August 29, 2011

It's been a hot week in Sacramento, but I managed to get quite a bit done both in the shop and on the boat, despite more than the usual consumption of cold beer.

After 5 weeks, I'd finally run out of patience with the shop that was supposed to get the old outboard running, so I went by to pick it up and take matters into my own hands. They had said they were able to start it, but to keep it running, they needed to keep pumping fuel using the tank bulb. That indicated a bad diaphragm pump in the carburetor. It also needed a new impeller for the water pump. They wanted another $400 to rebuild the carb and replace the impeller. I didn't want to sink that much cash into an old motor in dubious condition, so I opted to spend $100 on the parts and $30 on a manual. That brought the grand total to just under $200, about my limit on sinking cash into the old motor. I brought the motor into the shop at home, and started tearing it down, even though the manual I had ordered hadn't arrived yet. It was a bit tricky to remove the carburetor, and it was so small it was like working on a watch. I was careful to try not to lose parts and keep them in order so I could get it all back together later. I also took pictures to supplement my feeble memory. Once it was apart, I discovered that the carburetor body had somehow broken and been repaired by gluing it back together with epoxy. Looks pretty Mickey Mouse to me, but one of the guys in the outboard shop said it was about the only way to do it and was OK. No worries about air leaks because the broken section was the mounting flange for the air intake. Replacement carbs are no longer available anyway, so it is what it is. And of course the manual arrived right after I had done things the hard way. The good news was the manual would be extremely helpful in the harder task of getting it all back together and tuning it, and at least I hadn't screwed up anything...yet.

The electrical cable for the autopilot that I had ordered last week arrived more quickly than I had dared hope, and I was able to get new hydraulic hoses made the same day, so I was able to get back out to Circadian to try to finish up the autopilot installation and testing in time to meet the registration deadline for the warranty.

Since it as so hot, work started with the sun and progressively slowed to a stop by 3 in the afternoon, when it became so hot even mad dogs and Englishmen quit.

I was able to connect the new hoses without major problems. I had a couple of leaks initially, which were cured with a new barb fitting for the low pressure return line connection and tightening up an elbow on one of the high pressure connections. Relatively little mess, too.

The next day I focused on completing the electrical wiring using the newly-arrived 10 gauge cable to supply current to the 1/4 hp motor powering the hydraulic pump. With both the electrical and hydraulic connections completed, it was time for the big moment: fire it up and see if everything worked. YES! It lit up and basically seemed to do what it was supposed to. Of course there was still quite a bit of set-up and testing to do both at the dock and moving on the water.

At the dock, I got the steering going again by bleeding it simply by turning the wheel back and forth and doing the same with the autopilot pump using the "power steering" feature. I also timed the full left to full right rudder using the autopilot. It turned out to be considerably slower than specified (12+ seconds vs 6 seconds). That may be partially caused by air remaining in the hydraulic circuit. I'll need to do a more complete bleed when I have a second person aboard to help me. The lock-to-lock time can also be adjusted by changing the pulley sizes on the motor and pump. If it's still slow after re-bleeding the lines, I'll check with Wil at WH autopilots about changing pulleys. The other issue seems to be a fault in one of the potentiometers (pots) in the pilothouse control. It is used to set the autopilot's rudder angle limits electronically. When the pot was adjusted so that the limit was anywhere between about 12 degrees and 30 degrees, the power steering feature failed to work to starboard. 12 degrees isn't enough angle, and at 30 degrees the rudder arm hits the mechanical stops, so I'll have to talk to Wil about this one. Might have to be returned and fixed.

The remaining tests and set-up had to be done moving on the water. I managed to convince my friends and dockmates Ron and Harold to come out and help me the next morning. The first challenge was trying to remember how to cast off the dock lines after having been tied to the dock for so many months.

Once we got over that hurdle, everything went pretty well. The boat ran great and I was able to handle it satisfactorily despite a bit of slop in the steering. The walkie-talkie headsets that I had gotten from Cruising Solutions made communication and coordination between my helmsman and me pushing buttons below easy and effective. The autopilot seemed to find and hold a course fine, and we tried calibrating the fluxgate compass. Despite two tries, however, the fluxgate bearing never seemed to match up right with the ship's magnetic compass. I wasn't very concerned, however, because a) I didn't know if the ship's compass was accurate, and 2) as long as the autopilot holds a set course properly, it doesn't really matter much if the bearing number isn't right as long as I'm pointed in the right direction. Since my crew had their own work to do, I called it good and we brought her back to the dock Having a couple of experienced crew on board made it much easier for me to dock Circadian (for only the second time) without mishap.

