Finally got that Project Boat I've... always dreamed about?

[wsmac]

I'm a new owner here... posted some the last few months... and I suppose I'll be spending as much time reading here, in books, watching videos, and talking with more experienced folks, as I will working on the boat!
Wait! Actually... I may just spend LESS time working on the boat than filling my head to MAX capacity from all those resources!
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I have owned my 1985 Hunter 28.5 for 9 DAYS! AND I'M STILL EXCITED ABOUT IT! (...uh... when exactly does that start to wear off? )
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I'm working on the electrical first.
The PO installed 2 new batteries a couple weeks before I bought it... his wiring job had me laughing... cursing... shaking my head... and squashed down into my locker for an hour or so.
The batteries discharged enough that he couldn't start the outboard from them when we moved the boat from the old slip to mine.
Also... I'm sure it's just coinkidink, all DC has stopped working since he put in the batteries. I actually got to see the cabin lights work, the bilge pump.. pump, once! Luckily so far... the bilge only gains a few tablespoons of water after heavy, all-night rains.
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He said he hadn't used or pumped the head in a while... but being the mechanically apt lab rat that I am... 'shiff' don't scare me! Literally!
I flipped valves, pumped the pump handle, listened to gurgling, watched water slightly move way down the bowl, then when I climbed down into the locker and tried to manually pump... I found the unit was shot (see pic).
Oh... and I can't find a handle for the Y-valve.
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There is no inboard motor... the Yanmar was removed over a year ago and the PO purchased a Thunderstruck 10kW electric motor conversion kit... all the parts!
I'll get to install that myself... which I'm actually looking forward to

But that means that my water heater is, "just another brick in the hull"... right? I mean... I need a heat exchanger off the old motor to make it work... well... plus the old motor?
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The outboard controls were plumbed through the transom with nice clean holes! Guess there was no need to seal those holes around the cables to keep water out? Afterall... it's a sailboat and sailboats get wet right?
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The PO apparently LOVES excess wire/cable/stringy stuff of any composition.... I sorta felt like one of those cats on Mission Impossible bending and twisting and contorting my body around laser beams to get to the prize!
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First... rewire the DC system. The AC checks out so far... but if I see anything amiss along the way.. THAT will become a priority!
Along with this will be replacing the old bilge pump and float switch with associated wiring job of the PO... definitely seeing a pattern here with his electrical skills!
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My second order of business is to at least shut down those 2 holes at the transom.
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When the rain stops for a couple or three days... I plan on pulling the forward hatch and the itty bitty hatch over the saloon in order to rebed them.
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I'll also be pulling the interior fabric covering the walls... mold issues... looking for my mask now...
Hoping to save them so I can pattern off them. Might just get a cleaning machine and give them a run over first before pulling them... hopefully to cut down on releasing the mold into the air.
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I need to replace the v-berth and quarter-berth cushions and covers (I have a machine I can easily sew new covers with... done plenty of heavy duty sewing and upholstery before).
The salon cushions actually look and smell okay so far.
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I want to open up my fresh water tank and see what attention it needs inside if any, then seal it back up... go through all the fresh water lines, pump, filter, to have water as clean as a mountain spring!... umm... without the giardia, that is!
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I will pull the toilet... has a nice two-tone scheme... from the 80's I think.. but I'd rather remove the brown down there!
Check the joker valve and all. Check all hoses, valves, pump, and holding tank.
Eventually I want to convert over to a composting toilet. I have a little bit of experience with those on land. I like them!
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Remove the fuel tank and left-overs from when the diesel motor was in place.
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Remover the water heater.
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Rewire the compass out on the pedestal and follow up on that wire that exits right alongside the steering cables! (see pic)
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Repair one stanchion where a little support leg detached from the base. I have a friend who can weld stainless steel (as in large holding tanks and such)... I think he can handle this job since it's out of my experience in welding.
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There is a soft spot at one corner of my cabin sole. I'll be pulling that up, bringing it home, inspecting the damage and hopefully be able to clean out any bad spots while reinforcing that area in a manner that will provide safe and secure footing.
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Rewire all nav lighting so I know from the start what I have and how it works.
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Reinstall the old(currently at the shop getting it's checkup) or probably a newer VHF radio (for this first year I'll only be scootin' around Humboldt Bay so I could get by with my handheld even).
Also reinstall the CD/Radio with a new port for an mp3 player attachment port.
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Not a whole lot to do actually! I mean... building a boat from SCRATCH would be a HECK of a lot more work!
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Made a little pic album...

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...lbums4898.html
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[Stu Jackson]

Congratulations. It never wears off.

You might be interested in this:

Electrical Systems 101 Electrical Systems 101

Good luck.

[Suijin]

First of all, congrats!

Originally Posted by wsmac

Not a whole lot to do actually! I mean... building a boat from SCRATCH would be a HECK of a lot more work! :redface
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That's not actually true, depending on the boat.

Sometimes working on an old boat is like pulling on a loose stand of wool in a sweater... you fix one thing, but while doing so discover five other things that need attention...

Does the water heater work off of shore power as well? If so you might want to leave it, at least until you no longer need hot water to clean up the boat.

BTW, definitely give that shore power inlet a good going over, taking it apart and looking at the contacts. More boat fires start from bad corroded inlets than from anything else.

