Boat survey finding – Navtec turnbuckle screw

The Caliber 40LRC has convertible cutter rig.  This means that the inner forestay can be rigged aside when not in use.  The Navtec inner forestay has an adjustable screw (Navtec 1/2" Standard Screw 8.39")    that needs to be replaced, according to the boat surveyor, every six years.  Our inner forestay screw was ten years old so we decided to satisfy the survey finding by replacing it.  We found the exact match to the adjustable screw through RiggingandHardware.com.  They are great to work with.

Since the inner forestay is removable, this was an easy replacement.  We added a small amount of Lanacote to the screw when replacing.  Total replacement time was one hour.

 

 

Lazarette Latch

The lockers (lazarettes) in our cockpit have horrible latches that "bite" you every time you walk by them because of the way they protrude, especially when they are left open. After our trip North last summer, we decided to research flush mount latches so we could walk by them safely. Geralyn found lockable latches made by Southco. We mounted one of them over the weekend and it worked great. The latching mechanism needs a little tweaking to work in a lazarette versus a regular door, still, they are much safer than the original boat latches.

Ankle Biter

Calf Bruiser

Friendly Latch

 

Happy Holidays!!

We added some 12v lights to the cockpit.  It makes things a little brighter.  Happy Holidays!

Fixing a Jabsco Water Pump

Our Jabsco PAR-MAX water pump started going off intermittently for about a second, every hour or so. We looked high and low for a slow leak in the water system, but we didn't find any leaks. I wrote Jabsco with the symptoms, and they wrote right back telling me the cause. Apparently the check valves inside the pump failed. They sell a kit to fix it (18911-7030 ) for $25.00. I bought the kit and fixed the pump. A new pump would have been $150.00.

Anchor Securing Turnbuckle

During our trip up north, the anchor came loose while Geralyn was steering into the big waves. Just kidding about Geralyn steering into the big waves. The anchor did come loose though, when we dipped the nose in the water. Luckily we had secured the anchor with some rope, so it didn't go very far. Since then, we have been thinking about a way to secure the anchor. A friend of ours suggested a turnbuckle, so I went to ACE Hardware and bought a $4.50 steel turnbuckle for a proof of concept fitting. The steel turnbuckle would probably rust right before our eyes out on the ocean, so I found a permanent stainless steel turnbuckle online ($17.00). The website had a minimum order of two, but that's ok. I wouldn't be surprised if we donate one to the ocean someday. We'll have a backup.

Proof of Concept Model

Final turnbuckle

 

Changing Coolant on a Yanmar 4JH3E Diesel Engine

We've had our boat for two years now, and we have put 500 hours on the engine. It's actually overdue, but the time came to replace the coolant. The coolant on the Yanmar 4JH3E should be replaced every year, or 250 hours. Our engine had the Yanmar brand coolant (YG30R), but we couldn't get a hold of any without paying shipping charges, so we researched an alternative. Initially, we found a suitable replacement with Havoline Extended Life Coolant, and this is what we put in the engine. After further research though, we think next time we will use either Texaco or Shell "ELC" coolant because both brands have added nitrite and molybdenum for protection against pitting and erosion. The engine has three drain cocks: 1. On the cylinder block, on the port side aft. 2. Underneath the fresh water pump. 3. The exhaust manifold. I saved a plastic water bottle to be able to drain the old coolant in tight spaces. After draining coolant from all the drain cocks, I filled the engine with distilled water and ran it until it reached operating temperature. You do this so the thermostat opens up and the cooling pump moves coolant through the heat exchanger, therefore cooling the coolant with sea water (exchanging heat). This gets the coolant inside the heat exchanger moving so you can drain it with the distilled water. If you were going from green coolant (Ethylene Glycol ) to the pink/red/orange stuff (Dexcool), you may want to flush with distilled water a few times, since the two types of coolant are incompatible. When mixed together they form a gel-like substance that stops coolant flow and consequently the engine overheats. Since I switched from Yanmar Dexcool to Havoline Dexcool, I only flushed with distilled water once. Many boat engines have a portion of the coolant circuit diverted to a water heater. When draining, you can ensure the coolant in the water heater circuit is drained by disconnecting from the pump and blowing the coolant into the engine. You need to be careful because coolant is poisonous. After draining the distilled water with the leftover coolant, fill the engine with coolant. Make sure the coolant is either pre-mixed (ready to go in) or concentrated (mix yourself). The Havoline was concentrated, so I mixed with 50% distilled water and 50% coolant. After filling with coolant through the pressure cap, run the engine with the cap off until the thermostat opens. When this happens, the coolant level will drop. Fill to the top again and close the cap. Never open the cap on a hot engine.

