Been awhile, and a few (actually many) bucks

Since I returned to work, I haven't posted. But it's not just having less time. 

It was really because I was having engine overheating problems each time out. So I tried a few things. Cleaned out the strainer. Checked impeller. And replaced the thermostat. Still had white "smoke" and what seemed like spotty water discharge. 

I contacted a mechanic, Jeff. His first visit was promising. He had a Flir thermal imaging laser thermometer and saw that the heat exchanger needed help. He removed the whole thing, and gave all the pieces a citric acid bath. That bath ended up being a week long because Jeff kept ordering the wrong replacement gaskets from my local Yanmar dealer, Svendsen's. 

Jeff says the issue is that the main chandlery brought up the schematics for the wrong engine. I told him to go to Dave, the Yanmar expert. But Dave is on the wholesale side. Dave called me twice to tell him what he thought I needed. But since Jeff bought the parts, I wanted to go in with him for the exchange. So we had to wait until I worked from home this past Friday, and got it all sorted.

Jeff worked 6 hours total, which ain't cheap. But he replaced the exchanger, and a few hoses. And now we have good water flow and revving the engine for 15 minutes he didn't get any white smok or heat. So hopefully I'm all set and can get out on the Bay again soon. Well, that is, after Halloween, and my Coastal classes Nov 1, 8, and 9. 

An air headed dinghy

Got a new inflatable dinghy yesterday and got it pumped up today and out on the estuary. It's 8' 10" with an air floor. Light enough that I can lift it from the water to the dock and probably to my boat's deck without a winch. And the 5 hp outboard got it to plane with just me on board no problem. I need to get a couple cable locks to secure it whether I keep the dinghy and motor on the dock or up on the upper deck. 

I also enjoyed the view of Hideaway from the water. Here are a couple photos. 

Best sail yet

Yesterday, Uncle Thom and I went out with just us. Motoring out of the estuary, there was little white smoke so I wasn't at all concerned. We did, however, get a temperature alarm midway in the estuary after pausing the diesel to 3,000 rpm or a tad more. We talked about pulling the sensor today to make sure it's not just a bad one. But after some online research, it turns out that this Yanmar's sweet spot is 2,400 rpm with a suggested max of 2,700 rpm. I do still think I'm not getting all that out of the 3GM30F and need to do more work on it, but at least I know I'm getting it close to its limit before it overheats. Need to figure out the inline mechanical temp Gaige soon so I can better monitor what's going on down there before I spend hundreds on mechanic fees to pull the mixing elbow or head.

Well, anyway, I labeled this post best sail yet, and it was. I've had a lot of great fun and great company on the boat so far. But yesterday, it was about sailing and exploring. We close hauled from the mouth of the estuary toward McCovey Cove then tacked twice until we got a course that brought us by my office at Pier 9. I texted a coworker to say wave to us, which she did. She texted, "Are you the boat leaning over?" I responded, "Yes, it's 26 knots out here!" 

Then we headed past Alacatraz and to the windward side of Angel Island before falling off toward the leeward side of the island. The winds, while strong for the day and especially in the Slot, were favorable directionally to us. We rounded the East side of the island and headed to what Thom calls "Hospital Cove" but is officially called Ayala Cove. We saw a number of porpoises in that vicinity, which was cool. Then we put the eninge on briefly so that we could sail in with a bit of back up safety to check out the cove. There are a number of slips and then many mooring buoys. If we choose a day to leave early enough to get there in the morning of a weekend or during a weekday, we might get a slip. But more likely, we'd need a dinghy and I need practice mooring to enjoy the cove for lunch or to hike the island. Apparently you need to moor bow and stern which is a requirement in other very busy coves in CA like Avalon Bay at Catalina. 

Here are some photos from our 6 hour sail.

John, the mechanic

Today I had a friend's mechanic over to Hideaway to check out the Yanmar. Since the white smoke is a relatively new symptom, I wanted to check things out with an experienced pro. Thom said I was making too big a deal out of it, and maybe I was. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. 

