Breaking All the Rules ...

[homeless]

I started the day thinking I was going to do a final sand and paint with primer on the pilothouse and cockpit, then test out the top coat on the hatches and dorado vent boxes. Went to the supply store and they were out of primer in 1 litre tins, but expected more to arrive today, so suggested I come back later in the day when I was ready to paint. I kept an eye on the clouds and finished sanding/washing/masking, but after 3 more trips to the supply store the paint still had not arrived so I gave up and moved onto other projects.

I did buy 20 litres of Hempel antifouling paint so will have it ready to apply after the mast is back on the boat and the boom and sails are out from under the hull. Cost was a bit over $700 (more than my previous estimate, which may have been per 10 litre tin) but still better than the cheapest quote I had from contractors at $1500.

The canvas guy finished my new lazy bag so I put it back on the boom along with the main sail. The rigging guy came over with the new cut headliner pieces for the mast surround (to replace the water damaged ones that disintegrated when the mast was removed).

The bow pulpit has been annoying me, as it bolts into the scuppers and half the stainless steel bolts had let go of the aluminium plate. This is a problem because there is the potential for the pulpit to fall off in big waves or when someone leans on it, and also because the bolt holes allow water from the scuppers to drain inside the boat damaging wood and corroding screws. I had not previously been able to remove the final bolts, but decided to have a go today with the new impact driver, and managed to free them all and temporarily seal the bolt holes. I will need to get larger diameter bolts, then drill and tap the plate to securely mount the pulpit again.

Fore of the mast the bilge is the aluminium plate of the hull, but aft of the mast there was 2-3 inches of a black composite material that had been poured in over the top of expanding foam and blown in foam and aluminium plate and set. I guess this used to make a nice waterproof channel but it has now cracked and this allows water to seep through the cracks and sit between this material and the bilge plates. I was worried about this being a source of corrosion, so planned to remove all of the material and inspect. When time permits I have been working with hammers, axes, wrecking bars, and a jigsaw to slowly break the composite into smaller pieces that I can remove from the bilges, and today I levered up a large piece, and water started leaking through the bilge walls. It turns out the corrosion in the bottom of the bilge has been severe, and there are holes through into the port water tank and through the bottom of the bilge down into the foam. I still need to finish the cleanup to see how deep the damage goes, and whether there is any corrosion down in the hull or in a keel cavity, but expect I will at least need to get the welder back to replace the plate at the bottom of the bilge and do some repairs to the port and probably starboard water tanks. This won't be a fun welding job, as it is down in tight spaces, so I hope I don't need to start lifting teak floor boards. The good news is that I removed the port water tank inspection plate, and there is no corrosion on the inside which is a relief after the corrosion issues with the starboard fuel tank. Tomorrow I will remove the inspection hatch on the starboard water tank.

[homeless]

Got a reply from Airmar on which depth transducer will work with my Navman sonar so I ordered it from a distributor in the US. One problem possibly solved.

I dug deeper into the bilges today. There is a lot of corrosion at the base of the water tanks, from outside the tank, but I think it can be welded without the need to do any more damage or a significant rebuild. Unfortunately my welder is away on a month long contract, so I will need to find another. While working in a flooded bilge last night I had thought that I had broken through the aluminium plate at the bottom of the bilge, but after bailing out the water in daylight it turns out I had just broken through yet another layer of foam. After removing 6 inches of composite/filler/foam layers I still have not reached the aluminium plate, which was unexpected. After the holes in the water tanks are welded I will need to dry out the remaining foam, grind back the aluminium plate, then replace the foam and epoxy filler to fair out the bilge again so it drains. I did try to buy a fan heater at the hardware store today, but was told they only stock them in winter, so I asked for a normal fan, and was told they buy them at the start of summer and then let them sell out

The epoxy primer I wanted finally came into the supply store, but the frequency of the rain showers has increased so it looks like I may need to wait a while before I can paint outside. Still plenty of work to do on rainy days inside.

[downunder]

You have a cyclone approaching. Expect up to 70mph winds and 250 to 500 mm of rain in the next couple of days.

Bunnings warehouse and the cheaper stores like K mart and Target have around 15 inch 240V cheap chinese household fans at around $12.00. Would expect them to have plenty of stock.

[homeless]

Originally Posted by downunder

You have a cyclone approaching. Expect up to 70mph winds and 250 to 500 mm of rain in the next couple of days.

Bunnings warehouse and the cheaper stores like K mart and Target have around 15 inch 240V cheap chinese household fans at around $12.00. Would expect them to have plenty of stock.

I did try Bunnings, but they only had cheap desk fans, or expensive industrial fans, but no heaters. Will look at other options next time I am out. I expect heavy rain the next few days, but don't think the winds down here will get up to 70mph, though I will add some weight to the loose sails on deck.

[downunder]

Masters. I know bunnings have plenty hear in Mackay. Yes I mentioned 70 as a precaution. If it crosses coast a gladstone Bundy it will die and you will just have rain but if it runs down coast you could still get some wind.

