that needed to be done. On top of that, my son and his girlfriend were here all day getting caught up on their laundry and visiting. Today I took the last load of stuff from the house out to my Dad. He wanted a few things, and I had a couple of his things here that I borrowed. Then load the truck back up with all my tools, and off to get some real work done.
On Friday I managed to get some of the plumbing done. Above; the water intake for the head, and below; the drain for the head sink.
I installed the new fresh water hand pump in the head. I still have to hook it up, but I need a little more hose and a couple of fittings before it will be ready.
Today I got the fiddles on the galley countertop. Not sure the picture does it justice. But the screw holes still need to plugged, everything sanded down, and then 2 coats of cetol to even out the picture.
I ordered the stainless steel to make the surround for the stove. It will be in Thursday, and then I can get my fabricator to knock it together for me..
I also got some work done on the engine. Reinstalled the transmission, reattached the raw water intake. I took off the water pump and lubricated it with some o-ring lubricant. Vacuumed out the compartment, wiped everything down. Its almost ready for lift in. I want to change the oil, and the transmission needs some oil. Change the filter, hook up the battery and then give it a test run before lift in.
Tomorrow I finish painting the hull. Maybe get some stain work done inside. Put the fiddles around the starboard quarter berth. And whatever else I can squeeze in. Serena and I are planning on putting the new thru hulls in on Tuesday. Its coming along.
Okay, post #100 done. I need to get some badly needed sleep, I am about ready to pass out in my lawn chair. The next post will likely be from a Tim Hortons coffee shop, or where ever..............................
It is ironic though that post #100 is being written on the eve of us losing communications at our house. That's right, although we don't actually hand the house over until a week from tomorrow, we lose our telephone, tv, and internet, good bye house, hello world.
My friends at Marine Outfitters, and my buddy Jack have managed to get me the parts I needed to finish all of the through hulls, so that is very good news. They should be at the yacht club tomorrow. I can't say enough good things about Marine Outfitters, and Jack of course can't be replaced; even if he wasn't picking up my parts. ha ha
Yesterday was run ragged. I went to the work party at the club, because I had promised to clean the brush off of the beach, and it was the only time my truck was going to be empty. Then I had to rush home to take a load of garbage to the dump. The new home owners showed up, and I had a ton of little things that needed to be done. On top of that, my son and his girlfriend were here all day getting caught up on their laundry and visiting. Today I took the last load of stuff from the house out to my Dad. He wanted a few things, and I had a couple of his things here that I borrowed. Then load the truck back up with all my tools, and off to get some real work done.
Tomorrow I finish painting the hull. Maybe get some stain work done inside. Put the fiddles around the starboard quarter berth. And whatever else I can squeeze in. Serena and I are planning on putting the new thru hulls in on Tuesday. Its coming along.
Okay, post #100 done. I need to get some badly needed sleep, I am about ready to pass out in my lawn chair. The next post will likely be from a Tim Hortons coffee shop, or where ever..............................
Friday, April 19, 2013
Worn Out
I think I am starting to have systematic bodypart breakdown. I have been doing so much that my body doesn't have time to recuperate between beatings. So unfortunately I think I will have to take today off and do some logistical stuff. Its supposed to rain anyway. I am happy to report that the boat is coming along nicely.
I finished up the seacock installation, sanded down the epoxy covering the bolts, reinstalled the engine cooling strainer, scrubbed down the hull and put the first coat of bottom paint. Unfortunately, I forgot completely about the thru hulls that need to be installed above the water line. So much stuff going on, I get a little lost sometimes. I realize that I could install them at a later date, but drilling holes in the hull while it sits in the water bothers me a bit.
So now I have to order the parts from Marine Outfitters, and have my friend Jack pick them up for me. I have to get them soon, and I have to get them installed before the boat goes in the water. I need 3 - 3/4" thru hulls; propane locker vent, automatic bilge pump, and shower sump. And, they all have to run to the back of the boat, otherwise I have to put proper seacocks in for all of them. The ABYC standards say that every thru hull below the maximum heeled waterline must have a proper seacock. On a sailboat, that's pretty much everywhere. Though they define maximum heel as if the toe rail is at the water, so that leaves a little bit of the bow, a little bit of the sides near the stern, and most of the stern. Although the stern can be overtaken by following seas, so even that's questionable. Power boaters get off lucky on this one, they are limited to 7 degs of heel. I really don't want to have the added expense of 3 more seacocks, plus baseplates, etc..., so I figure if I install them near the centerline of the boat, on the stern, I should be ok, at least from a legal/insurance point of view. From a pure safety point of view, I don't have any issues with it, its well above the waterline, in a relatively protected area. Now bronze or marelon?
