Westerbeke Generator Runs Again

We are celebrating a major achievement here on Thistle. Watch the video. It's pretty funny.

 

 

It seem like it took FOREVER, but we finally got the generator running again on Tuesday.

We last ran the generator in Fajardo, Puerto Rico on March 9th, just before we went home to California for two months. When we got back we couldn't get it started. We thought it was the injection pump, so we had it rebuilt there in Puerto Rico, but it still wouldn't run. We decided to continue on to Florida and fix on it there, so we meandered up to the Bahamas using ice to chill our food and the main engine to charge our batteries.

On June 22nd we got a mooring at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, Florida, removed the cylinder head, and took it to a machine shop to be rebuilt. It was in pretty nice shape, but they put in three new valves just to be safe. We bolted it onto the engine., but it still wouldn't run.

Digging deeper we discovered that we had very little compression, so we took the whole thing apart and took the block to the machine shop. It took a week for them to figure out how much to bore it out, then we ordered the parts from Westerbeke and that took six weeks. Then another week and a half for the machine shop to actually rebuild the block, and five days for us to put it all back together.

We could do a lot of complaining about the service we received from Westerbeke, but what good would it do? We're just happy that the generator is running again and we can start cruising again.

Getting Ready to Leave Cartagena

We have decided to start heading towards Aruba next Wednesday so we finished our generator maintenance today. When Malcolm changed the oil a couple of days ago he noticed a water leak so he took the seawater pump off and we pressed out the shaft and replaced the seal and impeller. The job went quickly and we had all the spares onboard so it was cheap too.

Pressing out the shaft

Water pump all apart

 

 

The old leaky seal on the bottom. New seal on top.

 

However, the provisioning we did today was not cheap. We spent 1,302,680 pesos on non-perishables (that's about $450 dollars), and we still have to get meats and veggies next week. I try to keep tasty little things like olives, artichoke hearts, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, sauces, capers, and pickles on hand to perk up the basic ingredients that you find everywhere. And of course we needed coffee, tea, rice, pasta, crackers, snacks, beans, condiments, and box milk. We have heard that things are expensive out in the islands so we filled up the lockers like we did when we left home one year ago, but now all the labels are in Spanish.

 

Equipment Review After One Year

We started with a sound, well built boat, but spent months doing modifications, improvements, and upgrades before we went cruising. We also culled through our belongings taking only what we thought we would really need. Some existing equipment was "iffy" but we went with it anyway. After one year we feel that a review is in order; what's working well, what isn't working so well, what we are glad we took, and what we wish we had done before we left.



THINGS WE ARE SOOOO GLAD WE UPGRADED



Full Bimini over the Cockpit - This is priceless and we absolutely would never cruise without one.

New Rocna Anchor & New Windlass - An anchor that doesn't drag is the best insurance ever. We love the Rocna; it sets every time, never drags, yet is easy to retrieve with our new windlass.

New Rigging and Sails - Very expensive, but absolutely necessary in our case.

Raymarine Chartplotter with AIS - Modern navigation systems make cruising so much easier now. The first time we used the chartplotter we felt like we were cheating. We also have iSailor on the iPad and sometimes us the driving directions on our smart phone for close in harbor work. Wonderful tools all of them.

Watermaker - Since we anchor out a lot, the watermaker is a joy to have. Ours runs on 120v so we have to use the generator to run it, but it's well worth it.

Inflatable Dinghy with 9.9 Engine - Your dinghy is like your car and you use it every day to get ashore, purchase fuel, visit the neighbors, get to the snorkeling spots, and run out the stern anchor.


THINGS THAT HAVEN'T PERFORMED WELL

Hydraulic boom vang and backstay adjuster - Just before we left we rebuilt the hydraulic panel in the cockpit because of a leak, then the vang started leaking somewhere in Costa Rica, then the backstay adjuster blew up in the Guna Yala. The whole system has been very disappointing and the repairs have been messy, time consuming, and expensive.

