A Couple of Projects

 Well, if you have read through my blog, you probably have a good idea of the amount of maintenance required to keep a boat going.  And this post will be no exception.  It still amazes me how many new issues appear when you leave a boat sitting for even a short period of time.  So, upon returning to the boat I had a list of minor things to address (for example, some running rigging needed to be replaced and some leaks needed to be addressed) and a couple of bigger projects.

The first project was the inverter.  As I mentioned in my previous post, my old Xantrex Freedom Marine inverter decided to give up during our spring shakedown cruise.  I pulled the unit and did some troubleshooting and found a blown internal fuse.  I tried replacing it, however the fuse immediately blew when attempting to start it up...so something in the internal circuitry has obviously failed.  I guess I could try repairing the unit, but it is 30+ years old and there are newer options out there that provide pure sine wave output and are more efficient.  It made the most sense to replace.  Of course, I don't want to rewire the boat, so in addition to finding newer technology, I needed to find one that would fit in the available space.

I narrowed my search down to two or three options that would fit, were at least theoretically suitable for the marine environment, and would provide pure sine wave output.  Two of the options could be found listed on marine supplier websites with prices north of $1500.  The third option was from Renogy, a company that is more well known for solar and off-grid land based setups, but claimed their unit was marinized and could handle the more corrosive environment found on a boat.  The fact that their unit was also 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the others, I decided I would give it a try.

Renogy 3000w pure sine wave inverter
(Image from Renogy.com)

The unit was a bit longer than my old one, fortunately, that was the one dimension where I had a bit of extra space.  Otherwise, it was a direct replacement as it specified the same gauge battery cables and fuses and was a mostly drop-in replacement.  Wiring was pretty straight forward, and other than finding and replacing a poorly crimped cable end on one of my cables, the unit itself wasn't too difficult to install.  The unit comes with a remote panel, but unlike the Xantrex, it is not very informative, just a switch with a couple of status LEDs.  A remote that mimics the on-board display would be a better option, and hopefully they will consider making one.  The remote was also smaller than the Xantrex, so I had to custom fabricate a plate to mount the new remote where the old one was.  Fortunately, this was easy to accomplish by purchasing a 3-gang black switch plate from the local hardware store and making a few modifications.

Other than the remote display and a couple minor quirks, so far I really like the unit.  Unlike the Xantrex, it has a very clean, pure sine wave output. Things like my induction plate and microwave are happier about the supplied power.  It also switches over to inverter power much faster than the Xantrex, so the microwave clock doesn't need to be reset and the TV doesn't even flicker.  The most annoying thing about it is that the battery charger cannot be disabled when the unit is on and the AC circuits downstream of the inverter are not active in bypass mode when the inverter is off.  These are minor issues and easy to work-around, but would be nice features to add.  Given I could buy 2 or 3 of these for the price of the others, to me it is a worthwhile tradeoff.

Another bigger project is replacement of my old chartplotter.  The main reason for its demise is that the prior owner of the boat did quite a hack job when installing that resulted in a large hole behind it and so I never removed it from the helm.  I could possibly replace just the screen and maybe the seals that caused the current problem with the unit, but just like the inverter, the entire unit is older and I suspect other internals are likely soon to have problems as well.  I could buy a new unit from Garmin that would be mostly a drop in replacement with the same 8" display, but that will set me back about $2k...not to mention I'm not a huge fan of Garmin.  

The other option to replace the chartplotter is to essentially build my own.  There are a couple of open-source software packages out there that are capable of replacing an existing chartplotter and can better integrate most of my Garmin and Raymarine instruments.  For the cost of a Raspberry Pi computer, a touchscreen display, and a few other electronic bits, I could have a more capable chartplotter than what I have now.  All that for what should come in at under $500 and some of my time.

Openplotter running on my Raspberry Pi.

I decided to go this route and have been working on the solution for a little while.  I'm using OpenPlotter, which includes the OpenCPN chartplotter software, SignalK for data integration, and a variety of interfaces to deal with a variety of instrument data.  Above is a picture of my working system on a 15" touchscreen display that is temporarily hooked up to my boat instruments.  You can see current wind, depth, location, direction, speed, pitch and roll information.  You can even see the AIS data from a few nearby boats in the marina.  Not displayed but working is the radar information and overlay.  Since the computer isn't mounted yet, the sensors aren't fully calibrated so some of the information like pitch and roll are a bit off...but it is sufficient for proof of concept.  And for the first time since I've owned the boat, I can now send route data to the autopilot.  The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to get more detailed sonar information as Openplotter doesn't seem to have a means of supporting a fish-finder type of sonar.  This solution will also be setup so I can easily detach the display and store it inside.

The final bigger project I'm working on is my refrigerator.  Over the past several years it had started developing an issue where the compressor made multiple attempts before it successfully started.  Originally, this was infrequent, but more recently it has happened with increasing frequency to the point that it was no longer reliable.  While looking into the issue I noted that the compressor was rather old and had significant surface corrosion.  Apparently the original controller had failed at some point and was jury-rigged with one from Alder Barbour.  So, my best guess is that either the controller or the compressor was the likely the current issue...of course, that makes up the vast majority of the system.  As a reliable refrigerator is necessary for any longer trip, I decided to bite the bullet and replace the whole system.  New systems have more efficient compressors and often come pre-charged so at least I won't need a refrigeration technician to come install it.

Seafrost BDxp Refrigerator system
(image from Seafrost)

The original system was from SeaFrost. Not wanting to significantly alter the setup, I decided to go with them again.  After talking with someone from SeaFrost (I think it may have been the owner), I decided to get the upgraded version with a bit higher capacity.  The belief is that it should be sufficient to store ice cream (something that was just a bit beyond the ability of the old system).  The old setup of the refrigerator is what is known as a spillover system.  Some of the cold of the freezer "spills over" into the refrigerator side through some holes to provide refrigeration.  While this does work, it does have some drawbacks.  There was a tendency for items at the bottom of the refrigerator section to freeze while the top was barely within the safe zone for a refrigerator.  With the increased capacity of the new system, I think this issue might become worse.  So, I also intend to alter the spillover system by adding a duct, small fan, and temperature control in hopes that it will better meter the temperature of the refrigerator as well as provide a bit of air circulation to keep the temperatures a bit more uniform.  

So, those are the bigger projects currently going on or completed.  Hopefully they all will be done soon and I can head south and to the Bahamas.

What's Shakin'

Oops...thought I had published this months ago...so this is a bit behind... 

Well, this last trip back to the boat can best be described as shaken.  My intention was to take at least a shakedown cruise, but other things also shook things up a bit.

One shakeup was that my friend TJ from the Retirement Project had what was described as a "cardiac event".  In hindsight it was a good thing that it took longer to get their outboard fixed and they were still in Oriental when this occurred as he was able to get the medical attention he needed quickly.  After a short time in the hospital in New Bern, I'm happy to report he is doing better now.  Unfortunately it has altered their plans for the Great Loop, but ever changing plans seems to be the norm for cruising.  I was glad to be able to provide some help and support for such a lovely couple and am glad TJ is getting back to being himself.  Stay well my friends and let us know if we can do anything for you....either here or when we are back at the boat.

