.JPG) |
| Deck getting painted with Kiwi Grip non-skid. Grey is new, other side is taped but not yet painted. |
Monday, May 13, 2013
She floats! She runs! She shifts!
The moment of truth came this weekend with being put back into the water after almost a month on the hard. Given all the surgery I had done with the engine and shaft and such, it is a bit tense when you get splashed back in to make sure you hadn't messed something up in the process. Naturally, I go through mental checklists ad nauseum, and by doing so I hoped for the best.
When they lowered the straps and carefully placed her back in her element, I ducked below and plopped down to check the PSS seal to see if it was watertight. Sure enough! No leaks! I then burped it a few times to let water squirt between the two seals to clear out any dust and small debris and to void some air bubbles.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Alignment, re-assembly, painting, prop work, Oh My!
Another weekend of work on Aeolus while she is sadly high and dry in Friday Harbor. I can't say enough about how much I love being hauled out at Jensen's Shipyard (despite being sad to be out of the water). Besides being in an idyllic location, the place just wreaks of island history with old buildings and equipment lying around. So if you have to be stuck on the hard, it is a great place to do it. And the people are as nice as can be.
But back to boat projects. My last post sounds a bit whiny to my ears now, but it told the truth of how last weekend felt. This current weekend was nothing so tough, and instead went like clockwork with no particular difficulties. I worked from dawn to dusk every day, but there was none of the body torqueing gymnastics that were so punishing last week. I'll present the weekend projects in a list format:
1. NEWLY CUT SHAFT: Perhaps most importantly, the newly cut shaft turned out to be an exact fit. I had it cut down to my specifications at Prop Shop LTD in Mukilteo WA, and though they were a bit unfriendly and I felt a bit overcharged (they charged me $85 to cut down the shaft, which was quoted, and then an extra $35 to clean the shaft of some light growth, which was unexpected and seemed way too high), their work seemed to be fine. Between the added flexible coupling and the longer transmission, I needed to take 3.01" off the shaft. Talk about measure twice and cut once. I must have measured this cut 100 times. So it was very gratifying to put the new shaft in place and see that the length was perfect.
I would have thought it best to place the shaft back in Aeolus from the outside, but after several attempts it kept binding and catching, and so I resorted to sliding it in from inside the boat. I had to lift the engine anyway to adjust the mounts and alignment, and it was smooth and easy for the shaft to fit from this side. I don't know why the difference existed, but it did.
.JPG) | |
| Hauled out at Jensen's Shipyard in Friday Harbor |
But back to boat projects. My last post sounds a bit whiny to my ears now, but it told the truth of how last weekend felt. This current weekend was nothing so tough, and instead went like clockwork with no particular difficulties. I worked from dawn to dusk every day, but there was none of the body torqueing gymnastics that were so punishing last week. I'll present the weekend projects in a list format:
1. NEWLY CUT SHAFT: Perhaps most importantly, the newly cut shaft turned out to be an exact fit. I had it cut down to my specifications at Prop Shop LTD in Mukilteo WA, and though they were a bit unfriendly and I felt a bit overcharged (they charged me $85 to cut down the shaft, which was quoted, and then an extra $35 to clean the shaft of some light growth, which was unexpected and seemed way too high), their work seemed to be fine. Between the added flexible coupling and the longer transmission, I needed to take 3.01" off the shaft. Talk about measure twice and cut once. I must have measured this cut 100 times. So it was very gratifying to put the new shaft in place and see that the length was perfect.
I would have thought it best to place the shaft back in Aeolus from the outside, but after several attempts it kept binding and catching, and so I resorted to sliding it in from inside the boat. I had to lift the engine anyway to adjust the mounts and alignment, and it was smooth and easy for the shaft to fit from this side. I don't know why the difference existed, but it did.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Hauled, Tranny in, bruised and battered
It's now been a few days since I hauled Aeolus out, and I am just now beginning to not feel bruised and somewhat broken. It's not that I incurred injuries hauling her out myself, no, not all 16,000 blessed pounds of her myself, but once she was out, I entered a torture chamber of physical abuse. My main task was to replace the original Hurth transmission with the new Twin Disc MG 360 that I have written about here before.
.JPG)
My first day went smoothly, and all things considered, could not have gone better. I had the yard pop the prop off, and then I hoisted the engine up off her mounts. This is a tedious process, in that you must make sure to disconnect everything that would otherwise get torn. Fuel lines, water, electrical, battery cables, and all the rest.
To do this, and this is prelude to what I did all weekend, I have to more or less lay myself down on the floor and cross beams to access things down deep in the bilge where the engine resides. Part of the great design on a Gulf 32 is that the engine is down deep and easily accessible from all sides because it lies directly under the floorboards of the galley and navigation area. This is the good news. The bad news is that it gets a rain of dirt and dust down on it that prevents cleanliness and it is DOWN below, which means you have to lie down and reach down to reach things.
.JPG)
My first day went smoothly, and all things considered, could not have gone better. I had the yard pop the prop off, and then I hoisted the engine up off her mounts. This is a tedious process, in that you must make sure to disconnect everything that would otherwise get torn. Fuel lines, water, electrical, battery cables, and all the rest.
.JPG) |
| A Gulf 32 keel. 6,000 pounds of lead! |
To do this, and this is prelude to what I did all weekend, I have to more or less lay myself down on the floor and cross beams to access things down deep in the bilge where the engine resides. Part of the great design on a Gulf 32 is that the engine is down deep and easily accessible from all sides because it lies directly under the floorboards of the galley and navigation area. This is the good news. The bad news is that it gets a rain of dirt and dust down on it that prevents cleanliness and it is DOWN below, which means you have to lie down and reach down to reach things.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)