SHIP'S LOG:
As some great philosopher once said, "You can't fix stupid!" And as another said, "Stupid is as Stupid does." Well, stupid is not checking the launch schedule when Labor Day rolls around, or in my case, checking the schedule and forgetting to note that post Labor Day, the launch at the Yacht Club will only be running on weekends! A great week of sailing went by and I spent it on land. C'est la vie.
So it wouldn't be a total loss, I used the time to basically chart every rock, every shoal, every spot of low water from New London, Connecticut to Key West, Florida, and boy, there is a lot of them . . .two of which I know intimately. All things being equal and the good Lord willing, I will be heading South again, or at least making the attempt, the last week in September.
This past week, I have spent taking care of, or at least trying to, a host of little projects that are on the never ending list of projects. The only problem with this is that every time one takes a shot at doing a project, it rarely gets more than 90% done when another project or two rears its ugly head. A couple of the latest: the chain gypsy clutch nut is frozen. The chain gypsy is one side of the anchor windlass that controls the chain anchor rode. The chain gypsy clutch nut tightens (and loosens) the gypsy so that the anchor with the chain rode can be raised and lower. A very helpful thing if one is thinking of using it to anchor the boat. Seawater has "intruded" between the clutch nut and the gypsy and corrosion has set in. It would take hundreds of years to cause any serious damage but there is just enough corrosion so that the clutch nut can't be loosened. So I can bring the chain up but can't lower it. I have hit it with every corrosion bust I know from PB Blaster to Coca Cola and now I am waiting for the mixture to do its magic. The other side of the windlass works fine, so anchoring won't be a problem, but it would be nice to have the all chain rode available in a time of need. Though since the windlass motor dosen''t function and it can only be operate manually, it isn't a priority fix.
The there is the pressurized fresh water. There is no pressure. A couple of hours of bilge crawling with Cliff and a pinhole was finally discovered. Evidently, it was just enough to rob the entire system of pressure. The fresh water system is part copper pipe and part Tygon hose. It runs on the almost inaccessible side of the engine and so rather that try to fix the pipe in the pipe hose system, I am going to replace it with all hose. . . . . easier said than done but it will get done. The pressure water system is more used for washing that for drinking, so while I may stink after a few days, I won't die of thirst. I don't think I would want to drink that stuff anyway as there is grunge in the tank. I don't think it has been radically cleaned in quite a while, so if I can get the pressure system working, I will flush it with chlorine and then just use it for showers and washing up.
I took the time to tune the rig. It didn't need much to get it into shape and after doing this for some 30 years or so, it was a snap . . .one of the few. The propane stove and system are up and running and now I won't starve either. The inverter/charge wouldn't shut off the other day. The control panel just froze up. (Have I ever told you how much I hate electronics!) A call to the manufactures tech line got me into a long conversation with a techie who was worse than useless. Evidently he couldn't picture in his head how to fix the system and relied totally on the "Troubleshoot" chapter in the owners manual, all of whose suggestions I had already tried with no luck. So after that wasted call call, I remembered a trick that Don the Magic Electrician in Mystic always tried as a last resort. I disconnected the panel from the the inverter/charger, counted 30 and reconnected it. It works fine. Sort of like rebooting a computer. VICTORY of the magic of electricity and electronics!!!!!!!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am not as excited about taking off for the south as I was last year. I suppose that it has to do with how things turned out last year. If I get to Sandy Hook, NJ, and anchor safely, that should change. But for now, it is just get the boat ready to go. This may change as departure day gets closer, but I'll just have to wait and see. One day, one anchorage at a time.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Oreo, the Head and the Search for Water
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, first there was the OREO, a week of great sailing bounded on either end by crappy weekends. The first was the weekend of the much heralded Hurricane Danny which, thankfully, turned our to be rather a bust. Lots of rain, indeed a true tropical downpour on Saturday, but the much anticipated winds, waves and storm surge never quite materialized . . . unless you happened to be in Maine or Nova Scotia. of Course, you can never tell about these things so it necessitated readying the boat for the "anticipated" storm. Off came the mainsail, down came the Genoa, bagged was the mizzen. cockpit cushions were stored down below. Everything either came off the deck or was tied down so as to be immovable. Everything movable inside was stored in lockers and cubby holes throughout the boat. Goodness only knows when I will find everything again. When Danny fizzled along the coast, staying too far out to sea to have much more than a rain-soaked impact, everything had to be put right again. For some reason I can not fathom, it always takes much more time and effort to put everything back the way it was than to stow it all away. And of course, to use the boat, one has to put everything back the way it was.That blew Sunday.
Ah, but the week was wonderful. Summer really hit all at once, at least August did. It was hot! It was HUMID! And like every August, the wind was "light"! I did a lot of miles without really going anywhere but then, in sailing, it is all about the going. I got am opportunity to practice with sail combination, flying the spinnaker ( scaring myself to death in the process) and generally letting ABISHAG sail herself. And she did a fine job. Balancing the sails just right and she holds a course like she's on rails. It is fun to set a course and then wander around on deck looking at things, coiling lines, arranging stuff and enjoying the fact that I am not "tied" to the wheel. Of course, every now and then I had to adjust the sail trim to keep her on course,, but then using the wind steering system eliminated the need for that. I even did the Leonard De Capario(if that's not spelled right you know who I mean) scene from TITANIC and stood on the bow and proclaimed myself to be "the King of the World." And I was too, 'cause that seagull just miss crowning me! Nothing worse than being anointed by a seagull. Even the engine worked! Yep, it was a good week . . the cream center of the OREO.
The last weekend crapped out again. Cold, rain, little sun, and no wind. It was more like April than August. I did get out on Sunday, and while it was cloudy, there was a little wind. But the then the sun came out!!!!!....and the wind went away, only to re-appear when ABISHAG was all mooring nice and safe and everything was put away and the launch was coming. But I had the week. I'll take it!
