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A full set of US raster charts consume about 4 gig. My tablet has 64 gig so it’s not a problem. I like the free chart aspect. I use an IPAD however so this android app won’t work for me. I downloaded isailor for my IPAD for free. It also runs on my cellphone which is more important for me. The app is free, but you have to pay for the isailor charts. I think it was $8 for the atlantic cost north of chessapeake bay. Hey, they have to get their money somewhere. Their charts are vector charts so quilting is not a problem.
Many low-end computer based chartplotters display one chart on the screen at a time. This doesn’t work well with raster charts. As you get to the end of one chart, you may not be able to view the next chart until you transition to it, or you may have to manually select which chart is displayed. I have Nobeltec installed on my laptop. This quilts the raster charts into one continuous image for your display.
Rich
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I have an Iphone and Ipad. My backup chartplotter runs on both. Frankly, it is more important to me that the chartplotter run on the cellphone than on my Ipad. I got caught in the fog in the dinghy one evening a few years back. Although I had a compass onboard, I wish I had a chartplotter of some sort. It was a long trip down a winding channel. I realize that you don’t like Apple products, but consider getting something that runs on your cellphone, perhaps a new cellphone if necessary.
My backup for my sailboat is actually a laptop below at my chart table. The phone and tablet chart-plotters are backups for that or for use in the dinghy. The nice thing about tablet apps is that they are cheap. Since I had the Ipad and Iphone, getting a charting app was a no-brainer. Many apps run on both. If you buy for one, it installs on the other automatically.
Too bad we don’t have a backup for GPS. The bone-heads in Washington cut off funding for LORAN and took the chains down. If the GPS system goes down, we’re screwed. I worked on the GPS system back in the ’70’s and have a good understanding of the system vulnerabilities. There are events that could take the system down.
Rich
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I replaced my old W60 with the same engine about 6 years ago. Everything seems fine to me. I mated it to the Velvet drive. I found that I needed to change the gear reduction in the V-drive to work with this engine. It redlines at 3800 RPM. Since I was replacing the V-drive at the same time this was not a problem. I just switched to 2.5:1. I’m curious about what issues your yard found. If you get a chance, please ask them.
Rich
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If the 60 fits without problems, go for the larger engine. Consider max engine RPM when compared with your prop and gear reduction when evaluating this. I went for a 75 HP Yanmar and I’m glad I went for the larger size.
Rich
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I’m not hearing that your engine is boiling over. It sounds like it’s being discharged for other reasons. I don’t have a W71C, but I would guess it is built like most other marine diesels like my old W60. This engine had a coolant reservoir as part of the exhaust manifold. A crack in the exhaust manifold could in theory allow exhaust gas to escape into the cooling jacket. This would pressurize the cooling system and blow coolant out of the exhaust pressure valve. Such a crack would also allow coolant to seep into the exhaust manifold when the engine is shut down. This is not good for your exhaust valves.
A crack in your exhaust manifold would be unusual. There are other ways for gas to get into your coolant. You stated however that you are sure the head gasket is good.
“A more serious form of internal leak would be one within the engine where the coolant, leaks into the cylinders through a leaky head gasket. This type of leak will usually show up when combustion gases are pushed into the jacket water when the engine is running and under load . It will show up as a steady stream of bubbles being pushed through the clear tubing leading from the heat exchanger to the expansion tank. Do not confuse with normal start up de-aeration. A device called “bloc checkâ€
The original strainer on my 424 was a piece of junk. I replaced it with a new Groco when I repowered.
http://www.richardcarter.net/repower/V-Drive2.html
Rich
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A word to the wise…
I had a bad experience with my old W-60. Hansen is in the next town over to where I keep my boat. They are the logical supplier for parts and service. I found it getting increasingly expensive to buy parts for my engine. Some were no longer even available, at any price. I eventually got disgusted and pulled the Westerbeke and swapped in a Yanmar. While the Yanmar is a much better engine, this was a huge expense that should have been avoidable. If I owned a W-58, I’d be stocking my spare parts bin with things like injectors, pumps, manifold, glow-plugs, gaskets, etc while you still can. If one of you finds an off-the-shelf source for generic parts, you might get together to make a buy. Buying a junk motor just for parts might make sense.There comes a point in time where nursing the old beast doesn’t make sense. You’ll be replacing the W-58 at some point in time. Continuing to throw money at it when that money could be better spent on a new engine may make better sense. What tipped the scales for me was a leaky fuel tank. I had to pull the engine anyway to replace the fuel tank.