A variety of things were fixed or worked on while at the boat.  The house battery bank was replaced.  The old chartplotter seems to have developed a screen issue and, instead of replacing the screen or the unit, I've decided to try building my own chartplotter using Openplotter.  If successful, this system will have a 15 inch touchscreen display at the helm, provide AIS receive functionality so I can identify nearby boats, and finally integrate all the systems so the Garmin radar and sonar and Raymarine winds and depth instruments can all talk to one another and the autopilot.  All at a fraction of the cost of an existing commercial unit. I'll (hopefully) write more on this later.

We did get a chance to take a shakedown cruise.  It was a relatively short trip from New Bern to the Cape Lookout bight.  We anchored there for several days, enjoying the area and testing systems.  

Of course, as a shakedown cruise, we tested several systems.  Unfortunately, while trying to make some ice for drinks one evening, the inverter suddenly died.  The inverter isn't a critical piece of equipment, but it is nice to be able to run standard AC electrical items, particularly if you want some ice for your evening adult beverage.  So this is another item that will need some attention.  Since it is an older inverter, it might be time for a replacement, we will see.

So, we managed a shakedown run, we shook things, and something broke.  But that is about par for the course on a boat.  Guess I have a bit more work to do before the Bahamas trip in the fall.

Making the New Water Heater Last

On a boat, particularly in a salt water environment, a lot of corrosion occurs. We usually do what we can on a boat to prevent, or at least delay, the corrosion.  We use materials that are resistant to corrosion, we paint things, and we even use replaceable sacrificial metals to protect other metals.  Well...most of the time anyway...

If you recall in January when I returned to the boat, one of the items I had to replace was the water heater as it had developed a leak.  Well, I ordered one and did the replacement and have to say I've been happy with the results.  Hot running water is a nice thing to have...particularly for washing dishes and taking showers.  And I hadn't really thought of it much until a discussion on the longevity, or lack thereof, of boat water heaters occurred on the Leopard owners Facebook group.  The original poster was wondering...or complaining...about how he was only getting a couple years out of replacement water heaters.  And, of course, the heater he mentioned was the same one that I had just installed.  The usual types of replies about favorite brands and/or how nothing was made well anymore occurred, and then there was one reply that made me think...well duh, why hadn't I thought of that.

A sacrificial anode for the water heater. that
is made by the same company

Even cheap residential water heaters at the local big-box hardware stores come with sacrificial anodes installed.  Why on earth doesn't the boat water heater have one.  We have sacrificial zincs on propellers and propeller shafts, in engine cooling systems, on outboard motors, and just about any other piece of metal that touches the water.  But unlike every house on land, these water heaters don't seem to come with a sacrificial anode.  I guess that is why the boat water heater has a one year warranty when, for about the same price, a residential water heater comes with a 6 year warranty.  Well, as it turns out, you can actually buy a sacrificial anode rod for a boat water heater.  So, not wanting to go through replacing the water heater again in a couple years, I did.

Out with the old...

Since the boat water heater doesn't have a dedicated mounting location for the anode, they are designed to replace the existing drain valve on the water heater.  It was a bit of a pain to remove the plastic drain valve (it would have been much easier if I had known to do this before I installed the water heater...which is why I'm telling you about it now) as there is limited clearance with all the connections on the front.  Installing the anode with the integrated drain valve is easier.

...in with the new.

While it may look like the drain valve is much smaller now, the actual opening inside that plastic valve is not much, if any, larger than on the replacement petcock. So I'm sure it will drain equally as slow either way.  Hopefully this $16 addition will extend the life of my new water heater by a few years.

The New Normal

Well, this is certainly not a post I envisioned when I headed out to the boat to prepare for the trip to the Bahamas.  Up until recently I've been working hard to get the boat back into proper cruising shape and I think it is about there.  There is one big item left...but more on that later.

Unfortunately, while I was busy working on the boat, the SARS-Cov-2 (Coronavirus or COVID19) virus was busy spreading across the planet.  For a while, perhaps fueled by some of the mis-information that was available at the time, I had held out hope that the spread would slow or not reach the more remote places and small towns where I am or intended to travel.  Unfortunately that turned out not to be the case at all.

Around the time the replacement standing rigging finally arrived at the boat, it was increasingly evident that the trip was not likely to happen.  My help had gone back home several weeks prior while we awaited the creation and delivery of the rigging and it was obviously unwise for him to return to the boat once the rigging made it to the boat.  It also seemed like a bad idea for me to pack up, drive more than half-way across the continental United States and return home.  The idea of all that public contact by staying in hotels (if they were even open), eating fast food, and getting gas and supplies for the trip would only increase my risk of coming in contact with the virus and possibly spreading it with me.  So, I decided that I would "shelter in place" and take the time to continue working on the boat...albeit at a slower pace.

In some aspects, the cruising lifestyle lends itself rather well to physical isolation.  If you are on your boat and are well provisioned, it is fairly easy to isolate yourself from society for a relatively long period of time.  Unfortunately, if like me, you have not yet provisioned for a trip, all of the panic hoarding of supplies has made it almost impossible to provision now.  Trying to get groceries and supplies for a week or two can be an exercise in frustration.  Not only are you met with bare shelves, but physical isolation seems nearly impossible as everyone seems to crowd the stores trying to find coveted items like fresh meat, canned goods, cleaning goods, and toilet paper. Fortunately I was partially stocked for a trip with four people, so I do have enough to get by...at least until our supply chain can catch up and some of the panic hopefully subsides.

Amid all the bad panic behaviors, there is also what seems like a sizable contingent (at least here in relatively rural North Carolina) that still believe this is a hoax, or just another flu, or will somehow disappear in a few weeks, or for other reasons that escape me, seem to ignore hygiene and physical distance recommendations of the scientific community. While I'm not at anchor and completely isolated, I am glad that I am at the farthest slip out at the far end of the marina, so there is very little traffic around my boat.

My hope is to reschedule this trip once all of this blows over.  In the meantime, I have a number of projects to work on...guess that is another advantage of owning a boat in these times...there is always something to fix or improve on a boat. I should also have a bit more time to catch up on blog posts. 

Hope you are all staying safe and finding good ways to pass the time.

If it ain't broke...it ain't a boat

Work on boat projects continue.  Spending a bit of time on the boat, we've run across a number of items that were, after two years of sitting alone, were need of repair or replacement.

Things like interior lights and the stereo are not really mission critical systems, but enhance the utility and enjoyment of the boat so they are getting replaced.  The water heater, also not critical, was leaking our fresh water supply so it obviously needed to be repaired or bypassed. The sump pumps are a bit more critical, so they too required attention. The dinghy, aka the family car, is a must have as basic transportation.