Lying awake in my bunk that night, I had a small "Aha!" about what might have caused the problem with the compass bearings. I had been wearing one of the communication headsets while I was bent over close to the fluxgate compass pressing the setting buttons. Could the headset have produced enough of a magnetic field that it would swing the compass off course when that close? A test using the headset and ship's compass the next morning showed me that, indeed it could and indeed it did! So, after I re-bleed the hydraulic lines, we'll just have to go out again and recalibrate everything.

Now that those issues were resolved in my mind, I could put away all the instrumentation and move to other projects. I had been undecided about whether or not I would bother disconnecting the autopilot's pilothouse control and putting it below. (The cable connections were tricky.) I'm sure it is secure in Hidden Harbor, but it didn't come with a cover and I didn't want it perpetually exposed to dirt, dust and sunlight. I came up with a solution that I modestly think was a stroke of genius. My baseball cap not only was a perfect fit, it provided some camouflage so no one would suspect it hides a valuable piece of electronics. Fast, cheap and easy: it doesn't get any better!

As the day heated up, it was time to turn to projects requiring less work and offering more shade. I quickly finished up the cockpit lazarette storage project from last week by adding a length of flat bungee cord secured to a stainless screw eye to hold the storage buckets in place.

I then went below and replaced a bunch of elbow catches on drawers and locker doors that were missing. Although I thought I had purchased more than enough, I ran out before I had added them to all the doors that needed them.

Although it was just approaching noon, it was already so hot I thought it was time to call it a day and head back to the air-conditioned house. Besides, I was burned out and so was the dog. I packed up and headed home with the truck's air conditioning on "High."

August 22, 2011

I continued to focus on the autopilot installation this week, and with a couple of days on Circadian, I was able to make significant progress. Earlier, at home in the shop, I had turned a handful of old synthetic wine corks on the drill press to use as plugs when I disassembled the old hydraulic lines from the original autopilot pump. With clearing skies, it had gotten hot again, and the most interesting scenic on the drive to Hidden Harbor was a group of clouds with unusual mares tails hanging down from their centers.

Once on board, the first order of business was to crawl down into "The Hole" or aft lazarette to remove the old hydraulic pump and plug the lines while hoping not to create a hydraulic fluid spill reminiscent of the Exxon Valdez.

I managed to do it without too much of a mess, since I had my cork stoppers ready and the inside of the hull in the area was covered with layers of rags. Of course most of what did spill ended up right in my lap. With the remnants of the old system cleared out, mounting the new WH Hydraulic PowerPack (1/4 hp motor and hydraulic pump) was pretty straightforward: four SS lag screws in the plywood shelf. Mounting the new controller behind the pump was equally simple. Running the cable between the motor controller and the Heading Electronics Box was accomplished with the usual cursing, crawling and contortions.

At that point it was definitely too hot to continue work in "The Hole," so I took a break and did some minor clean-up and socializing with dockmates. The next morning I tackled the installation of the Rudder Angle Transmitter, dubbed the "RAT" by WH. Having now experienced how tricky it can be to get it right, I can understand. What makes it tough is that the pivot arm on the RAT must remain parallel to the rudder arm in all dimensions and angles of rotation and align with the shaft center marks when the rudder is centered. I'll spare you the details, but to give you an idea of what's involved, the manual includes three pages of text and four diagrams covering just the RAT installation. My particular installation was complicated by the fact that Circadian's rudder arm faces aft rather than the usual forward, and it's angled downward about 20 degrees. It took me at least three attempts, but I finally got it lined up. Wiring it up was comparatively simple, but I won't be sure I've got the directionality (polarity) right until I test it. At this point the autopilot installation had gone as far as it could without additional supplies. I needed heavier cable than I had on hand to handle the 25 amps that the big motor might draw. I ordered it from genuinedealz.com, the same company that supplied the big cable for the windlass installation. Twenty five feet of two conductor #10 tinned marine grade was under $30 (with free shipping) compared to Worst Marine's catalogue price of $3.25 per foot. I also needed to get new hydraulic hoses made to plumb the new pump into the steering system, but that would have to wait until I was back in town.

