Mechanical Notes Nov. 26, 2005-May, 2006

Generator

Less white smoke this morning, perhaps OK.  Noise increase without muffler not bad ( as muffler cracks leaking water I replaced it yesterday with piece of steel pipe).  Important to note that black exhaust hose near forward end is very cool now, unlike other hose.  Perhaps cleaning carbon out of junction fitting and clean strainer and new impeller all contributing.

Autopilot

Running up Delaware bay, flat calm with current .7 kts off starboard bow.  Boat yawing widely.  Problem solved with Yaw control full on, full clockwise and rudder at 12 o'clock.   Two hrs later AP behaving poorly again.  In orient mode, lights not blinking sometimes now (1200 hrs).  Unless in full yaw mode (clockwise), rudder corrections too rapid, and not consistent with holding correct course.  1800 hrs: sea conditions slight change to 1 ft waves following, doing better with yaw at 3 oclock and rudder at 9.  Oh,oh,problems again.  Next day nov 27, 2005, on Chesapeake, to combat rapid oscillations have yaw at 2;30 and rudder full counter clockwise.  Its been working for 2 hours.

Engine Starting

No problem with stbd engine but needed ether for port.  Once started, it kept stalling.  I released power takeoff and engine idled smoothly.  Note it was below freezing in Cape May and had been for 36 hours so engines quite cold no doubt, even though engine room didn’t appear very cold.  On Sunday, 11/27 both engines started quite well, port needed one brief shot of ether to keep it from stalling (PT not on).

PTO Generator

On 11/27 I upped port rpm from 17.5 to perhaps 18.5 to generate 115 volts compared to less than 110.  Hour later checked engine room to find gen and platform vibrating more than normal.  Topside found rpms over 1900 – backed off to 1800 and it ran smoothly.

Dec. 28, 2005- Removed the single belt and installed v belt pulleys and belts.  Bolts on pulleys supposed to be tightened to 192 inch pounds.  A mechanic told me to divide that by 16 to get foot pounds, so I got 12 ft. lbs. Another mechanic said 12 ft. lbs is very little, about as much effort as you would use to turn a ¼ inch socket drive tight.  So I just snugged them down “pretty good”.

Eng.Hours

Must log them daily to keep track of oil consumption.

Oil Consumption

On long 1600 plus hour run Port Wash to Cape May, both engines took 2 qts next to raise level from low to full marks.  Yesterday (11/26/05) on 10 hrs runtime, neither down off full mark by much.

Power Takeoff December 16, 2005

On shutting down port engine today while trial running the rebuilt engine, Bobby Rowe and I heard a scraping noise at front of engine.  Noise came from inside PT so Bobby took cover plate off (has specs written on it) and asked when I last greased it.  Of course I hadn’t since installed year and a half ago in Mobile.  I greased the four fittings observable (one at 3 o'clock as face engine, is inside a hole in side of PT).  All took grease, especially the one inside the hole which appears to grease the shaft bearing.  Let’s hope it’s OK.  Must grease the PTO regularly – how often?

Fresh Water Tank

Dec. 28, 1005  Beaufort,NC

The two fresh water pumps started up in middle of night, dropped to only one, kept running, and I had to shut it off; tank reads 30%.  Turned pumps on again in morning and did same thing, then last pump shut off.  Maybe just air in lines.  Happened again, had to turn pumps off again.  Tank ¼ full.  I am filling tank now.

Water Maker.  Dec 28, 2005.  Fresh water rinsed for 4 minutes (about time, old guy!)  I will probably have to pickle those tubes, or whatever it is called.

Bilge pump, January 7, 2006

Engine room pump on breaker 48 ran but did not pump.  I used small sump pump to do the job then removed the Par belt pump and replaced it with an old spare (I have another and a spare base as well).  Note it leaks a bit out of hole in base where I removed a bolt that was too long. I may have to steal one off another pump – monitor this leak in case it adversely affects functioning of the pump.  Replacement ran well for 30-60 seconds then popped breaker.  I replaced the motor and breaker still popped.  I changed from breaker 48 to 46 which was a breaker even weaker than 48.  Changed to 50 and pump seemed to run OK but did stop shortly…because float switch turned it off.  I lifted float and pump ran, but I did not leave it on for more than few seconds.

