Clean

Full exterior cleaning, 9/1/2008

Yuck - Toilet Repair

Toilet Repair, 8/30/2008

Our Groco HF toilet stopped working. On Labor Day weekend, of course. The pump plunger would no longer move up or down -- it was stuck, and it didn't matter whether the valve was set to pump water or pump dry.

I figured it needed it needed a rebuild kit, which is considered regular maintenance, but I wasn't sure what kit I needed: the "Master Head" kit, the "Regular Service" kit, or the whole pump assembly. A called Groco (410-712-4242), and they put a tech person on the line right away. He spent a few minutes asking questions, and recommended with certainty that I just needed the regular service kit. Fantastic service!

When we got to Solomons, I disassembled the pump, and the problem was immediately clear: The joker valve was destroyed. And disgusting.

There are a handful of little parts that need to be assembled carefully, but the instructions from Groco were clear, and we had it back together pretty quickly.

Weepy

Cleared weep holes in engine room, 8/16/2008

Bingo! Finally solved a problem that has been driving me crazy for a long time. Since day 1 when we bought this boat, we've had an intermittent problem with water collecting between the two stringers along the starboard side of the engine, and collecting forward.

On some trips, we'd end up with a lot of water there. Other trips, none. Some weeks we'd leave it dry on Sunday night, and return Friday to find water there. Other times, we'd be gone for weeks, and it would be bone dry. Sometimes it tasted salty; other times it didn't. It has been a real puzzle for me to figure out where the water was coming from. But I knew it shouldn't be collecting and stagnating there. Here are pictures of the area I'm referring to:

Starboard side, looking forward: water collects around transducer


Starboard side, looking aft

A few possibilities I considered:

• Engine cooling water leak, possibly through a zinc
• Water pump leak
  
• Sea spray through engine room vents during rough seas
  
• Air conditioning through-hull leak
• Depth transducer through-hull leak

It was not simply an annoyance of having to shop-vac out the water on a regular basis. The water would stagnate and start to smell, and even more importantly, it collected around the fairing block for the depth sounder, and was starting to deteriorate that wood.

Well, I finally crawled down in there to get a good look around. Lo-and-behold: There are weep holes in both the forward- and aft-ends of that area. The forward weep hole runs to the bilge, , and it was completely plugged with debris! I hadn't considered the possibility that the water was running to that spot by design; I had been stuck on the idea that, if water were supposed to be there, it would run aft, not forward. So, it turns out that water from the lazarette under the cockpit area was running through the aft weep hole, and collecting forward. Once I unplugged the forward weep hole, it disappeared into the bilge as it should.

Forward weep hole, drains to bilge

Aft weep hole, below muffler, lets water in from lazarette

There are at least three sources of the water, none of which were possibilities that I had previously considered.

1. Rain water through the cockpit deck hatches
2. Sea spray through the cockpit deck hatches
3. Sea water coming in through our ever-leaking rudder post

That explains both the intermittent nature, and the mix of fresh- and salt-water.

Water through the deck hatches theoretically should drain out the transom. There's a small weep hole in the hatch channels that runs into a tube that goes aft. Unfortunately, those channels collect debris so fast that the hole often plugs, allowing some water into the lazarette. The rudder stuffing box is a work in progress. But now, at least, the water in the engine compartment finally disappears on its own.

As for the depth-sounder fairing block: I made a cardboard mold that fit around it, and filled it with penetrating epoxy, effectively soaking and encasing the entire block in epoxy. It's in good shape now, probably stronger than it ever was.

General Maintenance

General maintenance checks, 8/9/2008

Headed out with Laura today for Michele's birthday, with plans to meet Mark (Brandywine) at Knapps Narrows. Did some general maintenance checks (oil, transmission, fuel filters, batteries), and found the water level in the batteries was low. Added distilled water to each.

Stereo speakers

Stereo Speakers, 6/26/2008

The stereo speakers in the cockpit were shot -- lots of buzzing, not much that sounded like music. They are mounted just above the cockpit step on each side. I found the exact match: Polyplanar MA-4054. I ordered them from Defender.com, and had them ready to install when Chris arrived on Friday. We went straight to the boat, and when we settled in at our anchorage, I swapped out the speakers. Easy job, 4 screws and two wires each; done in 15 minutes, no drilling, no cutting.

Wax, Polish

Waxed Wheelhouse, Polished Bimini Frame, 6/21/2008

Our new bimini for the flybridge is almost ready. While I cleaned and waxed the wheelhouse, Michele cleaned and polished the bimini frame. Not sure who had the harder work; the frame is in somewhat rough shape. It's an aluminum frame, not stainless, so it has some corrosion and pitting. Michele scrubbed it down with Bon Ami, and then polished it with Nevr-Dull. Looks much better, probably as good as we'll get it. Looking forward to the canvas arrival!