Then there is "THE HEAD":It was "my" head, but it wasn't my "head", if you know what I mean. It is mine because I own it but it is on the boat. It is one of two(2), this one in the aft head. Truth be told, it was the "head" in the head, or, for those no cognizant of nautical terminology, it was the toilet in the bathroom at the back of the boat. It was leaking. Now unlike the toilet in your house or anywhere else on land, the toilet on a boat does not empty downward but upward, drawn up by a pump through a hose to a holding tank and/or, when you are outside the three mile limit, overboard. The landlocked toilet is affixed to its discharge pipe by a large wax ring and at least two(2) bolts. The discharge hose attached to the back of a marine head it held in place by a single, sometimes two, hose clamps. The should be stainless steel so they don't rust and corrode and so betray their primary function, clamping the hose tightly to the outflow from the toilet, less any effluents end up on your shoes. There is stainless steel and then there is semi-stainless steel, something of a lesser quality that rusts to beat the band and totally falls apart. Whoever last replace the single hose clamp on the aft head(more nautical talk) use the less than stainless steel, which was now rusted and "evidently" was the source of the leak. It had to be replaced.
Imagine if you will, one of those now hard to find telephone booths with a porcelain throne inside it and your task was to remove a stubborn clamps by embrace the bowl and reaching around behind to where the offending clamp lay. Yo could position your body so you could see what you were working on, but had to lean around, examine the situation, decide where the screwdriver was to go, then move back around to the front and attempt to unscrew the screw on the clamp from the metal imagge you had formed. Imagine all so that the screw was so rusted that the head broke off. Imagine then that you had to try to file the clamp off, being careful not to damage the hose, again more by mental projection than sight. Imagine that you had to do this kneeling down, and that it was in the mid 90's at least, and the sweat was rolling down your glasses and into your eyes. That's about what it was like and it took a good hour to get the old clamp off and the new clamp on.
There was no doubt about it, the clamp absolutely need to be replaced.Actually, I am not quite sure what was holding it together it was so rust. So it was a good and necessary thing that it was replaced. The one small problem in all of this is that it wasn't the source of the leak. The hose was clamped onto a a piece of pipe that was inserted into the back of the toilet. There was a rubber or leather bushing seal around the pipe where it was inserted in the toilet. It was the bushing seal that was leaking. Not being in the frame of mind to remove it, as well as not knowing how to accomplish the task, as well as not having another bushing or seal, I slathered half a tube of marine sealant on it, over it and around it. Leak gone!
Then there was "the Search for Water": ABISHAG is equipped with a 55 gallon water tank. Sounds like a lot but with two showers and three sinks, it goes pretty fast. For some reason, I can't get it to go at all. Flicking on the water pressure pump for the water system, should cause the water to spew out whenever a tap is opened. But they are dry. The pump works, or at least makes noise, but no water flows. There are two choices, or options or answers. Either pump ain't pumping (it's just making noise) or there is a blockage somewhere in the system of hoses that moves the water from the water tank hither and yon.
The first step was to trace the water system. Up came all of the floor boards and I began to trace all of the hoses, one at a time from the water tank to each terminus. One of the nasty surprise you can find on a boat is the the hose, or wire, or cable or whatever, that is one type, color, style, dimensions, at the start often goes through several transformations on it journey to where ever it is going. Often, to keep things "simple?" and in order, one item is often bundled with several similar items as they go through the bilge, through the walls(not a nautical term), through the ceiling (another non-nautical term) to where ever it is that they go. Three hoses leave the water tank so this required that I chose one, mark it, and follow it. The hot water comes from a hot water tank (obviously) that is heated by water that cools the engine when it runs. Tracing this necessitated climbing over then engine as the hot water tank on the other side of the engine from the access hatch. This hose went from clear plastic, to a black metal pipe, into the water tank. Then another black mental pipe, carrying the hot water, exited and connected to another hose of indeterminate color covered with insulation that went around the front of the engine, into the bilge and "Teed" sending water through hose to the forward head ( for the sink and shower), to the galley sink, and to the aft head for the sink and shower there.
Then there was the second of the three hoses that exited the water tank and "Teed", diverting cold water to the same places. And then there was the third hose and I have know idea where it went. I am assuming that it is merely a vent hose for the tank so that the water will flow as it should but fore the life of me, despite all the floor boards I moved, I couldn't trace it. As far as i can tell, it is not connected to anything, but who knows for sure.
And that's where the project stopped. At least fro now. The thought of disconnecting each length of "hose" and making sure it was unblocked seems daunting in the extreme. As the boat was laid over on its side last fall (O the memories!), it is possible that there is one or more air blocks in the system as opposed to some organic mass that is actually causing the problem. It is also possible that the water pressure pump, while making pumping noises, isn't actually pumping. considering how many such items I have replaced all ready, it wouldn't surprise me. Of course, to check out the pump means that I actually have to be able to reach it . . .which is accomplished through a trap door in the floor of the closet in the aft cabin. Remember that mental image of the phone booth in the head repair, make it smaller. I am definitely going to have to get a warm body to help me with this one. Ah, the fun of boat ownership!
Well, first there was the OREO, a week of great sailing bounded on either end by crappy weekends. The first was the weekend of the much heralded Hurricane Danny which, thankfully, turned our to be rather a bust. Lots of rain, indeed a true tropical downpour on Saturday, but the much anticipated winds, waves and storm surge never quite materialized . . . unless you happened to be in Maine or Nova Scotia. of Course, you can never tell about these things so it necessitated readying the boat for the "anticipated" storm. Off came the mainsail, down came the Genoa, bagged was the mizzen. cockpit cushions were stored down below. Everything either came off the deck or was tied down so as to be immovable. Everything movable inside was stored in lockers and cubby holes throughout the boat. Goodness only knows when I will find everything again. When Danny fizzled along the coast, staying too far out to sea to have much more than a rain-soaked impact, everything had to be put right again. For some reason I can not fathom, it always takes much more time and effort to put everything back the way it was than to stow it all away. And of course, to use the boat, one has to put everything back the way it was.That blew Sunday.