Bilge pump May 30, 2006

Pump broke its belt; replaced it (need to buy spares).  Then pump ran but pumping weakly; I found pickup hose almost clogged, cleaned it and used mosquito netting screen.  Pump would not shut off; switch is on metal plate, removed assembly, cleaned off gook, seems OK now.

Duckworth Steel Boats, Tarpon Springs,Fl Oct 22, 2004

We were so bold as to attempt to run up the narrow shallow channel into Tarpon Springs in the night.  Naturally we got a bit lost and ran aground, but found a fuel dock to tie up to and did the final quarter mile to the shipyard in the morning.  The yard builds and renovates large fishing boats, including the Viking Starships of Montauk Point, LI which brother Richard knows well.  Bert has used Junior Duckworth’s facility for Vagabond for years, and swears by them.  I came here to finish up some tasks Mike Herring of Mobile had begun, and to have a bunch of other tasks performed which required superior design and assembly skills. 

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Spent November and most of December at Duckworth’s.

Replaced original hydraulic anchor chain windlass with a custom made electric.  Bert spec'd the motor and gearing and Duckworth assembled the unit.  The utility of steel was proven once again for they simply took a torch to cut out the deck plate containing the old windlass and welded in place another on which they had mounted the new.  These people proved to be artists in designing and fabricating the rig.

I installed a five-unit air conditioning and heating system engineered by Bert. I placed units in two staterooms, one between galley and pilot house, and two in the saloon.  I am particularly pleased with the one I installed under the settee.  I hollowed out its back and ran the duct through it and on up to vent near the ceiling behind the window curtain. Flagship Marine of Florida built the individual units.  I wired and plumbed the system.  Cold water is pumped via a thru-hull fitting into a heat exchanger and then voided overboard.  Bert being Bert and an engineer, specified a 2 hp swimming pool pump which produces a jet shooting ten or more feet out the side of the boat.  While some gawkers have studied Simba's beefy 30 foot paravane outrigger poles and asked if she were a shrimper, I fully expect that someday when I am running the a/c system a spectator will ask if she is a fire boat.  A second pump forces fresh water to circulate through the system; Duckworth designed and built a steel atmosphere tank.

I wanted two anchors to be ready at all times so Duckworth installed a second anchor rode channel.  I also had them weld an eye on the bow at the waterline to which I attached a 3/8 inch nylon line and chain hook to absorb anchor rode shock.

The starboard engine had been difficult to start from the onset of this adventure a year ago, so I had it overhauled by George Bell, a marvelous mechanic and fine human being.

Gear/Engine Mount Problem Resolved Green Cove Springs

John Brown, the mechanic I used in Riviera Beach to replace the broken mounting plate on the rear of the starboard engine and the marine gear (transmission) , had told me the mounts supporting the rear of the engine and the gear were too short, that they were wrong for this application.  Because they were too short, only one bolt, instead of two, could be used to fasten each support to the engine/gear assembly.  He said there was no way to fix them but would hunt marine flea markets for used mounts and was confident he could find two before long.  In the meantime, he was replacing the old bolts with much stronger grade #8 bolts and assured me one of these through each mount would prove adequate.  However, he said I should check the mounts every 200 hours to make sure they were securely fastened.

After running the engine some 50 hours I noticed the gear and rear of the engine were vibrating more than normal.  I checked the single bolt on the outboard mount and it was tight.  I checked the inboard mount – and found no bolt whatsoever!  It had sheared off from the engine block.  I found the bolt head in the bilge.  So much for mechanic John's supposedly super-strong # 8 bolts!

I had visions of the gear and motor tearing apart once again!  However, I found that by reducing engine revs to 1600 from 1900, I could reduce the vibration dramatically, and that is how we managed to make it west across the Gulf Stream to the Jacksonville area.

