I Cant Take The Strain

[yachtsmanbill]

Old black beauty, my 2000 silverado, let me down. She ate fuel pump #5; so my bride drove me down to the boat and she went shopping. Since I only had about 5 hours to work, I only tackled some measurements and some odds and ends.
The packing gland hose size is suppose to be 3-1/2". I used my dial caliper on the gland and the pipe and found it to be 3-3/8" (?) 3.385 (with paint) and 3.430 on the bronze gland. Also the OEM hose was 3 or 4 ply vs. 8-10 ply that Mike had mentioned, plus. mea culpa, no wire in it. The gland showed signs of mis-alignment (duh) so I can see having a non wire hose there. Ya think 3-1/2" will squeeze that far?
I scraped and washed all the bronze stuff and then used Brians(?) suggestion about dunking it in muriatic. DEFINITELY do that outside. The shit smoked up a storm! Choke,choke! The water was off at the yard so I grabbed a bucket of water out of the river to rinse the parts with. My fingers are still numb! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

As we used to say, acid f--ks up your jeans, and it does a number on yer chromosones LOL. Seems to work good on the bronze stuff tho... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Comments on the 3 AND 4 ply hose? 3-3/8" seems like a bastard size to me. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

ARGHHH !! The strain caught up. This is how the intake hose came off the stariner outlet. It was piped direct to the seacock. Scraped the parts and wahed them too. A little rub on the old wire wheel and this stuff is gonna look like new! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

I was a little concerned after washing the sight glass off the 2500 Groco sea stariner. The plastic is pretty crazed. Any comments on that? When running, its under vacuum, but when off... After theyre re-mounted, they'll be above the water line, but is that a reason for everyone else to shut the cox when they leave the boat??? Anyone ever had a glass failure?
The pic was shot with sunlight on the glass to show the crazing. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

I get to admire my collection (almost complete) of 2-1/2"NPT fittings for the strainer job as Alex appears after a hard day of shopping on Black Saturday! She made me drive home too! ws

[Finalee]

Bill you are doing some amazing stuff.

[yachtsmanbill]

Ah yer just hosin' me! Did you get that 10 ply Buck-Algonquin hose in 3-3/8 or 3-1/2? I'd hate to get it together and have the S-O-G leak on me! I found the T bolts for $7.75 ea. Is that fair? ws

[Brian Degulis]

Now Bill I figured a tuff guy like you would just fill up a pail with muriatic and just hold the part in the acid with your hand untill the bubbles stopped ?

Hunt down the heavy ply stuffing box hose I've seen the ordinary hose fail from torque. It's such a pain to change get the right stuff. Try Buck Alqonquin or Sams it's hard to find but necassary.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

HA HA !! At first my cuticles turned black and about an hour ago my nails started to fall off. Actually once they were done boiling (the parts) I pulled them out with a brazing rod and rinsed them in fresh water but there was all this white slimy shit inside that needed to be brushed clean with a paint brush in the water bucket. That part also took care of a lot of the grease imbedded in the castings.
That stuff really stings when you get it in a cut, but my naills are really killin' me !!!!! EEYYAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!
The B/A site was down yesterday so I'll try again Monday. I was surprised at the 3-4 ply stuff with the torsional strain on it. Will the 3-1/2" clamp down that far?
Fingers are ok but the fumes are BRUTAL ! ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Thoughts:
1) Use the 3 1/2" hose. I think it should squeeze down fine.
2) Don't worry about the crazing on the site glass. Most of them look like that. We just never get them clean enough to notice.
3) You can't make a sub drive twice. Don't sweat it.

[DCMY #92]

Sorry to cast a discouraging word in the midst of all this careful (and painful) work, but from the photo it looks like the new 2 1/2" pipe nipples (and maybe the street ells) may be brass. If so, they will not hold up and you may find them suddenly breaking off one day. If they are bronze you are OK. I'm not sure about the SS fittings in seawater service.

[Brian Degulis]

The Stuffing box hose is very thick with no wire so if you can't get the 3 3/8" I would think if you use the T bolt clamps it should work but you really need to try it to be sure. You can try rubber and hose distributors for the right size there are some non wire heavy wall reinforced fuel hoses that will work just fine.

Brian

[mike]

Ah yer just hosin' me! Did you get that 10 ply Buck-Algonquin hose in 3-3/8 or 3-1/2? I'd hate to get it together and have the S-O-G leak on me! I found the T bolts for $7.75 ea. Is that fair? ws


Bill,

I gave you some bum advise on the number of plys, the log-hose on my old units was 5 ply; (just re-looked at the old hose i save everything for just this reason). Also remeasured the old 2" id shaft logs and they are 3-1/2" od at the hose end. The Buck-Algonquin hose is on page 82 of their PDF catalog, it is listed as 5 ply; 3" & 3-1/2" hose, but no 3-1/4". SAMS may have the hose as well. Sorry for the bad info.

[yachtsmanbill]

Sorry to cast a discouraging word in the midst of all this careful (and painful) work, but from the photo it looks like the new 2 1/2" pipe nipples (and maybe the street ells) may be brass. If so, they will not hold up and you may find them suddenly breaking off one day. If they are bronze you are OK. I'm not sure about the SS fittings in seawater service.


As far as I can tell they are bronze and the brass nipples are identical to the OEM parts. When this stuff was put together in '74, they hung the whole system in brass on the seacock. Thats a lot of weight hanging on a nipple not to mention strain. With the new mounting location, I will be able to visually inspect them at will plus the strain will be a thing of the past with the units being connected at both ends by hose.
The SS stuff is all sch.80 and its used in chemical and food plants here. If it lasts only 20 years then its survivis emptor ! Theres a fellow member here thats using the same fittings in sea water service. Maybe he'll pipe up and give us a service report. Hmm. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

I think in the a.m. while trudging over to the DD parts place for the correct flywheel bolts, , I'll stop at Berry Bearing where I get my hose and talk to my sales guy. I'd like to add that the 5 ply stuff should be cut out of the kind of hose that comes in straight lengths. The OEM stuff came off a roll and consequently, the gland was never aligned on the centerline of the assembly. Bubba mustve cut this stuff AFTER lunch. LOL It was cut with a hacksaw with a bent blade!
FWIW Sky... that hose was the condensate drain from the PH! I'm not sure if I mentioned that previously!
Today was a blistering 29 and WINDY, so we shrink wrapped the cockpit. It aint perfect, but its enough to keep the weather out. All it cost was propane. ws

[Nick]

I have the same nipples in sea water service for 4 years. I replaced the intake piping because the strainers were hung on the seacock and the layout was lousy. The gear cooler has what appears to be an original brass nipple that I could not easily remove and it is still in good shape. The piping is bonded. I have not seen bronze nipples in any of the marine supply houses. The raw water piping on the 671s also appears to be brass and is original. Other than a pinhole leak that was caused by bracket abrasion, no leaks or structural failures. The boat and engines are 1979 vintage.

[yachtsmanbill]

Well KALO NIKTA !!
Now I can sleep tonite. I think a major cause of brass failure (cast) in sea water service is poor bonding. That causes the lead and copper to burn out of the brass and leave a cintered (real weak) casting. The only pipe failure Ive seen is from vibration / strain.
I'll feel better when these puppies are re-mounted and accessable. ws

[Boss Lady]

Bill, my sight glasses were crazed as well. Paul tracked down new plastic, gaskets and stainless baskets for mine. If you can't find them, I am sure he can get them for you.

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks for that Chris... I priced new glasses at $150 ea and the gasket set
(4 pcs at) at about $22.00 . I think after closer scrutiny that the glass is serviceable, and no doubt I can whip out a set of gaskets in a sec...
I just recieved a catalogue from an outfit in Nova Scotia that handles NICE heavy duty stuff for the fishing boats and high end stuff for trans world trawlers. They sent me a nice 320 page cat. I havent checked their website but its stright-mackay.com Always good to have ANOTHER source for these antiques. They also handle those stupid square drive screws in SS... ws

[J's Dream]

I am replacing my seacocks, nipples, etc next week. Mine are all 3" fittings, and no where at all is there a BRONZE 3" nipple that I have found. Hatteras used brass, Lewis Marine only sells brass, and thats what I'll have to put in there again. I can't see it being a problem, as long as it's properly bonded.

Jason

[yachtsmanbill]

I'm disgusted and need more feedback...
After spending the better part of today driving around to various hose suppliers, I find that the 3-1/2" ID stuffing box hose is a bastard size. 3 or 4 inch only except for one and thats hydraulic hose with wire and will not compress.
I called SAMS and the parts guy in FtL has it in the blue silicone at
$30.60 / ft. Thats fine as it will do both sides. This is 200psi hose and 5 ply. Is this what I need? Buck Algonquin site is down "under construction" so now I am in the dark, again! SEND HELP ! Also, any good places for the T bolts clamps, once I figure out the CORRECT hose O.D.? ws

[Boatsb]

Amazon hose in Orlando. They are a wholesaler. if they will not sell to you I can go and get it on my business account.

Toll-free: 800-340-0229

http://www.amazonhose.com/default.asp

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks Scott! I went through their entire list and only found 3-1/2 exhaust hose which I am affraid will be too stiff to clamp down to the 3-3/8 I need.
I would bite the bullet on the blue stuff if the guys here say its servicible for the stern tube. Yikes! Is it EVER easy??? ws

[drburke]

I think you have a solution, but for the record, there are many places to get the silicone hose, which is actually pretty pliable. See turbohose dot com, siliconehoses dot com, sporthoses dot com, or even ebay. They orient toward the racers and Mil spec market, and often have all stainless T-clamps (unsure of marine rating, though). Typically hose is 3 or 4 ply and good up to 10 bar. I also see at least one place selling 3.380".

Mostly I post the above so you know you are not out of options, and also to point out that since you have a problem with blue, that other colors are available: black, red, green, purple, yellow, orange. That should help with your interior decorating scheme issues. :-)

DAN

[Boatsb]

Bill call and see if they have the right size just not in the catalog. Always worth a try.

