And Bob's Your Uncle

We have been waiting for the past 2 weeks to finally splash the boat.  It's looking like we have another week to go before a slip is going to open up.  Hurry up and wait!  We have decided to stay at the docks at this marina for a little while longer once we get back in simply because of the price for living aboard here.  We still have a list of projects to do once we are in, but it's looking like we are finished with our "on-the-hard projects".  Hallelujah!   Here's a quick run down of things that have kept us busy for the past few years.  I think I may have missed some, but you get the point:

Installed new 3 burner Dickenson stove

Installed new propane line from locker to stove

Installed new propane solenoid and Fireboy propane detector in galley

Built new teak propane locker

Installed new propane regulator and 10lb aluminum tank

Installed red light in refrigerator

Repaired and rewired refrigerator

Installed dividers in silverware draws

Replaced 110 outlet in galley with new GFI outlet

Removed old microwave and installed new

Removed old steering quadrant

Cut out rudder bearing

Installed new SS rudder bearing on custom bearing plate

Installed new rudder stuffing box

Install new Edson radial-drive and steering cables

Re-welded throttle and shifter lever cams

Installed new Morse cables for throttle and shift

Built new rudder stops

Built new battery box

Stripped and re-glassed cabin top teak pads

Installed new teak panels on cabin top (7)

Re-caulked cockpit teak

Removed delaminated glass on side decks

Re-glassed side decks with 1508 biaxial cloth in West Systems epoxy

Fabricated risers for deck fills (6)

Faired side decks and bulwarks

Primed and applied Awlgrip to side decks and bulwarks

Marked out and applied kiwi-grip non-skid

Re-bedded all stanchions

Re-welded 2 stanchions

Welded new stanchion braces for bimmini

Fabricated stainless steel mounting bracket for windless

Built new bowsprit using mahogany and treated all holes with wood preservative

Removed wind vane self steering gear, serviced, and reinstalled with new bronze bolts

Re-glassed self steering vane paddle

Made new mounting block for wind vane rudder

Installed new wind vane rudder with custom zinc

Installed new binnacle compass

Fabricated instrument pod for chart plotter

Made and installed cup holder

Made new cockpit table

Rebuilt cockpit winches

Fabricate new cockpit drains

Ran new wiring for running lights

Installed new port and starboard running lights

Replaced bow roller pin

Replaced Sampson post/bowsprit bolt

Marked and installed new spade anchor and 300 ft 3/8 chain

Replaced all bolts on bow pulpit

Repaired eye on bow pulpit for life line

Repainted anchor locker

Remove and reinstall windless foot controls

Re-bedded all port lights

Replaced port light seals

Removed butterfly hatch main beam and re-bedded

Fabricated new screens for hatches (5)

Removed all chain plates including whisker plates and cutwater and replaced with custom plates and custom bolts (12 plates) (42 bolts) re-bedded all

Cut open mast step and replaced coring with GRP plates (re-glassed over, faired, and painted with Awlgrip

Stripped and refinished external teak with Cetol + maintenance coats every 6 months

Removed and re-bedded granny bars

Repaired lazaret hatch faired and painted with Awlgrip

Installed SSB back stay antenna

Installed Furuno wind and depth displays

Replaced mast step bolts with new custom bolts

Re-welded and repaired mast step plate

Stripped all hardware from mast, boom, and spreaders

Sanded all failing paint, alumaprepped, zinc chromate, primed and painted with Awlgrip top coat

Replaced vhf antenna with new

Replaced wind instruments with new

Replaces Windex with new

Replaced tricolor with new aqua signal led

Replaced spreader lights with new Dr LED

Installed new steaming light

Replaced radar reflector with new

Ran all new wire through mast as well as vhf coax

Reinstalled radar

Reinstalled all mast and boom headwear

Rebuilt winches on mast and boom (5)

Added bus bars at base of compression post for mast wiring

Installed new boom bails’s and backing plates

Installed new Profurl on forestay

Repaired and reinstalled Profurl on staysail stay

Replaced all mast tangs with new including bolts

Replaced all standing rigging with new

Repaired outhaul

Replaced all shieve pins on mast and boom

Installed new custom bobstay

Uninstalled old depth and wind instruments

Repaired drip-less shaft seal and added new spare seals on shaft

Removed prop shaft and had straightened

Glass over old speed log through hull

Replaced through hulls (11)

Replaced cutlass bearings (2)