Ah, but the week was wonderful. Summer really hit all at once, at least August did. It was hot! It was HUMID! And like every August, the wind was "light"! I did a lot of miles without really going anywhere but then, in sailing, it is all about the going. I got am opportunity to practice with sail combination, flying the spinnaker ( scaring myself to death in the process) and generally letting ABISHAG sail herself. And she did a fine job. Balancing the sails just right and she holds a course like she's on rails. It is fun to set a course and then wander around on deck looking at things, coiling lines, arranging stuff and enjoying the fact that I am not "tied" to the wheel. Of course, every now and then I had to adjust the sail trim to keep her on course,, but then using the wind steering system eliminated the need for that. I even did the Leonard De Capario(if that's not spelled right you know who I mean) scene from TITANIC and stood on the bow and proclaimed myself to be "the King of the World." And I was too, 'cause that seagull just miss crowning me! Nothing worse than being anointed by a seagull. Even the engine worked! Yep, it was a good week . . the cream center of the OREO.
The last weekend crapped out again. Cold, rain, little sun, and no wind. It was more like April than August. I did get out on Sunday, and while it was cloudy, there was a little wind. But the then the sun came out!!!!!....and the wind went away, only to re-appear when ABISHAG was all mooring nice and safe and everything was put away and the launch was coming. But I had the week. I'll take it!
Then there is "THE HEAD":It was "my" head, but it wasn't my "head", if you know what I mean. It is mine because I own it but it is on the boat. It is one of two(2), this one in the aft head. Truth be told, it was the "head" in the head, or, for those no cognizant of nautical terminology, it was the toilet in the bathroom at the back of the boat. It was leaking. Now unlike the toilet in your house or anywhere else on land, the toilet on a boat does not empty downward but upward, drawn up by a pump through a hose to a holding tank and/or, when you are outside the three mile limit, overboard. The landlocked toilet is affixed to its discharge pipe by a large wax ring and at least two(2) bolts. The discharge hose attached to the back of a marine head it held in place by a single, sometimes two, hose clamps. The should be stainless steel so they don't rust and corrode and so betray their primary function, clamping the hose tightly to the outflow from the toilet, less any effluents end up on your shoes. There is stainless steel and then there is semi-stainless steel, something of a lesser quality that rusts to beat the band and totally falls apart. Whoever last replace the single hose clamp on the aft head(more nautical talk) use the less than stainless steel, which was now rusted and "evidently" was the source of the leak. It had to be replaced.
Imagine if you will, one of those now hard to find telephone booths with a porcelain throne inside it and your task was to remove a stubborn clamps by embrace the bowl and reaching around behind to where the offending clamp lay. Yo could position your body so you could see what you were working on, but had to lean around, examine the situation, decide where the screwdriver was to go, then move back around to the front and attempt to unscrew the screw on the clamp from the metal imagge you had formed. Imagine all so that the screw was so rusted that the head broke off. Imagine then that you had to try to file the clamp off, being careful not to damage the hose, again more by mental projection than sight. Imagine that you had to do this kneeling down, and that it was in the mid 90's at least, and the sweat was rolling down your glasses and into your eyes. That's about what it was like and it took a good hour to get the old clamp off and the new clamp on.
There was no doubt about it, the clamp absolutely need to be replaced.Actually, I am not quite sure what was holding it together it was so rust. So it was a good and necessary thing that it was replaced. The one small problem in all of this is that it wasn't the source of the leak. The hose was clamped onto a a piece of pipe that was inserted into the back of the toilet. There was a rubber or leather bushing seal around the pipe where it was inserted in the toilet. It was the bushing seal that was leaking. Not being in the frame of mind to remove it, as well as not knowing how to accomplish the task, as well as not having another bushing or seal, I slathered half a tube of marine sealant on it, over it and around it. Leak gone!
Then there was "the Search for Water": ABISHAG is equipped with a 55 gallon water tank. Sounds like a lot but with two showers and three sinks, it goes pretty fast. For some reason, I can't get it to go at all. Flicking on the water pressure pump for the water system, should cause the water to spew out whenever a tap is opened. But they are dry. The pump works, or at least makes noise, but no water flows. There are two choices, or options or answers. Either pump ain't pumping (it's just making noise) or there is a blockage somewhere in the system of hoses that moves the water from the water tank hither and yon.
The first step was to trace the water system. Up came all of the floor boards and I began to trace all of the hoses, one at a time from the water tank to each terminus. One of the nasty surprise you can find on a boat is the the hose, or wire, or cable or whatever, that is one type, color, style, dimensions, at the start often goes through several transformations on it journey to where ever it is going. Often, to keep things "simple?" and in order, one item is often bundled with several similar items as they go through the bilge, through the walls(not a nautical term), through the ceiling (another non-nautical term) to where ever it is that they go. Three hoses leave the water tank so this required that I chose one, mark it, and follow it. The hot water comes from a hot water tank (obviously) that is heated by water that cools the engine when it runs. Tracing this necessitated climbing over then engine as the hot water tank on the other side of the engine from the access hatch. This hose went from clear plastic, to a black metal pipe, into the water tank. Then another black mental pipe, carrying the hot water, exited and connected to another hose of indeterminate color covered with insulation that went around the front of the engine, into the bilge and "Teed" sending water through hose to the forward head ( for the sink and shower), to the galley sink, and to the aft head for the sink and shower there.
Then there was the second of the three hoses that exited the water tank and "Teed", diverting cold water to the same places. And then there was the third hose and I have know idea where it went. I am assuming that it is merely a vent hose for the tank so that the water will flow as it should but fore the life of me, despite all the floor boards I moved, I couldn't trace it. As far as i can tell, it is not connected to anything, but who knows for sure.
And that's where the project stopped. At least fro now. The thought of disconnecting each length of "hose" and making sure it was unblocked seems daunting in the extreme. As the boat was laid over on its side last fall (O the memories!), it is possible that there is one or more air blocks in the system as opposed to some organic mass that is actually causing the problem. It is also possible that the water pressure pump, while making pumping noises, isn't actually pumping. considering how many such items I have replaced all ready, it wouldn't surprise me. Of course, to check out the pump means that I actually have to be able to reach it . . .which is accomplished through a trap door in the floor of the closet in the aft cabin. Remember that mental image of the phone booth in the head repair, make it smaller. I am definitely going to have to get a warm body to help me with this one. Ah, the fun of boat ownership!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Things Ain't Always What The Seem! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
OK, you got a problem with the diesel engine in your boat. well, every one, and I mean everyone, begins the litany of how to solve the problem. they list the very obvious, rational, step-by-step diagnostic procedure to discover the cause so that it can be remedied and get you back on the high seas. The only problem with this approach can be that it focuses your attention in one area and keeps you for considering other causes. As a result, you don't solve the problem and the frustration mounts.