During the project I replaced a portion of the coolant hose because the rubber was cracking a little.



Yikes!

We never saw this on the barograph before and wouldn’t mind if we didn’t see it again.

August Cruise Analysis

I spent some time going over our tracks from our August trip, so I could see our average speed. We did all our projections based on 5 knots, and we always seemed to arrive early. The spreadsheet shows our average speed is actually lower. Also, our slowest leg was from Garrison Bay to Port Angeles. At the time it seemed like we made really good time on that leg. I'm a little surprised by this data.

Replacing Bulbs with LEDs

We have been replacing our old light bulbs with LEDs. Not only do they use less energy, but they are brighter, especially the red ones (for night time). Our overhead light fixtures take the bayonet style base, so we found these LEDs that fit the existing fixtures. The LEDs use 0.1 Amp. The Halogen uses 1.5 Amp. The picture really doesn't capture how much brighter the red light is.

Before

After

Lighthouse 1501 Series Motor Maintenance

Motor Maintenance

You will need:

Set of hex allen wrenches, 1/8, 1/4, 3/16"

7/16" 3/8" drive socket tool

Flat blade fine tip screw driver and flat standard screw driver

Razor blade

A medium heat source (heat gun)

Tube of GE clear silicone

Two 6203 RS sealed bearings

Scotch Brite pad for cleaning

Mild solvent or ISO alcohol for cleaning

Rubber mallet

One 2" PVC pipe coupling or piece of 2-2 1/2" non-magnetic tubing 3 - 4" in length

Four straightened paper clips or .06 diameter straight stiff wire 2" long

Permatex

Small bearing puller

3/4" small plastic pipe

Split the project into two days to allow time for silicone to cure.

Shut off power to windlass.  Remove the two 3/16" socket head cap screws on the top of the black adapter housing.  Using a heat source, raise the temperature of the adapter housing until the silicone bond is broken and the adapter housing can be removed.  Clean the old silicone from all surfaces, adapter housing, as well as top of motor - this takes some time and is messy.

Motor is now free to slide off of the stainless steel downtube.  The drive shaft components should all be lubricated when reassembled with an anti seizing lubricant.  We used Permatex. Remove the large power conductors from posts at bottom of motor.

At the other end of the motor is the urethane motor terminal cover.  Mark with a pen the location of the lower motor plate to the outer motor housing for reasembly purposes. It is wise to note the circular orientation of the motor boot to the motor so that the large electrical conductors realign themselves when you reinstall the motor.  Remove the large clamp that goes around the cover and slide the motor terminal cover off.  Clean any silicone sealant from the motor terminal cover.

There are two 7/16" head bolts which go through the length of the motor and clamp the motor together by screwing into the threaded motor end cap, remove these (turning counter clockwise) screws and withdraw them from the motor.

The motor end caps are now ready to separate from the middle field case. By striking the motor shaft with a soft mallet and holding onto the center motor case the brush holder end plate will be disloged and the upper motor end plate can be removed from the top of the motor.

With the top removed you can view the armature, at this point the brush holder end cap is still secured to the other end and held in place by the spring pressure of the brushes to the commutator.  Do not remove the brush holder mechanism yet.