It was with considerable relief that turned my attention to the less strenuous and more fun project of organizing stowage in the cockpit lazarettes. These had been gutted and turned into engine room access hatches by the P.O. Convenient, but a significant loss of important storage capacity. I wanted to preserve access but still be able to provide easily removable stowage for critical items. I had previously picked up a 30 ft roll of 1 1/2 inch-wide Velcro One Wrap for $20 at Home Depot (compare to WM price of $7 for 3 straps 1 inch wide by less than one foot long) with the idea of using it to secure PFDs to the underside of the lazarette lids. Strong enough to hold them in place, but self-releasing if torn off in a panic. I had also bought a couple of 5 gallon plastic buckets with twist-off air-tight lids at TAP Plastics. One would contain abandon ship gear, the other dry dog food. The idea was to suspend them in the port side lazarette by the handles using carabineers and u-bolts so that they were secure, but easily and quickly removable. It took a couple of hours to install the SS u-bolts (also obtained at Home Depot for half the WM price, and adequate for this non-critical application), but it worked so well that I added a third to hold a smaller bucket for my bbq charcoal supply. I will need to complete the set-up by adding bungee cord around the buckets to keep them from banging around when the boat moves. It all worked out great, with the PFDs now handy, but out of the way, and not interfering with anything. The starboard side lazarette remains open for engine room access. It's where the big old AC generator used to be (see older blogs for the removal saga), and where a small workbench will eventually be built.

Finally, I cleared away a pile of gear that had accumulated in front of the nav station to the left of the helm. Amazingly, at the bottom of the pile I discovered the mysteriously vanished teak steering wheel hub I had made, lost, and remade months ago. Ah well.

I wanted to insert a teak grate over the recessed area at the foot of the nav station, since it was definitely a potential ankle-breaker. And since I had salvaged a suitable (albeit oil-soaked) grate from the aft lazarette, I thought I'd make some measurements so I could reshape it at home later. All that remained was the usual pack-up and clean-up, and I was headed home.

August 15, 2011

Last week I completed the last of the preparations for putting the house on the market, and was able to dedicate two days to work on Circadian. With the house "untouchable," I'll be spending more time on Circadian. In the meantime, things are a bit chaotic because I'm neither here nor there. As every sailor knows, it's OK to stand on the dock or step onto the boat, but you can get into real trouble by standing with one foot on the boat and the other on shore.

I've begun bringing more things for living aboard, but it's a continuing challenge to organize and find the right place for all the stuff since the boat is in the middle of restoration and the aft cabin is stuffed chock-a-block with tools and gear. Because of the sorry state of many of the lockers, drawers and cabinets, I often have to do some refurbishing or modifications before I can use them. Not surprisingly, then, one of my goals for the week was to convert the now-inaccessible drawer under the new v-berth extension into a locker with hinged front so it can be used. Once that was accomplished, I wanted to get started on the installation of the new WH Autopilot, which they say is at least a three-day job.

On one of my trips to the boat, I managed to bring my kayak, which features a clear plastic center section for underwater viewing, down to Circadian. I covered it and secured it in place on the cabin top after rearranging the spare anchor beneath it so it wouldn't foul the genoa sheets.

During one of my days at the house, used the shop to modify the v-berth drawer. First, I cut the drawerfront off the box.

Next, I cut the drawerfront lengthwise so that I would have a lower piece from which to hinge the main section of what would become the door.

I spent about twenty minutes carefully setting up the table saw to cut recesses for the hinges on both pieces of the drawer front cum door. It was time well-spent as the cutting itself was quick as well as perfectly accurate and symmetrical.

I even had some time left to lay on a coat of varnish on both the new locker front and one of the other under-berth drawers that was unfinished. The most painful part of the whole process was having to pay $25 for a pair of stainless steel hinges at Worst Marine, since I didn't have the time to order them elsewhere.

The next morning, I headed to Hidden Harbor to install the newly converted drawer. As usual, it was a nice warm day with some interesting wispy mares tail clouds on the horizon. A bright new sunflower greeted me at the entrance gate when I arrived.

Once onboard, my first step was to screw down the old drawer box to form the new locker space.

Next, I screwed the door made from the drawerfront into place. Once I cover the countersunk screws with teak bungs, it will look great. I also need to add an elbow catch so that the door can't open accidentally. In the meantime, it's ready for use and provides easy access to stowage even with the berth extension in place. Speaking of which, I have given the paper pattern I made last week to an upholsterer to get the new cushions made. It will likely take at least a month, so I'll have to be patient.

With my new locker space completed, I started on the autopilot installation. That is a priority because it must be installed and tested within 30 days from purchase to retain the warranty.

The WH Autopilot consists of several components: the pilothouse controller, used to set and use the autopilot underway, a fluxgate compass to tell the computer the boat's heading, a heading electronics box, which is the main cable junction box, a rudder angle transmitter that tells the computer the actual rudder angle, a 1/4 hp electric motor to power the hydraulic pump, an electronic motor controller, a hydraulic pump that must be plumbed into the existing hydraulic steering, and various cables, valves and fittings to connect all the components.