[yachtsmanbill]

I had to throw out the binders! SCREEEEECH! I'm gonna hold off until someone TELLS me what they've used and works. I have nothing at all against pi$$ing away money, its generally fun, but I DO NOT want to have to pull that coupling off again! At least not in this life, especially for a dry stuffing box that leaks at the hose connection. What a bummer. I'd be back on the gas pipe with closed windows!
To re-iterate my quandry, the tube is actually 3-3/8" and the gland is
3.840" ( 3-27/32' or just over 3-13/16").
I need to find a happy medium that will squeeze down and if I actually got
3-3/8 it might (probably) not stretch up.
I'm almost ready to make a bushing for the pipe and glue it on. There is enough meat on the gland to turn it down also. I am not trying to be anal about it, but I'd really hate to see a leaker. I dont think the blue hose kid knew what I was talking about, but it would compliment the nice clean bilge... teal maybe?
This is probably a result of too many years doing this stuff at the power plant! ARRGGHHHHH. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

NOW the plot thickens... too damn much brain fartin' going on! Those measurements were 3-3/8 X 3.480 not 840 ! Thats only .020 under a half which is ok, but that skinny end bugs me.
I did a search on ebay and found a plethora of 4 ply silicone hose at 3-1/2 but so far its all 3" long and of course I need 6 or 7". I need a nitro tab! ws

[ThirdHatt]

BE CAREFUL ordering "blue hose" over the internet! I have an account with Byfield (Lewis Marine) and ordered some 5" for my 31' CC. It showed up and believe it or not, my T-bolt hose clamps would not clamp down on it! It turns out that all blue hose is NOT created equal! Apparently, most "other" brands of blue hose are indeed silicone and surely of good quality, but NOT as good, thick or tough as the Trident brand hose. Trident has more plys (6 ply vs. 4 for lesser hose) , is thicker and is simply the better hose. If you're going to pay all the money for blue hose, why not get the BEST hose?

It is still flexible enough to go in places the black stuff will not. I replaced several feet of 8" exhaust hose with Trident blue silicone on Sweet Melissa while she was out of the water and although not an easy job, I would not even consider trying to wrestle the black stuff back on those fiberglass exhaust tubes.

GOOD LUCK!!!

[SKYCHENEY]

Bill,
I think you are on to something here. Why not put a couple of wraps of fiberglass cloth around the tube to bring it up to 3.480 just like the gland? Then that 3 1/2" hose would be perfect on both ends. Am I missing something here? Pull out the cans of West and get busy!

[Brian Degulis]

Well if the gland is bigger than the tube and you want to get it right get a shop to turn the gland down in a lathe to 3 3/8". Then find the hose if you absouloutly can't find it then go with a good hose like shielflex 2 no wire in 3 3/8" and call it a day. I think I would try the 3 1/2" and see if it clamps down you will know if it's ok but you have to try it. I'm just thinking that a thick wall hose without wire will snug up to it.

The other posability although I have no idea where you would find it would be a 1/16" wall rubber hose that could be stretched over the gland to bring it to 3 1/2" that would be better than an epoxy solution I don't like that idea at all.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

I was waiting for that Sky. I think I can whip up a sleeve to glue on the tube.
Its only a 2-1/2 long stub. As long as you say go for it I'm all ears LOL. That seems like the logical approach.
Sorry for being such a PITA fellas, but I wanted to have EVERYTHING together for the reassembly. I even picked up the CORRECT flywheel bolts today. FWIW the DD guy looked them up and they were wrong... Allison flywheel-itis! He said to give him the engine seial number which I got from the good old Hatt book and he looked them up again. No listing... Allison-itis again! 10 steps forward and 3 to the rear! Took a sample in and was out the door in five minutes! ws

[drburke]

I don't know if you noticed in an earlier post from Mike, but although
the Buck Algonquin site Product Pages are under construction, the
"Download Catalog" at the bottom is just fine. The complete catalog
does have what you need, and also the clamps.

I also like the "build up the fiberglass" approach, and then use
original Buck Algonquin hose.

Silicone, maybe save that for something less critical. And the colors
were a joke :-)

Best of luck,
DAN

[yachtsmanbill]

Sometimes a fit of disgust sweeps over me... feels kinda like nausea after eating a whole cheese cake and chugging a warm beer. LOL. I knew you were joshin' me about the colors, but some of them go fast guys are queer for that stuff...colors like chatreuse or my favorite, pomegranate'. Kripes! After 100 hours its all gonna be black and cruddy again anyway.
I was thinking about the sleeve deal with a piece of PVC pipe pressed on with 5200. As I mentioned, I can turn the gland down but then I'm stuck with 3-3/8 and thats even harder (but not impossible) to find. The 5200 has a couple of weeks to cure or epoxy it on; it should be as one then.
162 days to go and counting. Time will tell. ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Okay, since you asked, here's how I would do it. First go to WM and get a piece of that fine woven matte. It looks like the skin out matte, thin with a tight weave. Then cut it in strips 2 1/2" wide and only long enough to wrap around the tube one time without overlapping. Sand the tube to get it clean so that the epoxy will adhere well. Then soak the each strip with West System and add it to the tube one at a time. Let each one set up and then get your calipers out. After you measure the first one on there, you will be able to tell how many more layers you will need. Once you are finished, sand the finished tube to get rid of any irregularities and you are ready for the hose.

[yachtsmanbill]

[QUOTE=drburke;81390]I don't know if you noticed in an earlier post from Mike, but although
the Buck Algonquin site Product Pages are under construction, the
"Download Catalog" at the bottom is just fine. The complete catalog
does have what you need, and also the clamps.

I also like the "build up the fiberglass" approach, and then use
original Buck Algonquin hose.

SHORT RANT...
The only problem with B/A is that they are whore sale only... I hate that! Some shot head place like WM can buy from them but I cant. Shoot, Brent might get some grease on his sailing shorts. T M F R P M O ! ws

[Avenger]

T M F R P M O !
What the.....???

Would you mind explai...

Oh wait.....

Never mind.

[drburke]

How about this:

http://www.deepblueyachtsupply.com/series.aspx?id=124

And Sky has really thought this out!

DAN

[drburke]

Also, to belatedly answer an earlier question about Mr Tee clamp
prices, it appears $4-5 might be more reasonable.

http://www.deepblueyachtsupply.com/series.aspx?id=128

I have *not* done business with these folks, so maybe someone
else can speak to whether they are good.

DAN
(can't say T-clamp without thinking "I pity the fool...")

[yachtsmanbill]

AHHH The pucker string is starting to relax ! I was really feeling like a warped frustrated old man, now at least I feel younger. Its wierd when you get stressed out over something stupid. I just bought my cutlass bearings from them and they were very reasonable. The hose is a tad high, but the clamps are good, plus the B/A clamps come with long bolts so size is not soo critical.
I gonna toss them some business tomorrow!
I think I'll chase that nitro tab with a Johnny Walker Red O T R. ---Makes ya feel like a yachtsman haha ! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

If I cant sleeve it, I'll wrap that rascal! Will that mat stretch a lot when wetted or can I pre cut the length so its close? ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Also, to belatedly answer an earlier question about Mr Tee clamp
prices, it appears $4-5 might be more reasonable.

http://www.deepblueyachtsupply.com/series.aspx?id=128

I have *not* done business with these folks, so maybe someone
else can speak to whether they are good.

DAN
(can't say T-clamp without thinking "I pity the fool...")


Sorry... I forgot the thanks and a nice printable portrait... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Well I just ordered the B/A hose and clamps from Deepblue. Clamps were
4.83/ea. Thats the best Ive seen the long bolt ones for.
12" hose was $36.Total was $63 with shipping. We shall see! ws

[drburke]

Mr T is my hero!

Sounds like you are moving ahead rapidly (as usual). I hope
I didn't add too much confusion, but it seems you have a plan!

Keep it up,
DAN

[Brian Degulis]

OK Bill here's your solution http://www.zeusinc.com/roll.asp Large diameter heat shrink tubing (printing roller covers) Use as many pieces as you need to get the diameter where you want it what do you think?

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

Holy Shamoly! I dont know where you guys come up with some of this stuff but its better than ever trying to find all this stuff on your own !! The folks at the HOF sure cover the broadest spectrum of interests Ive ever seen ! Honest!
Ive been a big fan of PTFE heat shrink for years and have used it extensively, at about 95% for electrical connections and other mechanical sizing and insulating situations. The best Ive seen (up to 1-1/2") is
Thomas-Betts whos tubing includes a heat activated adhesive.
You can get PVC stuff thats junk and none of its cheap. Now I wonder about the log job with H-S vs a bonded hard bushing. Hmm. How about wrapping the shafts to keep barnacles at bay? I'll get a free sample from them (at their website suggestion) and check it out. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Mr T is my hero!

Sounds like you are moving ahead rapidly (as usual). I hope
I didn't add too much confusion, but it seems you have a plan!

Keep it up,
DAN


I want a tunnel drive Searay with MANs!! YIPPEE !! 30 mph past the marinas in a 60 foot thuntheeker flying a big old beer flag above the ensign.
That and a Beamer SUV... yeh; right ! ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Bill,
If you decide to build the tubes up with glass, you can cut the matte to fit. It seems to hold it's size pretty well in my experience. It's just the little edge strands that give you fits. The more you work with it, the more of those strands tend to come off. The trick is to just get it in place and then leave it alone.

[Boatsb]

Bill the cloth tape for the Fiberglass ( refereed to as finish cloth ) will not stretch much BUT you need to use the strand mat for adhesion under it. Use epoxy as stated as it will adhere much better.

[Brian Degulis]

Holy Shamoly! I dont know where you guys come up with some of this stuff but its better than ever trying to find all this stuff on your own !! The folks at the HOF sure cover the broadest spectrum of interests Ive ever seen ! Honest!
Ive been a big fan of PTFE heat shrink for years and have used it extensively, at about 95% for electrical connections and other mechanical sizing and insulating situations. The best Ive seen (up to 1-1/2") is
Thomas-Betts whos tubing includes a heat activated adhesive.
You can get PVC stuff thats junk and none of its cheap. Now I wonder about the log job with H-S vs a bonded hard bushing. Hmm. How about wrapping the shafts to keep barnacles at bay? I'll get a free sample from them (at their website suggestion) and check it out. ws

Ok here's my take a PVC bushing is not so easy unless you can find pipe that's 3 1/2" OD which is 3" pipe but it's not going to be 3 3/8 ID more like 3 1/8". So hows that going to work without opening it up on the ID and how you going to do that I'm thinking it would self destruct in a lathe. Then nothing sticks very well to PVC not even 5200 I agree it would probably work but I just don't think it's the best way.