John came out at 10:30 and y 11:30 we were shaking hands. We ran the engine in neutral and under load in both forward and reverse. I got her up to 2500 RPMs for several minutes and no white smoke. Of course. His diagnosis was that it was probably algae or some condensation in the fuel tank when I added more a month ago. Basically same thing that Thom had said. 

But John checked out all fittings, hoses and gave me some suggestions on maintenance, including greasing the prop shaft stuffing box and nuts, and wire brushing any corrosion and spraying with rust inhibitor. 

He also gave me a much better understanding of what it takes to install oil pressure and temp gauges. Not much to it assuming I can get the right parts. Those being T valves and a vapor bulb thermometer with a temp gauge, and and oil pressure gauge, both mechanical not electrical.

Photos below are what these parts need to connect to.

ASA 103

Things I learned and practiced in ASA 103 yesterday. More to come next weekend.

ANCHORING

Need: Right Location, Good Depth, and Good Bottom

Determine 7:1 ratio factoring in freeboard + water depth + tidal change

Motor into the wind slowly and bring to a stop.

Then as you begin to reverse very slowly, shout to anchor deploying crew to deploy anchor.

Have them let out anchor chain and rode to desired length then bring to a stop or even move forward slightly so they have slack to clear off the rode.

Then into reverse very slowly to challenge or set the anchor.

Once set, challenge in reverse further for 1 minute at low RPMs but above idle.

Once complete cut engine.

Deploy Sentinel by carabiner clip to rode, and holding bitter end release to depth that is enough to be below boat's keel.

Open a beer. 

MAN OVERBOARD PRACTICE

Reinforced that the proper technique is to Point, Assign a Spotter, Move to a Beam Reach, Go 8-10 Boat Lengths, Tack Back Toward Victim (keeping victim on windward side), Reduce Sails to Slow, Head Up to Victim and Reduce Sails Completely, Pull in Victim.

USING THE HEAD

Tradewinds uses only fresh water to flush, which requires some extra steps. We can use a gallon jug of water in the head to make this easier.

Keep valve turned toward Holding Tank.

Before using the head add fresh water to bowl.

Do not dispose of paper in bowl. Throw them away in plastic garbage bag.

Flush on Dry setting because we do not want to use saltwater to flush.

Respect the tug

I've learned to respect tug boats. Not only because they're working vessels and therefore have right of way status over us. 

They aren't enormous vessels, but they have tons of power. Those screws move water with so much torque that two times I've been impressed and intimidated by them.

The first we passed astern of one that was turning a large container ship in the estuary's widest spot. It pushed our sailboat almost completely sideways around 15 feet in a blink of an eye, putting us closer to shore and the dry dock for the repair yard than I would've liked. 

The second was last weekend. We were sailing back down the estuary by the lee and wing on wing. That point of sail is already the trickiest, trying to maintain correct position of the wind to not accidentally jibe. Well going by a tub on the starboard side, I expected once again to be slid to the port laterally. But no. His prop wash pushed our bow first to port causing that dreaded jibe. Unprepared for it, I was glad our boom is above head level and that the wind was light so we didn't bust any gear. It was a little embarrassing since I didn't call the move. But we weren't any worse for the wear so I chalke it up to learning. 

Tugs need to be respected. And a little distance is a good idea.

Feeling a little dinghy

No sailing but I got a little outboard and tried it with the small fiberglass dinghy at Thom's house. Worked pretty well. I even brought my dog along and she settled into it after awhile. The only problem is that a motored dinghy has to be registered so I'm debating buying an inexpensive inflatable. For now here are some doggie dinghy photos. 

A great day on the Bay

Yesterday, we took out another family. A good friend of my daughter, her parents, and her sister. The father and I have talked about sailing a lot. He's been through the full ASA certifications series, and at the most notable sailing school around here. I say notable because the instructors have also been called the "sailing nazis." So, in all honesty, I was a little intimidated to have him aboard. I love finding people who share the interest and like to get out myself whenever we can. But I was a little worried about looking foolish for not knowing enough and still buying a boat. 