I underestimated the total cost for a repower when I made that decision. I was expecting around $15K if I did all the work. Parts alone for the Yanmar ran north of $20K, engine, V-drive, drive-gear, exhaust, hoses, mounts, etc. A large piece of this was the V-drive, shaft, and prop. You might get by without replacing these initially, but the V-drives only last about 30 years after which they rust out. Replacing the V-drive lets you select different gear reduction ratios. This opens your engine selection to more engines. Your old prop may not be properly cut for whatever engine you select… Once you start, things add up quickly. Even though repowering was hugely expensive, I’m glad I did it. The boat cruises faster and more comfortably.
Rich
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I replaced my main last season. If someone needs a fullbatten main in fair condition, please let me know. Otherwise it’s off to Bacon’s for consignment. It will fit a tall ketch or sloop.
Rich
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There’s more than one sail plans for the 424, the standard ketch, the tall ketch, the sloop (same as tall ketch without mizzen), and the cutter.
Here’s the full list from Bacon’s website.Model I J P E
Pearson 424 Cutter 47.25 18.16 41.00 14.50
Pearson 422 SLP 18+ 47.25 15.75 40.00 14.50
Pearson 424 Ketch 44.08 15.75 38.00 14.50
Pearson 422 Cutter 18+ 47.25 18.17 40.00 14.50
Pearson 422 Ketch 47.25 15.75 40.00 14.50
Pearson 422 SLP 1-17 47.25 18.17 40.00 14.50
Pearson 424 Ketch TM 47.25 15.75 41.00 14.50
Pearson 424 SLP 1-204 47.25 15.75 41.00 14.50
Pearson 424 SLP 205+ 47.25 18.16 41.00 14.50Rich
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I have a 22lb danforth for my stern anchor. I’m not sure that the fortress has any advantage over steel here so I didn’t bother with the extra cost. It’s on about 150′ of 5/8 nylon and about 12′ of 3/8 chain. The chain is heavy so saving a couple of pounds on the anchor makes little sense. I rarely use this, no windlass back there. It’s stowed below in one of the three black-hole lazarettes. Since it’s rarely used, it’s on the bottom.
I have an FX55 for my storm anchor (or is it an FX85? I’ll have to look. I think it’s a 55). Here I paid the extra cost of the fortress because it disassembles. Otherwise I’d never get it stowed. It’s on 150′ of 3/4 nylon with 50′ of 1/2″ chain. I’ve used it a few times but so far I’ve always hooked it to the bow chain in place of my regular hook. When set, this can be a monster to retrieve. I have to run over it with serious power to break it out. It usually brings a yard of muck back with it.
The 22lb danforth is more than adequate for most conditions if it sets properly. I won’t get into a religious discussion about anchoring here. Most everyone knows what I mean by setting properly.
Rich
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Tor
While offsetting the shaft to make removal easier might be a good idea. it could be removed by sliding it under the skeg. It clears the skeg with no problem. I’ll try and send a photo of the shaft and skeg when I get a chance.You’re right that you can compensate for the tendency of the boat to pull to port by slightly turning the wheel, it’s a bit of a pain to always be pushing the wheel to port to correct for prop-walk when driving. It also pulls on the autopilot making it work harder. In fact, with a lot of throttle, prop-walk can be strong enough to overcome the autopilot even with the shaft offset to compensate.
I prefer tying up on starboard side because the boat walks this way when set in reverse. I’ve never been comfortable depending on this behavior however. I sometimes think the boat has a mind of her own when backing. I’m on a mooring, not in a slip. I don’t have to deal with maneuvering in tight quarters often. You folks that have inside slips down narrow fairways get my respect.
