Refinish Unfinished

Refinished Swim Platform, Washed & Waxed Hull, 4/19/2008

On Saturday, Michele nearly completed her work on the swim platform. It's looking terrific -- a stunning difference compared to how it looked earlier. After sanding it to bare wood earlier this spring, she put two coats of Cetol Light on it over the past two days. Unfortunately, we're stymied by the weather again: rain for the next three days. I'll try to get out there on Wednesday and get another coat on before launch.

We also cleaned and waxed the hull. Topsides can be done when the boat is in the water, but the hull really needs to be done pre-launch. I had hoped it would be a simple, quick wash and wax this year, but it needed a bit more than that to bring back the shine:

1. Washed thoroughly with mild boat soap and water, using a soft brush and a terry-cloth pad.
2. Applied 3M Cleaner and Wax, working it in with a 6" random-orbital machine and terry-cloth bonnet, first going back and forth, then up and down. Wiped off the remaining light haze with a clean cloth.
3. Waxed with 3M Ultra-Performance Paste Wax, applied by hand, and buffed with the random-orbital machine and terry-cloth bonnet. In a few spots where rain water runs down the hull leaving black streaks, we used some Starbrite Teflon over the wax, in hopes that it would help prevent the streaking (or at least make it easier to clean).
4. A quick buffing pass over the entire surface with a lambswool bonnet. This goes super fast, and really helps bring out the shine.
   

Bottom Job

Bottom Paint, 4/18/2008

A very damp, cool, spring left us feeling anxious about getting the exterior work finished, so Michele and I took Friday off from work to get started. The weather was beautiful, and we both muttered a bit about how it nice it would be to have the work done already and be out on the bay.

We made short work of removing the shrink wrap, and then started in on the real work. I donned a painter's suit, mask, and gloves to tackle the bottom paint, while Michele continued her work on the swim platform.

I used exactly 1 gallon of West Marine PCA Gold, which was enough for a full bottom coat plus an extra pass at the waterline. Last time, we had the marina use Micron Extra, but the West Marine brand was substantially less expensive, so we gave it a try. A nice suprise: the marina responded promptly when Michele asked if they'd move the stands for us. They took care of it within minutes, and we were able to paint the spots where the boat had been sitting on them.

In the meantime, Michele put the first coat of Cetol Light on the swim platform. It looks great already! Pictures to come later, when the last coat is done.

...And Wait...

Grrr... STILL waiting for clear weather. Is it too much to ask to have a few clear days and nights above 50 degrees, so I can bottom paint? I feel like I'm back in Seattle!

Hurry Up and Wait

Impeller, 3/22/2008

Despite the cool weather, I prepped for bottom painting today. The dock water was still not turned on at the marina, but I filled a bucket and scrubbed the bottom with a stiff deck brush to scuff it up and remove any residual slime and growth. I taped off the water line, so I'm ready to paint as soon as the weather is clear. Tomorrow's forecast looks good, so I'm hoping to finish this weekend.

I also replaced the water pump impeller today. Some people recommend doing it every year. Volvo says an impeller is good for 500 hours. I hadn't changed ours yet since we bought the boat in 2006, and I had no idea when it was done last (not to mention a little mishap last summer). So, either way, it was time.

My main concern was that it would be difficult to remove the old impeller. It wouldn't budge at first, but I cranked the engine for a second or two to get it turning, and after that, I pulled it out fairly easily by grabbing vanes on each side with channel lock pliers. It wasn't in very good shape: there were a couple pieces broken off and sitting free in the water pump housing. Very glad I changed it out. I put a little dish soap on the new one, and it slid into place fairly easily. I had one fairly serious issue, though. When replacing the cover, I stripped one of the machine screw holes in the housing. I was being gentle, I swear, but a mild turn of the wrench stripped it out. I'll need to tap it for a new screw.

Note: For our Volvo TAMD40B, the impeller part number I ordered is #875736, from Marine Parts Express. Despite their claim that it would be a genuine Volvo part, the impeller had a Jabsco stamp on it. Hmm.

More Brightwork

Swim Platform, 3/15/2008

Finally we got some weather that is clear and warm enough to start some exterior work! The water is still not yet turned on at the marina, but Michele and I spent most of the day there anyway.

We started the brightwork last fall, but left the swim platform for spring. While I took care of some inside work, Michele took the palm sander to the platform. My tasks included finishing off the water pump installation, which went fairly quickly, and coating the fairing block for the depth transducer with penetrating epoxy. The paint had worn off the block, and water collecting in that area had subsequently starting deteriorating the wood.

Once I finished inside, I helped out with some of the swim platform sanding. Michele really did 90% of it, and she did a great job, too. It was in rough shape: badly flaking and weather-worn gray. It is supposed to rain today (Sunday), so the rest will have to wait.

Next Saturday, we hope to do the bottom paint and put the first coat of Cetol Light on the platform. With luck, we'll get that done in one day. Then we can return on Sunday to apply another coat or two of Cetol to the platform, remove the shrinkwrap, and wax the hull. That will complete our pre-launch work!

Maintenance and...upgrades!

Rudder Stuffing Box, Seacock Maintenance, Battery Charger Outlet, Potable Water Pump, 3/8/2008

On Saturday, I started tackling some pre-launch maintenance. Most of those tasks have to wait for warmer temperatures, though, so in the meantime I'm working on a few upgrades as well.