Removed old strut to have new one cast

Re-bedded new strut

Lapped and installed new Campbell Sailor prop

Sandblast prop, shaft, and strut

Applied 2 coats of Interlux 2000 to prop, shaft, and strut

Applied 3 coats Trinidad hard antifouling to prop, shaft, and strut

Installed new zincs on rudder skeg and prop shaft

Stripped bottom to bare fiberglass

Applied 4 coats of Interlux 2000 to bottom

Applied 3 coats international Interspeed 640 antifouling to bottom

Bonded all under water metals (sea cocks, sea strainers, strut)

Repainted boot-stripe black

Had hull compound polished and waxed

Fabricated engine access hatch in settee seat back

Adjusted valves on Nanni

Pressure tested Nanni

Removed old Nanni engine

Reorganized wiring in engine compartment

Degreased and painted bilge area under engine

Installed new custom water lift muffler

Installed new larger sea strainer

Replaced all fuel hose and fuel hose fittings on tanks

Installed new fuel selector manifold

Installed new Racore fuel filter with vacuum gauge

Installed speed seal for engine impeller

Installed sound proofing insulation in engine compartment

Installed coolant reservoir

Filled engine with oil, trains oil, and coolant

Bled all fuel lines as well as engine

Installed switch for Balmar external regulator

Installed engine instrument panel and wiring harness

Installed new exhaust hose

Installed new exhaust outlet

Wired engine

Had fuel tanks cleaned

Removed generator and sold

Clean up generator area and install new floor

Removed all cold freshwater plumbing and installed new PEX tubing

Added water selector manifold

Installed 2 manual foot pumps for fresh and salt water

Installed new water filter

Replaced fresh water pump

Installed new hot water heater hose from engine

Installed water monitor with remote display

Repaired water tank inspection port

Installed new automatic bilge pump with new hose and vented loop

Replaced hose on manual bilge pump and back up auto bilge pump

Removed repaired and reinstalled water tank under engine

Installed keel cooler for new refrigerator

Fabricated new sink drain

Sealed around both sinks with 5200

Installed new macerator pump and hose

Installed new shower sump pump, hose, vented loop, and custom teak cover for vented loop

Fabricated holding tank discharge elbow

Installed new shower faucet

Replaced valves on head faucet

Removed old head and head hoses

Installed Lavac head and all new head hoses, y valve, and vented loops

Replaced drain hose for head sink

Replaced freshwater fill hose

Replaced air conditioner water pump and sea-strainer

Cleaned water tanks

Cetoled shower seat

Repainted trim in galley and above chart table

Rebuilt instrument turtle above hatch

Installed socket holders in work room

Removed old engine instrument panel and built shelf in its place

Removed old diesel heater and fabricated new shelf and installed tell-tale compass

Installed new light above work table

Built new chart table seat and reinforced seat arm base

Installed new barometer

Installed new locking handles on floorboards (6)

Installed custom cut glass mirror in head

Installed curtains for Pullman birth

Installed lee-cloth on Pullman

Installed CO2 alarm

Installed various coat hangers, hooks, and shelf’s

Polished bronze and applied protective coating on all

Installed new air-conditioned control panel

Installed WIFI booster antenna with wireless bridge

Installed new stereo and 2 speakers

Installed new breaker panel

Installed new Vesper marine AIS

Installed backup Garmin chart plotter at Nav table with separate antenna 

Removed and re-organized wires throughout boat
And Bob's your uncle….(in Frank's case, that really is the name of his uncle and grandfather!)

Here are some random before and afters we have laying around.  Forgive me if some of these are repeats from past posts:

We lived like this for months

We found this in our old exhaust.  It was used to
make up the difference between 2 different sized
exhaust hoses.

This came off our old stove while I was cooking

Clustf*$k!  We couldn't figure out where half this
stuff went to, so Frank just redid it. 

Heap of crap in bilges before it was redone and organized

Fitting for one of the old fuel lines.  Almost
completely clogged :(

After!

New plumbing

None of these wires went to anything!

 

Mad Props

Because we re-powered, we needed to find a new propeller that would better match the performance curve of our new Yanmar 4JH4-TE.  After hearing good things about Campbell Sailer props, and how they reduce drag when under sail, as well as prop-walk when under power, we decided to give them a try.  One of our friends at the marina has touted them to have reduced drag on his boat so much that he gets an extra half of a knot to a knot more under sail than when he had a traditional fixed prop.  The price for the Campbell Sailor is comparable to a normal Michigan propeller which made the decision all that much easier. We've heard from a lot of people that when they first get them they always wonder whether or not there was a mistake made and they were sent too small of a prop by accident, and funnily enough, we thought the same.  The difference is humorous, and with it installed, Moitessier looks like a fat man wearing a tiny hat.  Hehehe.  

