A No Cost Repair???

When we first purchased our beloved but in need of some TLC Sailboat she came with a new 3 winged prop and depth sounder puck that had yet to be installed. Finally installing something was not going to cost anything extra other than some silicone and time.

Let the demolition begin! I began by carefully slicing the old depth transducer outer edge I used a harbor freight dremel tool. Great little tool for these kinds of projects. After that I just wedged and pried out chunks until finally I was able to push it out. Replacing was pretty straight forward, just had to rout wires to the control unit which was interesting. Be sure to run your top cap through all the wiring first (so it sits on top of transducer) before you run your wires to unit otherwise you will need to completely re- do your wiring run like someone I know had to (not mentioning names here). Pretty easy job, except it’s freaking hot enclosed in the tiny little spots in a boat during the Florida Summer! I did fabricate a slanted base out of a fiberglass board so the puck could sit a little straighter and epoxied that in place before buttoning it all back together with 3M 4200. Hopefully all will work as it should now. In theory. We shall find out if all my hard work paid off when she is back in the water.

Replacing the prop was a bit more challenging, but I managed. By tapping the back end of the prop directly with a hammer, (should have used a large collar of some sort to prevent shaft dings) I was completely unsuccessful. I wasn’t fond of possibly damaging the motor coupling or motor using this method either. Time to bring out something that will do a bit more damage. 

I finally grabbed my jigsaw, removed the base from it and was able to saw the sucker off. I’m starting to enjoy this demolition stuff a bit by now. Anyway, on went the new 3 winged power prop that we were gifted. Your supposed to get more power from these with a slight increase of drag.  Maybe not the best in light wind situations, but let’s see how she does. Hell, it was free and it looks awesome!

After these projects, she should be ready for the water again right? Not quit yet. Catch you on the next blog!

Until Next Time,
Dennis

Contortionist as a Side Gig

Steering System Overhaul!

Well, we made it to the St. Augustine Marine Center for our first personal haul out (cost $300). Thankfully everything went uneventful, with the exception of a bent stanchion, woops! Now to get to work.

 The first priority was to completely disassemble the entire steering assembly. Removing the steering wires was easy, removing the Edson steering quadrant was not. Lots of PB Blaster and patience was needed here as I didn’t want to break any bolts in the process. That would make for a bad day. After that was over, I removed the wooden block under the wheel and then attempted to remove the stuffing box. Not happening! The leverage points to release this thing are ridiculous. Imagine a monkey hanging upside down from the top of a tree to do something that requires twisting strength. Time to get some help!

The guys from the marina did manage to unscrew the stuffing box cap off where the flax lives, but try as they might were unable to get the remaining housing off. Unfortunately, this wasn’t an option. After lots of PB blaster, days of waiting, several attempts and paying for 3 labor hours ($95 hr.) with no results, I decided it was time to demolition! Hey, I am starting to get pretty good at this demolition stuff by now.

 Using a reciprocal saw and a harbor freight multi tool,  (again hanging upside down like a monkey, no arms!) I managed to cut the saltwater seized stuffing box housing off. Unfortunately, as careful as I tried to be, I did nick the shaft a bit. The fun just never ends!

 While waiting for our new Buck Algonquin stuffing box ($140 w/ Free shipping, yeah!!!), I reluctantly decided that I also needed to take care of our pathetic looking upper rudder bearing that had completely fallen down out of it’s housing and was now sitting loosely on top of the rudder. Ah, the joys of owning an old boat.

After much grieving and not wanting to grind out and remove the skeg boot (hidden under the fiberglass) to drop the rudder, I finally stumbled on other solutions. First, I tried cutting the stuffing box from just above rudder. This was working, but very slow going. Hmmm, what if we could fish it out with some wire from the top? Sure, once you get the surface corrosion off the rudder shaft section that is in the rudder stern tube. Don’t ask me how I come up with this stuff. It just so happens that a 1 1/2″ piece of pvc piping fits nicely into the stern tube so I glued some sandpaper (rubbery glue) to the bottom inside of the pvc pipe and sent the pipe down to do it’s thing. It worked! Finally I was able to fish out the remainder of the old and very worn rudder bearing from above with ease.

Fortunately, replacing the rudder bearing was easy enough as they simply used a standard 1 1/2” interior x 2” exterior 6” long cutlass bearing (paid $140 locally). After lightly sanding the inside walls of the stern tube, I gently tapped it down with two hammer tops. There are 3 set screw on top of the stern tube need to be drilled out and replaced as they were badly corroded. Got new larger SS set screws from Ace Hardware. Love that place!

The pintle bolt on the bottom of the rudder has been replaced with silicon bronze parts. Inspect these often as the saltwater had chewed up ours so bad that both the bolt head and the nut were missing!!!! Everything was being held together by a nub!

So now to repair the nicks on the shaft with some JB weld, lightly sand and put it all back together again. Hey, if we are lucky enough, maybe we can do some sailing before the year is over. Imagine that!

Happy Sailing,
Señora del Mar

 

 

Is it a Poop Tank or a Water Tank?

Is it a poop tank or a water tank?

The previous owner told us this was the location of the poop tank. It had me fooled with the stench alone. Holy Hell!!!! It was that bad. After learning that this truly is the fresh water tank, well…..It needed a makeover. It got a good cleaning after it aired out some. and then the project began.

So, how do you access a 6’+ long water tank with one access port? Easy. Cut a hole in the floor and in the tank. Scrub her good and get to work.

Relining the water tank was the route I decided to take. I could buy food grade or rubber paint. Why spend money I didn’t have to when I already had a gallon of epoxy. I used West System epoxy resin. The smell wasn’t to bad and the project is complete. Although I did go home with epoxy stuck in my hair and  on my arms. Long gloves are in order for this project. Once I replace the water hoses the system will be good as new and hopefully trouble free for many years..

Until next time,
Dennis