Over the winter the tarp, had made a mess of the topsides. So I took a few hours this week and gave the ol' girl a good scrub down. A fellow cruiser told me about Vim, the bathroom cleaner, a few years ago, and I find it does an absolutely great job. Let the rain wash off some of the residue, and she'll be ready for wax.
I also scrapped off the licence numbers from the bow. Now that Vita is a registered boat, she doesn't need to show off her number. Its a good thing, they were ugly and worn out. She is starting to look really good. I'll get a picture next week after I get the bottom finished, the tape removed, take a rubbing compound to the area where the licence numbers where, and get a couple coats of wax on her.
Last year I removed the port side trail board from the bow because it was leaking. In my infinite wisdom it made sense to seal up only the screw holes so that if water got behind the board then it would be able to drain out. It didn't work, in that it was still leaking, but more importantly, I found out that waves have a tendency to get behind the board and rip it off the bow. The recommendation is to put a bead of sealant all around the board. So that's done now.
Started installing the plumbing. Found out I have a bunch of mismatched fittings and hoses, and I think I've got it figured out now, maybe..... 3/8", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", 3/4", threads that don't match anything, and this is just the water lines. I could change it all, and have some sort of standardization, but Serena would kill me for adding another $1000.00 and a week to the work. If refitting boats was easy, everybody would do it, right?
There are some other things, but this post is getting long winded, as they usually do with me. But I'll include one last thing. The new table. I had forgotten to take a picture of it when I installed it back in February, so hear it is. I stole the idea from so many other boats that use the drop down with a shelf in behind. It really isn't a very adequate table. but considering how much space we have, it will have to do for this trip. Eventually we would like to turn the starboard settee/bunk into a dinette, maybe next year.
Keep your stick on the ice...
I finished up the seacock installation, sanded down the epoxy covering the bolts, reinstalled the engine cooling strainer, scrubbed down the hull and put the first coat of bottom paint. Unfortunately, I forgot completely about the thru hulls that need to be installed above the water line. So much stuff going on, I get a little lost sometimes. I realize that I could install them at a later date, but drilling holes in the hull while it sits in the water bothers me a bit.
So now I have to order the parts from Marine Outfitters, and have my friend Jack pick them up for me. I have to get them soon, and I have to get them installed before the boat goes in the water. I need 3 - 3/4" thru hulls; propane locker vent, automatic bilge pump, and shower sump. And, they all have to run to the back of the boat, otherwise I have to put proper seacocks in for all of them. The ABYC standards say that every thru hull below the maximum heeled waterline must have a proper seacock. On a sailboat, that's pretty much everywhere. Though they define maximum heel as if the toe rail is at the water, so that leaves a little bit of the bow, a little bit of the sides near the stern, and most of the stern. Although the stern can be overtaken by following seas, so even that's questionable. Power boaters get off lucky on this one, they are limited to 7 degs of heel. I really don't want to have the added expense of 3 more seacocks, plus baseplates, etc..., so I figure if I install them near the centerline of the boat, on the stern, I should be ok, at least from a legal/insurance point of view. From a pure safety point of view, I don't have any issues with it, its well above the waterline, in a relatively protected area. Now bronze or marelon?
Over the winter the tarp, had made a mess of the topsides. So I took a few hours this week and gave the ol' girl a good scrub down. A fellow cruiser told me about Vim, the bathroom cleaner, a few years ago, and I find it does an absolutely great job. Let the rain wash off some of the residue, and she'll be ready for wax.
I also scrapped off the licence numbers from the bow. Now that Vita is a registered boat, she doesn't need to show off her number. Its a good thing, they were ugly and worn out. She is starting to look really good. I'll get a picture next week after I get the bottom finished, the tape removed, take a rubbing compound to the area where the licence numbers where, and get a couple coats of wax on her.
Last year I removed the port side trail board from the bow because it was leaking. In my infinite wisdom it made sense to seal up only the screw holes so that if water got behind the board then it would be able to drain out. It didn't work, in that it was still leaking, but more importantly, I found out that waves have a tendency to get behind the board and rip it off the bow. The recommendation is to put a bead of sealant all around the board. So that's done now.
Started installing the plumbing. Found out I have a bunch of mismatched fittings and hoses, and I think I've got it figured out now, maybe..... 3/8", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", 3/4", threads that don't match anything, and this is just the water lines. I could change it all, and have some sort of standardization, but Serena would kill me for adding another $1000.00 and a week to the work. If refitting boats was easy, everybody would do it, right?