The installed new water heater

New USB/Bluetooth stereo

Something I seem to have forgotten but have definitely been reminded of is that it always takes longer to do a task on a boat.  Cramped spaces, a rocking platform, limited tools and supplies, the "creative" solutions of prior owners or maintenance people and the weather all play a part in slowing down what would be an easy task on land.  On Youtube there are many helpful videos on maintenance, but the videos are usually shot in a nice studio with plenty of lighting and the part in question (usually a brand new example of the part) sitting neatly on a bench.  I would love to see a video where the demonstrator was busting their knuckles on bulkheads and other sharp objects trying to access the part...then I'm sure the videos would be much longer with a lot of "colorful metaphors" being beeped out in post production.  They would also be more of an accurate representation of how the process goes.  Oh well, at least there is some instruction available.

Yeah...how about you demonstrate on mine...

...and I consider this pretty accessible. The mounting
screws are right behind the big waste hose.

One critical system that was questionable was the standing rigging.  The wires that hold the mast up and make this a sailboat are pretty critical as you definitely don't want it to come crashing down while on passage.   Weather had been playing a part in delaying the inspection as one doesn't want to be freezing and flapping around in the wind while attached by a rope to the top of the mast.  About a week ago, I was finally able to go up and do an inspection.  Unfortunately, what I found only confirmed my fears of what I thought I had observed via binoculars from the dock.  There was some surface corrosion (which in itself isn't necessarily bad), but there was also some rust lines that follow the strands of the wire (called candy caning as it looks like the twisted stripe of one), a small amount of pitting, and a few small bulges in the thickness of the wire.  The latter are indications of corrosion taking place in the inner strands of the wire.  So, it looks like replacement is necessary for safety.

Yeah, gotta replace those wires.

Trying to measure the rigging so I can order replacements is also not the easiest of tasks.  Ideally, the mast is unstepped and the rigging cables can all be taken to a shop, measured, and replacements constructed.  Since there is no place nearby where I can get a crane near the boat in order to take down the mast, we will be doing it once piece at a time while the mast remains standing.  This means ordering the cables with special fittings on one end so the cables can be cut to the final length and the fitting installed at the dock.  Doug, the crew member that graciously offered to come down to help, and I took turns going up the mast in order to get the measurements.  Thanks to the weather and some technical challenges in measuring wire paths while dangling nearly 60 feet up in the air, it took two tries over three days to get the measurements done.  But we did get them and were now armed with enough information to order replacements.

Inspecting the rigging on a less than ideal weather day

Doug took a selfie up the mast on a nicer day.

Previously, primarily as an overabundance of caution, I had looked into replacing the rigging.  What I had found was that some riggers were unable to even source some of the parts required and others were unable or unwilling to work with the special cable used to rig the boat (swaging fittings on compact strand wire is more difficult due to the "compactness" of the cable).Being the DIY type of person (if you aren't DIY, you had better be rich to own a boat) who wants to cut the rigging to exact length and install boat-side, I am also looking for swageless terminals to avoid the swaging issues.  Looking into sources for rigging, I quickly ran into similar problems.  I currently have a call in to the original manufacturers of the rig and it sounds like I may be able to get the parts directly from them...in South Africa.  I've been told, if they have the parts the turn-around time on an order should be under a week...now I just need to figure out what it will take to get it half way around the world.  Unfortunately, communications have been slow with them.

While I await answers on the rigging, a number of things are getting done.  The two manual emergency bilge pumps were disassembled, cleaned, reconditioned, and are now effectively pumping water.  All the winches have been serviced.  The dead stereo has been replaced with one that now supports bluetooth streaming as well as USB thumb drives for music sources. A newly discovered glitch in the refrigerator was researched and "repaired" by simply exercising the thermostat control.

Not everything is repair.  I finally came up with a design for a simple replacement dodger that deals with the issue of strange angle of the mounting of the main sheet winches.  I was even able to get a good deal on the Sunbrella material needed to make the dodger and get other items ordered.  There is one other project in the works, but I'll save that for another post.  It is something I had planned to do a while ago and I think it will be of great benefit for the trip.

So, the work continues...but hopefully I'm seeing a light and the end of the tunnel and am really looking forward to some relaxing time in the Bahamas.

The Best Made Plans

If you follow my Facebook page, you know that I finally managed to take the boat out for a sail over the weekend.  But getting to that point was more time consuming and frustrating than I anticipated on this trip.  One of the issues I had that needed to be addressed before I could move the boat was a broken motor mount bracket I discovered while servicing one of the motors.  On the surface, it seemed to be a relatively simple repair.  Remove two bolts to take out the isolator, then remove two more bolts to remove the bracket, bolt the replacement bracket in place, reinstall the isolator, and align the engine.  Sounds easy enough.

A friend and fellow Leopard 38 owner and I took Rover
out for a day sail. 

I don my bilge rat clothes (sweat pants and a sweat shirt I use when crawling around in the engine room), grab some wire brushes and a socket set and make my way to the broken bracket.  Leaning over the motor, I do my best to clean up the the bolts with the brushes,  I remove the isolator with very little trouble.  I then begin working on the bracket bolts themselves.  After cleaning them up with the brush it looks like the bolt heads were welded to the bracket.  I thought this couldn't be, why would someone do that?  I get a cold chisel and attempt to knock this bit that looks like a weld bead off the bolt heads and it comes off.  I guess it was just a combination of corrosion and old paint.  I do my best to clean up the bolt heads and then attempt to remove them.  No luck, the bolts won't budge. Several attempts to clean and then remove the bolts with either sockets or bolt extractors over several days failed to budge the stubborn bolts.

I finally gave up and decided to call one of the marine mechanics in town, Snyder Marine, to come deal with the issue.  Hopefully they had more tools than I and a few tricks to extract the stubborn bolts. This would allow me to continue to work on other projects as I only have a limited amount of time on this trip. The mechanic came out and took a look at the project.  He said it would probably take about 10 hours of work if he could get the bolts out with an extractor and he wasn't sure how much longer if "other" methods would be required.

The mechanic arrived the following morning to start work.  After a short period of time he emerged from the engine room and told me that indeed the bolt heads were welded and that he would cut them off.  Unfortunately he forgot his grinder and had to go back to the shop and get it. He returned after lunch and spent another hour cutting one of the bolt heads off and was about half way through the other.  Before he left he told me he would go look into the replacement part.  Since I had already done the research on the part, I gave him the original part number from the parts manual as well as the number of the part that superseded it. The next day he returned and spent about 40 minutes in the engine room cutting the other bolt head off and freed the bracket. He then attempted to remove the remaining part of the bolts from the engine.  He again emerged and this time said he was having problems with his stud extractor and would have to go get a replacement. He returned a couple hours later and within 40 minutes had the now headless bolts removed.