Once it passes us in Mackay we will have little wind and fine weather. Looks now as if it is sucking the moisture with it.

All the best.

[homeless]

Raining today so I finally got time to put the new fuel line back on the engine. I bled the injectors, but still not able to start it which is disappointing after all the work. Will try for another day and then will need to try to get a mechanic to have a look. Problem must be with timing, injectors, or compression. On the bright side there are no obvious leaks from the new fuel or oil lines. I did find one water leak due to hose clamp not closed.

My new rope arrived at the riggers so I spent the rest of the day measuring, cutting, whipping, and running the new halyards into the mast.

[JPA Cate]

It's a long way from Gladstone to the Gold Coast, but it's easier to lash sails on deck now than after the breezes come.

Hope you don't get hit too bad.

Ann

[homeless]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

It's a long way from Gladstone to the Gold Coast, but it's easier to lash sails on deck now than after the breezes come.

Hope you don't get hit too bad.

Ann

I just came back in from another trip around the deck in the rain. Packed the bimini away and put the cover on it. Took off the dodger, moved the fenders into the cockpit, lay the kayak down, and put more weight on the sails. I doubt the wind will get too strong here, but I will sleep better. I had considered heading further north to a yard in Harvey Bay or Bundaberg for maintenance, so am glad I stopped in Coomera.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by homeless

I just came back in from another trip around the deck in the rain. Packed the bimini away and put the cover on it. Took off the dodger, moved the fenders into the cockpit, lay the kayak down, and put more weight on the sails. I doubt the wind will get too strong here, but I will sleep better. I had considered heading further north to a yard in Harvey Bay or Bundaberg for maintenance, so am glad I stopped in Coomera.

Yes, the wx systems sometimes just follow the coast, but sometimes head off to the SE. Let's hope for the latter. Wishing you well, both of us.

Ann

[downunder]

Should not be too bad near Brisbane as it looks like it will cross between Mackay and Rocky. What is concerning if you look at track today it was heading west. If it crosses at St Lawrence its relatively unpopulated.

Won't sleep here in Mackay as we are only 80nm from Creal reef weather station where its been from around 5pm.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by downunder

Should not be too bad near Brisbane as it looks like it will cross between Mackay and Rocky. What is concerning if you look at track today it was heading west. If it crosses at St Lawrence its relatively unpopulated.

Won't sleep here in Mackay as we are only 80nm from Creal reef weather station where its been from around 5pm.

Best of luck to all you folks in that part of the world.

[homeless]

It was a good day in spite of the rain.

I finally got time to put the inspection hatch back on the starboard fuel tank after the welding. It was a messy job hanging upside down in a cupboard and doing up 16 nuts and bolts in impossibly small spaces with hands and tools smeared with black sticky sealant trying to finish before it sets.

Spent a few hours at the riggers making up new lazy jacks and downhaul sheet.

In the afternoon I got more time to look at the engine. After excluding issues with starter motor, fuel, air, and compression I came to the conclusion the problem must be timing, so I pulled the crank shaft pulley and front of the engine off, and sure enough the fuel injection pump timing cog was a few teeth off. I definitely set it correctly when I put the cog back in, but I guess I rotated it a bit when I reinstalled the fuel pump and I didn't notice. I got lucky with the gasket and was able to reuse it when I put the front of the engine back on, and sure enough the engine started on the first turn of the key, which is a huge relief. I found some minor water and oil hose leaks that were easily resolved, so all is looking good after the rebuild, but I can't be sure until I run it hard for a few hours to see if the crank shaft oil leak and water weep from the head gasket are fixed.

[Dulcesuenos]

Awesome stuff Homeless, not sure of it was said.but many of the slightly older transducers are interchangeable. There is a video or page out tjere explaining what wires to use. I've done it a few times with perfect results. Navman units were pretty basic back in the day

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[homeless]

Yes, many of the depth sensors are compatible, and the main difference is the plug connector.

In theory Navico still support Navman but when I called them they refused to give me any information about my old sensor and told me to look on Ebay. I got similar useless responses from Navico when I needed a new heading sensor for the old Simrad autopilot, so in future will do my best to avoid buying anything from them.

It seems that most of the depth sensors used by the different sonar vendors are actually manufactured by Airmar, so when Navico refused to help I contacted Airmar and they gave me the part number for a sensor with a Navman plug and an online supplier in the US who ships worldwide.

[homeless]

Another rainy day for indoor projects. Before I pulled the boat out of the water the toilet had been annoying me, leaking water from the macerator pump and from the Y valve in the sump to leave smelly pools of water. Today I pulled apart the sewage hoses, cleaned out the sump, removed more blown in foam, then put it all back together with a new Y valve. I then pulled apart the Jabsco toilet and replaced the gasket, seals, and impellor.

I ended the day washing the engine room walls with methylated spirits to remove oil residue, finger prints etc, then painted the doors. It will need a second coat of paint, but looks a lot better already.