There are some other things, but this post is getting long winded, as they usually do with me. But I'll include one last thing. The new table. I had forgotten to take a picture of it when I installed it back in February, so hear it is. I stole the idea from so many other boats that use the drop down with a shelf in behind. It really isn't a very adequate table. but considering how much space we have, it will have to do for this trip. Eventually we would like to turn the starboard settee/bunk into a dinette, maybe next year.
Keep your stick on the ice...
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Sinking Boat Averted
Back in October of last year, I finally broke down and decided to replace the thru hulls and old gate valves. After removing a couple of them I realized how badly they really needed to be replaced. See that post here, http://svvita.blogspot.ca/2012/10/the-sea-cock-debacle.html .
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New water intake for the head. Fibreglass backer supporting the whole seacock, fibreglassed into the hull. Bolted to the hull in three spots, and a proper thru hull screwed into the unit. Incidentally, the two 1/2" seacocks for the head and engine raw water intake are made of Marelon. Without getting into the big marelon vs bronze debate, these were the ones available to me, so these are the ones I used. All my research seemed to find no flaw with the fibre reinforced composite material (marelon). The point though, is that the new one is tough as nails. Especially when compared to what was there.
Well, we finally got them all back in, and even added one for a raw water intake. The plan is to put pressure water in the boat using the manufacturers installed system, but taking the water from outside. This new thru hull also happens to be the size needed if we ever decide to install a water-maker. I know it sounds like a bad idea to add another hole to the boat, but with the gear we just installed, I don't feel that it is an issue, this stuff is tuff.
The original water intake for the head. Small plywood backer, simple thru hull with a nut. The 4200 gooped all over it is probably the only thing that kept this from blowing out of the hull.
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There are instructions on the internet, http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/replacing_thruhulls , this guy did a good job on the how too. He uses a flanged adapter with a ball valve, but a full on seacock would be tougher; no exposed threads.
I made new base plates by laying up fibreglass resin and cloth to a depth of 1/2". Then I cut the different sizes needed for each seacock. Somehow screwing up the count. I had to cut a single 6" disc from a piece of fibreglass I removed from the boat, but it worked fine. I ground out the area around each plate, because the paint they put in these boats is some kind of epoxy, and I am pretty sure the fibreglass won't stick to it. Then Serena and I glassed these discs into the hull using "bondo - short hair" filler and little plexiglass stabilizing discs I made to keep the outer-hull and the plate aligned and parallel to one another. Then I redrilled the holes to accept the thru hull.
The galley drain thru hull didn't work out so well due to an really uneven area of the hull, and installer error. So I had to cut another plate from a piece of fibreglass cut out of the boat earlier, and install it over the first one. This ended up being about 1 1/4" thick.
These discs for the cockpit drains are 6" in diameter. They are big, the picture doesn't really show the size.
The head sink drain got the old fibreglass plate, but it was the easiest one to install, go figure.
And below is one of the original cockpit drains from when we bought the boat. With a picture of the new ones above. One of these things is not like the other!!
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So glad to have this done. Now to get the rest of the pre-launch jobs done for first lift in 11 days and its currently raining.
Cheers and fair winds.
I made new base plates by laying up fibreglass resin and cloth to a depth of 1/2". Then I cut the different sizes needed for each seacock. Somehow screwing up the count. I had to cut a single 6" disc from a piece of fibreglass I removed from the boat, but it worked fine. I ground out the area around each plate, because the paint they put in these boats is some kind of epoxy, and I am pretty sure the fibreglass won't stick to it. Then Serena and I glassed these discs into the hull using "bondo - short hair" filler and little plexiglass stabilizing discs I made to keep the outer-hull and the plate aligned and parallel to one another. Then I redrilled the holes to accept the thru hull.
On the outside of the boat you can see how the bolts attach the body of the seacock to the boat. Tough..... Each one of these bronze bolts cost $7, but one with a normal hex head instead of the tapper head was $3.50. So I bought the hex head, and took the grinder to them. Ta-da, money saved. The holes are countersunk, and althought I didn't take a picture, I covered them over with epoxy.
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| Engine raw water intake and starboard cockpit drain looking for a thru hull. |
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| New 3\4" seacock and thru hull. |
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Cheers and fair winds.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Time - The Bullet Train of Life
Or more likely, my mishandling of it makes it seem that way.