 

There, at Green Cove Springs, rather than contacting mechanic John, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I took a hard look at the mounts.  I found they appeared to have been the proper length before the bottom portion had sheared off in the accident.  It seemed to me a welder could either repair the mounts or fabricate replacements, and I just happened to have a man in mind...

The pleasure boat marina at Green Cove Springs consists of one 1500 ft. long concrete and steel pier, formerly used by large navy ships.  In an attempt to make the pier suitable for much smaller pleasure boats, steel and pressurized wood panels with climbing rungs hang down the its sides.  Yachts can now be tied to the panels and boaters can climb up to the pier deck using the rungs.

A man on a Harley named Pat stopped by last week to check whether I wanted my two panels adjusted.  I figured this Harley guy was a marina employee, but introduced myself and chatted him up a bit.  Then this morning, while on my walk, I was passing through a machine shop/steel fabrication area a few piers away, when someone hailed me – it was Pat.  I stopped to talk and learned that Pat, as an outside contractor, had built some twenty of those large docking panels.  His crew had also painted and poured concrete around the dozens of steel pilings supporting the first two piers, to conserve them.  He said they would eventually do the eight others as well.  Pat showed me the steel caissons he had designed and fabricated to facilitate the piling work -- he said he carried these and other designs “in his head”.

I figured this man could easily repair my mounts, or make me new ones, with one hand tied behind his back.  I took one bracket on the bicycle, in the rain, to show him this afternoon.  Bingo!  Pat will fabricate new brackets of steel (the old ones are of brittle cast iron, not flexible like steel, which is why they broke, Pat said.)

So the marine gear/engine mount problem is back in my court now -- whew!   And yes, I still have to extract the portion of the bolt that broke off inside the gear, but that should be mere child's play.   Editor's note: It took a while , but Pat's new brackets were perfectly crafted and fit exactly.  Using 2x4's and a come-a-long windlass, I lifted the engine and gear and fastened them securely to the new mounts --  with TWO very strong bolts through each!  

What, More Problems with the Stbd Marine Gear?! Tues May 16, 2006

Yesterday I spent some time on engine room maintenance, and discovered that the inboard support bracket for the rear of the starboard engine & marine gear (the transmission that was just replaced) has no bolt fastening the gear to it.  Unbelievable!  John Brown, the mechanic, told me the support brackets were not the correct ones and that they were so short that only one bolt could connect the gear to them, rather than two which the proper supports have on the portside gear.  John told me the gear was sufficiently secure while fastened for the time being with single bolts and that he would pick up the correct size brackets providing for two bolts each at one of the mechanical flea markets he regularly attended.  He said that the outboard mount was the more critical of the two and, if I wanted, I might check it every 200 hours or so to make sure its single bolt was secure.  Although we have less than 100 hours on the gear since the repair, I decided to check the bolt.  It was tight.  I decided to check the inboard mount as well. Oops! -- I found NO bolt whatsoever connecting the inboard support mount to the gear!  Looking further, I found the proper size bolt and its spacer bar lying nearby in the bilge.  I tried to replace the bolt but soon determined that there was no way to insert it to connect the two elements as the holes in the mount did not line up with those on the gear.  How strange!

It had crossed my mind that John seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time installing the gear, and I now think he must have labored hard and very long to connect that inboard mount, but without success.  But why didn't he tell me of the problem?  He must have feared I would not pay him if the job was not complete.  And he was right!  And I certainly would not have put to sea.

How sad.  How dangerous!  There was a very real possibility history would repeat itself – that I would again suffer a damaged engine and broken marine gear, again crippling the ship.  And what if this happened in rough seas?  Our very lives could have been at risk.

We are returning to the US now where I will find a different mechanic to put things right finally.  In the meantime, I will run the starboard engine easy and you can bet I will be checking that single, starboard marine gear mount far more frequently than John's recommended 200 hours!