The mechanic informed me that he called his supplier and was unable to source the replacement bracket, but had a guy in town that could make me a bracket that would likely be cheaper and better than the original part.  I told him to let me know how it would be made and what it would cost and I would decide from there. He responded the next day that it would be constructed from welded stock and painted and would be about half the price of the OEM part. He also said he went ahead and had them make the part, but if I wanted to source the replacement part myself that they could go that route. I went ahead and told him to use the custom part and he said he would be out tomorrow to finish up. I waited for most of that day for the mechanic to arrive, but he never showed.  I finally called and was told that he was waiting for the paint to dry.  It was a Friday, so he said he would come out the next week to complete the job.

It was about a week later when he finally showed up with the part.  I took a look at it and it seemed well made, but the mounting holes did not appear to be offset like the original.  Sure enough, after about 20 minutes the mechanic confirmed that the holes were in the wrong place and the bracket would have to be remade....but not to worry as I would not be responsible for the incorrectly made part.  He would have to go back to the welder and should have the correct part ready to go the following day but with paint it may be the following Monday before it was ready to install.

Nice bracket, too bad the holes were
in the wrong places.

I waited around a couple hours on that Monday and the mechanic didn't show up.  I called and was told that the mechanic had the day off but would be out the following day.  He did arrive on that Tuesday and this time the holes were in the correct locations.  After 20 minutes the mechanic again emerged and told me the bolts he brought were too long and would need to be cut down.  He left and came back about an hour later with shorter bolts and completed the job.

Given my past experience with "marine professionals" I am always a bit wary of new-to-me service providers.  Part of my process now is to track the time spent on a project.  In this case, I tracked all the time from when the mechanic arrived at the marina to when he left.  The total time spent at my boat came out to 7 hours and 20 minutes.  Now, I know that there was some time spent cleaning up the isolator that was removed, talking with the welder about making the bracket, and travel time to and from the marina.  I figured that we were still pretty close to the original estimate of 10 hours.  At this point I was reasonably happy with the work done, if not the timeliness and communication about when the mechanic would actually show up.

Naturally, I received a bit of a surprise when I received the invoice.  The parts and supplies charges were all reasonable, but it listed 19 hours of labor.  So, in addition to the 7 hours and 20 minutes spent actually working at the boat, they somehow came up with another 11 hours and 40 minutes on the bill.  That is a pretty large sum at $109 per hour ($1271 to be exact). Like I said, I expected there to be some time added for travel (shop is 12 minutes away) and work done away from the boat.  But the idea that they spent more time working on my project away from my boat than actually at the boat in the process of replacing an L shaped bracket was something I couldn't justify.

I immediately wrote back and asked if they perhaps billed some time from another project to me and if they would mind reviewing the bill and let me know. It took 6 days for them to respond, and when they did they said they actually had more time on my project than was billed (however, it didn't say what they spent all this time on) but would adjust the bill and send me the update.  The updated bill arrived the following morning and they knocked 5 hours off the bill.  Still a bit higher than I would like, but close enough so I paid the bill.

This was when I received an email from the owner of the company. The email again stated that they had more time on my project than they billed.  The only suggestion provided for the extra time was research into the project.  Since I did the research and provided them with the part numbers and I was told they called their supplier and was told the part wasn't available, I'm not sure how much more research could have been done. Certainly not 11 hours worth. The letter went on to tell me how busy and how sought after they are. That is all great, but they never did justify the extra time they claim they spent on the project. And given they reduced the number of hours charged, I can only assume that they did recognize that the time was excessive.

The email then says they normally don't take on work that someone else has started. Not sure what this has to do with the issue, other than my possibly knowing what the issue is and what it should take to fix.  Maybe it is easier to overcharge hours when the customer doesn't have a clue about a problem. Then the note goes on to tell me that the bill is final and overdue.  Now remember that I already paid the bill.  Looking through my emails, the total amount of time, excluding my time waiting for their response to my question, from the time I received the first bill until I paid the adjusted bill was under 12 hours (and a good portion of that was it sitting in my email while I was off doing other things). Hardly overdue.

My initial recommendation was going to be that they did reasonable work and as long as you get firm time commitments, get written quotes, and track the time they spend on your project they might be an OK solution.  But add in that final email and it proved to me that they are not very customer focused and were upset at getting caught over billing for hours they could not justify. I do not recommend Snyder Marine in Southport.

I'm glad the work is done, but why is it so painful to work with many of the so called professionals in the marine industry?

A Sudden End

This is certainly not the post I thought I would start writing just a few days after returning to the boat.

Our brand new Smartplug chordset

We were returning to check on the work that was done in the boatyard and determine our next steps. I thought I would be writing about our brand new custom poly fuel tank that should last significantly longer than the old one. And the new coat of anti-fouling paint and how it should adhere far better now that all the old layers are gone. And the new SmartPlug shore power connector and cord set that make shore power a little safer. I hoped I would not be writing about boatyard screw-ups like those I've experienced in the past. I certainly never expected to be writing this.

Our brand new fuel tank, full and ready to go.

Unfortunately, I'm writing to let you know that our adventure appears to be ending before it even really began. Four days after returning to the boat, my wife tells me she just can't continue living on the boat. 

While I don't recall if I have written about this, it is not a completely new subject around here. Back when we were finishing up the hardtop, my wife first mentioned that she wasn't happy with how our new life was unfolding. Since arriving on the boat, her experience consisted of a few long passages racing our insurance hurricane season requirement up the coast and a lot of time working on the boat. Having lived most of it in a boatyard at that time, I couldn't blame her and can't say I was feeling all that great about those months. Cruisers often speak of this life filled with high highs and low lows and we seemed to be at a low. I, however, had the advantage of good memories of the previous year on the boat to help keep me going. We talked about the issues and decided to press on to the Bahamas next season and then reevaluate after that. I figured once some of the highs could be realized, it would help balance things out.  You know, that whole fun to suck ratio thing.

In fact, one of the reasons I decided to risk trusting a boatyard again (despite my previous experiences) was so that she could take a break from the boat and go see family. The boat still needed the work but we didn't have to be the ones to do it and I figured the break would do us both some good. Up until we arrived back in Baltimore I thought it had helped. During the trip we told stories about life on the boat to friends and she seemed more upbeat in general. Dolphins playing at the bow of the boat, anchored in the Keys, and the mass of lights of cruise ships passing in the night were some of the often repeated stories.

I was more than a bit stunned when, during a discussion of our next steps while sitting on the boat, she exclaimed that she just cant do this anymore. Honestly, it left me reeling. For a long time we have invested a lot of effort learning to sail, chartering boats, searching for a boat, buying it, fixing it up and transitioning to full-time live-aboard cruisers. We've endured time apart, too much time in a boatyard, unexpected repairs, and other roadblocks. To me it feels we are so very close to cresting the maintenance hill left by the prior owner. It is absolutely heartbreaking to give up now.  With the Olympic coverage playing in the background as I write this, the analogy of an athlete training for the Olympics only to suffer a career ending injury just before getting on the plane to Rio seems a good analogy.

