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The gasket around the hatch proved to be unnecessary. Once I got the sealant to adhere, the hatch stopped leaking. I think the problem I was having is related to the silicone sealant that Pearson used. Nothing sticks well to silicon.
This is not unusual. The hatch is not well designed. Here are my notes.
http://www.richardcarter.net/boat/deckRot/Even after fixing this, I got a bit of a leak last season. The caulk failed on the forward inboard corner. Water accumulated above the headliner and rotted two pieces. The panels started to show ripples and sag, revealing the problem. Ugh! Replacing the whole headliner is not a practical solution. I was able to repair the rotted panels sections by removing them, putting them on a flat surface, and laying in epoxy. Removing the panels is not straightforward. Molding can be removed but they run under the door frames. I used a multi-tool to cut where necessary. When reinstalling, I cut and installed molding to cover the exposed cuts. When replacing molding, I didn’t use brads. Instead, I used screws and left the heads exposed. It will be easier to remove again should the need arise.
I taped the finish side of the panels to avoid getting epoxy on the exposed surface. I put a sheet of plastic sheet on the table and a second sheet over the panels after laying in the epoxy. I put some flat boards with weights to keep the panels flat. The result is not perfect but it looks OK.
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Charlie
I tossed the ice-box lid and replaced it many years ago. The original lid was hinged in the middle. To remove it, I had to clear off some counter space to place it. I made a one-piece lid that is well insulated and hinged. A gas spring lift supports it when you open the box. Pictures were on the 424 web site but appear to be missing. Like you, I put gaskets around the lip. This was an easy fix.
It’s a challenge to reach anything at the bottom of the box. I like your idea of glassing in a new bottom. There’s a raised piece along the bottom that traps water. At a minimum, I might glass that in.
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If you do a forum search here, you can find all kinds of information on the subject. I have engine-driven refrigeration, installed when the boat was built in 1979. It works for me but I wouldn’t recommend it due to cost, complexity, and reliability issues. I assume you are planning a 12v system.
Briefly, Pearson didn’t put enough insulation in the ice-box. If you want to convert to refrigeration, you’ll have to improve the insulation. The 12V systems out there have tiny compressors. My engine-driven system has about a 3hp compressor, large enough to overcome the poor insulation properties of the ice-box. 12V systems have fractional HP compressors, approx 2/10 hp while running. You’ll never get and keep the box cold if you don’t insulate the thing.
If you improve insulation, you’ll still have a very big box to cool. You’ll need to get rid of that heat. A water-cooled system may be needed. Such systems are expensive.
The 424 is a dog downwind in light air without some kind of downwind sail, less than about 12 kts. I’ve never heard of code 0 sails so I did a search. It looks like a hanked-on oversized Genoa. It also appears that you need to change the sail for apparent wind angles. I don’t see why anyone would want one. Maybe I’m looking at the wrong sites.
I have an oversized asymmetrical spinnaker with a sock. It’s pretty easy to launch and retrieve and works very well at angles above about 120 degrees to about 70 degrees apparent. I’ll have to say that I don’t use it if I’m single-handing. I need a foredeck person who knows how to launch and retrieve it. It’s not difficult but the foredeck person needs to be mechanically inclined. He or she needs to be able to look up and think “oh, that doesn’t look quite right.” and do something about it. Not everyone has that rather simple skill.
Rich
As I posted earlier, when I replaced my tank, I had them install a fuel level sender. We put in a vertical sender. The swing-arm type wouldn’t work because it hit against the baffle inside the tank. To change the sender, you need to remove the old gauge and measure the distance from the top of the tank to the bottom where the hole is. Then order a gauge with the correct length. You need to make sure that the hole pattern is the same. You could bring the old gauge to a decent marine store and have them match the pattern.
You also need to buy an electric gauge that matches the resistance of the sender and find a place to mount it. Once you replace the old gauge, you can read the fuel level without getting down on your hands and knees.
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The peep-hole was stupid. To view the gauge, I had to pour a bit of water on the deck plate so I could see through it and get on my hands and knees to view the damn thing. I replaced mine with an electric sender and gauge and painted the underside of the plate so you can’t see through it anymore. I have a hard time reading the engine gauges when sitting behind the wheel. It would be nice to read them right at the helm. I installed new instruments this past winter, putting Nav and instrument displays on a binnacle pod. I hooked up a Noland RS-11 gizmo that attaches to the engine senders and sends NMEA-2000 sentences with oil pressure, temperature, tach, and fuel-level. He has a bug in the gizmo however that incorrectly formats the fuel level sentence. I can see the other gauges on my NMEA instruments but the fuel level won’t show until he updates the firmware. I sent him the raw data that shows the problem. So far, no response from Noland. I’ll send out a photo of the installation when I get time. Fuel level shouldn’t be changing often so its not a problem but I want it to work as planned.