Place the PVC pipe coupler against the exposed armature and over the shaft end of the motor and place your other hand on the brush plate end, so as to hold the parts in column.  The case will be held to the armature by the magetic field.  While holding the parts together in column, turn them vertically with the non-magnetic tubing placed on a flat substantial surface.  Using both hands grab the field case and slide down over the non-magnetic tube.  The armature can now be separated from the magnetic field with the brush holder still attached.

You will see four holes visible externally from the end of the brush holder end cap.  Remove the the silicone which is now filling these holes as they are the means of maintaining tension on the brush springs during reassembly.  Take note of the brush spring and it's orientation.

Using the four straightened paper clips or wire, insert them into the holes.  Retract the brushes all the way back in their brush retainers and push the wire through to engage the holes in the brush holder, thereby retaining the brushes under tension.  The end cap can now be removed.  Note: if the bearing stays mated to the armature, it can be removed using a small puller.  We had to grind the puller down in order for it to fit.  Make certain you do not loose the wave spring under the bearing.

Clean the armature using a mild solvent.  It is preferred to use new 6203 ZZ style bearings when reassembling the motor to insure trouble free operation.  We couldn't find the parts easily online and discussed needing parts for the maintenance with Hal (also a 1501 owner) at Mariner Supply (Go2Marine) and they created a kit for the Lighthouse windlass maintenance.  You can order the parts here:  http://www.go2marine.com/search.do?q=lighthouse.  The shaft that the bearing fits to is .6693" so a piece of 3/4" plastic pipe can be used to relocate the bearings on the armature. 

With the four straigtened wires holding the retracted brushes against the springs, blow or remove any dust from the brush holder mechanism.  If corrosion is experienced in the brush holder mechanism (we did not have that), remove the wires and remove brush springs and emerse in white vinegar until gone.  Then, rinse, dry and reassemble brush holder plate.  Install brush holder mechanism on armature, making certain that wave spring is placed in bearing receptacle before bearing is inserted.  Once brushes plate mechanism is installed on armature you can remove the wires.  However, you can wait until final assemly to remove clips.  Apply a small amount of electrical grease to the sides of the brushes.

Apply a bead of silicone to the mating surface of the brush holder/case junction.  Seal the holes in the brush holder end, which you used for the paper clips/wire, with silicone.

Clean the magnet case of dust and inspect magnets for any cracking or looseness.

The reassembly is just the previous procedure reversed taking care to use silicone between mating surfaces, such as between the adapter housing and top of motor.  Make sure and leave plenty of time for the silcone to dry before installing or it's a real mess.

Now align the timing marks and secure the two long motor connecting screws by only a thread or two.  With the motor brush plate still not tight, apply a bead of silicone sealant around the motor shell to end plate joint - this can get messy depending on how much access you have to the motor.  Now proceed by tightening the two screws, frequently turning the armature to make certain no binding can occur.

Install the urethane boot to its marked orientation using silicone sealant and tighten the sealing clamp - messy!

The motor is reinstalled.

We still have to complete the rest of the maintenance, but will wait for drier weather.

Some of the items you will need for the project

Motor Installed

 



Remove the cables from the base

Remove clamp











Wires in the holes



Martin Slough, WA to Portland, OR

Sunday 8/18/2012 - Martin Slough, WA to Portland, OR

We left early on Sunday morning trying to avoid yet another low tide.  We arrived at our dock in the marina around 1300.  It was the end of our adventure but just the beginning of our dream. 

There were boat crashes, shouting and swearing, and rough weather, but we also found - new friends and appreciation for the ones we have; renewed faith in Bliss, the engine and auto pilot; respect for the ocean and nature; inner strength and confidence; and a greater connection between the two of us.  We can't wait for the next adventure!

 

 

Martin Slough, WA

Saturday 8/17/2012 - Martin Slough, WA

We thought about heading back to the marina on Saturday, but the weather was lovely and we didn't want to end our vacation.  We decided to stay another night.  We all rode  our dinghies to Sand Island and had a nice hike on the island.  Later that day we all had happy hour on Bliss.