Wax, Wood, and Window

Washed, Cleaned, and Waxed Flybridge, Worked on Exterior Wood, Rebedded Port Windshield, 5/31/2008 - 6/1/2008.

Weather was iffy this weekend, so we got busy on some of our remaining tasks. Michele lightly sanded the flybridge steps and the bench on bridge and put a coat of Cetol Light on each. The bench needs one more coat, then all the exterior wood will be done! She also tackled the interior wood in and around the galley (a major taks, since it involved hauling out everything from galley storage areas), as well as the stainless in the stove area. Looks fantastic.

We rebedded the port windshield. That was the last one. No signs of leaks, and they all look great.

I washed, cleaned, and waxed the exterior of the flybridge, using the same 3-step process we used on the hull: wash, 3M Cleaner and Wax, and 3M ultra performance paste wax. Definitely looks much improved, though some of it was in pretty tough shape so I certainly wouldn't call it new looking, even now. Sides of the wheelhouse and the deck are all that's left.

A few other miscellaneous tasks: I cleaned the racor bowl, which was packed with sludge after our Memorial Day trip; I installed a toilet paper holder inside the vanity in the head compartment -- no more ruined rolls of TP when we forget to close the porthole; I also replaced some of the worn-out velcro for our window screens; and finally, I hung our new Weems and Plath "Endurance" clock above the v-berth.

No pictures -- too tired!

Quickie

Rebedded Starboard Windshield,
Recoated Flybridge Steps and Pilothouse Door,
5/11/2008

Michele and I were away most of the weekend, but we squeezed in a couple quick hours of work this afternoon. I worked on removing the starboard windshield glass, while she applied a new coat of Cetol to the flybridge steps and the pilothouse door. We finished reinstalling the glass just before the raindrops started.

It was a cool afternoon, and we found that cleaning out the old caulk was much easier in the cooler temperature. Handling the bedding material was easier as well. That's a good tip to remember.

Windshield Bedding

Rebedded Center Windshield, 5/4/2008

Well, this is a project I had put off for some time because the planning and preparation seemed daunting. Our center windshield has leaked, sometimes badly, since we bought the boat. In the picture on the right, the damage to the lower-right corner of the wood window frame is evident, and there was comparable damage to the other side. I sorted out most of the planning over the winter, so Michele and I decided it was time to tackle the project.

Learning how the glass seals in the frame to prevent water intrusion was the first challenge. Applying caulk around the glass might seem like an obvious fix, but it doesn't hold up. It also makes later repairs more difficult, as we soon found out. The Cape Dory 28 chat board proved very helpful: other owners had already done the job, and provided lots of guidance. The glass sits against a bedding material to seal against water intrusion. An exterior gasket then holds the glass tightly in place against the bedding. In our case, the bedding had dried, cracked, and shrunk over time, so it was no longer providing a seal. In addition, the exterior gasket was brittle and loose.

Finding the right material was the next challenge. Recent reports were that Florida Marine Tanks carried all of it, but they insisted otherwise when I called them. Ultimately, I found the bedding material at Napa Auto parts: 3M "Windo Weld" ribbon sealer. I used the 1/8" by 1/4" size. Other Cape Dory owners used a slightly larger size, but this seemed to match our old sealer almost exactly. I found the exterior gasket, again with the help of another owner on the CapeDory 28 board, at American Marine Products: "TP-139" was right on. It comes in black or white -- we used white, which matched the old gasket.

The picture below shows what we found after removing the exterior gasket and working the glass free from the bedding and frame. Most of the black bedding material was so dry it fell right out. A little remains in the upper right side of the picture. In addition, there was plenty of caulk (also visible), presumably from a prior repair attempt. The caulk filled the frame almost all the way around. It was a real bear to scrape out of the groove where the exterior gasket lip inserts in the frame, and it had to come out or the gasket wouldn't fit right. Without all that caulk, we'd have been done probably in 30 minutes per pane.

Below, the glass is back in the frame. You can see the black, spongy bedding along the top and bottom perimeters. It is extremely sticky, so it was difficult to set the bedding into the frame in a straight line. No matter -- it will be hidden. Once the bedding was in the frame, we gently set the glass into place, and firmly pressed the edges against the bedding. The outer gasket is already in place on the left.

The lower pane is finished. You can see the old exterior gasket in the edge of the upper frame.

We did the upper pane next, so it is complete now as well. The port and starboard panes will be done soon.

Clean and Polished

Restored Wood Finish in V-berth, 5/3/2008

Preparing for our shakedown cruise and first overnight (just in our marina), I did some general exterior cleaning, and attached our new registration stickers. Meanwhile, Michele went to work on the dry, faded interior wood.

She applied Howard Restor-A-Finish (mahogany), followed by Howard Feed-n-Wax. What an incredible job! The wood looks amazing. Before long, we may have all the interior wood restored!