Three ducklings adrift on a piece of wood in the marina.
I wonder if they feel like I do right now?

My wife said she felt a wave of anxiety and dread wash over her when we got back to the boat. Even if we were to try and push on to the Bahamas, I see now that it will likely not be a fun experience for either of us. Ever since the discussion at the boatyard in Virginia she did a good job of hiding how bad she was feeling from me, but these feelings seem to have been building ever since that time and have finally boiled over. I wish I had understood how bad she was feeling much earlier, but now I think the damage is well beyond repair if it ever could have been repaired. The only solution seems to be to get rid of the thing causing these feelings. So, it looks like sometime in the near future, Rover will be up for sale.

Another soul adrift in the marina, just hanging on this morning.

We are still trying to figure things out, but I guess we will soon start moving off of Rover and then prepare her for sale. What is next for us, I simply do not know.  Right now we are just working on picking up the pieces.  My hope is that we can still find an escape from the rat race, but...I guess...it will not be on Rover.

How's The Boat?

That is probably the big question on your minds regarding us right now. And the truth is, that is the big question on our minds as well. It has been about 3 weeks since Rover was hauled at the boatyard and so I figured I'd better bring everyone up to speed. We are still in Colorado and haven't seen the boat in person for a little while.

The primary goal of this time at the boatyard was to get the bottom paint done. Not just a simple bottom paint, but a stripping of all the old and flaking paint followed by a new barrier coat and new anti-fouling paint. Not a fun task and one I'm OK with farming out to a yard...as long as they do a good job at a reasonable price.

Soda blasted bottom.

That wasn't the only task though. Another larger task was to have the aluminum fuel tank replaced. With a reported average lifespan of under 10 years, we figured we were living on borrowed time and had better replace it before we awoke to a bilge full of diesel. There are several other potential tasks that we could have the yard perform, but those will depend on the estimates they provide as well as the my feel for how they are doing with the current projects.

The new fuel tank.

Initially, the boatyard was doing well with communication on the projects. Pictures were sent from the soda blasting process and barrier coat and looked good. They seemed to be making good progress and staying on budget. Communications seem to have slowed some, but my hope is that they are doing a good job.

So, they are hopefully finishing up the bottom paint and fuel tank install. They should also be preparing another estimate for another potential job. I guess I will soon see and we are keeping our fingers crossed for good results. It would be nice to know that not all boatyard are crooks.

In the meantime, we are visiting with family and friends and eating out too much...but it has been a nice visit.

Conundrum

That seems the best term to describe the the last few days.  We continue to sit at Dowry Creek marina and weigh options but I have to admit I don't really like the alternatives...kinda reminds me of the current state of what qualifies as politics in this country.

We had a theory.  The theory was that we could take the boat somewhere to have a little work done. A fairly simple task of stripping old layers of bottom paint off the boat and starting fresh.  There are a couple other minor tasks that could also be done.  Ideally we would love to be able to drop the boat off somewhere and then spend a few weeks going back to visit family while the work is done. And if my boat was my Toyota, this would be what I would do.

But, I spent the last couple days fixing damage caused by supposed marine mechanic experts. Apparently in marine mechanic's school (I say as if there actually is one...which I seriously doubt these days) they fail to teach that aluminum is a softer metal than steel.  Or that torque specifications really should be followed when they are provided.  During my engine checks I found both heat exchangers and a related bracket loose.  Upon further inspection, I found that the threaded holes that held the studs on which this stuff was mounted had been stripped.  The fix was a relatively simple addition of Helicoils to restore the threads (and make them stronger).  I then found that another mechanic, apparently after not having an 8mm bolt for a new alternator install, decided to force a 3/8 bolt into the 8mm threaded hole.  The stainless steel bolt cut the aluminum case of the alternator enough that the bolt would hold for...about a year before the compromised threads finally gave way. The bolt failed on our trip to this marina and we were fortunate that the remaining bolts held it in place. Drilling out the threads and then through-bolting the alternator fixed this issue...again probably better than new.

The problem is that this leaves me wondering if I can even trust any boatyard to do a paint job without constant supervision.  Virtually all of my previous experience tells me I cannot, but the theoretical convenience of having work done while we are doing other necessary tasks is a strong argument for giving it one more try.  Paying someone lots of hard-earned money to screw up my boat makes a pretty strong counter argument.

After the work on the boat the past few days, we took the day off and did some touristy things (more on that in an upcoming post).  When we returned this evening, a new weather disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico was upgraded to Tropical depression Colin.  The second named storm in this now 5 day old season.  The current path prediction cone does not include us, but could possibly pass nearby as it crosses Florida and heads northeast. Given how bad the weather service is at predicting things, we pondered the idea of pushing further north to get a bit further away from the predicted path. Of course, knowing my luck, we would move and then the path would change putting is in the path of the storm instead of outside of it.

Decisions...decisions...and I can't really say I like any of the options.

Bridges and Batteries

This post is out of sequence and should have been posted on 4/15/2016...not sure why it didn't post (actually, I thought it had..but don't see it or the pictures now).

Sorry it has been a while, but Internet has been spotty and we have been quite busy trying to keep Rover moving. The good news is we made it to Key Largo. The bad news is the repair plagued trip continues.

After fixing the issue with the port prop shaft slip and spending two nights in Ft. Pierce, the weather wasn't cooperating for an outside passage. The wind had picked up off shore and was stirring up the sea a bit. We decided to take the ICW south so we could keep moving. Most of this leg of the trip is a pretty straight section of the ditch down the middle of lakes and rivers just inside the coast. It wasn't until we were near Jupiter that we ran into a bunch of bridges we need to have opened in order to pass. The first three open on demand, the next were on half hour schedules.

The first three were uneventful and the tenders timed the openings so we wouldn't have to slow down. The only trouble we had was dealing with all the little weekend warrior power boaters around the Jupiter inlet that don't seem to understand the right of way rules or that boats with deeper draft than a few inches and tall masts sticking up have a limited ability to maneuver in a canal.

The boat decided to start acting up when we reached the first bridge with a schedule. We tried to time it so we would be just a few minutes early for the opening. As we approached, the port engine stalled. When I tried to restart it, I found that the battery was dead and wouldn't crank the engine.

Maneuvering or keeping a catamaran in a fixed location in a current is easy when both engines are running. It is much trickier on one engine when that motor sits out on one pontoon. We managed to circle and make it through the bridge. I fired up the generator and turned on the battery charger and was eventually able to bring the engine back to life.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We anchored in North Lake Worth, just outside of West Palm Beach. I did a little more investigation and found that the starting battery had reached the end of its life. We found a marina near a boaters warehouse and picked up two new starting batteries (figuring the other would likely go soon) and had the one replaced within a couple hours.  The weather was improving so as soon as the battery was installed, we departed. More on that in the next post.