Grunert Refrigeration - Our refrigeration system is original to the boat and although it does the job, we have to run the generator twice a day for it. We should have gotten a new 12v system and may do that when we get to Florida.

Caframo Fans - We bought three of these fans at over $100.00 each and they started failing around Panama. You just can't survive in the tropics without fans, so we have been purchasing little 120v personal fans and they are almost better than the expensive marine fans. We run the inverter to power them.



THINGS WE ARE GLAD WE TOOK WITH US



Luci Lights - These little inflatable, solar powered lights are so handy to have. We have one over the cockpit table at all times.

LED lighting - We have changed most of our interior lighting to LED and they are real power savers.

Tools, Tools, Tools - We have lots of tools onboard and can maintain or repair almost anything on the boat.

Copier - We found a little copier/scanner/printer from HP. It's been handy for printing all those copies that the officials want when you check into a new country.

Real Dishes, Good Knives, Good Pans, Propane Stove - We aren't camping, we are simply living aboard a boat that sometimes moves around quite a bit, but mostly is at anchor. We actually cook three meals a day, set a decent table, and try to dine graciously every evening.



THINGS WE WISH WE HAD UPGRADED OR ADDED

Solar Panels - All our battery charging must be done with the generator or the main engine. Let me tell you, the noise and the heat from running the generator twice a day is getting really annoying. That may be another project for Florida.


So basically we are happy with the decisions we made before we started cruising. And we really don't regret going with old refrigeration, leaky hydraulics, and no solar panels. At some point you just have to go and figure you will repair, replace or upgrade along the way. And isn't that better than staying in the harbor waiting until everything is perfect?

Boat Maintenance

Malcolm has been doing boat maintenance while we are here in Cartagena. So far he has sanded and re-oiled the cockpit teak, touched up some varnish, and stripped, stained, and re-varnished the hatch screens. All this in addition to repairing the autopilot, calibrating the compasses, replacing the inverter, replacing the VHF antenna, and servicing four winches.

And of course daily life goes on; groceries, laundry, cleaning, topping up our fuel, reprovisioning. We hope to be ready to head East in the next two weeks. Now all we need is a good weather window.

The Lightning Strike

We had been anchored near Nuinudup for two nights - about where the monohull is in the center of the photo below. We had enjoyed swimming, snorkeling, and chatting with the local Kunas; Justino and his sister Ermelinda who we had met on a previous trip. (We had given him a cell phone and he stopped by to tell us he had gotten it to work with a new SIM card.)

There were at least ten other boats anchored all around us. It was a calm night, but about 12:30 we awoke to rain and got up to close the hatches. The rain became a deluge and we put the dinghy (which was suspended at deck level) in the water because it was quickly filling with rainwater. Lightning could be heard in the distance and it got closer and closer. Most of it was cloud-to-cloud, but some hit the surface of the sea.

                           

 

We stayed up watching, listening, and estimating the distance of the lightning from us. At about 2:00am I went back to bed and Malcolm was standing at the nav station when our boat got a direct hit. Malcolm immediately said, "We've been hit! There's smoke back here". Not only was there smoke, but some of the electronics had turned on by themselves.

We both started opening cupboards and floorboards to determine if there was a fire because the smell of burning electrical components was quite strong. After determining that there was no actual fire, we worked to evacuate the smoke and toxic fumes then tried to get some sleep.

We were up again at 5:30 (I don't think either of us actually slept) and proceeded to take inventory of the damage. We started at the top of the mast where Malcolm discovered that the VHF antenna was totally melted off and the mount was bent down at a 45 degree angle. He also found scorch marks on the coaxial cable. The tri-color light was cracked so he brought that down. The wind speed/point didn't work at all, so he brought that down too.

