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Pete,
Yes, my message should have been addressed to Quent.Seafrost sells a condenser/compressor unit for under 12v. It is of course only part of a complete system.
A quick search found this possible replacement for $106 (R22).
http://www.amazon.com/TECUMSEH-RGA5467EXD-ROTARY-COMPRESSOR-208-230/dp/B006ITEJHCRich
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Pete
I have an engine-driven Grunert system on BlackSheep. It was an original option from the factory on the 424. I wonder if yours was originally engine-driven and converted to 12v. I have a love-hate relationship with it. When it works, it works great. Its been a maintenance item however. Most of my problems were related to the Tecumseh compressor or the rubber hoses that connect to it. I replaced the compressor and hoses with a Sanden unit when I repowered five years ago and have had no problems since. Its about a 6 horsepower compressor. Within 30 minutes of operation, the cooler is cold enough to refrigerate beer. After running the engine for about 3 hours, the freezer plates are completely frozen and the thermostatic cutout switch shuts it off. I have to be careful not to freeze everything in the refrigerator. Other than maintenance, the other issue is that if you have shore power, an engine-driven system doesn’t make sense. I almost never have shore power however so it works for me.If you’re very handy with wrenches and want to keep your Grunert system, I can give you some guidance on repairs. If you have a spare couple of boat units, you might contact seafrost and speak to them about a replacement. They might be able to just replace your condenser and compressor. They list a replacement unit for about $400. You might need additional parts. I’m not sure that a 12v compressor would be well mated to a holding plate system however. They work well when the compressor is very large and only runs for a short period each day. Most 12v compressors are too small for this kind of service. A 115v unit might work since the compressor would be larger than a 12v system. Grunert has a 115v compressor.
Your refrigeration gas is probably all gone. When the compressor goes, it usually leaks.
Regards
Rich
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Walter,
With a ketch, there is little you can do to pull the sag out of the headstay. You might have success by having your sailmaker cut the sail flatter but its a compromise. If you have a fixed propeller, switching to a folding or feathering prop will provide significant gains in light air. Keeping your bottom clean is also a key to boat performance. You can have a diver occasionally clean your bottom or do a mid-season haul and a quick wash. I’ve cleaned my bottom using brush, mask, fins, and snorkel.A cruising spinnaker helps significantly when reaching and running in light air.
I have a 150% genoa. I’m shopping for new sails. I wouldn’t consider going down in size. Its a big sail and hard to sheet in with the Lewmar 48’s that I have. Reefing the headsail is a compromise. You lose sail shape and therefore pointing ability. I don’t know if you have the tall or short rig. I have a tall mast since I have a sloop. If you have the shorter stick, a 150 might not be as hard to sheet in. As for cut and material, consult with a local sailmaker. They know more about options and choices than we do.
Hope this helps
Regards
Rich
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Dale,
I have my navigation instruments at the wheel on the binnacle guard. We had a thread about where folks mount their instruments recently. I suppose its a matter of preference. The original instruments were mounted in the bridge-deck next to the engine instruments. The bridge-deck is fine for engine instruments that don’t need to be referenced frequently, but a poor place for wind and depth. I think we can all agree on that. There are a number of large screen instruments that could be mounted above the companion way and read from the wheel. Did you purchase one of these? I assume you purchased an instrument pod to be mounted across the companionway.Here’s an interesting link:
http://www.wbryant.com/StellaBoat/Projects/instruments/cp1/multi_xl.htmI don’t like any of the instrument pods I’ve seen, be they on the binnacle or across the companionway. I made my own out of teak, but I’m not happy with it yet. The shape and size is right but I should have cut the top off the binnacle guard instead of mounting it to the front. When properly finished, it looks nice, but its more teak to varnish. It should be made from fiberglass. I’ll likely replace mine next winter.
https://www.pearson424.org/gallery/index.php/exteriormods/blacksheepext/P8180013A friend of mine with a Catalina 34 made a similar pod from wood and did a fine job painting it with epoxy paint.
