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Pete
Your links don’t appear to work. Is there something wrong with your website?I’m curious about your deck painting experience. I’ve not found anything I like. I tried interlux 2-part but the deck was too slippery. I tried interlux deck paint but the grit is too aggressive and the paint holds dirt. I tried Pettit EZDecks paint. Though the grit is also too aggressive, the paint is more durable than interlux. I want something that gives a good grip, looks good, is durable, and sheds dirt.
Rich
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Dennis,
This is unfortunate indeed. Chainplate leaks are a continual problem and need to be addressed as soon as they are discovered. In addition to wood rot, water on and under the chainplate can cause crevice corrosion. I assume that you’ve removed the chainplate and inspected. There are a number of ways to caulk the chainplates such that water doesn’t get through the deck. This is best covered in a different thread. I use lap sealant for my chainplates. It never hardens so it doesn’t crack if the chainplates move a bit.
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dicor-self-leveling-lap-sealant-white/32125The load of the chainplate is supposed to be distrubuted across the entire bulkhead. No matter how much adhesive you use, you’ll never be able to attach a section of bulkhead with only glue. I think you should look at sistering the bulkhead where the seam is. After inserting a replacement piece, lap a piece over the seam and glue and fasten it down as best you can on both faces. You could use pressure-treated plywood, but glue won’t stick to newly manufactured pressure-treated panels. If they are a few years old, the pressure treating compound evaporates sufficiently for glue to stick. Marine-plywood might be a better choice.
I just had my chaninplates out for inspection last winter but I can’t remember exactly what’s in there. You might have sufficient access to the forward part of the bulkhead by removing the cabinet doors. If not, with care and a lot of work, you should be able to disassemble the cabinet front in the forward cabin to gain access to the forward face of the bulkhead. It would be a lot more work to disassemble the main cabin cabinet front. You should be able to gain sufficient access without doing that.
Rich
BlackSheep #47
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The prop-shaft is not aligned with the centerline of the boat. It is offset by a few inches at the prop end. This may have been done to assure that you can pull the shaft without hitting the rudder strut or it may be to partially compensate for the tendency of the boat to pull to port when running in forward gear. For whatever reason, it means that the v-drive is actually offset when aligned and so must be the engine alignment.
Alignment of the engine to the v-drive is not as critical as the rest of the drivetrain but alignment is required. Walter provides an alignment tool for this purpose. I don’t really think it matters what order you align the stuff in as long as it all ends up within tolerance. I found that alignment of the V-drive to the shaft requires patience. I’ve had to align the stuff, give it a trial run, and repeat several times to get it right. I don’t know what tolerance is permissible. I try for zero. .002 may not be close enough.
You are wasting your time if the shaft or flange is bent. It’s easy to bend a shaft if you wrap a line.
When properly aligned, the engine runs like silk at full RPM. There may be a bit of vibration if you stand on the cabin sole right next to the engine but none elsewhere.
Rich
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I have a similar size Achilles with a 30hp engine. It’s a perfect size onece you get there. It’s like towing a sea anchor however. Its too long to put on davits unless your davits are pretty high. The issue issue is that when the boat heels, one end or the other wii be in the water. Also, it’s too much weight for normal davits.
My solution was to have massive custom davits fabricated. I turn the dinghy around backwards and lift the aft end, leaving the bow in the water. It travels well this way.
http://www.richardcarter.net/boat/davitSwimPlatform/
Rich
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Or cut-down your old 155 and buy a new one. I sail with a 155 here in the northeast. My boat is a sloop, the same dimensions as the tall ketch but without the mizzen. Our summer winds are typically light. In anything up to about 20 kts apparent, the 155 is needed. With 10 kts apparent, even more sail would help. I just ordered a new 155% genoa ($5K). I ordered it from Doyle. I ordered heavy fabric for the headsail, the same weight as my main. My practice is to depower the main when the wind picks up and not reef the headsail. If this doesn’t work, I roll-up the headsail and sail with just main. I don’t reef the main for coastal cruising. Reefing the headsail doesn’t seem to work well unless I’m off the wind. The mast, even with the taller rig, is short for the boat. It’s like leaving the mooring with a reef in already.
The boat points just fine with a 155%.
Rich
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Evan
Are you still interested?Did you get the photos?
Rich
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I’ve considered a smaller boat. I went out on a friend’s Catalina-34 last weekend to see what it was like. I was disappointed. It sailed OK but was uncomfortable. I think I’m spoiled. I’m pushing 62 years old now. I still have a few good sailing years ahead of me. I don’t see myself running a big boat like this when I’m in my ’70s however.