My pretty Proppy garden

Before we installed it, Frank had to lap it to the shaft.  This process is better explained here. Basically, lapping fine tunes the fit between the shaft taper and the propeller, making a tighter tolerance fit.  After it was lapped, Frank sandblasted it with a sandblaster borrowed from a neighbor on a steel boat (God, I do NOT miss owning a steel boat!) then applied Interlux 2000 primer followed by 3 coats of Pettit Trinidad Hard Bottom Paint on both the prop as well as the shaft.  The thinking behind this is that hard paint holds up a lot better to the wear incurred on the prop.  We had inquired with the yard about their experiences with various methods of reducing prop fouling, and this is what they had suggested.  They say that they get 2-3 years on the large sport fishers doing a lot more motoring than we will.  Again, we'll see how it all works out.  

The fit before lapping.  The light areas are the only
 places of contact between the shaft and prop.

Lapping compound applied

Post lapping.  Smooth prussian blue=good fit :) 

Sandblasted prop

Primed with Interlux 2000 

Pettit Trinidad on and ready to go.

Strut Your Stuff

In the process of cleaning off the strut to be bottom painted during our bottom job, Frank noticed several cracks that ran horizontally across it.  This is the aperture that holds our second cutlass bearing that in turn holds our propeller shaft in place.  As we all know with metal, a noticeable crack usually means severe corrosion, and we didn't want to risk having this fail on us.  After freaking out and thinking about what the heck to do with this, we started to do some research on how to get this piece re-made.  We had considered both braising and TIG welding as a way to repair it, but quickly ruled that out after talking to a few local welders.  This left us with having to get a new piece cast, as the old one was not an off-the-shelf part.  Most of the foundries we looked into had a lead time of 12-14 weeks.  We were a little disgruntled to think that this final and unexpected piece of the puzzle would keep us on the hard for an extra 3 to 4 months.  After calling every place we thought would be an option, we found one over in Washington that promised to custom cast it with a 2 week lead time. The price for this including the tooling and new cutlass bearing, surprisingly, was comparable to getting a new off-the-shelf prop (maybe they didn't realize that it was going on a boat and forgot about the 200% marine grade upcharge).  

Original strut

Cracks :(

Frank wanted to remove the strut without having to pull the shaft.  We were told by people at the yard that this was not possible, and since Frank is super stubborn he wanted to prove that, indeed, it could be done.  After rigging up ratchet straps to pull it off, as well as heat guns to heat up the caulking, he was finally able to get it off with the help of a paint scraper and a hammer.  After removing it from the boat, it was a matter of shipping it over to Morel Industries in Seattle, WA.  The strut weighed a hefty 50 lbs.  We chose Morel Industries not just for its quick turnaround times, but also because of their reputation as a competent foundry (they are responsible for casting the pieces required to make the tight rope that Nik Wallenda recently used to cross the Grand Canyon.)  The foundry used sand casting to replicate the old part we had sent to them.  It took 4 weeks to get the new part (one week each way to ship) complete with a new cutlass bearing pre-installed.  Even though the new part was as close to an exact replica as could be made, subtle differences still occur due to shrinkage during the cooling process.

Ratchet straps to help get it off

Hammering away with a paint scraper

Finally off

The new piece needed to be properly aligned before it could be bolted back on the boat.  This is the fifth job we've hired out as the precision needed to align the piece was not something Frank was comfortable tackling on his own.  John, at the yard, was responsible for doing this work.  He first had to get the shaft to sit straight where it wants to sit without the droop caused by its own weight.  To accomplish this, he took the length protruding from the boat multiplied by the known weight per inch for a 1 1/2" shaft.  He then took this number and divided it in half.  With that, he knew how much force had to be applied to the aft end of the shaft to get it to sit dead straight.  Once that was accomplished, he then had to align the strut to the shaft and the boat.  He first buttered up the strut and the boat with thickened epoxy.  While it was still wet, he screwed 4 screws (one on each corner of the strut) through the strut and up into the hull.  He was able to use these screws, by tightening and loosening them, to align the strut to the shaft, the way you would align an engine.  When it was properly aligned, he let it sit until the epoxy had fully cured.  Once it was all dry, the adjustment screws were removed and the 6 bolt holes were cleared of the excess epoxy.  We used silicone bronze bolts to firmly secure the strut into place for good, as the old bolts were stainless, and stainless steel and bronze do not play well together underwater.

Alignment screws

Installed

Now that this is finally installed, it is just a matter of sandblasting it along with the shaft and propeller before applying 4 coats of Interlux 2000, followed by 3 coats of a hard (non-abletive) bottom paint to keep it all from fouling.