When the engine on ABISHAG quit Saturday, it was the most natural thing to think it was a fuel problem, so I started with the diagnostic litany:
1.) Was there fuel? YES!
2.) Were the filters clean? Primary- no, so the sediment was removed and the filter element replaced. Secondary - Clean.
3.) Was fuel getting to the injectors? Yes!
4.) Did the engine crank sufficiently hard and fast to start? Yes?
5.) Was the air filter clean? Yes, er . . . . well it is hard to say in that there was no air filter element in the air filter housing.
I got clean fuel, more than sufficient air, fuel to the injectors and a hard cranking starting motor, so fire that sucker up! ! ! Nice in theory, but nothing happened. And this is where the focus got us all messed up. The reigning opinion, when the engine would crank was that it was the injectors . . . that they were dirty, needed adjusting, or were bad and needed to be replaced, none of which options were other than expensive. To test them, we went on a hunt for the mythical lever on the fuel pump that would allow the pump to manually pump fuel to the injectors so that they could be observed to see if the fuel was spraying out properly or just dribbling with insufficient force and in insufficient quantity to be compressed into firing.
Cliff crawled all over engine, Chuck crawled all over the engine, I crawled all over the engine and all we got was dirty. No lever, no lifting fuel pump. Nada! Bupkis! Nothing!!!! So on Thursday, we were planning to do it all over again.I brought down to ABISHAG every maintenance book I had on diesel engines, using the illustrations to find that bloody manual pump. As we sat there scratching our heads, I asked a simple question. To stop the engine, I simply turned off the key. Sounds natural for you car owners but then cars need the spark from the ignition system to fire the fuel that runs the engine. A diesel engine does not. A diesel engine compresses the fuel and air mixture in the cylinder to such an extent that it gets hot and explodes without a spark plug, indeed without electrical ignition. The ignitions system on the diesel engine is basically used to crank the engine until it starts and that's it. In most boats, there is a manual shut-off valve that is operated by a handle in the cockpit that "shuts off" the fuel to the engine to starve it and stop it. ABISHAG has that handle but it is not connect to anything. I always thought that it would be a good thing to re-attach and so I asked Chuck who was staring at the engine with bad intent, "If this is the throttle on the injector pump, where can I connect the fuel shut-off cable?"
Lights went on! The damn fuel injector pump was electrical and so was the damn fuel shut off valve. Testing the wires bringing power to the fuel shut-off valve produced no joy! When the ignition was turned on, the fuel shut-off valve was energize and open and allowed fuel to flow to the fuel injector pump. Without electricity to this valve, fuel never got to the fuel injector pump and the little we were reading was simply what had been in the line before the shut down. Running a by-pass brought 12 volts to the valve and the engine roared to life.
Somewhere along the wire, the insulation cracked or wore away and the wire had shorted or broken and cease to sense the voltage necessary to the valve, shutting down the engine. We tired to trace the wire but couldn't. The problem was solved by simply running a new wire. True this sort of flies in the face of that 50lbs of wiring I tore out of the boat 2 years ago as I grumbled against sloppy boat owners who didn't remove the old before putting in the new, but at least the effort was made and it was only when the wire disappeared into Neverland that I made the move of last resort.
For some reason, the refrigerator started up all by itself during Thursdays electrical hunt. That's the next project and since it involves the magic called electricity, and since the electrical system was installed by LUCAS Electric, it means another encounter "LUCAS, Prince of Darkness!"
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Things are not always what they seem. Don't get hung up on what you think is the answer, keep looking until you find the answer. Be open to all possibilities. What you think is the answer might not be. Don't be afraid to ask a question. A couple of interesting lessons from the Almighty. I am glad that God inspired me to get help from Cliff and chuck as I never would have found the problem with the engine. Electric fuel shut off valve! Go figure. I didn't even know there was such a thing. It was an interesting week, a growth filled week, a frustrating week - at times, but ultimately a good week. Bill the Hurricane is do to pass by this weekend, hopefully way, way, way out to sea. If the worse happens, at least I can move ABISHAG!
OK, you got a problem with the diesel engine in your boat. well, every one, and I mean everyone, begins the litany of how to solve the problem. they list the very obvious, rational, step-by-step diagnostic procedure to discover the cause so that it can be remedied and get you back on the high seas. The only problem with this approach can be that it focuses your attention in one area and keeps you for considering other causes. As a result, you don't solve the problem and the frustration mounts.
When the engine on ABISHAG quit Saturday, it was the most natural thing to think it was a fuel problem, so I started with the diagnostic litany:
1.) Was there fuel? YES!
2.) Were the filters clean? Primary- no, so the sediment was removed and the filter element replaced. Secondary - Clean.
3.) Was fuel getting to the injectors? Yes!
4.) Did the engine crank sufficiently hard and fast to start? Yes?
5.) Was the air filter clean? Yes, er . . . . well it is hard to say in that there was no air filter element in the air filter housing.
I got clean fuel, more than sufficient air, fuel to the injectors and a hard cranking starting motor, so fire that sucker up! ! ! Nice in theory, but nothing happened. And this is where the focus got us all messed up. The reigning opinion, when the engine would crank was that it was the injectors . . . that they were dirty, needed adjusting, or were bad and needed to be replaced, none of which options were other than expensive. To test them, we went on a hunt for the mythical lever on the fuel pump that would allow the pump to manually pump fuel to the injectors so that they could be observed to see if the fuel was spraying out properly or just dribbling with insufficient force and in insufficient quantity to be compressed into firing.