Then epoxy and cloth yes it would work but I don't like the way epoxy sticks to metal and it's time consuming and tedious.

A 3" sch 40 bronze pipe could be turned in a lathe to open the id and then soldered to the flange. It would work great but you got to find and buy the pipe and get in turned bla bla bla.

The best solution would be a simple rubber hose 3 3/8" ID with a 1/16" wall I can't think of anything like that.

So I would check out the heat shrink if it's made for rollers on printing press it should be tough. The diameter should stay constant the hose will stick to it and in the end the clamps are holding everything together anyway. And it's quick and easy. I would cut it longer than it has to be cause it shrinks in all directions then just trim it off.

Brian

[Brian Degulis]

OK Bill here is my last and final idea (unless I get another brain storm) Get a short piece of 3 1/2 ' pvc pipe it will be 3.58 ID wax the inside place it over the stuffing box flange and use a 2 part pourable rubber to make a rubber sleeve. Philadelpia Resins makes a hard rubber pourable chocking compound used for pouring engine mounts They are on the web. Or any hard rubber compound not the teak deck stuff it will be to soft.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

Just got back from the daily odyssey. Nothing in PVC, hose or anything else was even close without a lot of BS. I am going to try and get a free sample of the H-S tube. I'll need to see if it will maintain a roughly 1/16 wall when shrunk. If the ID is 3-3/8 to start with I really wont need to shrink it much. The hose and clamps should do the work. The whole deal is trying to maintain concentricity. Squeezing the bigger hose would nix that, at least you have no control over "drift" when compressing it.
FWIW The stern tubes that Hatteras uses are hand laid spun fibergleass so gluing isnt too bad of a problem there. IRPMO that they would spec a bastard size on that vs the gland diameter... ! (3.480 + or - = 3-1/2")
I think the pvc would work with pvc glue to the glass tube, but my lathe is gone. For water treatment chemicals we used gray sch 80 pvc and it machined nicely. YOU MUST USE WATER as a coolant/lubricant even on the pipe threader. Guys would try boring fittings etc and make a mess; I grabbed a spray bottle and spritzed it and we had ribbons coming off the stock.
If the H-S isnt available, I guess the glass bands would be the way to go.
At 22F near the bilge, curing will take a long time and then accuracy would also be a 25% issue. Not to mention having to wait for the cure to measure and then repeating as needed. I can get at it to shoe shine it with emery to size it fairly close, but I would really like to make this a one step proposition.
I appreciate all the input guys! All its takes is the right brain fart and yer off! I'll post the reults for sure! Maybe even a pic or two LOL. ws

[Brian Degulis]

Ok I got confused I'm thinking the stuffing box needs to be larger but it's the tube in the boat DUU you said that and I missed it. SO one other idea If its epoxy on fiberglass tube that's fine why not get some 3 1/2" pvc carefully cut two sections in halfs in such a way that you would have two halfs that when put together make the correct ID. In other words corect for the saw cut. Then wax them do your epoxy glass wrap on the tube then mabe a little epoxy with silica mixed in on top (do this all at the same time) then clamp your PVC pipe halfs over the ouside to get it round and proper dia then heat lamp cure pop the pipe and wa la IT's F#$#%$^ PERFECT?

This is definetly my last idea

Brian

[SKYCHENEY]

Ok I got confused I'm thinking the stuffing box needs to be larger but it's the tube in the boat DUU you said that and I missed it. SO one other idea If its epoxy on fiberglass tube that's fine why not get some 3 1/2" pvc carefully cut two sections in halfs in such a way that you would have two halfs that when put together make the correct ID. In other words corect for the saw cut. Then wax them do your epoxy glass wrap on the tube then mabe a little epoxy with silica mixed in on top (do this all at the same time) then clamp your PVC pipe halfs over the ouside to get it round and proper dia then heat lamp cure pop the pipe and wa la IT's F#$#%$^ PERFECT?

This is definetly my last idea

Brian

That's the best one yet, Brian. I like that. You would be sure to have a nice round finish that way and you could do it all together without waiting between coats. It would also cut down on the finish shoe-shine sanding to get it just right.

[yachtsmanbill]

The last brain fart is usually the creme de la creme. That by far is the best one yet. I have a detail saw with a 1/64" blade for minimal diameter loss.
What is the silica for? I have a gallon of epoxy resin with some micro balloon in it. With this arraingement should I still use the woven glass or stranded stuff?
A 3" pvc coupling is exactly 3-1/2 on the ID...I can eyeball it for center.
BRAVISIMO !!
I'm getting E-Ns over all this help! Hot diggity dog! Thanks!! ws

[Brian Degulis]

Silica balloons kitty litter I'm just thinking a layer of filler over the cloth to allow any excess to squeeze out and make the shape. I would definetly use the cloth to give it strengh.

Brian

[Brian Degulis]

Alright this positively absouloutly definetly my last idea. What about some sections of inner tube from a motorcycle tire? Should be stretchy enough to just put on as many as you need it's all rubber and the clamps will compress the whole thing together? I don't think the curvature would be much of a problem.

Just in case your wondering my boat is on the hard getting the bow thruster installed so yeah I'm kinda bored.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

YOU ARE NEVER OUT OF IDEAS!!! The inner tube thing would be OK, but trying to install sized rubber on rubber mite be kinda tough. I think I am going to develop the cold mold deal. It would be more permanent.
I can also add the process to my FLOG haha ! It would also be an OEM upgrade that I can sell to the factory... yeh right. I am almost looking forward to doing this and will commence tomorrow.
How can you own a Hatteras (or any boat for that matter) and be bored? You need a project manager and I happen to be available! Its cold, dark, and lonely up here with the boat only 35 miles from here, so it only takes a little self shove to get going in the AM to go to work. Now go varnish yer wood!! ws

[Brian Degulis]

No bill your not understanding here in sunny FL in most yards you can't do a thing yourself while the boats on the hard that's why I'm bored. I keep my boat behind my home so I'm always doing something to it. Here's the bright side it's 74 degrees here my boat should be back in the water in a couple of weeks and we will be cruising again. Maybe Key West? (na we just got back from there) lets see perhaps Cozumel? Yeah that's it haven't been there in a while. Now this might sound like I'm rubbing it in I'm not I'll definetly be thinking of you with your heat lamp while I'm cruising along soaking in the warm sun while having one of those drinks with the umbrella in it. TAKE THAT

Brian

[NAN-PO 41]

Brian,
Telling us ( Northerners ) about a trip to Cozumel wasn't nice. But throwing in the drink with the umbrella was just cruel.
Fred (On the hard in Boston @ 25 degrees)

[yachtsmanbill]

AARRGGHHHHHH !!! Yer killin' me ! I think I'm gonna liquidate the IRA and a trip to the island would be the consolation prize... that and a rebuilt gearbox.
Sorry... EVERY yard up here is DIYS; couldnt relate to having some flunkie work on my boats (!) The yard even had the guy grab the crane and lift my trans out for N.C. Bought Alvarado lunch for doing it, free left over shrink wrap, to mention a few... so take THAT ;-)) ws

[Brian Degulis]

I'm originaly from NY and I don't think any of the yards up there prohibited you from doing your own work. There might be some things they insisted on doing like bottom paint but you could do other things yourself. Here it's hard to find a yard that will let you do anything at all. I'm in the Tampa area and at least here you can get some very good work for fair prices. I bought the boat in lauderdale had a bottom job done there and got dopey kids to do a crapy job for twice the price I would have paid in Tampa. So I guess a 12 month boating season has it's price but it is nice to have dolphins in the back yard good eating to.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

I know what you mean man... I looked at another boat, an Island Gypsy before the sub on Merritt Island. They put me on their "list" for the part of the yard where you can work, but they insisted on a BIG tarp on the ground first that I had to buy from them, and then only being 2000 miles from home, I couldnt stay on the boat on the hard. They did call however; 18 months later!!
Those dolphins corn fed? LOL ws

[yachtsmanbill]

You wouldnt believe it, but heres some pics of thee I.G. The bottom was holed and 3208Ts were frozen solid. I walked. The little white hot rod I rented was the best part of that trip. Went from there over to Tampa and looked at an older 85 foot steel yacht that was south of tampa (?) by the fish docks. The owner was re-doing it and will in all likelyhood never finish it.
Ahhh... palm trees! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

This was over by Tampa with NO POWER. Too rough. ws

[Boatsb]

Hey Bill I think the first one was at my marina. Harbortown. They are a no work marina and enforce it on the hard. Supposedly there was an accident with a boat on the hard going over due to the lack of experience of the owner working on it.

[Brian Degulis]

A crew boat I bought some of them around 1985 after the bust. It was just amazing what you could buy for so little and these where very high quality aluminum boats. I spent weeks in the Paterson LA area buying equiptment for a foreign oil company.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Bill I think the first one was at my marina. Harbortown. They are a no work marina and enforce it on the hard. Supposedly there was an accident with a boat on the hard going over due to the lack of experience of the owner working on it.

I think Harbortown is correct! Its a small yard where you get off the highway and circle under the bridge. I remember a real nice gal in the office. The TARP yard was east of there and BIG right on the ICW on the north side of the highway east of the big bridge that was under construction. ws

[Boatsb]

That would be Cape marina.

[34Hatt]

O.k now I just got threw all of this!!!

Bill I had the same problem with my shaft tube P.O had them AFU. He did a tube inside then rapped the end to get the o.d had it all off center totally messed up. I cut them off and re did it with new ends made of fiberglass tube. This is the best way a fiber glass tube and west system and your done. I just looked and have some 3.625 od heavy wall tube here. I also have a lathe If you tell me I.D and the o.d you want I could knock this out! It all free If you want it well O.K I will let you pay for any shipping :-} Just send me a PM with what you want and a address.

Also reading about you all saying to use matt just don't use it with epoxy!!
Plus with epoxy you don't need the matt for the adhesion because the epoxy can do it alone.

