My 1st Hatt - 1984 52C

[JuiceClark]

Well, I bought the old girl from a very kind Virginia gentleman with a winter home across the river. It's the first time either of us sold/bought a boat without using a broker - and it worked out great. He had to sell because of a personal loss and was glad to see it go to someone he could tell was ready to go to work on her. He bought and started overhauling the boat in 2014. Because of an illness, not much was done for the last couple years but the most basic things.

I'm stuck in the office every day until 4 and do everything after then. I brought her home to my house last Monday. Spent the the next two nights washing, the next two nights taking stuff off the boat and Friday running through the systems and shoring-up the long list of projects.

Rather than pollute the front page with a hundred threads with all my questions, I thought I start this one and keep it all centralized. So, if you feel like giving the poor bastid' down in Sw FL some help, please stop by to sympathize with the current frustration.

 

[JuiceClark]

The wood instead is in excellent shape. Everything is really dirty though. So, I'm wiping everything down with Orange Oil cleaner and then rubbing it with Miniwax Antique Hard Oil. Damn is it nice.

The inside of the cockpit door (pic above) was literally ash colored and covered with black moldy streaks from being open for weeks at a time. After a brisk wash, adding some mahogany stain to the oil brought it back nicely with almost no work. I don't know if it's mahogany or teak or afromosia or what, but it's durable.

I'll have to remove that bad tint film on the cockpit window This is how the wood looks before cleaning and oiling. Has the gross growth on it from 2 years sitting, that cleans off easily.

 

[JuiceClark]

There are dozens of projects on the list. Today, I changed all the Racors, the oil filters, etc. Next week comes impellers n such.

I'm not looking forward to removing the full wall mirrors in the master stateroom. Getting those off is going to be a bitch. Is there's nice wood behind them...and can I get the glue off to save it??

 

[JuiceClark]

ER is great. I can't find anything wrong with the low hour 8v92s. However, the genny made me chuckle. My retired friend who's helping me with mechanical stuff (diesel mechanic for a oil barge firm) opened her up today. Everybody loves a 5.9 Cummins, but the oil filter read 2014...and the engine hours written on the filter is ONE-hour-less than it shows today.

Plus, the new looking water pump on it was installed backwards. After basic maintenance, she started up and purred beautifully.


36 years old and 3,400 hours on her! That's just sad. I'll make a point of it to run thousands of hours on this neglected genny.

 

[Eddieclemons]

Thanks for taking the time to share your projects.

 

[Sadey]

Congrats and she looks beautiful! I'll be following your thread about the mirrors. We have them in the VIP state and on the forward bulkhead of the galley that the admiral would like removed.

 

[JuiceClark]

A brand new cockpit freezer unit is great.

One a/c unit isn't working and there's some other problems with the a/c system. An ol' pro is coming to work on them in a couple weeks. There was some home-grown tinkering with that system that is a bit terrifying and will be redone correctly.

 

[JuiceClark]

Newer exhaust and plenty of lighting are helpful. The ER is a happy place, a first for any new boat I've owned. Usually, it's a place of fear and loathing.

 

[SEVEN]

Congratulations, take good care of her.

 

[JuiceClark]

Thank you fellas. The fit and finish in the ol' girl is so great, it's really an honor to be an owner.

While the girls go to a play tonight, I'll face the first major annoyance: the toilet system. I guess it's the Galley Maid.

Last night late, I replaced the solenoid on the guest head because it was toast. Well, when you press the button, you can hear the solenoid click, but the motor doesn't hum and nothing happens. (seller left me 4 head solenoids, and hundreds of other parts. So great) I tapped on that motor, swore at it...nothing.

Interestingly, the master head does the same. Press the button, hear the solenoid click and nothing else. The motor doesn't run.
I thought maybe the tank is full and a float shuts off the heads when too high?? The "3/4 full" light doesn't come on when you press the button. One motor dead is likely, but both? It just seems odds are it's something else and I have no idea.

Could the macerator blades be seized from not being flushed for a couple years??

Solenoid was toast:
"Raz-za-mataz" wasn't looking to good. Not any better with working solenoid.