Psycho Heater and Stubborn Outboard

Almost sounds like a couple super villains that Superman should be dealing with, but in fact are a couple things we did battle with today.  The day started with me finishing the wax of the hardtop (a task we put off so we could escape Virginia). When I came back inside, I noticed the heater was acting a bit strange. Just as I came in, the air conditioner kicked on (one of the nice perks of this marina...electricity is included). I glanced down and noticed the thermostat said it was 83 degrees. Then it said 84, 85, 86, 87, and 88 as if it were practicing counting with Big Bird from Sesame Street. I guess it was happy with 88 so then it started counting backwards until it reached 75 and the AC unit shut down (the thermostat was set at 76).  A couple minutes later the unit fired back up and I looked over and it was claiming 82 this time.  The whole time I doubt it was over 75 inside.

The thermostat has been acting a bit flaky lately, but this is by far the wildest swing we had noted.  I checked the temperature at the thermal sensor at the base of the thermostat and the non-contact thermometer claimed it was 72 (and I know it reads 2 degrees low).  I turn the unit off, wait a few minutes, and turn it back on. It claims 83 again and this time it just stays at 83 for a while. I start thinking that the thermostat is going bad and do a little research on the cost of a replacement on the internet while it starts practicing counting forward and backward between 75 and 90. Big Bird would be proud.

The psychotic air conditioning
controller

The thermostat/controller I come to find runs about $200 online.  Ouch.  I decide to try unplugging the controller wire and plugging it back in.  No change.  I decide it is time to clean the filter and unit anyway (it is amazing how fast dog hair collects there when you have two aboard) and just take a look at the whole unit even though I doubt it will change anything.  I get the shop vac out and vacuum up the dog hair and then clean and rinse the reusable filter.  For no real reason I decide to look at the control circuit panel.  I open up the box and don't notice any burnt trace wires.  I decide to unplug the control wire and plug it back in again. I put every thing back together and turn the unit back on.

To my utter surprise, the thermostat reads 75 degrees.  Huh.  I change the temperature setting to 73.  The unit turns on and blows cold air and the thermostat slowly goes down to 72 and then the unit turns off.  It continues acting perfectly normal through another cycle.  I change the temperature to 75 and continue to monitor it for the rest of the day.  It seems to be acting perfectly normal now.  Cool! (no pum intended)  My best guess is that, contrary to what one might think, the controller doesn't read the temperature and just tell the unit when to turn on and off, but the controller board on the air conditioning unit does this.  The act of re-seating the plug on the controller probably knocked some corrosion off and now everything works. Keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way.

The other task was one I had planned for today.  I've continued having some issues with getting my dinghy motor to idle well.  A while back in Brunswick I even had a shop work on it and it seemed good for a short while, but soon it would be back to dying when at idle.  A couple days ago I hooked up a garden hose to an outboard fresh water flushing adapter so I could run the engine while mounted on the rail of the boat (this supplies cooling water to the motor when it is not sitting in the water).  I fired the thing up and played with it for a little bit. It would run for a while, then suddenly sputter and die.  I'd start it back up and it would run for a while, then suddenly sputter and die.  The engine seems to run fine when not at low speed.

Stock photo of the
model from Yamaha

One thing I did notice is that when the motor sputters, it tends to smoke a lot. Since I didn't have any history on the motor (it came with the boat) and it looked pretty new inside, I wasn't sure if the break-in was complete. So, to be safe, I did add more oil to the gasoline (this is a 2-stroke) than is normal. I don't know if this is contributing to the issue or not, but I will likely return to a normal mix next fill up.  In the meantime, I decided to try readjusting the idle mixture. With the engine off, I gently tightened the idle mixture screw until it bottomed out, recording the number of turns (so I knew were it was set and could reset it there if needed).  I then turned the screw out to where it was and then just a little bit more so it would be set a little rich.  I started the motor and let it run a bit and it idled OK at that setting.  I then slowly tightened (closed) the idle screw, allowing the engine to stabilize about each 1/4 of a turn. Once it started stumbling, I turned it back 1/4 turn until it was idling OK again. I let it run for a bit and it seemed happy.

This was all done with the engine mounted on the rail, so all that was left was to take the dingy for a spin and see if it would run OK.  While this was work, it was also fun. We dropped the dinghy into the water and mounted the motor on it.  We started off with a low speed cruise around the marina (so I was never all that far from the boat or the tools).  The motor shifted into and out of gear at idle speed, didn't stall, and seemed generally happy. Next I dropped my wife back off at the boat (so I would have someone to call in case I got stranded somewhere and needed a ride back) and took it out on the ICW for some higher speed runs.

I started with a couple of short high speed runs (not beyond what I was willing to row back from) and everything seemed good to go. When the engine was brought back to idle, it would continue to run just fine. I increased the length of the runs as I gained confidence in the operation.  My longest run was about a mile and the whole time the engine performed well.  When I got back to the marina, I found some dolphins jumping and playing in the basin, so (after watching them a bit) I decided to let them be and did a little more touring of the area with the dinghy.  Man this boat can fly with a single person on board.  That 15 hp motor brings the RIB up on plane and zips right along.  I turned into one of the canals and looked at some of the homes that have easy access to the ICW.

I eventually made my way back to the boat, and the outboard ran perfectly the whole time.  We pulled the motor off the dinghy, placed it back on the rail, and put the boat back on the davits.  I then hooked up the hose and did a fresh water flush of the motor.  In order to clean the salt water out of the cooling passages and drain the carburetor at the same time, I do this run of the engine without the gas tank connected.  The engine can run for a couple of minutes (depending on how fast you run it) without the gas tank attached by draining the gas sitting in the carburetor bowl.  I've found this is just about the right amount of gas to give the cooling system a good flush.

We are getting things ticked off the list in preparation to leave the marina and spend a bit more time on the hook. With any luck, we will be continuing our journey soon.

Hold It!

Here we go again on one of the least-pleasant things to work on in a boat. Ever since I had the black water lines replaced in Deltaville, I've had issues with these systems.  A few things were obviously broken (like the toilet seat and bilge pump hose) but others were random leaks that we had yet to resolve.  One in particular that has been an issue was a leak at the bottom fitting of the starboard side holding tank.  If you pumped a little water into the tank it appeared to work just fine.  But once above a certain level, the pressure would cause a leak.

Figuring it was knocked loose when the hoses were replaced, we tried tightening the nut on the bottom, but that didn't fix it like it did with the other tank.  Yesterday we decided that we would loosen the fitting and see if we could reseal it without having to remove it or the whole tank. Removing the tank would require disconnecting four fittings and the tank sensor and then wrestling it out of it's perch in the locker and that would be a very time consuming process and likely break one or more of the other fittings.  We loosened up the fitting and were cleaning it up when we discovered the likely source of the leak.  The fitting actually had a small crack hiding in the threads.  In the process of wrestling the hose back off of said fitting, we made the crack worse so you can now clearly see the issue in the picture below.

The new fitting with the homemade gasket and
the old fitting with the crack.