Cliff crawled all over engine, Chuck crawled all over the engine, I crawled all over the engine and all we got was dirty. No lever, no lifting fuel pump. Nada! Bupkis! Nothing!!!! So on Thursday, we were planning to do it all over again.I brought down to ABISHAG every maintenance book I had on diesel engines, using the illustrations to find that bloody manual pump. As we sat there scratching our heads, I asked a simple question. To stop the engine, I simply turned off the key. Sounds natural for you car owners but then cars need the spark from the ignition system to fire the fuel that runs the engine. A diesel engine does not. A diesel engine compresses the fuel and air mixture in the cylinder to such an extent that it gets hot and explodes without a spark plug, indeed without electrical ignition. The ignitions system on the diesel engine is basically used to crank the engine until it starts and that's it. In most boats, there is a manual shut-off valve that is operated by a handle in the cockpit that "shuts off" the fuel to the engine to starve it and stop it. ABISHAG has that handle but it is not connect to anything. I always thought that it would be a good thing to re-attach and so I asked Chuck who was staring at the engine with bad intent, "If this is the throttle on the injector pump, where can I connect the fuel shut-off cable?"
Lights went on! The damn fuel injector pump was electrical and so was the damn fuel shut off valve. Testing the wires bringing power to the fuel shut-off valve produced no joy! When the ignition was turned on, the fuel shut-off valve was energize and open and allowed fuel to flow to the fuel injector pump. Without electricity to this valve, fuel never got to the fuel injector pump and the little we were reading was simply what had been in the line before the shut down. Running a by-pass brought 12 volts to the valve and the engine roared to life.
Somewhere along the wire, the insulation cracked or wore away and the wire had shorted or broken and cease to sense the voltage necessary to the valve, shutting down the engine. We tired to trace the wire but couldn't. The problem was solved by simply running a new wire. True this sort of flies in the face of that 50lbs of wiring I tore out of the boat 2 years ago as I grumbled against sloppy boat owners who didn't remove the old before putting in the new, but at least the effort was made and it was only when the wire disappeared into Neverland that I made the move of last resort.
For some reason, the refrigerator started up all by itself during Thursdays electrical hunt. That's the next project and since it involves the magic called electricity, and since the electrical system was installed by LUCAS Electric, it means another encounter "LUCAS, Prince of Darkness!"
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Things are not always what they seem. Don't get hung up on what you think is the answer, keep looking until you find the answer. Be open to all possibilities. What you think is the answer might not be. Don't be afraid to ask a question. A couple of interesting lessons from the Almighty. I am glad that God inspired me to get help from Cliff and chuck as I never would have found the problem with the engine. Electric fuel shut off valve! Go figure. I didn't even know there was such a thing. It was an interesting week, a growth filled week, a frustrating week - at times, but ultimately a good week. Bill the Hurricane is do to pass by this weekend, hopefully way, way, way out to sea. If the worse happens, at least I can move ABISHAG!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
One Great Thing About A Sailboat Is . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
When last I left you, was facing "a relatively simple problem" concerning the engine on ABISHAG and its failure to start. Now three days later, the engine still won't start and while the answer to it maybe something "relatively simple," neither Chuck nor Cliff nor I have found out what it is. The filters are clean, there is flow to the injectors, there is fuel in the tank, there is juice in the battery and the engine cranks over just fine . . . . it just won't start. Hmmmmm?
The latest idea . . . well there are two actually, is there somewhere in the fuel line, probably in a bend somewhere there is a pile of sludge, gunk or whatever you want to call the remains of the micro-organisms that live in the barrier between water and diesel fuel, which have been killed off by the bio-cide. This allows some fuel to pass through the lines and to the injectors but not enough, nor under enough pressure, to induce a good spray pattern in the cylinders and so they won't and don't fire. This petroleum phlegm has to be sucked, blown or flushed out of the fuel lines so the fuel pump gets all the fuel to the injectors they need.
The second, and more expensive idea . . .and why so I think this will be the "right answer," has to do with the injectors themselves. Either a.) they are partially clogged and need to be cleaned and reset . . . . which means taking them out of the engine to a shop that does such work, have them clean and repair (if needed) and reset them and then take them back to the boat and reinstall them in the engine . . . . a $50 an injector; or b.) the injector(s) are damaged and need to be replaced at $100-150 and injector. Either a.) or b.) is not an option I want to deal with and hopefully more fooling around with the engine will lead to a less expense option.
That one great thing about sailboat is, by the way, that it has sails and as long as there is wind blowing, there is sailing happening! And there is sailing happening! ! ! ! ! !
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I think that I am beginning to get a small glimmer into God's plan. God is allowing each of the systems on ABISHAG to breakdown so that I have to deal with fixing them. I get to watch and work with people who know what they are doing, or at least no more about such things than do I, and so learn how to deal with the problems that are sure to come up again in the course of time. It is an interesting and effective approach that can also be extremely frustrating, but it will go a long way to making me more independent, which is a part of this whole process. If I ever find the manual fuel pump on the engine, I will consider it a very good day.
When last I left you, was facing "a relatively simple problem" concerning the engine on ABISHAG and its failure to start. Now three days later, the engine still won't start and while the answer to it maybe something "relatively simple," neither Chuck nor Cliff nor I have found out what it is. The filters are clean, there is flow to the injectors, there is fuel in the tank, there is juice in the battery and the engine cranks over just fine . . . . it just won't start. Hmmmmm?
The latest idea . . . well there are two actually, is there somewhere in the fuel line, probably in a bend somewhere there is a pile of sludge, gunk or whatever you want to call the remains of the micro-organisms that live in the barrier between water and diesel fuel, which have been killed off by the bio-cide. This allows some fuel to pass through the lines and to the injectors but not enough, nor under enough pressure, to induce a good spray pattern in the cylinders and so they won't and don't fire. This petroleum phlegm has to be sucked, blown or flushed out of the fuel lines so the fuel pump gets all the fuel to the injectors they need.