Well, now I'm kicking myself for not inviting them sooner. Both husband and wife are Kiwis, and they have the typical fun and chill personalities of the Kiwis I've met before. The kids are both nice and get along with my daughter well. 

And most importantly, he had some suggestions and tips, but wasn't at all pushy about it. In fact, I told him to feel free to offer ideas, and he said he was interested in learning about my particular boat's set up. I operated the wheel most of the day, and he took some turns. He was likeminded about resting the sails and ensuring the easiest ride for the three kids 11 and under. 

We sailed the Bay just South of the Bay Bridge, and had no particular destination. The dad, Mike, noted that he enjoyed just sailing where the wind worked out best for us since before he's beat into the wind just to make it to points of interest but it wasn't always the most fun sailing. He was also highly complimentary of my boat. That sounds like vanity on my part to hear it, but he mentioned that when we first talked about my boat I had emphasized it was a 1977 vessel and needed work, so he thought I had an ugly tub. It just reinforced my own opinion that you don't have to buy a $100K newer boat to enjoy nearly all the same things. 

After returning to dock, we kept the nautical theme going by having dinner at Quinn's Lighthouse, a local place on the water with its own marina. The have a nicer dining room downstairs but we and the kids always prefer the bar and grill upstairs where you toss peanut shells on the ground and if you're lucky you get a great view from one of the outside deck tables. 

All in all, one of my favorite days on the water so far and more to come. 

A little water

Our speed gauge hasn't been working so today I pulled the paddle wheel thru hull. Previously, the only water I've let into the boat was when we pulled the raw water intake. That pipe is less than 50% as big as this one and the water volume was modest. This one has a cap that unscrews and then you pull the cylinder out. That caused quite a gusher. Luckily the bung for this an exact copy of the functioning unit and slid right in. So it wasn't all that much water in the end but still surprising and a little unsettling to see dirty water pumping in. I should've taken some photos of the debris, seaweed and mud on the paddle wheel. I cleaned it with a brush until it spun freely. Then replaced the thru hull, oriented the arrow on the housing to parallel to the keel, and slipped the safety wire over the unit which acts as fail safe (it wasn't on there when I started this project).  

Screwing around

Today was essentially a goof off day. I mean I did a couple things at the boat, but they were strictly for fun. First, I finished the whipping on my steering wheel. I varnished it with clear coat to add durability. Hope it comes out ok. But if not, the cordage was three rolls of clothes line from the dollar store. 

I also figured out how to hang the travel hammock I got. The straps are meant to protect a tree trunk so I figured they'd be good for my roller furling jib stay. The only issue was that when just high enough for me to step over the hammock, my butt dragged a bit. So I shortened the tethers and was able to just barely get into the hammock. I think I need to cinch it shorter still and hang it lower then. 

I brought my boat buddy, Ginger, who was content to rest most of the time. Except when I went below for a lunch break. Then she was right up to check me out.

Spare parts inventory

I conducted an inventory of all my spare parts, and have both a list with the part numbers I was able to find as well as photos of those parts for my reference. I also have a shopping list for what I think I still need.

2 fuel filters

2 Fram oil filters of a larger size Dudley had on there PH3593A (1 is a little rusty)

1 Yanmar oil filter smaller size 119305-35151 (appears to be same fit as the frams)

2 Stens oil filters I bought which are smaller 120-137 (appears to be same fit as the frams)

1 Racor Parker 2 micron filter 2010SM-OR or T800-344-3286 or T209-521-7860

2 prop nut set with two nuts, cotter pin and key NS750

1 Perko prop zinc 3/4"

1 Racor rubber gasket or O ring 15211

2 impeller cover gaskets / raw pump gaskets 124223-42110

1 Unidentified gasket says non-abs Genuine Yanmar 128350-49541

1 Stuffing box wrap and lubricant 

1 V belt Mitsubishi remf-6370 

NEED:

