PNW - Skookum 53 Re-Fit

[captain58sailin]

Back in Alaska after my second hitch. I finally got the kinks worked out of the raw water cooling system and can run the gen set now. Starting to dismantle the 471, if the weather holds for a bit, I should have the engine and reduction gear out, then a bit of a swab down and some paint and start back in with the Izusu.

[billr]

I'm on the road for a bit, then back at the boat in La Connor for most of August and Sept. I retired last Fall from my primary employer, but my engineering consulting got really busy. That was supposed to nicely mesh with getting work done on the boat. Good plan, but hasn't worked the way I had hoped, so far.
We will finish up the installation of the G10 access ports and cleaning of the forward port diesel and water tanks. I have put together some cleaning brushes for that. Actually, I need to finish up the description of what we did on that last summer. Lots of good information. By the way, if you find yourself cutting G10 EPOXY GLASS with a hole saw, don't throw out the cuttings. They make really good suspension agents for mixing with other resins.
I expect to do some more work on the Gardner's cooling system; also the fresh water system, and likely the bonding system, and operational bilge pumps would be nice, etc, etc. I'll re-read Gordon's write-up on the Dickensen fuel regulator. I kind of wonder if Brad has the Rose back in operation yet.
Its 107 humid degrees in Tucson, Az. PNW, here I come.
Bill

[captain58sailin]

Welcome back Bill. I am still fighting with the engine swap, mostly trying to get someone reliable to work on it. I am either at, or one hitch away from becoming fully self employed (retired), problem being same as you, I have a feeling I am going to be busier than working a real job. The next week or two will tell the tale. I should have the old engine and reduction gear out by then and prepping the engine compartment for the replacement. I hope things are all good in your neighborhood.

[billr]

Brad, all,
I am at the boat right now. We are installing the access hatches on the port forward diesel tank. There is not a liner on the inside of this tank, but it appears it was built with vinyl-ester resin as Rick (who worked for Skookum Marine for 10 years) said. I've got 4 pages of description on this effort which I will post in a couple of weeks. This tank had diesel sitting unused in it for over 20 years. There were no algae mats, just a lot of busted up algae and other black crud. If one were relying on the Racors to filter that stuff out, you would need a truckload of filter elements. The pick-up pipe is copper, and goes down to about 1-2 inches off the bottom in the diesel tank. I recently removed the diesel in there via the intake hose on the fuel manifold in the engine room. After I cut open the tank, I used a vacuum pump to pull out the remaining fuel on the bottom of the tank There was only about a half gallon remaining on the bottom of that supposedly 175 gallon tank.
In the water tank, the pick-up pipe appears to be bronze, and goes down to about 4 inches off the bottom of that supposedly 300 gallon tank. I pumped the tank down, then cut it open and used the vacuum pump to remove the remaining water, about 4-5 gallons. The water tank has a liner. The top cap seems to have maybe an epoxy paint coating, while the rest of the tank uses gelcoat.
We have had some hot weather here in La Connor and had a thunder storm one night. The boat is right next to a ridge, so I figured I was not likely to get his by lightning. That seemed to work.
Hope everyone else is making progress.
Bill

[captain58sailin]

Hi Bill, well I finally got home, and the weather is not very good, haven't been motivated to work on the boat. Sun is shining today, guess I'll put my big boy panties on and get something done.

[captain58sailin]

Good news, finally got that 471 out of the engine compartment, yesterday. Still hanging from the A frame, will take some photos today, finally moving ahead on the engine swap. This has been the Ben Hur of refits.

[captain58sailin]

Best news of all, got the old 471 and reduction gear out of the boat and got the 6bd1 and reduction gear into the boat. Not a moment too soon. Had gusting 35 knot winds out of the head of the bay which made things interesting for the Harbor Master putting me back to the dock, he did a bang up job, nice and smooth no sweat, Kudos he did a great job! Now we have snow today. Well time to make a transatlantic vessel delivery and once I am back, I'll crank up the gen set, turn up the stereo, and heat, roll up my sleeves and get started cleaning an reorganizing the engine room.

