Breaking All the Rules ...

[HappyMdRSailor]

This may be a bit premature as the journey is not yet over...

But...

Given the amount of energy expended in chasing the immediate necessary failures like the proverbial tigers tail....

Would you have delayed your departure for more maintenance preparation???

[homeless]

None of the problems I have had since Sydney were obvious during the sea trials, and only appeared after extended periods at sea in heavy wind, waves, and current. Looking back, I would not have done anything different.

From talking to various delivery captains in different marinas, the issues I have encountered are very minor, and would not cause them to lose any sleep. There are many boats out there that have been hit by lightning, broken fan belts, lost all electronics, lost the mast, seized the engine, bent the rudder shaft, had autopilot failures, or even hit reefs. My issues consist of a broken fuel line, clogged fuel filters, overheating engine, broken oil filter bracket, a few oil leaks and a starter solanoid failure, all of which I was able to overcome.

If you buy a 27 year old boat with a history of poor maintenance, you have a choice ...

You can pull it out of the water, strip it back to bare metal, and replace everything that might fail. This will cost more than a new boat, and take years.

Or ...

You can fix the obvious problems, buy a few tools and spares, then head out and stress the boat to see what fails, and hope you have the tools and skills to get you out of trouble. This is my preference, as I enjoy problem solving, hard work, and learning new skills, and don't mind a bit of risk. When I climbed Everest I calculated that there was a 5% chance of death, which I thought was acceptable to achieve the goal, and this expedition is considerably safer than that, as I have always been kayaking distance from land.

[homeless]

Today was varnishing 6am-11am, sanding 11am - 3pm, varnishing 3pm-6pm, then a very late breakfast. I will do one last varnish session before bed, which will hopefully dry by morning.

I am trying to varnish and sand in different parts of the boat to avoid contamination, but it is unavoidable that some dust will drift, so the first coats are not perfect. The pilothouse is now looking much better, but still needs a few more coats. Some of the veneer around the pilothouse windows is too sun and water damaged to clean up, so I think it is probably best to paint it white which will also brighten the place up.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by homeless

Today was varnishing 6am-11am, sanding 11am - 3pm, varnishing 3pm-6pm, then a very late breakfast.

LOL! Sounds all too familiar!

[KASHMIR]

Homeless, not sure what model Perkins you have, I had a Prima 60 and sunk $5k into it to fix oil leaks, final straw was to remove the donk to replace the rear seal, it all made no difference, after spending the money the mechanic told me the bores are glazed and the blow by was pressurising the crankcase and I had no chance of fixing the leaks, so I replaced the engine with a new Yanmar and it's great.
When I had the Perkins the starter went and I got it going by replacing the solenoid with an anchor winch solenoid as a temporary measure. I then ordered a new starter from Masco in the US, order was placed December 31, 2010, motor arrived Jan 5, 2011. Delivered by USPS IN 6 days!!
I had very little luck with the Perkins, it was a money pit.
The Yanmar is great.


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[homeless]

I believe the engine is a Perkins 4.236. The oil leaks got much worse after a long motor against current and overheating after the radiator cap let go, so I am hoping it is just a case of old gaskets failing under high temperature/pressure, and a minor rebuild and new gaskets should fix the issue. Now waiting on replies from the Perkins distributor and a tractor wrecker.

I had thought that it must be possible to just use a truck solanoid, but had not thought about the anchor winch solanoid that is on the boat, so will try to remember that one. Not sure I could have raised the anchor by hand by myself in a busy anchorage after getting the engine going !

[fjwiley1]

We all would love to see pictures of your hard work and successes.With all your activities you would do well with You Tube also.... You now have a large group following you with great anticipation...

Life is good if you Keepa Smilin......





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[MarcStAug]

As a newbie to this site I am frequently in awe at the knowledge, sense of camaraderie and the chutzpah of members here. I am also sadly often disappointed at the cynicism proffered when someone attempts something outside the "norm".

Kudos to you for having the 'nads to undertake a project of this magnitude and for seeming to have such a brilliant attitude and outlook.