[yachtsmanbill]

DATELINE CHICAGO... This just in... yachtsmanwilly defies odds; film at 11. Well maybe pics right now.
Brain farts are good, but sometimes ya gotta strain. Its then that you are taking a chance. I picked up a 3" pvc coupling today for $1.15 at Menards. Split it with my 1/64 detail saw. Sanded the tube with #40 emery, wiped it with acetone and prepped my stuff.
I was informed NOT to use woven glass with the epoxy, but its too late. I hope its not the death call! The glass I had was .010". I needed .125 total so that was six wraps, well saturated, clamped up and lightbulb heated all day. I left the clamp on for overnite for S's and G's. I didnt have any wax so I put a 3 molecule layer of lubriplate on the collar. The numbers on the collar are on the loss side from the slice. The collar was exactly 3.500 before the cut. Although the shaft log has a bearing in the tail end, there was no way to gaurantee the forward end was accurate on center. I thought about sleeving the tube as you suggested you did with yours, but all I needed was the 1/8 OD increase for the hose. Kinda like apples and oranges with a soft spot. Either way, that gland HAS GOT TO run better! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

So meanwhile, while the epoxy was drying, I took some cursory measurements for the strainer install. FUBAR as expected. Gonna have to move the Naiad unit, or at least move the hoses. The end to end measurement on the Els is 18", and the stab unit is right in the middle of all of it. Figgers. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Just like a nice day at the beach, with one exception. It was 38 and windyerden a bag full of a$$holes LOL. I miss summer already, but I need 185 days to finish the "winter work" portion. ws

[Brian Degulis]

Man Bill I'n getting a chill just looking at those pictures I got to get outside and warm up 80 degrees and partly sunny today.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

yah man! I cant wait for those days when its 50 degrees colder and the wind picks up a bit to 30 or 40 out of the north! KRUD !! I spent last year in Iuka and a cold day there was 40. Count your blessings! Post a pic of your boat with palm trees would ya ?? ws

[Trojan]

I don't know quite what your trying to achieve, but you could shorten the AOL width of the fittings by using short nipples and regular El's?

BILL

[Brian Degulis]

OK Bill just so you know that I really do feel your pain Here's one of my boats in Rockway Beach NY around 93 frozen in

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

Actually Bill, I am re-mounting the strainers AFT of the bulkhead instead of directly on top of the couplings/stuffing boxes. EVERYTHING possible from the crawl-in engine room is going into the equipment room... AC stuff, racors, batteries, chargers, etc etc.
Took my stern tube mold off today and needless to say, it was perfect !!!
Brian and Sky, I owe you guys lunch! (?) Perhaps Fayette for some ribeyes??
The rest of the day was cleaning house, pulling MORE staples and the stopped by for a quick 80# propane fill up for Tyrone and Lakiesha. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

FWIW, I also measured the gland for packing... 3" bore X 2" shaft = 1/2" packing, BUT the the shaft bore on the BOX that mounted in the crooked hose is 2"! No margine for error! After all the BS I am glad I straightened that out! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

So after all this today, I'm sitting down, warming my toes, and havin' a sparky, and I see Richard Oren (I thought) cruise by. This is something you dont see in Chicago too often !! ws

[david_lavigne2540]

Just to throw my $0.02 in.

I was in Tampa buying mine. And Heard of HarborTown.
Also, there is a boatyard in Brandenton at
27' 31 19 19 n
82 39 01 32 w

Where the old timers let youngsters work on their boats. Had I been a brave enough fellow, I might have been towed over there and worked on my motors until I got them up and running. Hindsight being 20/20, I could have gotten one motor running but not the other.

I almost felt in the Tampa area that I couldn't change a lightbulb without hiring somebody to do it.

[yachtsmanbill]

I'm sho' glad it isnt like that here! The proof of the puddin' is in the eatin'. This just showed up... QUICK!! I'll take it for a spin Sunday. Tomorrow I change out my FIFTH , ^iuh&bd*!! fuel pump on black beauty. ws

[Brian Degulis]

Well that looks good and you do such a nice job of photographing everything. Another 80 degree day today!!! and it looks like about a week before I'm back in the water. I should take some photos of the bow thruster job the holes cut through these boats are pretty thick around 3/4" in the bow. The position is very good it's far forward and deep it should kick butt.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

YUP... today was 30, windy with snow and freezing rain. What to do... change the fuel pump on the truck; why not? First step is HEAT. Tyrone is on the boat, so we became BOB... brother hood of the barrell, but no barrell, then jack her up, pull the tires and rear bumper off, then unbolt the bed and slide it back. The dealer get $700 for labor for this and we've done it 5 times now. FINALLY got an upgraded fuel pump. Hopefully...
Notice the silver dope thawing out next to the fire. 80s??? Ah yer a bunch o' sissies!! lol ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Promise NO PICS this time!! But look out, I just spoke with Santa... ws
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid932579976?bclid=93255305

[SKYCHENEY]

Maybe next time you'll have to buy a Ford ;)

[Canuck Dennis]

Having owned an aluminum Yacht for the past 16 yrs one gets to know how to treat the stuff before painting etc, one thing which is a super safe cleaner is a product called "Alumaprep" or "Alumawash" cleans just about everything down to bare metal and it does not seem to hurt the paws. Can be used full strength or dilute to suit. Be sure to wash off really well as it will continue to clean.
Dennis

[krush]

Use a OEM GM Pump and it should last longer.

I hate changing the fuel pump...most my trucks are SUV type so I can't just slide the bed back, gotta drop the tank.

Of course my junkers are so old I usually just replace the tank too. Once put tank back up and it started leaked....had to take it all down again. Now I just buy a new tank for $100 with the pump.

[Avenger]

Or you could drive a diesel pick-up/SUV. Unless it's one of them Jesus Chryslers there's no fuel pump in the tank. :D Much better on MPGs too.

[Brian Degulis]

My 2001 ford diesel doesn't have the pump in the tank but it has a 200 micron screen in the tank that clogs over time. replacing the sending unit assembly which is where the sreen is requires removing the tank. The screen is not meant to be replaced ford wants the whole sending unit replaced $400. I did that the first time after that I learned how to remove the screen and clean it. WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE ENGINEERS THINKING?

Brian

[Avenger]

WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE ENGINEERS THINKING? Mostly about cost. :rolleyes: Is it plugging up because the tank lining is flaking off? That's been a known problem on F_n' Old Rotten Dogs. Not sure which years.

[Brian Degulis]

Not on mine the tank is plastic and clean as can be. It's just a time issue it plugs around every 60,000 miles. Even at 200 microns it's to fine of a screen to be maintance free.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

My tanks is two ply plastic also (white plastic inside). Tank screen is always clean. Corn squeezins' pass through... you guys must be getting husks! LOL ws

[Brian Degulis]

I guess I shouldn't bitch that's the only repair that truck has needed in 160,000 miles. And I'm not even sure if you call that a repair more like maintance but then again you shouldn't have to remove the fuel tank for maintance.

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

OK now... back on track !! Picked up my free 5# roll of packing today. My pal also grabbed me about 50 3/4" lock washers for the coupling bolts and a couple of cans of never sieze; copper and nickel type. Several washers were busted. I'm sure the alignment contributed to that as well. You can tell Bubba was real careful with the persuader. I hand filed the faces and then honed the face. The bang marks were about .050" up. Nice job Bubba!
FWIW... All the bolting thus far has been grade 8 bolts. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Half of this job is cleaning and prepping everything for re-assembly. I had to clean this with a grinder before heating it, priming it, and laying about 15 coats of Krylon gloss white to it. Looks like new... again.
The bottom pic is the assembled strainer close to its new location. I can leave the Naiad stuff as is, but I'll need to be instrumental with a bracket for the strainer. ws

[Nick]

Looking Good!

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks Nick, ya just gotta be methodical about it. Wait till you see the stainless strainer brackets... made to "take the strain" !! ws

[krush]

Hmmm, why grade 8? I guess you never gonna shear soft bolts because there is so many of them, but isn't shearing bolts cheaper than shearing other stuff?

[SKYCHENEY]

The weak link is the prop. If you shear all of the blades off and still have torque on that shaft, then you really have a problem.

[Boatsb]

Hmmm, why grade 8? I guess you never gonna shear soft bolts because there is so many of them, but isn't shearing bolts cheaper than shearing other stuff?


From an engineer??????????????

If I remember the physics of the coupler the bolts do not prevent the spinning of the components. The compression between the two does. Grade 8 will not stretch and holds in place. Also it needs to be fine thread and torqued correctly.

If it was done with softer bolts and the two surfaces slipped the bolts would not sheer so easy but would probably mess up the surfaces.

[krush]

Depending on the torque, yes the friction due to clamping force is what is usually carries the load.

I was just doing some thinking out load lol. I guess one could torque enough so that in normal operation, the load is transfered via friction between the two faces, but if SHTF, the fiction connection will slip and shear the bolts.

[yachtsmanbill]

It was a great day to shovel the deck (?) and throw the new wheels on.
And for the engineering kids here, I had perused the DD bible about flywheel installation and they want the lubed 9/16 s.a.e. bolts torqued to 50 lbs. THEN stretch them 90-120 degrees for maximum clamping force. A reference was made that the torque values dont guarantee accurate clamping. That kinda reminded me of horizontal joint bolting on steam turbines. We would run the 6" bolts to zero cold, heat them with cal-rod heaters, and tighten them 180 degrees. At 24 threads per inch, how much is the stretch Krush?
Winter really blows... ALREADY !! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

This is something the old sub has never seen before. Hope it doesnt go into de-fib! She's already hypothermic LOL ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Those sure are some nice shiney props, Bill. But, you've got your nuts all mixed up :)

[yachtsmanbill]

I was gonna put the props on the wrong sides to see if any experts spotted that but I wouldve strained those nuts. LOL The wheels arent on tight yet, just in storage. The strained nuts debate will continue, I'm sure! I am still hoping for Wednesday or Thursday next week. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

She dont sweat much for a fat girl... Committed a cardinal sin yesterday; left my camera on the boat !
I feel like a new dad-to-be at the maternity ward, waiting for the trans to get done. All day doing nervous work.
Fixed the two broken mounts on the binnacle from the helm crashing back when you open it for service. Teak stop blocks are on order for this week. That cheesy chain has got to go! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Also got around to framing the cruddy double plwood bulkhead edge. Really cleaned up the manway. Shhh! I also used some Alex caulk in the corners for a really clean smooth look! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Yesterday, Amohotep; John "Max" Maksimic stopped by and offered to install the new rear main seal. We removed the service sleeve on the crank and made a nifty tool for pressing the new sleeve and seal in.
If youre wondering DDIS, we indicated the seal to the crank. The book called or .015 and we had .002" runout. Pretty good eh? Tomorrow is chasing parts for the new overhead consol above the helm. ws

[drburke]

Very nice work, as usual. I am quite impressed at that rear seal installation.