Martin Slough, WA

Friday 8/16/2012 - Martin Slough, WA

We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day.  We took the dinghy out for a spin.  The new motor was finally broken in and we could increase our speed.  In the afternoon, we took a nap and woke to the sounds of a dinghy motor and a knock on the hull.  Our friends had arrived for the weekend.  We enjoyed a nice dinner on their boat along with another couple that they knew.

Astoria, OR to Martin Slough, WA

Thursday 8/15/2012 - Astoria, OR to Martin Slough, WA

 

We hustled in the morning, pre-dawn, to get Bliss out of the marina before the water levels would trap us in there until later in the day.  The sunrise was beautiful.  We noticed activity on the tankers that were anchored on the river at Astoria as we passed by.  All of them cruised by us going up river later in the day.  It was a long motor up the Columbia.  The weather was beautiful.  It was ideal for airing out the boat and cleaning.  The worst part of the day was the constant barrage of biting horse flies.  We have to thank Bill and Yvonne for the fly swatters, (along with all of their advice) they came in handy more than once on the trip.  We decided to stay at Martin Slough before going home and stopped at Rainier on the way there to inflate the dinghy and pick up a few things at the store.  We arrived in Martin Slough in the late afternoon. There was only one other boat there when we set the anchor and they left shortly after we arrived.  As the sun set we had the slough to ourselves - it was so peaceful.  What a nice way to wind down from our trip.  The skies were clear and the air warm - perfect for stargazing.

 

Sailing Off The Oregon Coast

We are sailing South, heading home to Portland.

 

Sailing Off The Oregon Coast

We are so happy we have an autopilot!

Neah Bay, WA to Astoria, OR

Wednesday 8/14/2012 - Neah Bay, WA to Astoria, OR

The next morning, we found that we had made good progress, and we were on schedule to make the Columbia River Bar at slack or before. There was another slack right before sunset, but we wanted to make the slack around 1300 if we could. The seas about ten miles outside the bar were quite bouncy, but the closer we got to the bar, the seas became more settled. When we crossed the bar a little before slack, the conditions were mild and the sun started to shine. We saw four Coast Guard rescue ships at the North jetty and wondered why there were so many with such benign conditions. Once closer inside the bar, we knew why. There were, what it seemed like, hundreds of fishing boats. It was the first day of Fall Chinook Salmon fishing season! We were tempted to stop and fish, but decided to press on and tie up to the transient dock at Astoria. Once tied up, we decided to postpone cleaning the boat and go have a cold beer.  It was hot and we were pooped.  We cleaned up a little and walked to a nearby bistro for a cold beer and something to eat. Afterwards, we returned to the boat and washed the boat and jacklines and rinsed the sails.  We had a nice chat with a fisherman - the tuna run off the coast was apparently incredible.  We checked the weather conditions for our trip up the Columbia the next day.  The weather would be good, but the tide in the morning would be at a minus tide (again!), which would create a water level lower than our keel.  We decided to leave before the low tide at 0500.

 

 

Entrance to Columbia River Bar

 

Neah Bay, WA to Astoria, OR

Tuesday 8/14/2012 - Neah Bay, WA to Astoria, OR

The next morning, the winds were blowing hard from the south, which made our exit from Neah Bay a bit uncomfortable - especially with the swell and current in opposing directions.  The forecast down the coast was going to change from south winds, to 10-15 knot winds from the west in the late morning to 20-25 knot north winds late in the evening.  One concern was the swell, which was forecasted to increase from 5-8 feet from the W/NW.  We had a bumpy ride out of Neah Bay, but once about ten nautical miles out, the wind switched from the west and the ride was much smoother.   We put up the sails and sailed all day on a beam reach.  It was sunny with good wind.  Sweet!!  It was the best sailing experience we had the entire trip.  We had to thoroughly rinse all of our dock lines that day - they reaked of dead fish and bird poo from the overnight in Neah Bay.  In the early evening the conditions started to change - increased wave swells and strong winds from the North.  We dropped the main and reefed the jib.  Lesson learned, we should have reefed the main and rolled up the jib.  With a reefed jib, there was quite a bit of rolling motion.  We stayed with the reefed jib until the winds became so shifty that the constant deflating and slam of inflating changed our minds.  We fired up the engine at 0130 and furled in the jib.  We motored for the rest of the night, and put up with the rolling motion from the northwest swell.  Even with the winds there was a dense fog and mist.  We kept a close eye on the radar - there was plenty of shipping and fishing traffic to keep us awake and on task.  Neither of us had much rest when we were off watch - the conditions were too uncomfortable.  The phosphorescence behind the boat is magical.