Removal of the headliner below the companionway and above the nav station breaker box requires removal of the teak molding at each end of the panel. Once these trim pieces are removed, the headliner is held with Velcro strips and is easily removed. The adhesive on the Velcro gets brittle and tends to separate. You should expect to either re-glue or replace the Velcro strips. Once you have the panel removed, locating a convenient spot to drill a hole should be straightforward. Coating the inside of the hole with epoxy is strongly suggested. If you have room, you might consider installing a plastic through-hull where the wires run through the deck. Install it with the barb facing upward.
BTW: Someone was looking for replacement bow cleats in a recent thread. A local marine store in Salem MA appears to have replacements for $60 ea.
Regards
Rich
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Dale
Which instruments, the engine instruments or navigation?Rich
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Charlie
I did a web-search for marine stores that carry portlight gaskets and found one online that sells a square gasket of the proper dimension. It took a bit of hunting but you should be able to do the same search and find them. I’m sorry I don’t have their contact information handy. I purchased enough material to do the job twice. I have enough onhand to replace the gaskets again in about 10 years.Hope this helps
Regards
Rich
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Charlie,
By gasket, I assume you mean the gasket around the glass to seal it where it sits in the frame. I replaced my glass with tinted polycarbonate years ago. Its a bit thinner than the original plate-glass. I used a gasket material sold at most hardware stores as window weatherstripping. It comes in a roll and has two beads of self-adhesive rubber. I think this is the stuff. It seems to work very well.
http://www.amazon.com/Frost-V25WA-Extreme-Weather-Strip-8-Inch-by1/dp/B000B4N3OA/ref=pd_cp_hi_0I also ran a thin bead of sealant around the inside of the frame when assembling. I first taped-off the glass so that any excess would be easy to remove. Its important to get something on the screw threads when assembling. Othewise the stainless screws will corrode in-place and require a torch to remove the next time around.
My ports were in tough shape. The aluminum frames were corroded on the inside lower part of the frames. Water collects in the ports and sits on the frames. Its bound to corrode where the water sits. I cleaned the inside with a wire brush on a wheel and left them unpolished. I then painted them with spray-paint. I think I used krylon primer. An epoxy might be better. You don’t want to polish the area where you paint. The outside of the frames look fine. Its just the area that holds water that poses a problem.
I also replaced the screens. They were corroded. I removed the old screen from the screen frame and glued replacement screen over the frame using JB-Weld. After the epoxy cured, I cut off the excess.
As far as the square port gasket, you indicate that yours are in good shape. I got replacement material online somewhere. The lip that it seals against on the frame gets corroded. I give the lip a light sanding each spring to remove any corrosion. I might try some kind of epoxy paint next year.
Rich
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Sounds about right to me. The 3/8 plywood is the inside coach liner.
Rich
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Rodd
I assume that this is the freshwater pressure water pump. The nice thing about the old diaphram pumps is that they are self-priming. I replaced mine with a Jabsco PAR wabble-plate pump several years back. It works well, but it doesn’t prime itself. If it runs dry, it can be difficult to prime. This can happen if the tank is low and the boat is on a tack that puts the tank on the low side of the boat. Mounting it low can help avoid this problem. I mounted mine on the side of the bulkhead below the galley sink. I wish I had mounted it lower. I installed an in-line water strainer and accumulator tank followed by a sediment filter.I have a backup foot-pump. I’m looking at moving the connections so that I could use it to prime the pressure water pump.