Rich
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Bill,
That engine must pump water like a fire hose or it will overheat. You said strong flow below but I mean really strong flow. As I recall, when run at speed, the exhaust has a constant and substantial flow of water, not squirts. There should be no steam coming out of the exhaust either.Flow could be restricted by a corroded water injection elbow or a broken piece of water pump impeller stuck in the system after the pump.
Crud can collect at the heat exchanger and block flow through some of the tubes. This is easy to inspect.
You can remove the thermostat but I don’t recommend running the engine for extended periods until it is replaced. If you go to the trouble of removing the thing you might as well replace it. It’s just a generic automotive thermostat. I think 195deg is the right one. Bring your gasket to the auto parts store so they can match it up.
Corrosion in the V-drive cooling jacket will restrict flow. This is a common problem. When was your v-drive last cleaned?
You might have an air-lock in your fresh-water cooling system. When your engine overheats, does steam come out the water heater pressure release valve? If not, your problem might be on the fresh-water side.
Rich
BlackSheep #47
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Evan
The Astra IIIb is in very good condition. There’s a minor blemish on the wooden case but it appears otherwise as new. I’ll send photos. It comes with a both the whole-horizon mirror and the split mirror. Included is a practice bubble sight, artificial horizon, sight-reduction worksheets, and sextant book (I forgot the title but it’s a manual on how to use and care for one).$350 plus shipping.
http://www.landfallnavigation.com/nas3af.html
Rich
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The guy who sold me the C. Plath just sold his boat and is getting rid of all his nautical accessories. He taught celestial navigation for the power squadron so he made a considerable investment in his stuff. I got quite a pile of navigation equipment including books and charts. There’s even an electronic sight that has a built in compass and timer.
It’s quite sad really. He loved boating but got to that point in his life where he had to give it up. We’ll all have to face this one day. As I get older I can see it coming. The 424 is a lot of boat to single-hand. Much of my cruising is done solo since my wife won’t take the time off from work. I can see a power boat in my future 🙁
Rich
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John,
I used the original Yanmar panel and modified it for my use. I don’t remember doing anything special to keep the instruments dry. My club launches use the original instruments but they are mounted to a custom panel with a clear cover over them.I would have expected the stock panel to keep water out of the instruments. Even at that, when mounted under the bridge-deck, the instruments should stay pretty dry. I have a dodger which keeps the bridge-deck dry. Perhaps that’s why I’ve had no trouble. You have me thinking that I should check the instrument mounting to perhaps add a bead of caulk around the bezels.
Rich
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John,
I have a 4jh4-te and my yacht club has two of the same engines. We’ve had no problems with the engine or panel instruments. My club has thousands of hours on the engines.Rich
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Not all 424’s are the same, but on my boat, both cockpit drains exit below the water-line. I suppose any leaked propane would probably dissipate with any wind but if it doesn’t, the only place to go is below deck.
On my boat, there is a lenght of copper tubing for the vent hose that exits through the transom. Winter ice can build up in the tube and plug it. I’ve had to replace it twice after it burst from ice buildup. Dirt can also clog the tube making it pretty useless. Folks should inspect the tubing each spring.
Regards
Rich
BlackSheep
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The aluminum tanks installed by Pearson develop leaks after about 25 years. Look for signs of fuel stains behind the engine to the left or right of the tank. Fuel in the bilge is a sign of trouble.
I had a local yard clean my tank many years ago. They ran a suction hose down into the bottom of the tank and sucked out the sludge. Baffles in the tank prevent the hose from getting to the starboard side of the tank from the fill hose however. You can remove the fuel gauge and stick a small hose down that side though.
Putting an O-ring under the fuel fill cap will keep water out of your tank. Keeping the tank normally full reduces lung capacity and helps keep water out too. A little bit of water will promote algae.
Some owners put in their own polishing system. Unless the tank is agitated somehow, I don’t see how this can get the sludge off the bottom of the tank.
Rich
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Risto,
I removed and replaced a couple of sections of my caprail a few years back. It’s fastened with wood-screws and bedded with some kind of caulk. Various fittings are through-bolted such as gennoa-track and bow-chocks. The most difficult part would be to remove the track fasteners. Plan on drilling out at least a few of them. Many of the wood bungs in my rail where the cap attaches to the side piece are missing. I’m redrilling and replacing these.If you have your cap off, you might consider running some extra fasteners through the hull-to-deck joint. The seam is held with 5200 which has a 50 year lifespan. I’m not sure what the best method for adding fasteners might be. Perhaps a through-bolt with fender washers every foot or so. The new cap would need cutouts underneath for the bolt heads.
I’m considering removing the coach-roof eyebrow trim this winter and replacing it with a painted stripe or tape. I’m tired of chasing down leaks. Pearson used silicon caulk under it and it’s long-since failed.
Rich
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