The first phase of the installation process was determining where each of the key components would be mounted. The locations for some, such as the pilothouse control, the rudder angle transmitter, and the hydraulics, were largely dictated by necessity. Locations for the remaining components were determined by maximum cable lengths, accessibility, protection from weather, and, in the case of the compass, a series of geometrical and magnetic requirements. It was a demanding process that took a lot of measuring, remeasuring, and head-scratching. So, I started with what I thought would be the easiest part: mounting the pilothouse control. I wanted that easily viewed and reached from the helm, and visually contiguous with the other helm instruments if possible. The obvious spot was next to the instrument panel. HOWEVER, because of the limited length of the cable that connected it to the heading electronics box, I wasn't sure if it would be possible, given my options for where the heading electronics box could be located. I was going to have to mount the heading electronics box first, then see how close I could come to getting the pilothouse controller where I wanted it once the cable was connected. The heading electronics box also had to be within the 30 ft cable length of the compass. The compass, in turn, had to be located as close as possible to the boat's center of gravity and at least 30 inches away from any sources of variable magnetic fields, which include everything from radios and the engine to literally the galley sink. I eventually determined that the best compromise for locating the compass was in the corner of one of the lockers under the settee. It was on the boat's centerline, reasonably close to the center of gravity, and away from sources of magnetic influence, with the exception of a bunch of old tin cans of food in the locker that can easily be relocated and replaced with non-ferrous stores. So, now I had to mount the compass and run the cable to the planned location of the heading electronics box to sure it would reach. I had to tear up the saloon and drill a lot of holes to do it, but it was a happy conclusion in the end: the cable was long enough. So, now I could mount the heading electronics box and run the cable to the pilothouse control to see where I would be able to mount that. That too required drilling holes and performing the usual contortions to run the cable. But again, it was a happy result and I was able to mount the pilothouse control right where I wanted it.

Although there is still a lot of work to go before the autopilot installation is complete, I was happy with what I had accomplished. I cleaned up the mess, called it a day and headed back to the house.

August 6, 2011

While my focus was still on the house this past week, I realized that I need to start getting Circadian in shape to be virtually living aboard, since I will be spending minimum time at the house once it's on the market. So I headed down to the Delta with a boatload of stuff. It was a relatively cool morning, so there were occasional patches of wispy low clouds and fog along the way, making for nice Delta scenery.

My punch list for the day included putting the final touches on the propane system for the new cabin heater and getting the new berth extension in place and making a pattern for new cushions, as well as straightening up and cleaning both on and below deck. I decided to tackle the tasks that required me to be on deck first, so I could do them while it was still relatively cool.

My use of silicone sealant last week to form a filler gasket for the propane supply hose where it passed through the vapor-tight fitting worked beautifully, and all I had to to do was snug down the nut to finish it off. I adjusted the regulator plumbing on the propane tank, tightened it all, and that project was complete.

Next, I needed to move and re-secure the anchors I had tied down on the cabin top because they were fouling the genoa sheets and I wanted to be able to secure my kayak there. I rearranged things and got everything secured. The kayak does reduce visibility forward a bit, but because it's relatively narrow, it just means moving around a bit more to survey everything forward. Everything is a comprise. I'm sure I'll continue to make adjustments as things get dialed in with time and experience.

Things were really starting to warm up, so I was glad I could retreat to the shade of the cockpit to cut the notch in the new berth extension so it would fit in place. Not surprisingly, it turned out I also needed to cut a couple off a couple of inches from a supporting cleat and chisel a notch out of a trim board before the extension would lie in place properly. As I had planned, the stowage on one side of the v-berth was still easily accessible, while the other side required lifting up the extension.

With the berth extension in place, I made a paper pattern for new cushions that an upholsterer can use to fabricate them.

By this time it was really getting hot and muggy, so I spent the remainder of the afternoon in and out of the cabin, with the funky air conditioner running, cleaning up the mess from last week, putting things away, and loading the gear I had brought - including the new WH autopilot that arrived during the week. Like the Lighthouse windlass, you can see why it costs what it does. It's massively and ruggedly built (40 lbs!). Unlike the windlass, however, it isn't very pretty. It radiates simple purposefulness and ruggedness. It's functional, not stylish. Just what those Northwest commercial fisherman demand. In order to retain the three-year warranty, though, I must complete installation and testing within 30 days, which will be a bit of a push, since installation is a good 3 full days. Wish me luck!