Maintenance items:

Tightened the rudder stuffing box. I repacked it last year, but never adjusted it after some use. We continually had a small amount of water collecting in that area, so I got out the packing nut wrenches and tightened the stuffing box. It was pretty loose, so I hope this will take care of the water ingress.

Greased engine intake seacock. My understanding is that Spartan seacocks don't really need yearly disassembly despite Spartan's recommendation. But, our engine seacock was really getting difficult to move, so I took it apart again this year and regreased it. The head intake seacock seems to be fine.

Upgrades:

AC outlet. On Saturday, I finished installing a new outlet under the port bench. I put in a new GFCI outlet using the existing wiring for the outlet on the outside of the bench, and then wired it to feed the old outlet downstream. This will allow us to plug in the battery charger inside the bench, and at the same time, protect the existing outlet with a GFCI.

Potable water pump. Our old water pump cycles incessantly when we run the water, provides weak pressure, and is very loud. Modern pumps, like our new Jabsco Sensor-Max 14, allegedly are quieter and have continuous pressure switches that prevent on-off cycling. This was by no means an urgent upgrade, but I hope it will eliminate a minor but frequent annoyance. Unfortunately, it's also a difficult upgrade due mainly to the difficult to reach location of the pump (down low on the forward bulkhead in the engine compartment). I nearly completed the installation, but I broke one of the Qest plumbing fittings while reassembling. I'll have to complete the job next time.

Getting Ready

I've been slacking lately when it comes to posting updates here. With boating season almost upon us, soon I'll no doubt have more to say, more often.

I'm eagerly awaiting spring launch, which is scheduled for the week of April 1. There are several mandatory pre-launch maintenance tasks that are causing me a bit of anxiety, however, so we're likely to be delayed a couple weeks. Not that it matters, we were ready to go in on April 1 last year, but the yard didn't get to us until April 20 anyway.

"Must-do" pre-launch maintenance work on the agenda:

• Refinish swim platform
• Bottom paint
• Wash and wax hull
• Grease seacock for engine-intake
• Tighten rudder stuffing box
• Epoxy/paint fairing block for depth sounder

Connections

GPS/VHF Wiring, 2/9/2008

I installed new electronics last spring, but to date had not yet completed the wiring for the GPS. That means our DSC capability for the radio wasn't complete. We could make an automated digital distress call, but it would not include our coordinates. That would certainly complicate a search and rescue should we ever be unfortunate enough to need it.

On Saturday, I finally finished off the wiring. The instructions for the Standard Horizon radio indicate three connections: data in(+), data in(-), and data out. The GPS instructions only indicated data in and data out (no polarity on the data out). Standard Horizon tech support was very helpful, and advised me to make connections as follows:

VHF blue (in+) to GPS blue (out)
VHF gray (out) to GPS yellow (in)
VHF green (in-) to ground

I ran a power/data cable for the GPS to both helms, and joined them at the lower helm. From there, I ran the red and black wires to the switch and ground bus, and the signal cables to a new 4-post block. I then ran a length of signal wire up to the radio, and attached it to a quick connect so that I can easily disconnect the radio when I want to remove it from the boat. The worst part of this project was handling the very fine signal wires, which are difficult to strip and separate without cutting them.

Looking forward to trying out a ship-to-ship DSC call this summer!

Isolated

Galvanic Isolator, 2/9/2008

As I mentioned earlier, one of my planned projects was installing a galvanic isolator. This was recommended, but not required, by both our surveyor and BoatU.S.

Although Mariner II wasn't showing any serious problems with corrosion, zinc loss during the summer is difficult to address, as it involves diving under the boat (which I did once this past year). Diving under to replace a zinc isn't that bad as long as the sea nettles aren't there keeping me company, but usually they are. A galvanic isolator should, minimally, slow our zinc loss enough so that it can be replaced once per year, during winter haulout.

I considered several brands, including Guest, Yandina, and ProMariner. Ultimately, I installed the ProSafe 30, without a monitoring system. ABYC recommends that galvanic isolators be self-tested and monitored to ensure that the AC ground wire is uninterrupted. The isolator alone does not meet this recommendation, but thousands have been installed this way without problems long before ABYC made their recommendation. Since the monitoring system costs more than the isolator itself and complicates installation considerably, I opted to skip it for now. The ProSafe 30 does allow me to add the monitor later, but for now I will just plan to test it routinely (spring and fall) with a diode tester. The test is easy: with shorepower disconnected, attach one lead of a multimeter (in "diode test" setting) to each side of the isolator and get a reading. Switch, and test again. Both readings should be the same (within 10%), and both between approximately .7 and 1.5 volts.

On our boat, the isolator fit nicely in the starboard storage area below the helm. I was able to simply cut the ground wire, attach insulated ring terminals, and connect them.

Updates

I spent most of yesterday doing some work on the boat, so I'll have some updates shortly. In the meantime, a long-overdue update on the Jabsco oil-change pump issue: I received a replacement unit, free of charge, in 2-3 weeks as promised by Jabsco. Outstanding customer service -- no hassle, no question, they stood behind their product.

More on boat maintenance to come soon...