DAN

[In these politically correct times, shouldn't "manway" be updated to "person-way"? And also, do you mind changing you login to "YachtPersonWilliam"? :) ]

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks Dan, One of my all time favorite flix was "Flight of the Phoenix". Even when underway, I like to be able to resolve problems if even a temporary fix.
Just wait for the in-frame photo expose' ! Probably next year about this time. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Very nice work, as usual. I am quite impressed at that rear seal installation.

DAN

[In these politically correct times, shouldn't "manway" be updated to "person-way"? And also, do you mind changing you login to "YachtPersonWilliam"? :) ]


I much prefer being politically incorrect. LOL FTITCTAJ !! forkemiftheycanttakeajoke ;-)

[yachtsmanbill]

So as per usual, I call the trans shop this morning, and find out the guy doing my Allison is out of town until tomorrow. His 90 YO mother had a fall and he is visiting her in California. He should be back and hopefully my gasket set will greet him. I am losing my window for the crane at the yard. The guys are done on 12-20 till after the first, then it'll be 30 below and the crane wont start. Willy's Law !!
So as not to waste a few days, I started some lower helm work. The '74 model didnt have a cable chase to the overhead, so the wires ran an additional 30 feet to get them up there. What a mess! The whole console is getting a re-do so I can mount all my electronics etc permanently, instead of hanging them on the dash or bulkhead... How amatuerish! Originally there were two boxes with the Perko L clamps on the dash for a loran and the sounder. I re-used one of the boxes for the base. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

The pipe is 3" pvc and will allow for plenty of 12 vdc wiring to get up to the console, and through to the flybridge stuff as well. The dash is hinged, and swings away from the box and pipe. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Lots of clamps and glue... just fitting the shoe around the base to mount to the dash. The sounder is on one of the original boxes; how Barbaric!
The four blocks are roughed in. These support the dash when its opened for service. They still need plugs, sanding and varnish, but thats one of the jobs for tomorrow! The stupid chain was a link too long and when the helm came past center, it would get away from you (its a good 100# !) and crash the binnacle into the pilot seat. Plus the chain was meagerly screwed into the bulkhead affording zero strength.
WTFWTT (what --- ---- were they thinking) ??? ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Just checking to see if anyone is looking. Did some varnish today and pulled 100' of Bubba-ized wiring out. Looks like I can sleep tonight! There are also a couple of freebies here!!! The airmotors are for parts only. They both have broken stems. The lights need new cords but they work. PM me if you want either/both. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

This shows the wiper motors close up. The yellow paint is to highlight info. The others are a replacement that Ive been storing for 20 years. I knew I'd have a Hatt one day that needed them! ws

[jlightonjr]

Keep up the fantastic work, its just awesome watching you - through your photos - bring the luster back to your grand lady!!

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks J...Ya know its one piece at a time. 378823 down and 29375465 to go. Actually, tomorrow we go pick up the trans and flywheel. Getting that stuff in and back together will push me over the crest and the rest is downhill.
Still striving to get her at least seaworthy for the GLHR (great lakes Hatteras rendezvous) at Fayette Mi. around August. There will be plenty of spare room for guests. That should be a 2 week run to blow the cobwebs out!
Happy holidays everyone. Feliz navidad Y un prospero ano' nuevo! ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Bill,
I have one of those chart lights and the rheostat part doesn't work right. Maybe I could make one good one from your two. I'll send you a PM.

BTW, nice work on the wire chase. I like the rope look. We did that same thing on a 36' Gulfstar trawler once. It really dresses it up.

[yachtsmanbill]

Bill,
I have one of those chart lights and the rheostat part doesn't work right. Maybe I could make one good one from your two. I'll send you a PM.

BTW, nice work on the wire chase. I like the rope look. We did that same thing on a 36' Gulfstar trawler once. It really dresses it up.



Youre always first in line with me Sky ! PM me with your address and I'll get them off to you. "as is and shown" !! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

DADDY's HOME!! After a 300 mie trip the yard guy stopped a shrink job to start the travel lift to move it for the forklift to get the trans up and into the sub. Cost to make the lift... un junta grande, the cost to have him drop what he was doing... priceless! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Today Hatteras... tomorrow the WORLD !!! In the morning, Amohotep and I are gonna put the flywheel and trans in. We may even get around to the stuffing box and coupling too. Should be a cake walk LOL.
So today,I kept plugging (literally) away at the helm stuff. When the judges critique my work, I just shrug my shoulders and tell them, "P.O.", and thats not p--s off either. The helm bulkhead had 24 screws in it at one time or another. Radios, hailer etc etc. What a freakin' bonehead! I got PO'd and decided to C'sink and plug them. For me it turned out OK but the pics make it look lousy. A vast improvement nevertheless.
FWIW... the wiper motors and chart lites are GAWN >>>>>> ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Just a few more to bore you guys until thre real photo expose' starts tomorrow! LOL
The stopper blocks for the helm work much better than the chain didnt! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

So it snowed a little bit last night... no biggie! Just shovel through a 4 foot deep pile from the snow plow to get to the stairway to heaven, then shovel the deck to the door. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

HAhaha... the jokes on the fat guy...Now its time for class. Rigged the flywheel and she went right together as per the bible. As Max was stretching the bolts it felt like one stripped. The torque value was 185 lbs but the book wanted a 120 degree stretch. As it turns out, the engine rolled over a bit feeling like a busted bolt. Next up... ws

[Brian Degulis]

71 degrees and sunny this morning but a cold front has come thru and it might get as low as 55 degrees by morning hope I can find a sweat shirt!!!

Brian

[yachtsmanbill]

BLOW ALL TANKS !! EMERGENCY DIVE !! Periscope depth. "Kill that klaxon!"
The gear slid right in; just like somebody came over and did it LOL. We spent 4 hours cleaning the lousy bubba shim pack for alignment. The shims (2) were 5/16' aluminum plates with 1/8" of corrosion between them. Got them clean with a grinder with a #60 disc, tapped ALL the holes, scraped paint off of all the mounting faces, vacuumed a pound of shit up, and the DOPED bolts went in by finger.
Tomorrow is a dry run on the coupling after the shaft coupling is made up, in 3 feet of snow... Oh Boy!! If all goes well, next is the stuffing box, mount the coupling for real, and do a cursory alignment check. Still need to address the front mounts, and then start making "finesse" shims. ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Good work, Bill. You're well on your way to a quiet, smooth ride.

[yachtsmanbill]

That'll be a treat Sky; I'm ready to put a snowmobile trak on it!
HATT TRACK??? Still have loads to do. I hope its presentable when you tour it in Fayette! ws
Lights go out in the a.m. !!

[yachtsmanbill]

Today was pretty un-eventful. It really is beginning to pay off with all the cleaning of parts I did in the last few weeks waiting for the trans.
Bolted up the stub shaft coupling this morning. That took about 15 minutes in the snow; Brrrr! Went from there to installing the empty gland (Ill pack thst last!) and then positioned the shaft so I could start the coupling on, back downstairs to slide it in some more, get the nut and key on, then back down with a 3 lb plastic hammer to hit the end of the shaft to seat the coupling. Yes, I had a piece of wood between the halves! Tightened it up and cotter pinned it. Just a rough alignment yesterday while we were re-installing the mounts gave us a pretty close shot shown here. It is still open about .025" on the bottom. Tomorrow we'll take the bubba-ized front mounts apart and clean them, then start to dial it in.
Also wrestled the albino anaconda back in place with new gaskets and exhaust hose clampage. That GD snake weighs 100lbs! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Nice gland job with new hose and T bolt clamps. Howz that anaconda look? I sure as hell am glad its not a Boa Constrictor! ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Purdy! And then you get to mount all of those accessories on the back of that 12V71, and then the exhaust. Sorry, I just didn't want you to think you were finished yet.

[jlightonjr]

Look'en REALLY good!!! Keep posting the photos!!!

[Brian Degulis]

Nice gland job with new hose and T bolt clamps. Howz that anaconda look? I sure as hell am glad its not a Boa Constrictor! ws

Nice just a suggestion I would put one nut on each side of the packing gland flange. That way it stays where you set it instead of having the packing compress over time and possibly allowing the flange to lossen up and get cocked. It also makes it easier to adjust as you can just turn in the inside nuts in then tighten the outer nuts to it so no guessing if it's straight. On the rudder glands which may not be adjusted for years the inside nut gives you a way to force the gland out if corosion has locked it up.

Brian

[Nonchalant1]

That stuff really stings when you get it in a cut, but my naills are really killin' me !!!!! EEYYAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!

Bill,

New idea: They now make gloves to keep that s**t off your hands.... and so much easier than having to wire brush your skin after greasy jobs. LOL

Doug

[yachtsmanbill]

Bill,

New idea: They now make gloves to keep that s**t off your hands.... and so much easier than having to wire brush your skin after greasy jobs. LOL

Doug


Hey Doug...
That reminds me of the old adage "takin' a shower with a raincoat on" LOL !
I like the jacking nut idea, but the outers still need to be jambed.
Sky, you need to hit the HOF BEFORE you raise the cocktail flag! The albino anaconda IS in !! Without that big old strainer in the way, it looks kinda empty. Read on...
Today was just a lazy day, spent 2 hours getting the crane to the ground and picking up tools; AGAIN! Jacked up the front mounts and de-bubba-ized them. Pulled 1/8" out and that brought our alignment to within .020" on the bottom. Need to remove another 1/8". Cleaned and mounted and piped the air compressor, and the same for the RW pump plus installed a new impeller. The old one was hard as a rock! Probably lost 25% with the blades that had taken a set. The port engine had always been a tad lean on the exhaust water. Also changed a copper cooling crossover elbow that had rotted open. Copper has sure gone up... a 1-1/4 elbow was $3.95! The sub always made water when underway and now I know why! ws

[Beckytek]

Just a suggestion Bill, In this months edition of Passagemaker they discuss various stuffing boxes. They do not recommend T bolt clamps for continuous wet locations as they are prone to crevis corrosion. They show a picture of one that failed. Ron

[yachtsmanbill]

WET LOCATION ????? Not any more! Actually, I find that kind of interesting. I have heard both sides and have mixed emotions myself. My fresh water Roamer has had them since 1985 and they look like new. Hmm. These are the new heavier ones from DeepBlue marine, and are what they recomend.
However, and I say this tongue in cheek, I am anally redundant
( does that make me a double LOL ) and carry a ton of spares with me including a drawer full of clamps; literally. I even have about 10 spare exhaust hose clamps, which BTW, are prone to cracking as well.
You can bet your danski's that I'll post feedback AND pics here if there is negative results. Thanks for the input! ws

[krush]

Just use both T clamp and regular clamps!