 

Port Angeles, WA to Neah Bay, WA

Monday 8/13/2012 - Port Angeles, WA to Neah Bay, WA

The weather called for 10 knots of headwind in the morning through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, picking up to 15 to 20 in the evening  We decided to get an early start from Port Angeles and left before dawn. As we headed out of the harbor, we came into fog and light winds.  By mid-morning the swell and the wind picked up - rain was added to the mix. Bliss was getting pounded and we took water over the bow several times.  One of the hits to the bow loosened the anchor and we could see that it was no longer tight on the windlass.  Fortunately, we had secured the anchor chain with some line before we left the dock.  We snugged up the anchor with the cockpit controls and kept and eye on it the rest of the trip.  The wind increased throughout the day.  We managed to make it into Neah Bay by late afternoon, just as the winds hit 25 knots.  There was no repose from the wind as we entered Neah Bay. We called ahead to make sure there was a slip available and there was. The dock was filled with trash and covered with seagull poo.  The stink that we remembered from the first stay almost two years ago was alive and well.  We paid for the slip and prepared for our journey off the coast.  The weather forecast for our trip was not ideal, but it wasn't anything to be concerned about.  We were so grateful for the long range Wi-Fi antenna, which allowed us to check weather and emails throughout our trip.

Garrison Bay, WA to Port Angeles, WA

Sunday 8/12/2012 - Garrison Bay, WA to Port Angeles, WA

We left Garrison Bay at dawn and during low tide. Leaving a shallow anchorage during low tide and at dawn was starting to feel like a trend. To get to Port Angeles we needed to cross through Haro Strait - Orca country! We both had our eyes peeled for whales, but didn't see any.  Regardless, it was a beautiful day, and we had calm seas through Haro Strait and the eastern part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  We called ahead to make a reservation at Port Angeles Boat Haven.  They said they had plenty of room. We arrived in early afternoon so we had ample time to prepare the boat.  We washed, dried and stowed the dinghy.  We were ready for our transit through the Strait of Juan de Fuca next day.

Stuart Island, WA to Garrison Bay, WA

Saturday 8/11/2012 - Stuart Island, WA to Garrison Bay, WA

We left Stuart Island the next day headed for Roche Harbor to check in to U.S. customs. Roche Harbor is a busy place with lots of boats zipping all over the place. We found the customs dock behind the moored boats and crab pots.  The check-in did not take long.  We fueled up at a the fuel dock, which was in a tight location, especially difficult to maneuver in with the strong winds.  After staying in such beautiful, quiet anchorages during our trip, we knew that we did not want to stay overnight in Roche Harbor.  A couple that we met in Victoria recommended Garrison Bay, just south of Roche Harbor, we decided to check it out.  To get inside the bay, you have to go through a narrow and shallow pass called Mosquito Pass. It's known as the one of the most troublesome areas in the San Juans for charter boats. We managed to get inside the bay and found a nice spot to anchor and spend the night. The deepest spot was 20 feet.  It was a beautiful day and that evening the skies were clear - perfect for star gazing.  Our new Sport-a-Seat chairs are perfect for that.

