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.