Simba Operating Procedures

PARAVANE DEPLOYMENT

POLES CLEAR OF LINES, FREE TO DROP

BIRDS CLEAR OF LINES AND CABLES & FREE TO DROP OVERBOARD

IS POLE LIFT LINE UNCLEATED AND LOCATED FREE TO RUN?

SLACK BIRD RETRIEVAL LINE

SLACK POLE LIFT LINE AND

PUSH POLE OUT

TAKE IN ON FORWARD POLE GUY TO GREEN MARKER

SNUG AFTER GUY

DROP BIRD IN

PARAVANE RETRIEVAL

RAISE BIRD TO TOP OF POLE

SLACK AFT GUYS TO RED MARKS

BEGIN TO RAISE POLE

RELEASE FOREGUY AND USE TO GUIDE POLE INTO CUP FOLLOWING    

       GUIDANCE FROM POLE HANDLER

CLEAT OFF POLE LIFT LINE SECURELY

LAY BIRD ON ITS SIDE AND TIE TO RAIL OR CLEAT

CLEAT BIRD RETRIEVAL LINE

TIE CHAIN TO REAR DECK RAILING

EDITOR'S NOTE Dec 2010: Welder Jimmie will shortly install bulwark brackets with a pipe to receive a bird's "proboscus".  (No more scratches of deck paint necessary.)

DINGHY STOWING

FREE AND LEAD BOOM AND LIFT LINES ALL WAY TO WINCHES

LIFT LINE FALL UNTANGLED AND CLOSE TO WATER

PORT BOOM GUY BLOCKED, WRAPPED AROUND POLE AND CLEATED

BRING DINGHY ALONGSIDE WITH BOW FACING FORWARD

CHECK BRIDLE KNOTS.  IS IT ABOVE STEERING CONSOLE?

PUT STRAIN ON LIFT LINE

PULL DRAIN PLUG AND STOW ON BOLT

LEAVE DINGHY

LIFT UNTIL EVEN WITH DECK

RAISE BOOM TOPPING LIFT TO 70 DEGREE ANGLE

SLACK PORT BOOM GUY

SWING DINGHY OVER CHOCKS

GET DINGHY BOW LINE AROUND RAIL ASAP

SLACK LIFT LINE

FASTEN BOW TO RAIL WITH BOW LINE

TIE DOWN WITH ONE LINE THRU 4 CHOCK EYEBOLTS

DINGHY LAUNCH FROM PROMENADE DECK

INSERT AND LOCK DRAIN PLUG

RAISE PORT PARAVANE POLE

MOVE PORT POLE AFTERGUY TO STARBOARD QUARTER

RELEASE BOW AND CHOCK TIEDOWN LINES

PLACE BRIDLE ON TOP OF STEERING CONSOLE AND FASTEN TO LIFT FALL

IS LIFT FALL UNTANGLED?

LEAD BOOM AND LIFT LINES ALL THE WAY TO WINCHES

LIFT BOOM TO 70 DEGREES

LEAD PORT BOOM GUY THRU BLOCK, AROUND POLE ONCE, AND CLEAT

LIFT BOAT A FOOT ABOVE CHOCKS

PUSH BOAT TO P0RT WHILE TAKING IN ON BOOM GUY

SECURE GUY

LOWER BOAT UNTIL EVEN WITH DECK

RELEASE LIFT LINE

IS PLUG IN?

SECURE BOW LINE TO SIMBA

BRING BOAT TO SWIM PLATFORM

BEFORE RAISING ANCHOR OR DEPARTING DOCK

CHECK FLUIDS OF TWO ENGINES AND GENSET

SECURE ALL PORTLITES

SECURE FORE AND AFT HATCHES

STARTING NOBELTEC

NOTE A CHANGE IN GENERATORS WILL CRASH COMPUTER

DETERMINE WHICHEVER GENERATOR  WILL BE LONG-RUNNING

START COMPUTER WHEN PROPER GENERATOR IS RUNNING

START NOBELTEC PROGRAM

TURN ON GPS WHEN NOBELTEC RUNNING – IS GREEN GPS LABEL ON?