cleaning the bottom

Amidst the end-of-the-school year obligations I was able to clean the bottom. The last time the bottom of the boat saw a scrubbie or a magic eraser was around the end of last August. It was pretty nasty. I think Redwing was actually rooting for the Detroit Redwings because it grew a healthy playoff beard during hockey season.

To clean the bottom I use a combination of green scrub pad (3M), Magic Eraser (any brand), and an abrasive sponge (it has a rough plastic-ish netting over regular sponge).

I jump in the water (put out the swim ladder first), and start at the bow, port side first. It's easy to lose your place, particularly if the bottom is just a little slimy so I like to mark my progress by cleaning from the water line to the bottom. I also use my toes on the side of the hull, especially deep down on the side of the keel, to feel where the hull is still icky. It's difficult to swim down to the keel, find the slimy spot, and clean it all on one breath of air.

This time it was extremely dirty. It was also interesting to find that where the jack stand pads held the boat up (in the boatyard) I developed a significant number of very small barnacles. I guess that second coat makes the difference. Supposedly the yard moves the jack stands to get at the missing spot, but apparently they only do one coat before launch.

I also had a whole bunch of barnacles on the folding prop, to the point where I couldn't fold it up. A little action with the scraper took care of that. Now they open and shut nice and smooth.

I also had a Hunt for Red October moment. While I was working next to the boat I could hear the beautiful sounds of the Grateful Dead through the hull: "I think I hear singing, sir."

A before/after:

home

Here's a copy of the NOAA chart for Redwing's home. We sail out of Sampwam's Creek, just west of the bridge, north of Babylon Cove. In fact, on the chart, the dock is right under the "w" of Sampwam's.

We're engaged!

Allison said yes!

registration

The boat is finally legally mine. I mean, I made the last payment to the Previous Owner a long time ago, but because of (insert excuse here) I wasn't ever able to get to DMV to register the boat. (Yes, all of last season I sailed with no registration.)

Sailing without the boat registered in my name is stupid and un-seaman-like.

But now I feel a lot better. When I left DMV I was actually surprised how relieved I was. It only costs about $25/year to keep a boat registered in NY State (probably the cheapest part of the whole ownership experience so far), and you register for three-year chunks.

However, I had to pay the sales tax on the purchase of the boat, and that didn't feel too good. I bought the boat for about a third of what it should have cost, so I did make out like a bandit, but laying down that Tax for the Man hurts a bit.

(I say this all despite the fact that I am in favor of Very High Taxes: fix the bridges; keep the schools safe and clean; clean those streets, walls, bridges, subway cars, parks, and plazas; more money for GAO projects; and so on, you get the idea.)

8. Racing on Ceol na Mara

After a long time since my last sail I was finally able to get back out on the water for a Thursday night race on Uncle Jack's boat. It was a great night. It was a reunion of Redwing's race crew: Jack, John H (of Whitecap), and I. We also had Harry M (of Full Circle). I have a lot of respect for Harry, but have never sailed with him, so that was a good experience.

And Allison came out for her first race ever, and though she didn't fall in love with it she didn't hate it. And she came away with a new look at a different kind of sailing. We have seen two races while we were out cruising - last year's Bud Cup, the unofficial McMillan race, and the Louis Orr Memorial Race - and from afar, you know, it just looks like a parade. Being in it was very interesting for her. She said there was a lot of yelling (not berating or scolding) and even more incomprehensible jargon.

It was also a celebration of Jack's 50th birthday. So after the race we all split a bottle of champagne and then got together at our usual spot on the dock by Karma and had some fried chicken and brownies. All the fellas sang Happy Birthday to Jack. I left around 10, but the plan was for Jack and gang to go out for a midnight, moonlight sail. We did this a few years ago for Kevin's birthday. That was more of a spontaneous, "hey look at that moon, we should go back out for a sail" and that night was, partly for its weather (clear, cool, with a fat, full moon) and partly for its spontaneity and partly for the company, a magical night.

There were other reasons for celebration, too, but we'll come to that in a bit...

finally fixed

I finished fixing the engine and it runs great!

reassembly, then disassembly

What an idiot!

In my last post I actually wrote these sentences: "I installed the new studs (all in their proper places: lifting eye and thermostat) and tightened them down to 35 pounds. Using the torque wrench is pretty easy."

Only half of that is true. Using the torque wrench is pretty easy.

I was using a torque wrench (the only one I could find at my local Sears) that measured torque in foot inches. A foot inch is 1/12 of a foot pound. The torque wrench I was using was called a MicroTork. Micro as in small. So when I thought I was applying 35 pounds of pressure, I was actually applying 35 inches of pressure, or about 3 pounds of pressure.

