Two Week Catchup

I know its been a while...just been doing small odds and ends on the boat and around the yard waiting for a good weather window to do the glass work and then install the through hulls.

The hailer is in and working very well. Definitely wont be able to use it to talk to whoever is anchoring the boat. Even on the lowest setting it will blow you off the bow. At lest the talk back will be a welcome addition and I will at least be able to hear what the anchorman is saying.

I also removed the battery trays to give us more room to do the raw water intake conversion and also round over the edges of starboard so we don't have a rerun of a Joey Fingers episode. Also I will be replacing the trays with battery boxes and will install starboard rails around the boxes for added security and to prevent them from sliding.

The outdrive is off and serviced and in fine condition according to the Volvo-Penta dealer. Zincs are in pretty good shape but since they sat out of water for a period of time are now oxidized and will be replaced prior to launch. There is no sense in taking chances with corrosion, they only cost about $30 and well worth the investment on new ones.

This past weekend was more of a social outing than a working weekend. Pretty much everyone on my dock showed up and since we have not seen each other in a few weeks we spent most of the day catching up and at lunch.

I did however finish putting the headliner back up and all the electronics hangers. Only items left on the interior task list left are a thorough cleaning, shelf/hanger for ditch bag, replace and relocate interior stereo speakers, and install a cup holder for the captain.

Who Said Mondays Suck

I received great news today from Sea Sport. After speaking with Sea Sport about the coring and hull/liner gap and wetness issue I can put it past me and move on with repairs. Since the coring is not wet and only slight wetness between the liner and hull I should be in good shape. The coring is devinicell, which is a huge relief. The wetness is probably due to sweat. The gap between the liner and hull they also said is not an issue. I can either cut the liner back or fill in between it as I would fill in the removed coring with thick cell and bore through solid glass.

Now all we need is a few days above 35 degrees and we can kick this project into high gear and get ready to go back in the water in time for the winter flounder opener...assuming they don't change the date on us.

Hosed Again

The new valve and full flow 90 degree elbow came today. Only problem is that I did not realize when I placed the order that the 90 has a 1" hose barb on it. My current hose to the wash down pump is 3/4" ID. I just checked the old fitting and it is a reducing fitting from 1" pipe to 3/4" hose.

I checked the online catalog and Groco does not make a 90 for a 3/4" valve to 3/4" ID hose so I am stuck with the 1" hose barb. I will probably end up running 1" hose to the strainer and then off the strainer 3/4" to the pump. If not I will see if the pump will accommodate 1" hose. There is always something to throw your plans off kilter.

Getting to the Core of the Situation

I had every intention of boring a large hole in the bottom of the boat and installing a new raw water pickup today. Right up until we were halfway through the bottom. That was when I realized the hull is cored. That was not the worst part of the discovery...the coring was dry and not wood, it was some type of foam. But the material between the hull and the deck liner was wet.

At this point we decided to remove the existing through hull for the wash down pump and inspect that hole and the area around it due to the wetness between the hull and liner. While it is not conclusive it is possible that the wetness between the liner could be from this through hull.

Now that the coring back about 1.5" from the holes has been removed I will let it dry for the next week and then fill the void and holes with chopped glass and epoxy resin and then re-bore the holes through solid glass to eliminate the possibility of water intrusion into the coring.

The thing that has me worried though is the gap between the hull and the liner, it was at least 3/8", maybe more, I did not measure. I have to contact Sea Sport to find out if that is normal or if some sort of delamination has occurred. I also want to find out the layup schedule knowing that the hull is cored. And if they recommend drilling a larger hole through the liner to allow the backing block to contact the hull directly.

It also was probably a good idea to remove the existing through hull as it was quite lose and the valve that was originally installed was of poor material. The through hull was a Perko model and after polishing it up with a wire wheel to remove paint, growth and sealant, it seemed to be in fine condition. The threads on the valve however had no bronze left showing at all so later today I will order a new Groco valve.

The Groco valves seem to be of good quality, I know many boat mechanics that like them and no surveyors that dislike them. The nice feature on them is that you can remove a set screw and install it on the other side to have the handle open and close in the opposite direction. Which can be extremely helpful in a tight engine room or cramped compartment.

I also mapped out some of my existing wiring in plans to re-route some of it. The end result will have the bilge pumps and primary start battery functions combined. Right now there is an always on bus bar, wash down pump and cockpit power point also connected to the start battery. These will all be re-wired to the house battery, I will also be installing an automatic charge relay. Once that is all done the batteries will also be replaced prior to spring launch.

On a high note, I did finish testing the GPS to sonar NMEA wiring and have been able to pause the sonar screen, point to a location, create a way point and navigate back to it on the GPS. This is going to greatly improve getting back on structure, bait and fish this season. Especially when you pass over something at high speeds, being able to pause the screen point to it and then navigate to it is going to be awesome.

It's the Little Things

It is amazing how many little things you can find to do on a boat. I started making a list of repairs I need to make and improvements or upgrades I also want to do. I think I need to transfer my list to adding machine tape! I still have a long list of little things to get down...new rod holders, cup holders, binocular rack, hang the ditch bag, replace the batteries and all the other spring maintenance.

I did find a real ingenious invention that will probably work really well for cup holders but is a bit pricey. I saw a product called Sea Suckers at the boat show in NY this week. They have two size suction cups that use a vacuum pump to adhere to the surface. This will probably work really well for a pliers and knife rack as well as mounting the fillet table to the transom cap instead of burning a rod holder for it.

One repair I was all set to do until I realized I had the wrong size hose was to replace the bow deck drain hoses. They are currently not smooth bore hoses, very thin plastic an leaking around the fittings despite the hose clamps being tight. I have not removed them yet but suspect that the thin plastic hose is cracked.

I did get the external VHF speaker connected up and working as well as the CO2 alarm. I also installed a cooler tie-down system on the swim platform to get the cooler off the deck and provide more fishing space.

To top the day off I worked on the NMEA cables from the GPS to the sonar. I now have the data flowing in both directions and have the ability to pause the sonar screen put the pointer over a bait ball or good concentration of fish and have the GPS navigate back to it or mark a way point for that particular piece of bottom. This will also be very helpful in setting up on a wreck or piece of bottom, once I figure out how to do it. My initial testing was not successful.

Happy New Year!

Just want to wish everyone a happy, healthy new year!