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by Suijin

First of all, congrats!



That's not actually true, depending on the boat.

Sometimes working on an old boat is like pulling on a loose stand of wool in a sweater... you fix one thing, but while doing so discover five other things that need attention...

Yeah you got me on that one!

Does the water heater work off of shore power as well? If so you might want to leave it, at least until you no longer need hot water to clean up the boat.

Not sure about the water heater yet. I am starting with the idea of insuring my AC and DC systems are all in good shape, so I will be addressing the H2O heater issue soon.

BTW, definitely give that shore power inlet a good going over, taking it apart and looking at the contacts. More boat fires start from bad corroded inlets than from anything else.

For sure!
Last night I disconnected the batteries and brought home my battery switch and cables. The switch checks out good. I'm going to Englund's Marine tomorrow and see about some nice seaworthy battery cables!
My goal is to have appropriate marine-grade wiring, connections, power and charging regulation, and safety features a boat like this should have.
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I should have brought back both batteries also, but it was getting late and I had plenty to carry all the way back up to my truck as it was. I'll get the batteries home and see about rescuing them if I can. The PO only bought them last month at Costco, then set them up for failure.
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Without inspecting every inch of the AC wiring, I have gone through every connection I could find, the panel, and checked my shorepower cord.
I'll still go back over the AC system, but it's been in continuous use for over a year now at the dock with no issues. I haven't found any odd additions either.
But there are poor connections/splices made in both systems... meaning... not corrosion protected, more house-type stuff here-and-there.
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I will make sure everything is shut down before I pull the Shorepower Inlet and make sure that's clean.
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I'll pull all the GPS and VHF cable/wiring, eventually reinstalling those components in an approved manner and a more tidy run.
I really can't stand wires and cables dangling all over, or rolls and rolls of the stuff just waded up or tied off somewhere.
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I'm also going to get me a label-maker and some clear shrinkwrap so I can mark my wires as well... where needed.
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I've asked around a little about a local Marine Electrician... none to be found, which I find odd...
But then... I suppose being a commercial fisherman (of which we have a few around here) provides you with the.. uh.. 'knowledge' sufficient to do your own electrical huh?
And private boat owners follow suit?
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Lots of plans, lots of fun!

[wsmac]

I'm not really interested in flipping a bunch of switches and leaving them on, or sailing with dangling wires with poor connections swinging about...
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I'd rather see what kind of noodles this spaghetti is made up of before I enjoy the dish! (damn I'm clever! Just made that up! LOL)

[bglad]

Old boats should be treated like an onion. You always peel them back to the good stuff before you move forward with the recipe:-)

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by bglad

Old boats should be treated like an onion. You always peel them back to the good stuff before you move forward with the recipe:-)

Me thinks you forgot the part about crying the whole way through?

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by wsmac

Me thinks you forgot the part about crying the whole way through?

Just stick a toothpick in your mouth....

[canyonbat]

You might want to think long and hard about that electric motor kit. We have had three boats show up here in the past year or so with electric motors. All three had to be towed at some point in time because they couldn't get back into the marina.

[fatherchronica]

Welcome to Humboldt. I am new here and purchased an old boat at the Woodley Island Marina a month ago. I am going to put it on a trailer and bring it home for my rehab work though. I met a woman a couple of days ago who recommended the yacht club at the other government owned marina and that might be a place to find an electrician or anyone else you may require advice or assistance from. Good luck, and like the Pardeys say, " just do it as long as it is fun ", then you should sail it because all work and no play dulled Jack up pretty good.

[NV US]

...well, if you were a cat I'd say you got the cream... and you're just lovin' it..
... I'd say if you look really really hard you'll find a few more delights...
...hope the po dose'nt recognise his handiwork.... will we get before & after pics when you've got through with everything ? ... we'll be waiting....

[a64pilot]

Electric motor will be fine, just be sure you have a good long shaft outboard too

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by canyonbat

You might want to think long and hard about that electric motor kit. We have had three boats show up here in the past year or so with electric motors. All three had to be towed at some point in time because they couldn't get back into the marina.

I definitely would be interested in their stories. My plan is to have backup motorized propulsion until I feel more confident in the electric.
Wonder if any of those people have blogs they put their stories on?

[moseriw]

looks like you payed 300 $ for the batteries and dipped another 1000 to the PO.

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by fatherchronica

Welcome to Humboldt. I am new here and purchased an old boat at the Woodley Island Marina a month ago. I am going to put it on a trailer and bring it home for my rehab work though. I met a woman a couple of days ago who recommended the yacht club at the other government owned marina and that might be a place to find an electrician or anyone else you may require advice or assistance from. Good luck, and like the Pardeys say, " just do it as long as it is fun ", then you should sail it because all work and no play dulled Jack up pretty good.

Cape Dory 25 perhaps? If so, I looked at, and almost bought that one!
I decided I wanted a larger boat though, especially if I want to give liveaboard a chance.

I'm at the end of I Dock... Osprey. Been there quite often lately, but still not everyday or night. Hopefully soon I'll be spending nights onboard from time-to-time. Maybe we'll meet?
I plan on joining the Yacht Club also... went to the last Potluck. I know a couple folks who are members there and already have some offers for sailing with folks.