This fitting is actually nothing more than a 1.5 inch plastic through hull fitting.  We got lucky and found a new replacement fitting at a reasonable price at Sailors Exchange in St. Augustine.  The next trick was to figure out how to install it so it would seal well without removing the tank from the boat.  But before we could do that, we needed to get the old one out of the tank.

The only access to the inside of the tank, other than the fittings, is via a cleanout access panel on the top side of the tank. With the tank installed, access to the access panel isn't easy.  I put on my best MacGyver hat to come up with a solution to remove the old through hull.  I took a scrap piece of vinyl hose that would just barely fit inside the fitting and used that to guide the fitting up to the inspection port. Tada.

The old fitting was bed in place with some sort of sealant.  Of course, applying sealant and getting the fitting back to the hole in the bottom would be a sketchy operation at best. I could see sealant all over the inside of the tank except where we needed it at the fitting. When I was looking at various fittings for plastic tanks I noticed most used gaskets.  Figuring this ought to work, I took some of our left over gasket material from the bimini project and proceeded to make a gasket for the base of the fitting. Now, if the surface isn't too uneven and I can get the clamping pressure right, we should have a seal.

Naturally, the new fitting inside diameter was just a tiny bit smaller than the old one, so I couldn't force the vinyl hose into the new one to help guide it back into position.  Channeling my inner MacGyver one more time, I decided to snake a piece of scrap electrical wire through the vinyl tube so I had a line that ran from the access panel down through the hole in the bottom of the tank.  I slid the fitting over the wire and dropped it into position, guiding it with the wire.  The fitting slid right into place.  Viola.

Knowing that over-tightening a gasket can be just as bad as under-tightening one, I threaded the nut on the end of the fitting and tightened it only hand tight.  We decided that the hose was actually an inch too long and cut it down for a better fit that would put less strain on the fitting.  I slid the hose onto the fitting, tightened up the two hose clamps to hold it in place and we were ready to test the repair.

New fitting installed.

We fill the tank with about two inches of water.  It looks good at first, but eventually a small drip is seen at the fitting.  I use the wrench to give the nut on the fitting a quarter turn and then wipe up the drip.  This appears to have resolved the leak.  We fill the tank to the top and check again.  Still no leak. After letting the water sit in the tank for over four hours, not a drip of water was found. Yay!

We may finally have all the holding tank issues resolved.  I guess only time will tell.

Down The Rabbit Hole Again

We are preparing to depart the marina in Charleston. My wife takes the dogs for one last "potty break" before we depart while I start the engines and enter our course into the chartplotter. Our oldest dog doesn't like the beeping of the engine alarms prior to startup, so this is a good time to start the boat up.  My wife gets back as I complete the chartplotter setup, and we go to pull the power cord in preparation for departure. And then the port engine just dies.

That is strange.  It had been idling just fine for 5 minutes or more.  I restart the engine, and it starts and then sputters back to a stop.  Third time, same result.  Hmm. The fuel filters aren't really due for a change, but perhaps the trip has kicked up some gunk in the tank or maybe I got some bad fuel so I change the main and try it again.  No luck.  I change the secondary filter (the Westerbeke engine has a small filter on the engine in addition to the Racor filter). Just as I'm putting the second filter back on, I notice the broken wire on the fuel pump.  Aha!  I clean up the wire, add a new connector, and put it back together.

I try starting the engine again...and it does the same thing.  I check to see if the pump is working, and it is not.  Great, do I need a new fuel pump?  I decide to check the pump by connecting it directly to the battery before I go buy a new pump.  I hook up the jumper wire and it starts pumping.  I test the engine connection for the pump and only see a couple volts on the multi-tester. Ugh.  Now I need to chase down a problem somewhere in the wiring.

I pull out the Westerbeke maintenance manual and start trying to figure out where the issue might be. I discover none of the wiring diagrams in the manual even come close to what is going on with the engine.  I begin tracing wires and find some really bizarre connections.  According to the diagrams, the wire that powers the pump is daisy chained to the power for a couple of sensors and is tapped off of the power supplying the preheat solenoid through a 10 amp breaker.  But what I find is the 10 amp breaker is not hooked up to the solenoid. Instead the breaker is wired to ground with a wire that appears to have a resistor embedded in the wire.  What in the world?!?

I continue tumbling down the rabbit hole and find a mysterious wire attached to this chain of power wires hiding behind the alternator.  I also find a couple other disconnected wires back there that don't have any obvious place to be connected.  One of them is a live wire connected directly to the battery and has been chafing against the alternator case...charring the wire to the point the ring terminal, that obviously hasn't been connected to anything in a while, was about to come off. I follow the mysterious blue wire and find it is wired to a relay mounted on the bulkhead. That in turn is wired to a blade fuse holder and on to the battery. The only real clue I have is that the fuses to the relay exactly match the ratings for the circuit breakers in the wiring diagram.

It appears that some time in the past some fault was found in the wiring harness and, instead of fixing the problem, some hack decided to wire up an alternative circuit, similar to the correct one, to bypass the original wiring.  Sigh. Not wanting to rewire the entire engine so it matches the diagram right now, I decided to take a page from the hacks playbook.  I create a small wiring harness with an inline fuse and connect it to a switched power terminal.  After triple checking my work, securing the new harness, and capping off and securing the other "unused" wires I found, we give the engine another try.  Now the pump works and the engine comes to life.

So, we are good to go (I hope). Of course, it is after 9PM and we are in no condition to depart. Maybe tomorrow. And I guess I'll be rewiring the engine at some point in the reasonably near future. I do wish this boat would give me a little break and let me actually enjoy having it.

Just In Time

I had a hard time with the title for this post.  There were so many options based on what we've been up to the last couple days. "How not to burn down your boat", "Battling freezing temperatures", and a few others.  But, as of yesterday, this one seems to sum it up best.

We are still in Southport, North Carolina, waiting on the weather to improve enough to continue the trip.  Cold and/or windy and/or  rainy sums up the forecast for the last couple and next couple days. While we sit, it only made sense to knock a couple more items off the to-do list.

Weather Underground report this morning.

Due to the cold weather, we decided to utilize an electric space heater in the boat.  The reverse cycle air conditioning units can generate heat, but they get less efficient as the water temperature drops. Once the water temperature dips below 40F, there just isn't enough heat to extract out of the water. This boat, being designed for Caribbean charter, just doesn't have much option for dealing with really cold weather. In the process of using the plug-in electric heater, we found that a few of the 115v AC electrical outlets were in need of replacement.

Electrical outlets have a limited lifetime.  Anyone who has owned an older home knows that the outlets wear out and eventually don't hold a plug all that well.  And in the harsh marine environment, you add corrosion to that mix.  The combination of poor clamping force on the plug and corrosion can cause a lot of resistance in the outlets.  Resistance causes heat, and if you have enough heat...well, it ain't pretty.  So, it was obviously time to retire the 15+ year old outlets on the boat.  What to replace them with was the next question.