Rich
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Mine kicks to starboard when in reverse. It makes it easier to tie-up on starboard side, the side with the midship companionway. I have a left-hand propeller. I would guess everybody does but there may be one or two with a different setup. Here’s a link to propeller walk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propeller_walkMy prop-shaft is offset to port slightly. You’d have to stand behind the boat on the hard and look at the way the shaft aligns with the skeg to notice it. It might be off by a couple of inches. I don’t honestly know if the boat was made this way or if the strut was bent at some time. I did a bit of research and believe she was built this way. I had a link to a practical sailor article on the subject but it is no longer available online. A bit of offset is often used to counter the tendency of the boat to pull to one side when driving forward. I don’t know if all 424’s have this offset. Here’s a discussion from our 323 cousins on the subject.
http://www.pearson323.com/forum/index.php?topic=282.15Rich
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Paying to ship a hole just sounds wrong…
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Skip,
No problem about the 422. I think the hulls come out of the same mold. What is your home port?I’ve had very good success fixing bad switches using a secret switch cleaner that I discovered many years ago. It’s called PB-Blaster and can be purchased in almost any hardware store. Just spray a bit in the switch and let is sit for about 5 minutes. Then operate the switch a few times and presto, just like new! Try squirting a bit of PB-blaster in the ignition key-hole to see if that fixes your switch. There’s only one problem with this stuff. Some switches use a fiber board that absorbs oil and swells when exposed to PB-Blaster. Deoxit makes a better cleaner but is hard to find and very expensive. Deoxit isn’t oil based and won’t harm these switches. I think most modern stuff isn’t effected by the oil based cleaner. Switches prior to about 1975 might not like the stuff however. I restore old vacuum tube radios and use Deoxit on them.
I also use PB-Blaster on my wrenches and other various tools. It keeps them from rusting and removes whatever rust has accumulated. I spray a bit on and work it into whatever moving parts are in there. Then I wipe them down and put them back in the tool box. This is probably why I havn’t had any issues with the Gear Wrench Quad-Boxes I bragged about in an earlier message.
Don’t spray PB-Blaster on your winch or starter motor brushes. It’s flamable. It will clean the brushes pretty well, but might catch on fire (ask me how I know). At least the fire is small and easy to contain.
WD-40 is not very useful but is much more popular. I have no idea how they stay in business. The only use I can find for the stuff is spraying down my outboard motor engine during winter lay-up.
Between PB-Blaster and Duck-tape, there’s almost nothin I can’t fix 🙂
Hope this helps.
Rich
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Pearson originally put the ignition switch in the starboard lazarette with instructions to leave the hatch open when operating. I have no idea what they were thinking. There was a shutoff cable that ran from a recess near the helmsman to the injection pump. The glow-plug button was on the instrument panel under the bridge-deck. The key had three positions, off, on, and momentary-start. I am not aware of any different setup from the factory. Most folks have changed the location of the key. The instrument panel is an obvious choice, but it’s not really a good spot. The helmsman can’t reach it in an emergency without leaving the wheel. At least one member relocated the instrument panel to the aft seat back. I can’t really read my instruments where they are located. It’s a bit far for my tired eyes to read. Guests like to sit on the bridge-deck and dangle their legs in front of the instruments, so even if I squint, I frequently can’t see them. They belong on the binnacle somewhere but I can find no convenient spot to mount them.
I don’t think there is any reason for a key for the engine. If the battery selector switch is turned off, there should be no way to start the engine. This seems like a sufficient security measure. I see no reason to have a key for starting. It’s just something else that can get lost or broken. A switch and pair of buttons can work in place of the key.
I removed my shutoff cable from the recess near the helmsman’s right ankle and installed three switches in there, on/off, start, and stop. The on/off switch supplies power to the instrument panel. Off activates the shutoff solenoid on my engine and on engages the starter. My engine has no glow plugs.
http://www.richardcarter.net/repower/Instruments.html
I have since marked the two buttons with a green and red stripe of tape on the panel, green for start, red for shutoff. I wish I had enlarged the recessed panel. It would have been nice to add switches for navigation instruments, running lights, and autopilot. How many times have I left the mooring and forgotten to turn the autopilot braker on? You can’t leave the wheel unless you turn on the autopilot and you can’t turn on the autopilot unless you leave the wheel.
You may have a shutoff cable, in which case you can’t really use the recess for relocating the buttons. I never liked the shutoff cable. Water gets in there and the thing was continually binding from corrosion. I eventually replaced it with an automatic solenoid that shut off the fuel pump when the ignition switch turned off. When I repowered, my new engine came with a shutoff solenoid, which is the reverse of what I prefer.
BTW: The glow-plugs on my old W-60 took 50A to preheat the engine. A normal momentary switch won’t pass this much current. I had a solenoid relay mounted near the engine to supply power to the glow-plugs. Check your glow-plugs and compare their current draw with any switch you use.
Regards
Rich
BlackSheep #47
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