 

[JuiceClark]

Congrats and she looks beautiful! I'll be following your thread about the mirrors. We have them in the VIP state and on the forward bulkhead of the galley that the admiral would like removed.

Thanks!

Supposedly, you can take picture hanging wire and run it behind the mirror....sawing the glue connections off. But upon first glance, the edge and top is so tight that I don't know how I'll get the wire started. I'll get it done - even if I just have to break the end of the mirror.

 

[SEVEN]

Raz sells all the parts to rebuild. They are easy to work on. If the motor is shot they will replace it with a rebuilt motor. I know they are old but they work great when running. I’ve rebuilt all three of mine. Cost was about 150.00 per unit. Look it up on YouTube under rebuild a Galley Maid pump.

 

[madhatter1]

Congrats. Nice ride. We spend nights on ours in the back yard sometimes. You should too. Great shake down cruise for all the little things without leaving the dock

 

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

There’s a chance the solenoids aren’t on the motor circuit. Should have circuit breakers for each motor. Congrats on the boat. Good luck with her.

 

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Meant to say buttons might not be on the breakers.

 

[JuiceClark]

Meant to say buttons might not be on the breakers.

Thanks.

On the ER panel, there's a "master head" and "guest head." And I can hear the solenoids clicking only when they're on, but there might be another switch for the attached motor? I don't see any related switches on the salon panel, but...???

It's a tease because you KNOW I'm hoping it's some little thing like that, because the access to those motors absolutely sucks - especially the master which is behind the guest head motor/pump and the solenoid faces away from the access hole! Replacing that solenoid in the pic was like something you'd see in the kama sutra.

 

[JuiceClark]

Raz sells all the parts to rebuild. They are easy to work on. If the motor is shot they will replace it with a rebuilt motor. I know they are old but they work great when running. I’ve rebuilt all three of mine. Cost was about 150.00 per unit. Look it up on YouTube under rebuild a Galley Maid pump.

If no surprise miracles show-up in the next week, I'll have to order a couple of rebuilds. With two daughters and a wife, the toilets are all we need. Hell, I brought it home with no steering...but we need heads! (don't worry, steering just had to be burped after sitting so long)

Congrats. Nice ride. We spend nights on ours in the back yard sometimes. You should too. Great shake down cruise for all the little things without leaving the dock

Thanks, and for sure. We're thinking of it as our "weekend getaway cabin in the back yard." The kids are going to clean and decorate their stateroom and get some skin in the game helping me.

The A/C man comes on the16th to check out all for zones and reverse a few bad shortcuts made in the past. Besides that, all I need to do is get the heads working and we'll be sleeping on her.

 

[SEVEN]

Get yourself a very skinny 16 year old want to be mechanic to get in there. I used to do this on my old cars when I was young and broke. When pushing the flush button have someone tap or smack a hammer on the motor. See if that might kick it over.

 

[Sadey]

Robert has a great how to video featuring a Fecal Removal Specialist that might give some insight into your project. At a minimum it will entertain you prior to your misery. I have a spare pump that Raz rebuilt for me last October that is sitting in storage. It's in Wisconsin but I could arrange to get it to you and I know it will cost less then a rebuilt from Raz. PM me if needed and best of luck with your project!

 

[JuiceClark]

The garage is filling up.

After I fully restore the big Lee fighting chair, it'll probably stay in storage. As a family boat, it'll just be in the way. If the fish is big enough to pull you overboard, it wins. I don't know if I'll sell it or keep it for resale, if I ever do.

The water-maker is pretty cool. It's all set-up on the boat and plugs right in next to the A/C units. Still, will I ever use it? Maybe I'll be glad to have it when big solar storm or EMP blast destroys civilization.

Lastly, the air vent plenum box things. Only a couple years didn't have gills, right? The more air the merrier, and they look good, but I'm kind of a purest and can't see myself cutting into that hull core. I've always treated the core as the holy place to never be violated! It's a tough decision...what chu' think? I'm leaning toward a couple more blowers, instead.


Oh, and that blue thing a big compressor with 3 hose plugs. So, you won't need a tank to clean the bottom....or pick up a few lobsters if you have a long enough regulator hose.