[yachtsmanbill]

Just use both T clamp and regular clamps!


But what would the judges say ??? ws

[krush]

But what would the judges say ??? ws

"Ingenious and invovative! He must've been a C student"

lol C students are the innovative ones..... http://www.memagazine.org/sept07/features/creatimp/creatimp.html

[Maynard Rupp]

And please try to keep your dirty and greasy hands and fingerprints OFF of that nice new white paint. My god man...What would the judges say.:)

[yachtsmanbill]

When I'm all done a quick wet sand with 1200 and a final coat of paint and I'll take the gold trophy... yeh, right!! LOL ws

[yachtsmanbill]

WOWEE!!! Over 3000 views! It still pales in comparison to "that Hatteras smell" thred!
Just spent the day goofin' off. Took some measurements for the console job and after Tyrone had things warmed up moved down to the accessory stuff on the trans job. I just finished with the exhaust riser hanger and bolting up the hydraulic pump when it dawned on me that the raw water pump discharge fitting only has two bolts on the flange and the pump has four. Made the new gasket for that, transfered the pattern to the elbow and drilled two more holes. Bet it doesnt leak now. (there was a BIG glob of red RTV on the gasket !)
Also, the impeller cover was worn real bad, so I made the new gasket for that ( 1/64") and flipped the cover... S.O.P. Had to figure 8 the jabsco name down on some emery cloth so it was smooth. The new impeller sat flush with the edge probably due to the pump bottom being worn as well. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Forgot to mention that I always spend some time in the morning putting tools away... that way I can find them. Looks like a repeat tomorrow ! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Gotta eat my words. I thought I could make a quick job out of re-tying the cut out trans hatch and frames to the original frames. The salon floor had a lousy 3/4" sag in that corner that really bugged me.
As it turns out, 'Ol Bubba missed hanging the main joist on the hull ledge by about 2-1/2". The fraying shown here is caused from the end rubbing on the 'glass... pretty oil soaked too, but thats life.
The original frames were doubled 2X4s not to mention having to notch for the ledge at 3-1/4 plus both fuel vents entered the hull dead nutz at that very spot as well. A full dose of gorilla glue and 50 #8s and we're back in business ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Too darn cold to work on the engines yesterday, so I continued on the consol job... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Cheap $5.00 lights with clear coat for the rust. Man, I feel like Michaelangelo! ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Nice work, Bill. Where did you find those lights? I like those and I just may have a spot for a couple on my boat. What bulb socket do they have? That may make a difference depending on the voltage that I would run to them.

[yachtsmanbill]

Those guys were $5.00 each and like I said, are steel and will rust. I have a set on the gas boat that I eventually painted with awlgrip and they are still functioning. These are 12V and take an 1156 bulb that I paint red with candy apple paint for night vision.
The whole overhead will have a 12 bus run to it. I just picked up 200 feet (40lbs!) of 2c8awg tinned wire from the mfgr here for $180. Need to run a substantial bus to the rear crapper for the other atlantes head etc. The only 32vdc stuff on the dash is the horn button! FREE AT LAST!! (from 32vdc!)
The lights are cheap because the guy had them for a while and are S&Ds (scratch and dent) but he picked out a nice set for me and they look perfect.
ebay 120199820139 I contacted him for a buy it now price with combined shipping... actually the single was $3.50 and the double was $5.50 plus shipping.
I think tomorrow I'll start the console addition, from the center box to the port window; that will hold the hailer and radios etc. I think a small one on the star side for an AM/FM cd player. I think I am going to keep the GPS free standing; besides that one I share between the two boats. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Merry Christmas!
Spent today rebuilding the beat up console face and capped the cruddy corners with 3/4 round trim. Took the old wiper motor box and re-configured it into a side console to hold wiper valves, horn button and searchlight power switch (Ithink).
I goofed up when I marked the spot for the mousehole. I opened the helm and the BIG cable loom was right there! The tubing is going to come down the new chase to the valves and then back up to the wipers. All this stuff only has one coat of varnish so it will be improving rapidly with additional coats! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Just a few different angles. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Is it my imagination or is it hard to get motivated when its cold and dark out? Spent the whole day splicing and pulling wires and a few quick coats of varnish on some odds and ends.
Of course you take something simple like a wiper valve, take it apart , clean and polish it re-assemble it X 2 and its 3 hours. YIKES! I need to hit Cozumel for a week... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Maybe I'll throw a super bowl party and get some help or at least company... I feel like Papillion in reclusion. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

http://www.samsmarine.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
:D
Glad the HOF is back on... I felt like a HERERON addict! Since my IE browser has a bad habit of crashing unexpectedly, I need to post on Mozilla, then add pics on IE.
I just hope I get this job done before the global thermo nuclear war starts!
Just about done with phase 1 on the console job. Still waiting for my breaker (12vdc) panel and new radio to arrive before I start phase 2. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Here we go! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Theres a little tugboater in all of us. Been lugging this 100 year old air gauge for the last 20 years! Finally found a place for it! ALMOST have the wiring completed on this side... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

That old gauge weighs about 4 lbs, so I rigged a disconnect to it. Also found wiper arms from a John Deere dealer here for $40 ea. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Finished the final varnish with a 3/4" brush... I dont like masking tape! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

I sure feel better after a little cleanup... at least a good vacuuming! ws

[34Hatt]

Bill

You are the Man!!! I tell people how they have to be devoted to a Big project in order to get one done. Giving up every few minute, but man you are the poster child for that:-}}} Christmas day how did you get away with that one my wife put up with a lot but that would not FLY.

Now if I could just get Thuuudddd (hunshatt) to relieze that he may get some thing done.

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks dan!
EVERYDAY around here is Christmas, B days, Boxer rebellion day, or some stupid anniversary of some type, so Xmas was just a regular day. Except the stores were closed. TRPMO !!
The only way to stay with a project is to love what you're doing, and realize you'll eventually get to show off what you've accomplished, at least to those who appreciate it!
Next August when Sky and all the other Lake Michigan guys show up at the LMHR it will all come to FRUITION !! Its actually going a bit slower than I expected, but most of that is spent waiting for parts and searching for others!
Happy new years, everybody. I have a whole list of stuff to do TOMORROW as well. I'll get to see all the drunks on the way home in the A.M.
PS... Thanks again SMOOTH MOVE ! we're already on it !! ws

[jlightonjr]

All I can say is WOW!! Fantastic work as usual!!! Happy New Year!!

[Finalee]

The before and after pics realy say it all. Nice work!

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks Fred ! I think, so that I dont get ahead of myself, I am going to concentrate on the helm and salon, then next week we'll finish the trans and alignment job, THEN swing into full steam mode and start building battery racks and sea strainer mounts so we can get all that crap out of the engine room. I gonna leave a lot of the wood finishing and construction below until the weather breaks a bit. The aft stateroom isn't heated, and its like a meat locker down there. Still waiting for all my volunteers to show up LOLOL !!
I still have a truck load of OEM drawers, some stateroom doors, The master double bi-fold locker doors, the center head vanity and sink PLUS the OEM dishwasher and 4 burner range (for parts) to get rid of. Bring a pickup truck to the frozen tundra and the stuff is yours (anybody's) Some of it still needs to be removed though and that would be doing me a favor! ws

[John Dickson]

Yachtsmanwillie:

When and where is the August get together? Is it a Hattrendevous?

[yachtsmanbill]

I say this tongue in cheek, but its been about 3 years since I was up that way. I opt for Fayette Mi. an old iron ore ghost town; barely accessible by car and easy by boat. Very remote! Its a 2-3 day run from Chicago with stops in Sturgeon Bay and Escanaba then Beaver Island and all the Michigan ports o' call coming home. Couldn't do Cozumel this year, but this one is feasible. Do some research on it! The subs gonna have my bride and myself and 3 boston terriers and there will be plenty of room for ABS's !!
I dont know who else would care to show up, but if I'm there, thats good enough!! ws
http://www.absolutemichigan.com/destination/fayette/

[yachtsmanbill]

Wheres that old sub commander been?? Oh wait; Still working on the helm / console job. Should finish the alignment Sunday with the 50F heat wave expected. Good day to start figuring out battery movement too! Runnin' out of time before the GLHR this August! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Running two browsers to post pics is nuts! So heres the latest... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

This piece was BLACK as heck. Back to stripping again! Tomorrow I cut the face board for radios etc, then start varnishing! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Finally, since after the stupid holidays are over, I was blessed with a visit from Mad Max to help with finishing up the alignment job (at least for now on the hard).
We ended up making a set of shims all the way around... .125" in the back and .035" in the front. That brought us to within .002" on the vertical angularity and with a touch o' the jack on the sides, within .001" on the horizontal. A slight lift in the coupling of about 7/32" and they slid right together. Doped up the bolts and hammerdem' home!
Being new to a glass boat in the wintertime, just about everything was dripping with condensation. Is this normal?? I only have heat on when there. It was 58 today and about 95% relative humidity.
The rebuilt gear was empty on oil, so to prevent internal rusting (!) we filled it up with 40W Rotella. The entire system was drained and cleaned, and took 3 gallons to bring it up to 2" above full on the stick. Need to run the bad boy to prime everything and check it from there.
Everything went swell and took off for home only to have Black Beauty have a failed throttle position sensor on one of the heaviest traveled stretches of interstate in the world. Struggled to get 45 mph, got off at the next exit and was down to 20 before I stopped at Dunkin' for a cup (the world runs on Dunkin') and called AAA for a free tow home. FRIK !!! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

So while I awaited Max this a.m. I finished ruffing in the radio console... 44 wood plugs later it looks good.ws

[yachtsmanbill]

VOILA !!! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Tools of the trade... ws

[John Dickson]

Ywillie:

Do you chisel those plugs off , dremel em off or sand em down?