The second, and more expensive idea . . .and why so I think this will be the "right answer," has to do with the injectors themselves. Either a.) they are partially clogged and need to be cleaned and reset . . . . which means taking them out of the engine to a shop that does such work, have them clean and repair (if needed) and reset them and then take them back to the boat and reinstall them in the engine . . . . a $50 an injector; or b.) the injector(s) are damaged and need to be replaced at $100-150 and injector. Either a.) or b.) is not an option I want to deal with and hopefully more fooling around with the engine will lead to a less expense option.
That one great thing about sailboat is, by the way, that it has sails and as long as there is wind blowing, there is sailing happening! And there is sailing happening! ! ! ! ! !
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I think that I am beginning to get a small glimmer into God's plan. God is allowing each of the systems on ABISHAG to breakdown so that I have to deal with fixing them. I get to watch and work with people who know what they are doing, or at least no more about such things than do I, and so learn how to deal with the problems that are sure to come up again in the course of time. It is an interesting and effective approach that can also be extremely frustrating, but it will go a long way to making me more independent, which is a part of this whole process. If I ever find the manual fuel pump on the engine, I will consider it a very good day.
Monday, August 17, 2009
On It Goes! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
The cutting and rebuilding of the mainsail was completed on Friday and after hauling it down to ABISHAG I tried to run it up the mast, "tried" being the operative word. The new luff tape (the tape surrounds a cord that fits into a groove that runs up the length of the furler behind the mast) seemed almost too large from the luff groove. It was a very tight fit. I actually had to lube the luff groove so that the luff tape could "slide easily" - a relative and very optimistic review of the event. In truth, it took a warm body, Kevin from the sail loft, a lot of dry lube, a lot of winch cranking, lots of pulling and a rather fair amount of words said under one's breath to get the sail fully raised. Once it was, however, it was a thing of beauty. Even better, if furled and unfurled easily, with not snags, folds, bunches, jamming or binding. The 7 inches removed from the hollow made all the difference in the world. Kevin the pro didn't think all that highly of the FACNOR furling system. In his opinion, it was badly designed and built. He suspected that the installation was not done nearly as well as it needed to be and that the maintenance on it has been rather lacking since it went into place. Why does that not surprise me! Still, it works, it does what it is supposed to do and I am in no position to replace it, so we keep it.
Saturday dawned foggy but with the prospect of the fog burning off and the wind filling in and so it was a day for sailing. The fog did burn off and the wind did fill in, though it remained rather light. I got off the mooring and head down toward Stonington. It is a nice easy sail and there seemed to be a lot of boats down that way. I was doing about 4 knots on a reach and I got to play with the sails, trying to balance the boat . . . steering without touching the wheel or engaging the wind stirring system. It may not sound like it but it actually is a lot of fun experimenting like this. Actually, it is very helpful and necessary learning like this as there will come a time, and that time always comes, when being able to balance the boat will make it safer in bad weather, high seas and strong winds. At the very least, it makes it easier to control and handle the boat.
There seemed to be more boats out on Saturday. The weather has been so crappy that even those who had been holding back appeared to have splashed their boat and had taken them out just to enjoy the weather.
About 5 pm, I head back up the Thames River toward the mooring of TYC. The wind was very light now and against the flow of the river, I was making about 2 knots. Off the New London Ledge light, deciding against a slow sail up river, I kicked on the engine and furled the sails. One they we all furled and the lines were coiled, I sat down behind the wheel, put the boat and gear and motored up river . . . for about 5 minutes when the engine just quit! Died! Shut down like someone had turned the key. I cranked it a couple of times and then realized that I was at the mouth of the Thames River and there were lots of boats everywhere and I was adrift! I bounced up and raised the mainsail and kept moving upriver under main and under control, but in a small pickle. Moving about 1 knot, I could, if the wind kept up from the same quarter and kept at this slow speed, grab my mooring under sail, but I hadn't down so since I owned this boat. I got an insurance flash! and it wasn't pleasant.
As I proceeded up river, I got my phone and called the tea of Cliff & Chuck, the volunteer maintenance members of TYC. They love to work on things that concern boats. As luck would have it, it was "Member Day" at TYC and a cookout was scheduled on the beach and both Cliff and Chuck were there. Cliff got motored out to ABISHAG and helped me moor successfully, but neither was available to help at that moment beyond some speculations to the problem. They both voted on "fuel" - 1.) there was none; 2.) it had water in it; 3.) it was contaminated and had clogged the filters, stopping the flow. In any event, it would be a "relatively simple problem to remedy!" In my experience, it is not a phrase that take much comfort in!!!!
The cutting and rebuilding of the mainsail was completed on Friday and after hauling it down to ABISHAG I tried to run it up the mast, "tried" being the operative word. The new luff tape (the tape surrounds a cord that fits into a groove that runs up the length of the furler behind the mast) seemed almost too large from the luff groove. It was a very tight fit. I actually had to lube the luff groove so that the luff tape could "slide easily" - a relative and very optimistic review of the event. In truth, it took a warm body, Kevin from the sail loft, a lot of dry lube, a lot of winch cranking, lots of pulling and a rather fair amount of words said under one's breath to get the sail fully raised. Once it was, however, it was a thing of beauty. Even better, if furled and unfurled easily, with not snags, folds, bunches, jamming or binding. The 7 inches removed from the hollow made all the difference in the world. Kevin the pro didn't think all that highly of the FACNOR furling system. In his opinion, it was badly designed and built. He suspected that the installation was not done nearly as well as it needed to be and that the maintenance on it has been rather lacking since it went into place. Why does that not surprise me! Still, it works, it does what it is supposed to do and I am in no position to replace it, so we keep it.
Saturday dawned foggy but with the prospect of the fog burning off and the wind filling in and so it was a day for sailing. The fog did burn off and the wind did fill in, though it remained rather light. I got off the mooring and head down toward Stonington. It is a nice easy sail and there seemed to be a lot of boats down that way. I was doing about 4 knots on a reach and I got to play with the sails, trying to balance the boat . . . steering without touching the wheel or engaging the wind stirring system. It may not sound like it but it actually is a lot of fun experimenting like this. Actually, it is very helpful and necessary learning like this as there will come a time, and that time always comes, when being able to balance the boat will make it safer in bad weather, high seas and strong winds. At the very least, it makes it easier to control and handle the boat.