Ganges, BC to Stuart Island, WA

Friday 8/10/2012 - Ganges, BC to Stuart Island, WA

Friday morning we motor sailed from Ganges to Stuart Island in the San Juans.  We found a sweet spot to anchor in Reid Harbor at Stuart Island.  The weather was sunny and warm.  There were now 150 hours on the engine since our last oil change.  It was going to have to be changed before we headed home, so we changed the oil and filter there in the harbor.  We concluded that using the manual pump to change the oil is a pain.  We added another "to do" on our project list -  #203:  Install an oil change pump.

 

 

Oil change - boat yoga.

 

Pender Harbour, BC to Ganges, BC

Thursday 8/9/2012 - Pender Harbour, BC to Ganges, BC

The next morning we left Pender Harbor early during a low tide (again) so we would have enough time to get to Ganges Harbor before dark.  We were extremely cautious exiting the resort in shallow water. The winds were light crossing the Strait of Georgia so we had a mellow crossing this time. The military operating area called Whiskey Golf, which is a large square area in Georgia Strait, was active.  We made sure we stayed clear of it.

We arrived at Dodd Narrows early. We sailed around nearby while we we waited for the slack tide.  When it was time to go through we heard on the radio that a boat towing something was heading north through Dodd Narrows.  We waited until a boat towing a rather large dinghy came through and then we proceeded south bound.  Only after we were already transiting the narrows, did we realize the boat that we had seen pass through was not the one that was on the radio.  There was no time to turn around.  Directly in front of us was a tug towing logs. We moved over as far as we could in the narrow channel and passed each other very closely.  Why didn't he radio back when we radioed in that we were headed south bound.  Arrghhh.

We made it to Ganges that evening before dark.  It was a long day of motoring and we were tired.  On the way into the harbor we found another mine field of crab pots.  The crab pots were also littered throughout the harbor.  After navigating through, we finally found a nice spot to drop anchor in the crowded harbor.

Princess Louisa Inlet, BC to Pender Harbour, BC

Wednesday 8/8/2012 - Princess Louisa Inlet, BC to Pender Harbour, BC

Slack tide was early in the morning, so we started motoring at daybreak and crossed Malibu Rapids outbound with no problems. We found strong headwinds through Jervis inlet.  A few hours into our trip it began raining.  As soon as we were within range for weather radio, we found out there was a low pressure system in the San Juans that was causing the south winds to funnel inside Jervis inlet and right on our nose.

When we arrived at Pender Harbour, we found the place was full of boats seeking refuge from the strong winds in the Straits of Georgia.  We called several marinas and everyone was full.  We found an empty slip at the very nice (and shallow) Painted Boat Resort.  The resort was recommended to us from a couple we met in Victoria. We arrived near low tide and found depths of seven feet. That's less than two feet under our keel!  After we got settled and paid our slip fee, we walked to the market and bought some fresh halibut steaks and greens.  We used a recipe for the fish that we had gotten from our friends Bill and Chris - it was delicious!

http://www.paintedboat.com/marina.44.html

 

Princess Louisa Inlet, BC

Tuesday 8/7/2012 - Princess Louisa Inlet, BC

We woke up to bright sunshine.  The area in front of Chatterbox Falls was still packed so we headed for the mooring balls and found an empty one and tied up. It was quite hot and sunny, so we thought it would be the perfect time to do a little laundry.  We hung the clothes to dry on the life lines - there wasn't an empty spot on the lines when we were finished.  To cool off we had a nice swim around the boat - the water was refreshing.  Someone told us about a waterfall "pool" in the inlet, so after our swim we headed out in the dinghy to find it.  When we got to the boulder they said we would see, we tied the dinghy up on a log and hiked up a small trail. There it was - a beautiful waterfall splashing into a pool of water.  The water was cold but refreshing.  We went for another dinghy ride and then headed back to the boat.  The clothes were dry and after putting them away we were hot enough again to go for another swim.  What a fun day!  In the evening, we reviewed our itinerary and decided that we should probably start making our way back to Portland.  We left a couple of days extra in the plan in case we had poor weather and couldn't travel.  We were not able to connect to wifi, but we already had the time written down for exiting the rapids on Wednesday - around 6:30 a.m.