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picture?
I’m guessing it’s the fuel gauge peep-hole.1 user thanked author for this post.
My 1979 424 was Awlgripped when I first bought her in 1986. The paint showed signs of cracking and then a bit of peeling after about 8 or 10 years. It’s expected and not a problem. I recoated it then and several times since with Interlux 2-part poly. The paint lasts about 8 years or so before it loses its gloss and needs a new coat. It’s a fairly straightforward job, IMHO, easier than compounding and waxing. While it has minor brush-marks that are visible if you look closely, from 20-feet away, you can’t tell the difference between that and a $10k spray-on job. You should be able to do it yourself in about 3 or 4 days, out of the water of course. My wife and I can do it in a weekend. You’ll need staging. A bunch of saw-horses and planking to do one side at a time is enough. You need a good sander of course and top-quality brushes. One quart will do one coat on one side. There are instructions available online but if you want my suggestions contact me. You don’t have to prime the work since you’re already coated. Just clean the surface well, fill any imperfections and recoat.
I never wax my topsides. Getting the wax off before recoating is a PIA and as I said, compounding and waxing is a lot of work. I just wash the thing each spring with a good detergent. Don’t use ammonia based cleaners like Windex.
I have two large fixed port in the head. The other two large ports open. I’ve since replaced the two opening ports but have so far been unable to locate a replacement that will fit in the hole left by the fixed ports. These are a bit larger than the opening ports. Apparently, large opening ports were an option. I wish the original owner had sprung for an opening port in the shower stall. If anyone finds a port that fits the fixed port hole, please let me know. Bigger is OK, but smaller is hard to deal with.
Newfound metals has a line of plastic frame ports that are a good fit for the smaller opening ports on the 424. They are not like the cheap Beckson ports that some production boats have. The frame is a heavy plastic material but there is a stainless frame and hardware. I’d have no second thoughts of taking the boat offshore with them. They install from the outside and have self-sealing gaskets. They rent a template for trimming the hole. A router makes it simple. Trim rings are suggested.
The stainless ports are nicer but I’m not sure the cost difference makes them a better choice.
A few times each year, I find myself in the fog and need something to make appropriate sounds. Like probably most of us, I have a fixed-mount VHF radio that doubles as a fog-horn/hailer. The thing satisfies the CG requirement for sounds. I really don’t like the thing. It is awkward to get through the menu settings to turn it on and configure it for the correct sound, power/sail. Although it complies with the sound requirement, I think that two minutes between sounds is too long. My major complaint is that it ties up the VHF radio when used as a fog-horn. What I really want is something to sound my existing horn at regular intervals. This sounds trivial.
I did a web-search for a gizmo that does this and found them unreasonably expensive. I have a bit of time now that I’m retired so I made my own. I found this problem to be so annoying that I went through the trouble of designing the thing. It consists of a microprocessor relay board that has relays mounted on it. I wrote a tiny program to close and open the relay at regular intervals. The relay gets wired across the existing horn button. I have a switch to turn it on/off. I connected a wire to the ignition switch so the software can tell the engine is on. The thing sounds either a long blast if the ignition is off and a long and two shorts if it’s on. The interval is set at about one minute. I can change the duration and interval. The board and processor chip are available online already assembled. I just had to program the thing and connect the wires. Total cost was less than $30. I’m mounting mine behind the breaker panel. If anyone else wants one of these, let me know. I’m not planning to go in the business of distributing them but I’ll help anyone who wants to put their own together.Attachments:
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There’s not much to the actuator. It’s activated by oil pressure through the hoses. If you have oil pressure, it should disengage.
Replacement pads are identified here somewhere.I assume that you thought of checking with Westerbeke. Let me guess, they want an arm and a leg for OEM mounts. Defender sells mounts but you just missed their spring sale. You’d want to insure that the holes on the bases are the same distance as what you have or you’ll end up with a lot of extra work.
There’s a bit of magic with these things. The rubber insulator is supposed to be matched to the weight and power ratning of your engine. If you get one that’s too big, it may allow vibration to get through the mount. As I recall when I had a red engine, it vibrated like a paint-shaker at cruising speed anyway. Don’t go too small though. I’m the red beast is pretty heavy.