The old outlet and the new mounting "box".
One of the corroded plug contacts below.

Off I went down the rabbit hole of what is a good, marine-grade electrical outlet. I tried finding the plugs currently used on the boat, but they are, naturally, no longer made. Searching all the usual marine suppliers resulted in GFCI outlets touted as marine.  We have two 15 amp 115v circuits on the boat and both are currently protected by newer GFCI outlets already, so we just need standard plugs down the line. The only standard plug provided by a marine supplier is a bright yellow plug that looks just like any normal household 3-prong outlet.  In fact, looking closely at the picture showed it was made my Leviton. The information I found showed that, internally, it was no different than the normal weather resistant Leviton or other industry standard plugs.  Since we prefer white to bright yellow, we decided to go that route for the replacements.

Naturally, as a boat project, this wasn't the end of the puzzles on the project. When attempting to remove the old outlets, I discovered that the factory didn't mount the plugs well (the holes were cut just a bit too large for the mounting screws), and a previous owner resolved the issue by gluing them in with silicone caulk. In order to make everything mount properly, I picked up some low voltage remodeling electrical boxes.  These are basically the front edge of an electrical box (so it has the needed receptacle mounting holes) and can clamp to a hole cut in drywall (or in this case, fiberglass). Now the outlets can be secured in the holes without the need of silicone to glue them in place.

No sooner had we finish installing the new outlets than the boat decided to give us another challenge.  We discovered that the reverse cycle air conditioner in our berth was not producing any heat. Checking out the system, I found the raw water pump stopped working sometime in the past few hours.  Not good when the coldest temperatures we will experience on the boat thus far were only 24 hours away. Good thing we just finished the plugs so we could use the space heater that night.

The next morning we dug into the issue. We started with the obvious. Since it was a little past time for us to clean the sea water strainers, we pulled the strainers and cleaned them. Unfortunately the strainer on this unit didn't look that bad so it likely wasn't the issue.  But, just to confirm it was a boat project, the strainer decided to leak when we put it back together.  It took a while messing with it, but we were finally able to get it to seal properly.

Since I already had a little experience dealing with the raw water pump (this is the pump I previously replaced), I decided to dig into it to see if we couldn't get it running again.  Attempting to run the unit this morning resulted in a small amount of water being produced, so there was some hope.  I pulled the head off the pump (not an easy feat given its location in the bilge) and it became obvious what was wrong.  The used pump I purchased had obviously been rebuilt, and the rebuild wasn't done properly.  A spacing washer was missing from the impeller housing, and one of the spindle supports was broken.  The missing spacer may have been the initial fault and the impeller rubbing on the housing may have been what broke the support, but I'm not really sure.

March Pump. Worn cover with broken support top.
Worn impeller left.

In any case, we were in luck.  I still had the old pump that was removed when it failed.  On that pump, the motor seized but the pump head was still in good shape.  I was able to scavenge the impeller, housing with the intact support, and missing spacer from my old pump to "rebuild" the pump head.  After getting it all back together, we once again have good water flow from the pump. While it is a pain to have to fix things, it is nice when everything needed to repair a complex thing like an air conditioner raw water pump can be found on the boat, and all it cost was a little time.

So, just in time for the cold, we have all our possible heat generating items working again on the boat, although we would much prefer warmer weather.

Getting Things Done

Our trip from Hayes, Virginia, to Southport, North Carolina, in addition to trying to escape the cold, was a bit of a shakedown cruise.  That wasn't really the intention, but as Cap'n Ron said "if it is going to happen, it is going to happen out there".  I guess that is true even when "out there" is motoring along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.  So, since we arrived in Southport, we have been back in fix-it mode.

Before much fixing though, we needed to go fetch our car from the Severn Yachting Center.  We also had a crew member that needed to see a doctor.  Our eldest dog has been battling a condition where one of her ears has sores that don't want to heal (it is called ear margin vasculitis), and a specialist we have been seeing is in Richmond, Virginia.  We decided to combine the trip to get our car with an appointment with this veterinarian.  Our plan was to leave the day or so after we arrived, but a winter storm hit southern Virginia (as well as northern VA, MD, DC, and other nearby areas).  So we pushed it off a few days while I investigated my house battery bank  issue.

On Sunday, we started making our way to Richmond.  We went to visit a friend of my wife in Chapel Hill and stayed with them that night.  The next day we continued our trek to Richmond. Unfortunately, as we were driving, we got a call from the vet.  I guess Richmond was having a hard time dealing with the 10 inches or so of snow and still hadn't cleared the streets after a few days.  As a result, the vet was closed and had to cancel the appointment. We continued on to pick up the car and return both to Southport. We arrived at the marina, said our goodbyes to some friends we made there, and headed back to the boat.

Some of the snow we escaped.

After getting back, the next task was to see if I could locate a small coolant leak in the starboard engine.  I pump the coolant sitting in the bilge into a container to throw away and then look over the engine trying to find the leak.  I find one hose that wasn't clamped all that well and fix that.  Didn't see any other signs of a leak so we clean the engine and bilge, top off the coolant, and test run the engines.  While looking over everything, I start seeing a drip.  Not from the engine or the coolant tanks, but coming from the hose that leads to the overflow tank.  No idea why it wasn't dripping when cold, but it didn't start until everything was warm.  So I drain the overflow tank, pull the hose and check for a leak in the tank.  I didn't find anything so I cut about a half inch off the end of the hose and reconnect it all.  Refill and retest, and everything seems fine now.

While I was in the engine room, I also looked over the alternator.  The tachometer was intermittent at times during the trip, so I checked the connections.  I cleaned the connectors and used a little dielectric grease to help prevent further corrosion, then secured the wires better.  During the test the tach seemed to behave better, so hopefully that is also fixed.  I also took a little time to wire brush and paint the engine and generator as they were showing a little wear and chipping to their corrosion-inhibiting layers of paint.

One of the comments I received from my post on the battery house bank suggested that we might be able to recover the batteries if they weren't too damaged.  I debated this for a while and looked online for information and finally decided to give it a try.  Worst case I figured was that we would still have batteries that needed to be replaced, and best case is we might get a little more life from the batteries. If all it cost us was a dollar or two of distilled water, seemed like it would be worth the risk.  I tried popping one of the dust covers off the battery and find that underneath was a plug that leads to the battery cell.  The plug contains the valve and is sealed with an o-ring so all I had to do was unscrew it.  We added a little distilled water to the cells to see if that would help.  Unfortunately, adding a little water only uncovered the fact that the case was apparently cracked somewhere out of view and the water leaked out of one of the cells creating a bit of a mess.  Guess we will need to replace the batteries before we continue our trip. I'm pretty sure we will go with golf cart batteries, but still debating the pros and cons of AGM versus wet cell versions (as well as trying to figure out how we can source them here).

So, that is where we stand.  Some things we think are fixed, more to go.  At least the weather has improved a bit and is warmer than where we were in Virginia.