I like pictures, I like taking pictures, and I like to add pictures with my posts, .... There just hasn't been enough finished stuff to take pictures of. Busy, oh yes, lots of stuff getting done, oh yes, lots to blog about, hell yes, but nothing worth taking a picture of, damn...
There is 18 days left until we hand the keys of our beautiful home over to her new owners. Only 8 days until we move into the camper. And 16 days until Vita is put back in her rightful spot, the water. We are trying to have her ready for first lift in, one because it is easier for me to work on her there, and also because we are replacing all of the through hulls and would like to get the opportunity to see if they leak. If they do, then we can take her back out same day, repair, and have her ready for the second lift-in two weeks afterwards. We just need to finish the new seacocks, epoxy over the mounting bolts, paint the bottom twice, install the transmission, and cross fingers. We also need to finish the galley counter, because I sold my chopsaw to the new homeowner, and the fiddles look better if the angles match.
I've finished all the building projects for the shop. I know I am going to want the shop back for some stuff, but its too late now. I am just finishing up the epoxy work on the plywood box I built for our little Honda generator, and then I'll be done. Then I'll move everything into the office to get some finishing work done, clean the garage out nice, and hand it over to the new owners to store their stuff in. They close on their house the same day as this one, so no overlap for them, and this saves them putting their things into storage for a couple of days.
The storage unit is slowly filling up. There isn't a whole lot of room in there. And this one is about twice the size of the one I was going to rent. I'll have to get some stuff on the boat soon, and make some room. But there is precious little left to go in there now.
Short list, made a bunch of trim pieces for the boat. Made a new set of washboards, with no vents. Finished the little shelf that goes around the mast and supports the table. Glassed in new fibreglass bases for all the seacocks and drilled them, after taking them all out, and there is a story there, but that will wait until the seacock post. Cut the galley counter top, and the laminate, just need some trimming, and installation. Sorted through the garage, sorted through the house, took a truckload to the second hand store, no need for all those clothes now, and started eating up the food in the house. We also had our first work party at the yacht club. It was really nice to be surrounded by boaters again. I think I go into a kind of deprivation in the winter from lack of boat talk. We don't tend to be overly social people, but as humans, we still need that interaction, and its nice with like minded people.
Anyway, epoxy work to do, and then off to Kingston. Later, when I have some pictures.
I like pictures, I like taking pictures, and I like to add pictures with my posts, .... There just hasn't been enough finished stuff to take pictures of. Busy, oh yes, lots of stuff getting done, oh yes, lots to blog about, hell yes, but nothing worth taking a picture of, damn...
There is 18 days left until we hand the keys of our beautiful home over to her new owners. Only 8 days until we move into the camper. And 16 days until Vita is put back in her rightful spot, the water. We are trying to have her ready for first lift in, one because it is easier for me to work on her there, and also because we are replacing all of the through hulls and would like to get the opportunity to see if they leak. If they do, then we can take her back out same day, repair, and have her ready for the second lift-in two weeks afterwards. We just need to finish the new seacocks, epoxy over the mounting bolts, paint the bottom twice, install the transmission, and cross fingers. We also need to finish the galley counter, because I sold my chopsaw to the new homeowner, and the fiddles look better if the angles match.
I've finished all the building projects for the shop. I know I am going to want the shop back for some stuff, but its too late now. I am just finishing up the epoxy work on the plywood box I built for our little Honda generator, and then I'll be done. Then I'll move everything into the office to get some finishing work done, clean the garage out nice, and hand it over to the new owners to store their stuff in. They close on their house the same day as this one, so no overlap for them, and this saves them putting their things into storage for a couple of days.
The storage unit is slowly filling up. There isn't a whole lot of room in there. And this one is about twice the size of the one I was going to rent. I'll have to get some stuff on the boat soon, and make some room. But there is precious little left to go in there now.
Short list, made a bunch of trim pieces for the boat. Made a new set of washboards, with no vents. Finished the little shelf that goes around the mast and supports the table. Glassed in new fibreglass bases for all the seacocks and drilled them, after taking them all out, and there is a story there, but that will wait until the seacock post. Cut the galley counter top, and the laminate, just need some trimming, and installation. Sorted through the garage, sorted through the house, took a truckload to the second hand store, no need for all those clothes now, and started eating up the food in the house. We also had our first work party at the yacht club. It was really nice to be surrounded by boaters again. I think I go into a kind of deprivation in the winter from lack of boat talk. We don't tend to be overly social people, but as humans, we still need that interaction, and its nice with like minded people.
Anyway, epoxy work to do, and then off to Kingston. Later, when I have some pictures.