[billr]

Hi Brad,
Sounds like you are making progress. After Labor Day, I got a nerve pinch in my shoulder which has been killing me ever since. I've had them before, but they always went away. Not this one. On the positive side, the pharmaceutical companies have been making a lot of money from me. But, it really put a crimp in my boat work since I have limited use of my right hand. We did finish the work on the water and diesel tanks, with the exception of a few parts I need to fabricate. One baffle in each tank had quite a warp built into it, so installing the flat G10 access plates into those baffles presented some problems. I am back in Tucson trying to use the computer with a very painful arm, and getting tests run at the medical center so that they know what needs to be fixed. I am still working my second job (engineering consulting), and the current contract runs until April. I keep promising myself that I will allocate more time to the boat. Enjoy the engine room when you get back.
Bill

[captain58sailin]

Hi Bill, sorry to hear about your nerve pinch. Got called*out on a vessel delivery from Louisiana to Morocco. So I get to recharge the bank, and take a break from the project. Hope you get to feeling better soon!

[captain58sailin]

Well I got back from Morocco, just wanted to post some photos of the A frame set up and the old engine hanging. The old engine is now on my flatbed trailer. Anybody know of someone who wants a dismantled 471 and a twin disc 506 LH reduction gear?

[captain58sailin]

Sorry I seem to be technologically challenged, I guess, I'll try to post the photos in my albums.

[captain58sailin]

Spring is here, have been working hard on cleaning and removing wires and hoses, started slinging paint a couple of days ago, progress at last!

[billr]

Hi Brad,
I won't be getting to the boat in La Connor until late July. Right now, I am trying to figure how to fit (in my Tucson house) about 1400 lb of boat gear from my old wood yawl that I had in the 70's. The last time the wife and I were on the military base, I had that 35' project boat. The contract ended and I couldn't find a buyer. So, I packed out the fittings and the engine, and they have been stored ever since in Minnesota at my wife's parents farm. But they are into their 90's, so we need to move our stuff. That includes my new 40 year old Yanmar 22hp. Never been run.
Summer before last, Roger Rowland was in the boat yard spending a small fortune on his big steel fishing boat from Dutch Harbor. One night he came over to see the projects we had going on the Skookum. Roger commented that it takes a lot of "stuff" to keep an Alaska boat functional. He said that when he bought one boat, the owner had boxes of "stuff" piled to the ceiling. Of course, on land you always have the option of a blue tarp in the back yard.
I am mostly recovered from the nerve pinch, and the most likely cause was a spider bite. I killed a lot of them at the end of last summer. The first thing I am going to do when I get to the boat is to fumigate everything from the foc'sile to the lazarette.
I am winding up my current engineering contract from last year, and will likely be doing a proposal for another one. But, that shouldn't be interfering with boat work to much. Famous last words.
I'll try to get back in this website more often. I have been having some computer problems, and this site now seems to have a lot of adware problems that causes all kinds of misery.
Sounds like you are hard charging to get the Rose re-powered. Bravo! There is a saying that kind of goes with boat projects, apparently a slandered version of Latin: "Illigitimus Non-carborundum". Loosely interpreted, its "Don't let the bastards grind you down!
Bill

[captain58sailin]

Thanks for the update Bill, those darn spiders, we have been killing the hell out of them at the house mostly Hoboes. I know what you mean about the stuff, I have various piles covered in blue tarps which I don't know what I am going to do with, I think I will have a garage sale where everything goes and if I can't sell it, or give it away, I'll haul it off to the dump. I and my friend have been working on the boat nearly every day. It seems like we are going slow, but then I remember how long it took me to re engineer the fuel system. I am hoping to get underway in a meaningful fashion no later than mid June. This a before and after photo of my aft bulkhead in the engine compartment. We completely replumbed the bilge system, black water system, and the electric bilge pump system. Next we are on to re engineering the hydraulic system. The old 471 had a pto Vickers pump on it and we are going to a 12 gallon electric clutch pump. If you happen to know anyone that is looking for a heavy duty Vickers, or a 471, or a 506 twin disc 3:1 reduction gear, I'm your guy.

[billr]

Brad, your work on the engine room aft bulkhead reminds me of the way the SkookumChuck was set up. On SkookumJohn I've got a 4'x4' access hatch on the aft bulkhead, that connects into the fishhold, and the dry stack heads up just above the access hatch. I miss a lot of good mounting space, but being able to take that hatch off makes the engine room a really nice place to work. How are your bildge pump hoses routed? My hoses from the engine room and the adjacent fish-hold run up to 3/4" thru-hulls on the starboard side. Neither one is very far above the waterline, and there is not an anti-siphon valve on them. I added some high loops in the hoses, but am not particularly happy with the situation. The pumps are Rules, and if I was beam on to serious wave action there is nothing to stop the surge from coming down through those pumps.
Bill