 

 

 THE REMAINS OF OUR VHF ANTENNA                               A NORMAL VHF ANTENNA

 

Next we inspected all the systems on the boat and discovered that the inverter was only putting out 30V instead of 120V. The old GPS was dead. Three expensive Caframo fans that hadn't been working right for some time now wouldn't work at all. We found the cause of all the smoke and smell. It was the shower sump sensor: it was black, bulging, and stinky. But the biggest bummer was that the autopilot didn't work.

 

We put new bulbs in the tricolor and it worked again. Malcolm removed the electronic switches from the Caframo fans and they worked again. We even went in the water and checked the hull; it needed cleaning anyway, and we usually scrub it about once a month. We couldn't see any damage and all the through-hulls worked properly. And the good news was that the main engine, generator, battery charger, water maker, refrigeration, pumps, small electronics, computer, chart plotter, depth sounder, and VHF radios still worked. And in the wonderful spirit of generosity that other cruisers display, a boat named Points Beyond gave us a handheld VHF and simply asked that we mail it back to them when we got ours repaired. So we intend to carry on to Cartegena, Columbia and make repairs there. We need to haul out for bottom paint and wait for the Caribbean cruising season anyway, so Cartegena, here we come.

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So now we naturally wonder WHY US?

We are just an average cruising sailboat: 44' fiberglass monohull, aluminum mast with a 3' antenna at the top, chain rode, the usual number of electric gadgets aboard, nothing special. So why did the lightning hit us?

 

And why so little damage?

Could it be because our boat has huge copper straps wrapping around the inside of the hull bonding together all the through-hulls and ground wires? Could it be because the captain used eight million zip ties and all the wires are tightly bundled and secured?

I guess we will never know the answer to those questions, but you know what? I'm suddenly just a little gun shy when I hear a thunderstorm approaching!

Stepping the Mast

We drove our boat over to the crane area this morning at 6:30, attached the two headstays, and shrink wrapped the shrouds. Our helpers arrived at 8:00, and it was back in the boat at 9:00.

What a sight to see the mast back in the boat after more than two months!

Then I got to go up in the basket and remove the blankets and run the flag halyards. Here was my view on the way up. I actually enjoy going up the mast; it almost feels like flying.

Closer to Stepping the Mast

We have moved the mast down to the small boat launch area where we are doing the final assembly. After more than two months, it looks like we may actually get the mast back on the boat soon.

Headstay From Hell

OMG! I sure hope this roller furling is worth all the struggle we've put into it. After we took the mast down and disassembled the furler, we found the foils extremely difficult to remove. Now we are putting it back together and having more problems, (I'm beginning to hate red Locktite) but this morning I think we finally got it right. Now to move the mast to the staging area.

Back In The Water

We went back in the water Saturday morning and motored to our new slip, which is an end-tie. Hopefully our hull won't get all marked up now that we don't have to shoehorn ourselves into a too-small slip. 

Now it's back to work on the mast. The captain installed the new sail track using a giant pop rivet tool. Those stainless steel pop rivets are really tough!

And there were a whole lot of them on that 59' of track. After that we slipped the Tides Marine track over it, then started installing hardware.

Then as we so often do here at the Stockton Sailing Club, we watched a ship come in and enjoyed the sunset.

Ready To Splash

The Captain color sanded the patch on the starboard side this morning, then finished polishing and waxing it. Even though the paint shop brought out their fancy computerized color matching camera.....it's not a perfect match. But it's close enough for us.

Right after lunch the yard raised the boat way up so we could lower the centerboard, sand it, and paint it. We were done by 3:00, so we paid our bill and celebrated with an ice cream. And we go back in the water at tomorrow morning's high tide.

Painting The Bottom

While I've been painting the bottom, the Captain has been touching up some damage on the starboard side. 

And now it looks like this.

After we put a second coat of bottom paint on this afternoon, we can rub out the spots, finish waxing, and go back in Saturday.

Wax On, Wax Off

The Captain has polished one side of the hull today, and I will finish waxing it. Not bad for a couple of senior citizens in 99 degree heat.

Tomorrow we hope to polish the other side while the yard sands the bottom.