There seemed to be more boats out on Saturday. The weather has been so crappy that even those who had been holding back appeared to have splashed their boat and had taken them out just to enjoy the weather.
About 5 pm, I head back up the Thames River toward the mooring of TYC. The wind was very light now and against the flow of the river, I was making about 2 knots. Off the New London Ledge light, deciding against a slow sail up river, I kicked on the engine and furled the sails. One they we all furled and the lines were coiled, I sat down behind the wheel, put the boat and gear and motored up river . . . for about 5 minutes when the engine just quit! Died! Shut down like someone had turned the key. I cranked it a couple of times and then realized that I was at the mouth of the Thames River and there were lots of boats everywhere and I was adrift! I bounced up and raised the mainsail and kept moving upriver under main and under control, but in a small pickle. Moving about 1 knot, I could, if the wind kept up from the same quarter and kept at this slow speed, grab my mooring under sail, but I hadn't down so since I owned this boat. I got an insurance flash! and it wasn't pleasant.
As I proceeded up river, I got my phone and called the tea of Cliff & Chuck, the volunteer maintenance members of TYC. They love to work on things that concern boats. As luck would have it, it was "Member Day" at TYC and a cookout was scheduled on the beach and both Cliff and Chuck were there. Cliff got motored out to ABISHAG and helped me moor successfully, but neither was available to help at that moment beyond some speculations to the problem. They both voted on "fuel" - 1.) there was none; 2.) it had water in it; 3.) it was contaminated and had clogged the filters, stopping the flow. In any event, it would be a "relatively simple problem to remedy!" In my experience, it is not a phrase that take much comfort in!!!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
SCOTTY, I NEED MORE POWER! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
I have more power now as the new inverter/charger has been install and it even works! It is a very impressive looking piece of high tech nautical electrical gear as it hums and blinks and turns 12volt DC into 120 volt AC. The old one weighed three times as much and got deep-sixed into the recycling bind at the yacht club. All in all, it was .75 of One Marine Unit well spent.
On to the windlass. It doesn't work, at least not electrically. In the manual mode it goes up and down just fine, but electrically, it is another story. (You can understand why I consider all aspects of electricity magical.) There is power to the switch, power from the switch to the solenoid at the power, power to the foot switch on deck that operated the windlass electrically, but when the switch is depressed nothing happens. Now it could be something as simple as a bad connection between the switch the windlass ( anyone who believes that, stand on your head) because it has been in place for a long time on the bow of the boat and has probably be subjected to the same ongoing , quality maintenance ( or I should say the lack thereof) as all of the other systems on the boat. Since it dose work manually and I can't readily get at the connections to the electrical motor in the windlass without removing it from the anchor-well ( a major removal), I am going to let it stay as is at least for a while as I have bigger electrical fish to fry . . . . the auto-pilot.
Now for some reason, the auto pilot has given up the ghost. There seem to be no juice getting to it. The lights don't blink, it doesn't hum, and it has been in the boat since the boat was built . . . . .31 years ago!!!! True, it did work on the way up from Bridgeport, but when working on the inverter/charger installation, I found by accident that it has taken a sabbatical. Nothing done in the installation project should have affected it, but then the electrics on the boat were done by Lucas Electric, which also handled the electrical systems of British cars and upon whom was bestowed the nickname "Lucas, Prince of Darkness." SO next week, I will take a day and trace the juice and see if it goes where it is supposed to go and hopefully correct the problem which, I pray, will simply be a blown fuse!!!! What are the chance of that?
MASTER"S PERSONAL LOG:
The next few days promise to be wonderful . . .weatherise. I will have the new(old) mainsail ready to go and go I will. It hasn't been much of a summer, so every day is precious. True even when I am working on the boat, doing maintenance of whatever, it is wonderful, but it is nice to be able to go. It is not the destination that is important, it is simply the going. The peacefulness of scudding along with no sound but the wind and the water is impossible to express to someone who has never experienced it. It is a quenching tonic for all that ails one and it is something of which i can not get enough. I am planning to do a lot of quaffing over the next few days! ! ! ! !
I have more power now as the new inverter/charger has been install and it even works! It is a very impressive looking piece of high tech nautical electrical gear as it hums and blinks and turns 12volt DC into 120 volt AC. The old one weighed three times as much and got deep-sixed into the recycling bind at the yacht club. All in all, it was .75 of One Marine Unit well spent.
On to the windlass. It doesn't work, at least not electrically. In the manual mode it goes up and down just fine, but electrically, it is another story. (You can understand why I consider all aspects of electricity magical.) There is power to the switch, power from the switch to the solenoid at the power, power to the foot switch on deck that operated the windlass electrically, but when the switch is depressed nothing happens. Now it could be something as simple as a bad connection between the switch the windlass ( anyone who believes that, stand on your head) because it has been in place for a long time on the bow of the boat and has probably be subjected to the same ongoing , quality maintenance ( or I should say the lack thereof) as all of the other systems on the boat. Since it dose work manually and I can't readily get at the connections to the electrical motor in the windlass without removing it from the anchor-well ( a major removal), I am going to let it stay as is at least for a while as I have bigger electrical fish to fry . . . . the auto-pilot.
Now for some reason, the auto pilot has given up the ghost. There seem to be no juice getting to it. The lights don't blink, it doesn't hum, and it has been in the boat since the boat was built . . . . .31 years ago!!!! True, it did work on the way up from Bridgeport, but when working on the inverter/charger installation, I found by accident that it has taken a sabbatical. Nothing done in the installation project should have affected it, but then the electrics on the boat were done by Lucas Electric, which also handled the electrical systems of British cars and upon whom was bestowed the nickname "Lucas, Prince of Darkness." SO next week, I will take a day and trace the juice and see if it goes where it is supposed to go and hopefully correct the problem which, I pray, will simply be a blown fuse!!!! What are the chance of that?