[LSC4]

I need new props for a 1970 45 with 871 TIs. Any suggestions for prop sizes?

[yachtsmanbill]

Ywillie:

Do you chisel those plugs off , dremel em off or sand em down?

The plugs are 3/8 and I can usually get away with a sharp 1" chisel. Break off most of it and "shave" the rest and sand. Sometimes the plug is slightly angled and that needs to get sanded or it may break off below the surface and look not so good. When I put them in, I usually used a dab of glue, but you gotta clean it up with a wet rag or it dries and seals the grain right there and wont stain or varnish consistent with the rest of the piece. ws

[John Dickson]

The glue wipe off is good advice (as are all YW comments) Keep the pics flowing; really enjoying all the progress and commentary - You should convert your postings to a book - Dairy of Wild Willie the Yacht Restoring Madman. lol

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks John... anyone else would call it a blog but since its beatin' me up I call it my FLOG. A little self flagellation never hurt anyone LOL !! ws

[Westfield 11]

The glue wipe off is good advice (as are all YW comments) Keep the pics flowing; really enjoying all the progress and commentary - You should convert your postings to a book - Dairy of Wild Willie the Yacht Restoring Madman. lol


No Kidding!! That's a great idea! I for one would love to have this addicting story in 1 place. It would make it much easier to use as a reference and to show other people. Maybe, just a collection of yw's threads here in rough chronological order would be easiest to arrange? This is by far the most interesting and informative restoration blog/article I have read in many a year. This includes cars, bikes, planes and boats.

One question, is it just my browser (IE) or have the pictures been disappearing from the posts, edited out by yw yourself, perhaps? Please leave the photos if at all possible....they really help to clarify the text.

[yachtsmanbill]

With all the pics I post, I periodically need to "cull the herd". You can only store so much here, but I sure as heck can burn you a disc if you want. HINT: there are a LOT more pics there than what I post here!
My ISO tells me to write a restoration book; man! That would look like a SEARS catalogue! I do so much of this stuff that the novelty has worn off, but, I do like to share stuff if it might help someone. My whole life has been a restoration in progress. Probably started with that RJ 58 Wheel Horse tractor!
Thanks for the thoughts though !!ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Bill,
If you post to Photobucket or some other site, then you can just link to the pics and they show up here. I do it that way and then I don't get any nasty "Full" messages that way.

[yachtsmanbill]

Bill,
If you post to Photobucket or some other site, then you can just link to the pics and they show up here. I do it that way and then I don't get any nasty "Full" messages that way.

Yer right pal, but you remember what Rhett said... Would you believe (I know your schedule too!) that keeping up here is just one iron in the fire out of about twenty for me? Photobucket to me is just making another left turn against rush hour traffic. I'd much rather make 3 more right turns to go around the block to pull in.
Really, if anyone wants any kinda poop on stuff, I am more than happy to help out Tete A'Tete. (sp) I was thinking that guys looked more at this as entertainment than tech reference. Hmm.
ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Yer right pal, but you remember what Rhett said... Would you believe (I know your schedule too!) that keeping up here is just one iron in the fire out of about twenty for me? Photobucket to me is just making another left turn against rush hour traffic. I'd much rather make 3 more right turns to go around the block to pull in.
Really, if anyone wants any kinda poop on stuff, I am more than happy to help out Tete A'Tete. (sp) I was thinking that guys looked more at this as entertainment than tech reference. Hmm.
ws

So I just showed this to the ISO (the professor) and she wants me to run a restoration website... yeh right! Like Ive barely mastered the right click on the mouse. LOL Remember PAC MAN? The novelty wore off on that one after the first round.
I'll just keep doin' the fuddy duddy thang! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Been struggling with my truck all week! GUESS WHAT NOW ??? I am gonna fire the first clip out of my M1 Garand outa my bedroom window tomorrow.
Anyhow, I limped her down to the sub today, and did ... NOT TOO MUCH. I need to pull the gas main and hose it into my bedroom ;-{{ Time to buy a TOYOTA TUNDRA... GAK! ws

[Boatsb]

maybe a Ford Powerstroke diesel. They seem to be the most durable from the Kingfish and redfish tournament guys who hail trailers all the time

[yachtsmanbill]

FWIW... My pal Gator has a '06 dually with a welding rig on the back and its DOA too. ANOTHER computer problem. Gotta start that SOB on ETHER! Maybe I should stick a 4-53 in the dang truck and go merrily on my way. Hmmm. Whats another little project amongst friends? Ive got the 5" hole saw for the pipe straight up through the hood... YEEHAA !! ws

[Finalee]

You might want to replace your spare tire with a Tata.

[SKYCHENEY]

Hey Bill. I've got a nice 6v53n if you need it. Right now it just sits in my barn in an old 1975 Diamond Reo. It runs nice.

[yachtsmanbill]

How much for the whole package? I'm not a stranger to Diamond Ts/Reos!! Is there a gear with it? SEND PICS!! ;-)) ws

[yachtsmanbill]

You might want to replace your spare tire with a Tata.

If thats a TTFN , I'm in !! I could go for a BODACIOUS TATA right now as well.

I am at my wits end; just dropped off the truck at a shop this time. I refuse to deal with pump issues anymore. JESUS H. CHRIST !!! Why cant they use mechanical pumps like the olden days? (dont even go there... I know why!)
Even a DD fuel pump would be an improvement. I gotta pay the labor on this one, but the GD pump is warrantied at least!
BBBRRRAAATTTT <-- THAT was a wet one LOL ws

[SKYCHENEY]

How much for the whole package? I'm not a stranger to Diamond Ts/Reos!! Is there a gear with it? SEND PICS!! ;-)) ws

Bill,
It was a ready-mixed concrete truck when we bought it new. Then, later we removed the mixer and mounted an old winch on it from one of our gravel barges. That turned it into a wrecker of sorts. The transmission is a 12 speed Fuller with double low. It has locking trandom rear axles and a front drive axle which makes it a true 6x6. The engine has less than 5000 miles since overhaul. I think it's just what you need. Make an offer. I'll get you some pics tonight.

[yachtsmanbill]

Is that locking tandem rear a RT38 from Hendrickson? (worked there in '74) ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Is that locking tandem rear a RT38 from Hendrickson? (worked there in '74) ws
I believe it is. It also has that Hendrickson suspension which is essentially just some big rubber blocks. It rides like crap going down the road; jar your fillings loose.

[yachtsmanbill]

So today, I'd like to say I got kicked in the balls, but I wont. Instead I'll say I got busted in the chops! FINALLY, after replacing 5 fuel pumps, I broke down and had a shop here do it. 1 year guarantee on parts and labor nationwide. Meineke mufflers to the rescue for only eight tenths of a boat buck.
FWIW... this guy spent two days looking for the correct pump. As it turns out, the truck was built in CANADIA and has a EUROPEAN emission system on it. Great. On the glove box door is a sticky that lists about 150 3 digit codes and this puppy was in there. There was actually ONLY one unit available in Chicago. The pump is made by DELPHI and supplies GM with the AC DELCO units.
To Auto Zones credit, they did refund $300 on the 4 week old failure. What a stupid freakin' lesson to learn. I did tell the shop if it fails, I'll have AAA deliver the truck through their window. He laughed. I dont think he realized the truth in the promise.
Tomorrow, I'm off to the yacht and WILL accomplish 5 days worth of work!
Get ready for some pics Charlie!! I'll pull those 6 inchers for you too Rick! I'm gonna have a skil saw in one hand and the sawzall in the other! Anyone else want anything while I'm feeling destructive??
No fuel pump lectures please. The gas company came and shut off the gas here when my ISO called them about me. ROFLOL !!! I survived; AGAIN ! ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Here's your next truck, Bill. It just needs a little air in that front tire and it's ready to roll.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/skycheney/TRAIN058.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/skycheney/TRAIN059.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/skycheney/TRAIN060.jpg

[mopester]

FWIW... this guy spent two days looking for the correct pump. As it turns out, the truck was built in CANADIA and has a EUROPEAN emission system on it. Great. On the glove box door is a sticky that lists about 150 3 digit codes and this puppy was in there. There was actually ONLY one unit available in Chicago. The pump is made by DELPHI and supplies GM with the AC DELCO units.


Bill, I thought you werew using genuineall this time. I could have told you aftermarket is crap.. I used to work part time at a GMC/ISUZU/PONTIAC dealership for about 8 years. (the local chevy shop lost its corvett teck and i had been taking all the vet test and for a short time did nothing but vet work) The right shop/parts guy would look it up from all those digit codes you were talking about and could tell you right out what it was,day built, line day etc etc etc.

Been at the dealer level and after working at one, I feel some parts just shouldnt be after market. (ie:brake pads,plugs,plug wires,computer brains)
Sorry i didnt read this sooner to follow it or i would have told you.

mike.

[krush]

My friend owns a repair shop and has a 4 week backlog (people say "I don't care how long it takes, you're going to fix my vehicle") and he said go OEM delco on fuel pumps and the like.

[yachtsmanbill]

Geez, I can tell everyone mustve had a bunch of fun and now its time for beddy bye. eh? ...
After threatening to take black beauty out to the back forty, and then the transplant at the Vets office, she quit faking her lameness and decided to get back to work... BACK IN RACING FORM!
Took her out for 320 furlongs and she didnt even break a sweat. Gave her a blanket and a sack of oats and finished up on a bunch of wiring and then sanded the helm console again and rolled and tipped two coats of varnish on the stuff.
Probably two more days and I'll be done with this part and then on to #53868.
Slowly knocking them out. Spring is just around the corner boys... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

It looks better in person. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

This was nasty black. Look at the paneling! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

The saga continues... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

This is for Ange... these guys hold pretty well, but not as good as the handles with the thumb latch (good old chris craft stuff!) ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Sky... that old Diamond Reo is a beaut! If I was twenty years younger and still had real teeth I would really consider it! I cant afford a new set of store boughts. Thats BAAAD enough to haul the 58 on a trailer!!
Hey Krush and Mopester... three pumps ago I bought one from the Chevy dealer and it failed in 9000 miles. No one ever bothered to show me the "option codes" or look it up. JHC ! Its a chevy aint it?? !!! Hopefully, its a bad dream thats' passed. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

It looks better in person. ws


This ran from the previous page! ws

[mopester]

Bill, sorry to hear about no one telling you about codes/digits, and the pump should have been covered under warranty. I think it's an "Emission item"???? and thier parts warranty is usally 10k??