Haul Out

We arrived at the yard this morning at high tide, and by 10:00 we were set up in  the cradle. The specs say our boat should weigh 24,500 lbs, but the travelift operator said she weighs 31,000 lbs! We have taken lots of weight out (two air conditioners and the 220 converter), and the masts is out, so how can that be?

We plan to check the cutlass bearing, sand and paint the bottom, put on new zincs, and polish the topsides.

Then we can put her back together and finally go sailing again!

The Looooong Mast Project

We removed our mast on June 3rd and it seems like it's taking forever to make the changes, sand and paint it, get the new rods, tangs, and track, and put it all back together.

But yesterday morning we painted the second side and today we are prepping parts to re-assemble it. Our rigger said to use PVC pipe tape to protect the aluminum from the stainless steel. So today I applied it to cleats, tangs, and spreader mounts.

Here's a picture of one of our old tangs next to one of the new tangs. See that little crack? We didn't want to be beating to weather and thinking about that crack, so we had new ones made at Svendson's in Alameda.

And this is why every project takes so long. We find some safety issue that we're not happy with and we repair or replace it. Even though it adds time and expense, we will feel so much better when we head offshore.

Nothing Is Too Good for an Alden

When we were looking at boats back east about a year ago, we heard this phrase: "Nothing is too good for an Alden." We assumed it meant that the boats were well planned, engineered, built and outfitted. And basically we found that to be true.

But just because a boat starts out good doesn't mean it stays that way and the hidden areas of our boat attest to that.

Most boat have some storage under the floor panels, but when we bought our boat we were amazed to find huge tangles of wire, hoses, and machinery placed willy-nilly in the bilges.

Above you see the area where the water heater sits just forward of the generator. This is how most of our bilges looked. They were also filthy and reeked of diesel.

Apparently over the years when some piece of equipment was replaced, the old wires were abandoned and left in place, and new wires and hoses were draped through the easiest part of the bilge. And not secured. And connected without proper terminal blocks. So now we say with tongue in cheek, "Nothing's too good for an Alden."

We have spent the last three days tidying up the bilges; rerouting wires and hoses, securing everything with cable clamps and zip ties, and cleaning everything with degreaser. So now the bilges in the center part of the boat look like this...

And maybe we can actually store a few things in the bilge now. 

And the spot where the water heater lives looks like this. It's still crowded, but at least now we can see the bilge pumps.

New Companionway Doors

The Captain installed the new teak companionway doors Saturday. He made them to replace the heavy, ugly smoked plastic drop boards that came with the boat. He used removable hinges so we can remove them entirely in pleasant weather, and carved our "Thistle" logo in them.

The Monumental Cockpit Renovation

This whole project started on March 20th with replacing the cable lifelines from the gates to the push-pit with stainless tubing. Then on April 7th we went to the canvas shop and got a new dodger and bimini.

When we got back, we sterned the boat in and we have been working like crazy to address all the issues in the cockpit area. And I think we are finally done!

Here is what we have done:

1-Removed and replaced the corroded steering idler. The new chain and cable have yet to arrive.

2-Removed and replaced all the teak seats and flooring.

3-Repainted and re-installed the pedestal.

4-Installed a hawsepipe and divider in the aft lazarette to create an anchor locker.

5-Repaired the propane locker drain.

6-Restored the engine panel.

7-Built and installed a bridge deck/storage locker.

8-Stripped and re-varnished the cap rail, combing pads, and companionway trim.

9-Made hinged doors to replace the drop boards. We have to get more varnish on these before we install them.

10-Stripped and re-varnished the cockpit table.

11-Replaced the teak on the saloon hatchway.

12-Revealed our HIN under three layers of paint.

As soon as the steering chain and cable arrive next week, we can start our next big project which is removing the mast, getting rid of the in-the-mast furling, and replacing all the standing rigging. The sails have already been ordered and hopefully it will all come together by the end of July.