Regards
Rich
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John
The storage locker next to the sink is what we use for storing canned-goods and beverages. The locker is about 18″ deep and has an access door to is what we call the wine-cellar below. When packing for an extended trip, we store extra cases of beverages down there. There’s quite a lot of room down there.Rich
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Dan
I’ve rebuilt my smaller portlights several times over the years. To my knowledge, Pearson used either Beckson plastic ports for the forward ports or a no-name aluminum port. My boat came with the aluminum ports. These are actually decent portlights. They just need a bit of service every few years to keep them from leaking. I’ve priced replacements at about $500 ea. That’s a bit much for me to spend on something that’s not really broken.As I recall, they were bed with silicone sealant. Removal was straightfoward. I probably used a wide-blade chisel to pry them up. After removing the fasteners, clean the female threaded plugs up with a tap to remove any residue. Plan on losing a few. I think the sock-monster gets them. Fastenall can probably match them. You’ll have to find a local store however. I don’t see them online.
http://www.fastenal.com/web/home.exI also rebuilt mine using a scratch-resistant polycarbonate. They get dirty or scratched and difficult to see through even though they aren’t supposed to do that. A plastic cleaner will clear them up. The stock I bought was a bit thinner than the original plate-glass. I put gasket material around the frame to take-up any space. The gasket I used for this is available at any hardware store. Its a soft rubber self-adhesive bead used for weatherproofing windows. They don’t leak.
I use polysulfide to bed the ports. It cleans up nicely with denatured alcohol. I usually use a putty-knife to smooth-out any excess caulk and give it a finished look. I don’t remove the excess, I just smooth it out and even add some extra around the frame. There should be no caulk used on the inside. Silicone sealant might last longer if not exposed to teak cleaner. I haven’t found anything that cleans it up however. Its kind of messy to work with on something like this.
The last time I redid mine was about a year ago. I sent out a note on the project to this mailing list. I think I paid about $30 for materials and have enough left over to do it again. They’ll probably need new gaskets in about 5 years or so. I find that the aluminum frames corrode around the gasket seal. My guess is that salt-spray accelerates corrosion. Powder-coating will likely help, but I’m too cheap for that route. I spray-painted the inside of the frames the last time I rebuilt mine. Buffing the frame where it seals against the gasket every year with fine sandpaper seems to help. They will likely start leaking in a few years however.
The larger opening ports were replaced by me about 15 years ago with Bowmar opening ports. They have so far needed no service other than cleaning.
Regards
Rich
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I had a PHE-II electric head. I removed the electric motor and left it as a manual head. Its easier and quicker to pump the thing by hand.
IMHO, an electric pump on your head is just something else to break. If you have a good manual head, it should flush easily.
Rich
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I replaced the bottom cushions in the main cabin settees a few years back. I used mattress foam, about 6″ thick. Its very comfortable but raises the seat by a few inches. The extra height makes it difficult to raise the table leaves when you are seated. You of course don’t have this problem if you’ve removed the table. If you think the settee too narrow, why not leave it pulled-out a couple of inches?
If you think the back cushions to be too vertical, you could taper them.
The only original cushions I have left are the V-berth cushions. They are very uncomfortable. We don’t sleep there because its a bit short for me. My wife and I plan to replace them in the next few weeks. I plan to buy a memory-foam mattress and cut it to fit. I think a king-size mattress will do. I think the thinnest I can find is 10″ however. This will raise the bed too high. Still looking…
I’ll put a water resistant mattress-cover on it rather than pay to have it covered. No sense spending money on fabric that will just get covered by bedding anyway.
Rich
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I think the build date is determined at the time the keel is laid whereas the model year is determined by the manufacturer when the boat is put up for sale. I’m not sure it even has to represent a real year much like car models come out in the fall of the previous year. My 1979 424 has a build date of 1978. It may be possible for the two dates to be off by two years.
Rich
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Jack,
I use a Godfrey zinc. One zinc will last a full season. I’ve never lost one. The cheaper zincs will spin-off. The godfrey zinc has a brass collar inside it that doesn’t get eaten. This prevents the thing from loosening and spinning off. They are available from most prop shops or online. The list price for a streamlined 1.5″ zinc is $61.65. You should be able to find a discount. This is a lot more expensive than the cheaper zincs but you only need one and they are more reliable. If you use a cheaper zinc, put two on. At that, I don’t know if they will last longer than 6 months.Regards
Rich
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