The pics look great you are one busy man for this time of year..

I havent been to mine since middle of dec!!

Keep the pics coming.

[akintosyali]

Have original (mechanical) fuel pumps on my 1965 Hatt. You can always depend on a Hatt. A Chevy?

Now that I jinxed myself, when can I borrow your prop pullers? It took me only two hours to take the nuts off the pops today..

[yachtsmanbill]

Let me know anytime! Its in my truck as we speak! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Still having fun recycling old wood... First you dont see it and now you do... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Still plugging away LOL ! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Dont tell the judges that the wood is re-used! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

A few more for Charlie! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

BUMP !! See page 21... ws

[SKYCHENEY]

Ahh, a man that cuts his own plugs and doesn't pay top dollar for the ones that come in a little plastic bag. Nice work.

[yachtsmanbill]

YGBSM !! Hey Sky... that plug cutter was $10 from Jamestown and the toy drill press ws $29 a few years ago at the HOMO. I'll bet I made 10,000 plugs if I made ONE!! Send me the wood and for you pal, Ill make a shitload!
That block was about a 2 minute job. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

4700 views!! Not too shabby. Seven hours today, and I managed to resand the day old primer coat and wash the water stained side with hydrochloric acid, and nuetralize it. Once it dried, I sanded it and the stuff seemed like it was exfoliating! On a scalee of 1-10, its about a 7.5. I tried the DA and #60 in some spots, but I was through the first veneer so I stopped.
So I went around the bar/helm with 60 and then 120, vacuumed it with the brush attachment and swabbed the new stuff on. (rolled and tipped). Tomorrow, it'll get 2-3 more coats and hopefully be ready for the judges! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Its nice to see brightwork that looks bright. It was getting kinda depressing before. I see the light! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

You can barely see the stain after the acid wash. ws

[Finalee]

Bill the stain makes a great conversation piece. When you are finished people wont believe she was ever near periscope depth.

[yachtsmanbill]

Thats one of the reasons for going with the clear gloss varnish. Not only does it make the stain slightly more subtle, but the finish is dramatic and people have less of a tendency to notice. It shows more on account of the flash. Ive had to "disclose" to some visitors that she was a depth charge victim. Actually, I think th PO dove the boat without having a
"green board" LOL ws

[Captned]

Acid wash??? WTF??? Tell us more! Great work, love the pics... Its like you dont have a job!! :)

Captned
78 46 CON

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Ed... I retired at 50 a few years ago from the electric company here. Usually manage to pick up some jobs here and there to augment my income. That gives me a ton of time to work on the sub!
When the boat sank dockside, she was held up on the port side by docklines. There is a stain at a 45 degree angle the length of the boat. Engine oil, fuel, and battery acid on top of heavily neglected wood made a mess. Believe me when I say that I have tried everything to strip it, and finally ended up with HcL and a wire brush. Any kind of abrasion cleaning results in going through the veneers on the paneling. Shes not as nice as some of your guys stuff, but its what I call home (kinda). Eventually I hope to get her down to 20N and 085W or there abouts. Straw hats and cheap fuel, chicas, and restaurants where you can smoke after a meal!
Recession??? Ive lived my life in a recession. Gotta go... need to get some more varnish on as it is supposed to be around 5F Saturday and Sunday!! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Verdict is in... GUILTY !! " $150.00. Pay the BAILIFF! ". Coats 3 and 4 turned out 'reasonable' and since its gonna be assfreezincold tomorrow, I think I'll watch TV on the electric blanket for a few days! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Gave it a good power sand with 120 and hand sanded the finesse stuff with 150. Grain looks good with sunlite instead of a flash on it! ws

[jlightonjr]

She is looking fantastic - awesome job!!!

[yachtsmanbill]

Thanks JL !! It ought to be nice when its' ALL done... yeh right! ws

[jlightonjr]

Hahaha!! "All Done" on a boat?! I always had "boat lists" there are always projects to keep ya busy on a boat!!!

[yachtsmanbill]

Yer right JL... keeps ya outa the bar. I wish I was an alkie, then Id have an excuse for no social life haha! Seriously, I'm down to the 58,000 projects column and counting!
Hibernated all weekend and got down to the boat today and it was up to 10 degrees outside. A veritable heat wave. The river froze up hard too. A downbound tow was coming out of the lock here and got stuck in the ice. He'd throttle up and you could hear the floor plates in the engine room rattling! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

So to celebrate MLK day, I gave 'em a show of elbows and buttocks as we say here. Pulled another 10,000 staples out of the pilothouse floor... KRIPES!!
After that, I livened up the new overhead console, and surprise; everything worked! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

... And then commenced to frame out the lower PH wall . The original helm seat obscured the wiring. What a barbaric wiring job! That will hafta wait till next year. The access panels will all be removable to chase wires tho... Ought to be able to finish that tomorrow after I get a 120 lb propane fillup! ws

[Captned]

"Not too shabby. Seven hours today, and I managed to resand the day old primer coat and wash the water stained side with hydrochloric acid, and nuetralize it."

Sorry, aint going away....You did what??? Interested in the water stained side...

Captned
78 46 CON

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Ed...I dont know if you missed my reply as I usually add a whole page here almost daily. I think this came from page 23 (?).

"When the boat sank dockside, she was held up on the port side by docklines. There is a stain at a 45 degree angle the length of the boat. Engine oil, fuel, and battery acid on top of heavily neglected wood made a mess. Believe me when I say that I have tried everything to strip it, and finally ended up with HcL and a wire brush. Any kind of abrasion cleaning results in going through the veneers on the paneling. Shes not as nice as some of your guys stuff, but its what I call home (kinda)."

The only thing that even comes close to salvaging the original wood is hydrochloric acid (about 20% ??). Its actually some industrial drain opener. I brush it on and the finish turns to mud. I then take a 1-1/2" wood chisel and back scrape away with VIGOR, with the grain and across the grain. I put a second dose on and wire brush it with a stainless wire tooth brush. Scrape that and wash with hot water. After it dries, I start the sanding and finishing.So far the finish is pretty good, but looks lousy with the camera flash. Sunlight is much better! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

This is the boat at the initial pre-purchase inspection. ws

[jlightonjr]

WOW - to see those pics shows what a LONG way you have come! Your girl is going to be one fine Lady when you are done.

Huge plus that you know how to do all of this work because you know it is DONE RIGHT!!! Keep the pics com'en!

[Captned]

EGADS! Look at that! Thanks for the info Bill, keep the pics coming... GREAT work!


Captned

[drburke]

Hey Willie,

Keep up the good work. It's actually pretty informative to see your starting point in the "before" picture, vs. the outstanding results you are getting! I know I am learning a lot, as all of us are.

Does that TV still work? :)

Congrats on passing that 5,000 view mark with the Strain thread--I know you are watching...

Stay warm back in IL,
DAN

[Finalee]

Thats incredible. Looks like more was under than above! In fact knowing what you know now you probably should have completely submerged her to get the wood work matching. Great job!!!

[yachtsmanbill]

Thats incredible. Looks like more was under than above! In fact knowing what you know now you probably should have completely submerged her to get the wood work matching. Great job!!!


The stain is really wierd... Its like a gray washed finish and its as hard as a rock! Almost as tho its a glazed finish! ws

[Maynard Rupp]

Bill, was that sinking in salt or fresh water. I know you live in the Great Lakes area so I can only hope the boat sunk there.

[yachtsmanbill]

The boat sank in Lake Jennings's, La. about 100 miles inland, from a power loss post hurricane Rita. All this from packing leaking! PO's ran the boat on pumps and batteries and then the lights went out and they went on vacation for a few weeks. Thats a fresh water (kinda, Louisiana ya know!) lake. The boat was down for about a day. Hmmm. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

I think my ISO's media center fried the router... again! Must be made by chevy fuel pump folks!
Anyway, today I recycled some more wood. The shelf came from two bed side rails and the vertical piece was a teak cutting board from the house. I hope the ISO doesnt miss it!
Well guys no pics tonite. Ya know what that means; a whole bunch more tomorrow!! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

With 27 computers going here, our router overheated. Shoot! The 1/2 hp router on the boat throws sparks. Think it will last?
Anyway, we are off to another above zero day to maybe finish the cable run box and maybe prep the PH floor some tile. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

All this stuff takes time... like an hour to move the outlet. Shelf is the old bed side rails after 1/8" grinding with the belt sander. Maybe today I'll clean the dust off the camera lens too! My apologies! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

A coat of varnish and it was time to head for the barn. It got cold and dark at 5:00 pm. ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Stopped at Menards and picked up a 1/2 sheet of burled cherry paneling for the face. Stuff looks great with 2 coats of varnish on it! Finished vacuuming today before the coating work and the stinger vac was packed. Like you pull the top off and there is a hole in the can for the filter! Oh woe is me!
The worst part is the dust jammed my camera!! Had to perform surgery on that too. The lens wouldnt close and showed "system error" . Sound familiar?? ws

[yachtsmanbill]

... sometimes I impress my own bad self LOL! Shouldnt take more than 5-6 more gallons to finish this job!! ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Score one for the GIPPER !! When the going gets tough, the tough get Hatts!
It was minus 6 today when I left outa here. High was 8. My pal Gator is an iron worker and got "colded out" so he stopped by and gave a hand today.
The PH port side is almost a done deal. Maybe 2-3 more coats of varnish!
Thats a walk in the park. I did notice some peculiar tho... since Ive been recycling a lot of wood, I made a crack repair today and while warming the piece up in front of Lakiesha, the clean wood started to ooze BLACK OIL from some of the pores. Its the vertical piece hiding the 2 lower panel joints. Guess what I'll try with the heat gun tomorrow... ws

[yachtsmanbill]

Judges?? Survey sez... ws

[John Dickson]

Survey Says:

Beautiful!
Clean ur lens! HA!