In my defense, I didn't even know they made torque wrenches in two different measurements, so I wouldn't have even looked. And even if I had, I'm certain I would never have been able to figure out the math. I'm not kidding, either, I can barely figure out a tip on a restaurant bill.

I discovered all of these interesting tool nuances like this:

After putting the engine back together it still wouldn't start; I was pretty much back to where I began. I did determine that I had good compression in all four cylinders (indicating that the head gasket was good); that I was getting a good spark to all four plugs (indicating that the coil, wires, rotor, distributor cap, and plugs were all good); and that I was getting fuel to the carburetor. So I assumed it was bad fuel - that the fuel was gelling in the tank, that the sender (in the gas tank) was bad or clogged, or that there was water in the fuel. I was all ready to take the gas tank apart, drain and clean it, and fill it with fresh clean gas.

Then Jack suggested it might be the timing, that the wires weren't in the right position relative to the valves...

So I rotated the wires and sure enough it fired right up. Nice and strong.

Just one problem, though.

The head gasket leaks. Sent water all over the manifold on the port side and all over the bulkhead just aft of the alternator on the starboard. Frickin' annoying. I don't need everything to go right, just ONE thing, just one!

And all I had to do was tighten down the nuts on the studs to the proper torque! So simple. I had sent a boy to do a man's job, or at least, a micro to do a macro's.

All is not lost, though. I went to a Sears today that had grownups working in it, and got the proper tool. Then promptly back to the boat where I stripped out one of the studs! Frickin' annoying. I don't need everything to go right, just ONE thing, just one!

reassembly part two

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that BLING!

Now it's down to the details.

I installed the new studs (all in their proper places: lifting eye and thermostat) and tightened them down to 35 pounds. Using the torque wrench is pretty easy.

Note to self: next time, install the thermostat before you bolt down the thermostat cover.

Note to self: next time, install the lifting eye bracket before you bolt down the lifting eye studs.

Note to self: next time, don't put the manifold studs in until you have the manifold on already, it just won't fit with the studs in place.

Instead of trying to figure out how to tap a tapered pipe plug, only to install a new plug on a clogged, corroded and suspect manifold I decided to buy a new one. They ain't cheap, but they sure are beautiful. The one I got from Moyer Marine was bronze. But we roll with Ford Blue here on Redwing, so I took the trusty can of spray paint out and went to town.

Then I climbed back in the boat, and took it to the rest of the engine. Note the blue streak of paint on the cabin floor. That will be covered by the stairs, but I''na clean it up anyway, just to be ship-shape about it.

All that's left is to install the starter, adjust the alternator, and turn the key.

I swear, if it doesn't start I'm going to make an artificial reef out of it!

reassembly part one

Valve cover: painted, gasket sealant applied to both sides of the gasket, installed on new studs.




Water jacket side plate: painted, gobbed with gasket sealant on the bolt heads and both sides of the gaskets.

I always let the gasket sealant dry before I start to wipe it away, so that is why the studs/bolts look so messy. I find if I try to clean it up while the sealant is wet (same with bedding compound), that I just make a mess. It's much easier to remove when it's all firm and rubbery.


And you can see that I applied my Live.Sail.Die bumper sticker on my trusty R2 unit.

project update: three in one

Last year I was having an overheating problem so I changed the impeller in the water pump, did an acid flush (with vinegar), and then a high pressure flush. I pushed out a whole load of mud and slimy, nasty stuff. It was no wonder the poor thing was overheating. Not much water could have been moving through the water jacket (it's just that, channels inside the block that allow cooling water (GSB water) to pass around the pistons and co before it joins up with the exhaust). Here's a description of that project.

When I did that project I bought a whole bunch of hardware that allowed me to pump in the vinegar (put the water intake into a bucket filled with white vinegar) and attach a garden hose for a high pressure flush. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way I had rigged all the parts, so I bought the kit from Moyer Marine. That long bronze tube sticking out of the side of the engine allows, or will allow, high pressure water (from a hose) to flush the block.

The next cool thing to look for is the addition of the new water jacket side plate bolts. Previously the water jacket side plate (an access plate to the water jacket) was held in by some rusty, old bolts that screwed into the block. Bad system. Unless you like raw water gushing all over the side of your engine. I don't so I added these bolts. They have a backing plate for every two bolts. Pretty sweet system.

And finally, at the top of the picture you can see the two new valves for cylinder 3. After I installed the new valves I adjusted the valve clearances (the gap between the bottom of the valve shaft and the tappet). They were so far out of adjustment I thought I was doing it wrong.

And you can see that I have started installing the studs for the head (the head for the engine, not the head head). These two are for the thermostat.

project update: oil change kit

When I installed the oil change kit I sealed the siphon tube and the hose with Tef-Paste. It never really cured and by the end of one week had collected all sorts of grit and grunge. So I replaced the Tef-Paste with teflon tape. Much neater.