1 fuel filter rubber O ring

1 more impeller and gasket

1 alternator belt

1 air filter

2 injector seat rings

1 injector

1 head gasket set

1 Intake and exhaust valve and springs

Bilge pump fixed

Yesterday I discovered that my Whale Gusher 10 manual bilge pump diaphragm was torn. So today I visited West Marine to pick up a service kit and replaced it on the boat in less than 10 minutes. Good as new. The kit came with more parts than the diaphragm so I just saved those in case anything else goes sideways. I had two $10 dividend coupons from my West Marine membership so I used those and saved about 40% of the service kit, which seemed overpriced for what it is--as is typically the case with all boat parts!

The diaphragm and the manual pump itself seem mission critical so I went ahead and ordered another service kit to have on hand. I'm actually doing an inventory of all spare parts I have and will order an extra for anything important for which I only have a single spare. 

Phew

I went to the boat today to check out the white smoke issue we had last time out. 

I decided I want to change the coolant and change the oil because even if not needed, it's good practice for me.

I also wanted to take photos of all the systems so that I can confirm with our local Yanmar dealer that I have all the sores I need and get anything I don't have.

The coolant replacement was no easy. First I located the clear house coming from the fresh water system, and turned its butterfly valve. But nothing. Not a drop. I finally located another clear house so just had to try its valve. Only that valve was basically underneath the coolant reservoir and extremely inconvenient. Not able to un-tighten it by hand I had to also get a wrench in there which I finally managed with the tiny wrench I have. 

So I was able to get the coolant out. It was of course clean sonreally he whole thing was unnecessary but at least I know he process for removing and refilling it. 

I ran the diesel for 10 minutes after doing the coolant and great news! No white smoke/steam. So could have been that the key was not all the way on so I got an alarm, and the white steam that morning was due to humidity not a mechanical problem. Phew.

I also discovered that the manual bulge pump's diaphragm was cracked so I removed it and just ordered a service kit which will take several days to arrive. 

Tomorrow I'll do an oil change. Slightly more intimidating since the pump is electric and has to be connected to the battery. And the dipstick is very inconveniently located just like the nut for the coolant. 

Full day with the fellas

I've been needing to get more time on the water and behind the wheel. Last Sunday, I took my wife's uncle, our nephew, his dad, and a buddy of mine out into the SF Bay for around 5 1/2 hours. A nice day for it and only modest gusts even in "the slot" North of the Bay Bridge. It takes nearly 45 minutes to motor out of the estuary, and underway we had some white steam coming out of the aft exhaust. The two more senior sailors said it was possible it was just atmospheric conditions causing a bit of moisture condensation from the exhaust. But I was more concerned it signaled something more real. About 15 minutes underway, we had an alarm sound off, so I shut down the diesel and my nephew and I headed to put up sails so we'd have control over the boat, while uncle and nephew's dad went below to check out the yanmar for any noticeable issues. The alert had been low pressure. Temp on the engine itself was low. They wiggled a couple connectors and didn't see any blatant leakage issues. After sitting while, the engine behaved again we sailed in the Bay for a few hours. She fired back up again no problem after we returned under sail into the estuary. No weird noise and no alarms, but still with the white "smoke" which most online forums agree is steam. 

So when we get back from vacation, I need to run through the systems. First up is the cooling system and exhaust. I'll check the impeller which I've already replaced once so I really hope that's not it (although it's a pretty easy fix). Then I'll look at the strainer for any clogs. And then the mixing elbow which is something I've not attempted yet. Then I'll change the oil and replace the coolant which the local chandlery spec'ed the right fluids for me. Then I may get courageous and remove the injector to check it, as well as as the head gasket. I'm on sabbatical for 6 weeks, so no rush other than I'd rather be sailing than fixing stuff--although fixing and learning systems when I have time off is much easier than stressing about getting things done in a few free hours each weekend.

Well, at least for now I can share the good photos of the guys day sail last Sunday.