[fjwiley1]

MarcStAug.......don't be disillusioned by this Thread......all are not bad.......many are quite educational, some are actually Fun to participate, then some can just get Bad....but before they get out of control our Moderators will intervene......a Thanks to the Moderators for thai. They do good and are appreciated.......just my 2cents......


Life is good if you Keepa Smilin......




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[KASHMIR]

Homeless, I would still strongly recommend a compression check on the engine because that will tell you heaps.


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[Cadence]

Originally Posted by MarcStAug

As a newbie to this site I am frequently in awe at the knowledge, sense of camaraderie and the chutzpah of members here. I am also sadly often disappointed at the cynicism proffered when someone attempts something outside the "norm".

Kudos to you for having the 'nads to undertake a project of this magnitude and for seeming to have such a brilliant attitude and outlook.

I may be one you thought was a cynic but wished him well. I'm still not convinced he made a good buy. He sounds more than capable. Don't take cynicism as criticism.

[Roy M]

As far as teak plugs go, buy a plug cutter (Wood Plug Cutters) and make your own from a scrap of wood.

[MarcStAug]

Originally Posted by Cadence

..... Don't take cynicism as criticism.

Touche. It often seems people want to rain on someone else's parade more often than pat them on the back and say "Hey, go for it!"

I likely used an incorrect term; I mean if the general accepted definition of cynicism is "... an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest" -- I'd hope instead of self-interest it might just be curiosity and adventure, but then I am pretty much a Pollyanna anyhow.

I'm in awe of the OP frankly. Takes guts to whip out a checkbook and jump in with both hands and both feet.

[homeless]

Actually I value criticism much higher than praise so would thank everyone who took the time to put their opinions, concerns, or criticism in writing. If someone has concerns about something I am doing that helps me check if I have considered all possibilities, and allows me to weigh my own decisions against those of other people who may be more experienced than myself, or more risk averse.

[homeless]

Day 4 of varnishing. Today I finished off the pilothouse furniture, salon furniture, floor inspection hatches, and rear cabin furniture. Tomorrow I will yet again shuffle the cushions, tools, paint tins, and clothes around so I can continue with the V-birth bulkheads, rear cabin walls, and floors. The sanding dust was really impacting the quality of the finish, so I am trying to complete all single coats on clean wood before I continue sanding the damaged floor and wall areas.

All brass cupboard latches, coat hooks, and plaques were dipped in concentrated hydrochloric acid, then washed and buffed to a nice shine. It is scary working with chemicals that fizz and bubble when they touch metal or concrete, but saves a lot of time. I also took a bus ride to the nearest hardware megastore to pick up 100 brass screws to replace the previous ones. The brass screws I pulled out before varnishing used a combination of soft metal, old square profile head, or very poor quality phillips heads, which tended to round off, meaning I had to use pliers to remove a lot of the screws and would have had a lot of difficulty screwing them back in. I am very pleased with the look of the buffed brass, new screws, and varnished walls, so the work is worth it.

The good news is that after about 10 weeks of trying to get the boat out of the water I finally have a confirmed lift for Thursday 11am for a reasonable price in a very nice yard. As with many yards on the East Coast of Australia it is up a relatively shallow tidal river so will be a challenge to get there with a 7 foot draft, even at high tide. I have booked 12 days on hard stand, and plan to do as much of the sanding/grinding/painting myself as possible, but will need a contractor to do the aluminium welding. Hopefully there are no nasty surprises. I test-started the engine again today to be sure ...

I also got a quote from the Perkins distributer in Australia for the crank shaft seal, oil filter bracket, and gaskets I will need, but for the relatively critical replacement of the starter motor unfortunately their parts catalogue does not list a starter motor for my engine so .... computer says NO. Since my engine does in fact have a starter motor I asked the distributor to contact Perkins in the UK to confirm ...

I finished off the day polishing brass and stainless steel fittings on the boat with a power drill and wire brush to increase the bling. Unfortunately the rapidly spinning brush did slip a few times while performing power tool yoga, so I also polished my left leg, which was relatively painless but did release a bit of the red stuff. I also managed to get a sunburned back, so I obviously spent more time in the cockpit polishing metal than I had thought.