MASTER"S PERSONAL LOG:
The next few days promise to be wonderful . . .weatherise. I will have the new(old) mainsail ready to go and go I will. It hasn't been much of a summer, so every day is precious. True even when I am working on the boat, doing maintenance of whatever, it is wonderful, but it is nice to be able to go. It is not the destination that is important, it is simply the going. The peacefulness of scudding along with no sound but the wind and the water is impossible to express to someone who has never experienced it. It is a quenching tonic for all that ails one and it is something of which i can not get enough. I am planning to do a lot of quaffing over the next few days! ! ! ! !
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Jib & Jigger
SHIP'S LOG:
There is a unique way to sail a ketch. It is called sailing on "jib & jigger." Basically you sail using the jib and the mizzen, leaving the main furled . . . a good thing in my case as the main hasn't been repaired yet. It is a little slower, obviously, for the simple reason you don't have as much sail area up but not all that much. On of the reasons for the ketch design is to split the sail area among the three sail (jib, main & mizzen) to make it easier to handle and it does. It also means that the sails are rather close in size, not as much as say a schooner, but still close. It was a different experience!
One of the things that had to be constantly thought about was the running backstays on the mizzen. Usually, a mast is held in place by a minimum of four shrouds - fore, stern, port & starboard. ABISHAG's mainmast actually has 8 shrouds. The Mizzen mast has four, two shrouds both to port and starboard. However, when pushing it, it is also advisable to engage the "running back stays", two movable shrouds that are attached to the very top of mizzen mast. You are supposed to tighten the "windward" shroud and loosen the "leeward" shroud to keep that mast straight. The harder the wind, the hard you tighten. You can't just keep them tight all the time as the boom swings to leeward and would be restricted by the leeward shroud if it were tight. This means then that after each tack, one of the first things you do is to tighten the weather(windward) running backstay and loosen the leeward back stay. It can keep you busy, at least momentarily.
Strangely, the previous owner hard made the process more complicated than it need to be.There is a cam cleat in the cockpit for each running back stay control line which allows you to engage and disengage the appropriate backstay as the situation warrants. For some reason, the previous owner had installed new running backstay blocks at the stern of the boat that included integral cam cleats meaning that to disengage a control line, I had to not only disengage it in the cockpit but go also to the stern of the boat and disengage it there as well. It didn't make a lot of sense, especially for someone whose sails by themselves, so I removed the stern cam cleats from the blocks. It made the sailing process a whole lot easier and will encourage more use of the mizzen when I finish repairing the main. More sail combinations means better sailing and I am all for that.
Back at the mooring, I made contact with Ombudsman Cliff fisher. Pretty much anything that needs fixing on a boat he can do. He is going to help me switch out the old inverter/charger. It should not be a difficult task it is just that I still view electricity and all things connecting with it as something akin to magic. It is nice to have someone helping who actually knows what they are doing.
I also filed of the spurs in the track of the aluminum extrusion that holds the mainsail and which is part of the furling system. These developed when someone tried to open up the extrusion to allow easier inserting the mainsail luff into it. Unfortunately, they tend to damage the luff of the sail ( the side that goes up the mast) and this would eventually cause the sail to fail. Since "reducing the hallow" involved removing the old luff and creating a new one, avoiding damage to it can only be a good thing.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
We must be due for snow or something! Three, no four days of sailing in a row . . .it must be a fluk of somekind. But I will take it. The weather doen't look good for today but such is life. ABISHAG is getting more and more to be home and that's the best thing.
There is a unique way to sail a ketch. It is called sailing on "jib & jigger." Basically you sail using the jib and the mizzen, leaving the main furled . . . a good thing in my case as the main hasn't been repaired yet. It is a little slower, obviously, for the simple reason you don't have as much sail area up but not all that much. On of the reasons for the ketch design is to split the sail area among the three sail (jib, main & mizzen) to make it easier to handle and it does. It also means that the sails are rather close in size, not as much as say a schooner, but still close. It was a different experience!
One of the things that had to be constantly thought about was the running backstays on the mizzen. Usually, a mast is held in place by a minimum of four shrouds - fore, stern, port & starboard. ABISHAG's mainmast actually has 8 shrouds. The Mizzen mast has four, two shrouds both to port and starboard. However, when pushing it, it is also advisable to engage the "running back stays", two movable shrouds that are attached to the very top of mizzen mast. You are supposed to tighten the "windward" shroud and loosen the "leeward" shroud to keep that mast straight. The harder the wind, the hard you tighten. You can't just keep them tight all the time as the boom swings to leeward and would be restricted by the leeward shroud if it were tight. This means then that after each tack, one of the first things you do is to tighten the weather(windward) running backstay and loosen the leeward back stay. It can keep you busy, at least momentarily.
Strangely, the previous owner hard made the process more complicated than it need to be.There is a cam cleat in the cockpit for each running back stay control line which allows you to engage and disengage the appropriate backstay as the situation warrants. For some reason, the previous owner had installed new running backstay blocks at the stern of the boat that included integral cam cleats meaning that to disengage a control line, I had to not only disengage it in the cockpit but go also to the stern of the boat and disengage it there as well. It didn't make a lot of sense, especially for someone whose sails by themselves, so I removed the stern cam cleats from the blocks. It made the sailing process a whole lot easier and will encourage more use of the mizzen when I finish repairing the main. More sail combinations means better sailing and I am all for that.
Back at the mooring, I made contact with Ombudsman Cliff fisher. Pretty much anything that needs fixing on a boat he can do. He is going to help me switch out the old inverter/charger. It should not be a difficult task it is just that I still view electricity and all things connecting with it as something akin to magic. It is nice to have someone helping who actually knows what they are doing.
I also filed of the spurs in the track of the aluminum extrusion that holds the mainsail and which is part of the furling system. These developed when someone tried to open up the extrusion to allow easier inserting the mainsail luff into it. Unfortunately, they tend to damage the luff of the sail ( the side that goes up the mast) and this would eventually cause the sail to fail. Since "reducing the hallow" involved removing the old luff and creating a new one, avoiding damage to it can only be a good thing.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
We must be due for snow or something! Three, no four days of sailing in a row . . .it must be a fluk of somekind. But I will take it. The weather doen't look good for today but such is life. ABISHAG is getting more and more to be home and that's the best thing.
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