Head refit

The head, a must have on all cruising boats but for boats built before the requirement of a holding tank it can be a challenge. Crosswind has a manual head (no macerator) and a small holding tank - 380mm X 300mm X 450mm (15" X 12" X18'') and if used daily would require pumping out at least once a week, which is a 30 minute trip each way down the river.  At heart I am a closet environmentalist and will not pollute our waterways, marine parks or oceans. So what are the options?

• Keep what I have, make best use of the amenities block and when I go cruising hope that each leg is short so I can use a pump out station before the tank is full.
• Fit a bigger holding tank. the only space suitable (above the waterline and size) is under the forward bunk but this takes away valuable storage space and would necessitate relocation the water maker. or
• Think outside the box and install a composting head. Turns waste into compost, is self contained and environmentally friendly - what more could I want.

There are two well known brands on the market which are suitable for yachts, Airhead and Nature's Head. Both are similar but in my case the choice was easy, Airhead is available and supported in Australia, Nature's Head is not. I ordered the head from 'A Better Way To Go' in Melbourne and two days later it arrived. The staff went out of their way to answer my questions and even measure the base to check if it would fit on the existing shelf in the head. Thanks guys!

The first step was to remove the head - easy as it had not been connected for over 12 months. The next was to remove the holding tank and associated plumbing - not too hard but time consuming removing the plumbing. For now I have left the waste spigot in the deck and will decide what to do when its time to re-caulk the deck. Looking at the head I decided it could do with a freshen up similar to the forward cabin repaint. Looks like the head won't be in before Christmas.

Icebox upgrade



Original plate

The more I read the purchase survey, the more troubled I become. In it the surveyor states "Refrigeration is 12 volt sealed unit built in under the Dinette seat Frd of the galley and is in G/C".  In fact the compressor and control unit were sitting in the locker (not screwed down or secured), disconnected (no caps on the refrigerant lines) and no power connected. On removing the unit I found it had corrosion on the compressor and no oil in the unit - not a good sign. It means the oil had absorbed moisture and the interior of the unit was also likely to have corrosion. Not what I would call good condition!

Where to from here? I could have re-oiled, refitted and re-gassed the old unit and hoped it would work which was unlikely and would cost around $500 or I could take this opportunity to reconfigure the icebox and buy a new unit. I chose the latter. The icebox was a single unit of about 5 cubic feet (140 litres) which could either be used as a fridge or freezer. As I wanted both I decided to:

• install a divider to form both fridge and freezer compartments
• install a freezer unit in the outboard compartment, and
• install a small thermatically controlled fan in the divider to draw air from the freezer to cool the refrigeration compartment. 

The thing to note when modifying a boat (and not just a Westsail) - nothing is quite square and if there is a taper it won't be even on both sides. As the divider was going inside the icebox it did not need to have thick insulation so I bought a 2" (50mm) core with alloy on both sides from a refrigerated van repair shop ($10 from their scrap bin) and shaped it to fit. If your going to replicate this on your Westsail note that:

• the icebox tapers from top (325mm) to bottom (260mm)
• you will need a drain hole from the freezer into the fridge
• leave a gap at the top (1/4" max) to allow for a cap over the foam insulation and a seal between the two compartments
• A hole at the top to fit the fan between the two compartments. I used a small 12V computer fan inside a 2" plastic pipe joiner

I purchased a Weaco ColdMachine comprising a CU-94 cooling unit (Danfoss BD50F) and a VD-16 circulating air evaporator. Brendan from FreezeTec was a great help, describing all the different systems and options and taking the time to explain the effect each system would have on the electrical system. I chose the circulating air evaporator because it cools quickly and although it draws more power when operating does so for a far shorter time. In addition I added a switching power supply so that it will run off shore power when connected and automatically revert to batteries when disconnected. I used the existing thermostat to control the fan in the divider. The unit came pre-gassed and was relatively easy to install as I used the holes from the previous installation.

Fridge

Freezer

Total cost was about $1,500.

I am now a liveaboard

I have moved aboard! It has always been my plan to live aboard for a few years before I set sail around Australia, it has just happened earlier than expected. Now I will have to move up the schedule of work for the refit. First will be the icebox followed by fitting the airhead I purchased a while ago. Not looking forward to removing the old head, holding tank etc.

Inspiration

One of my work colleagues - Lynne Sait, came across an inspirational verse which I have decided to use as part of the page header.

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination" ~ James Dean

 

Thanks Lynne

TV install

At a recent sale I splurged out and bought a marinised television for the boat.  Not big by home standards but at 22" big enough for the boat. Camille volunteered to help - here is a picture of her helping :)






The TV install was straight forward with eight screws for the wall mount into the cabin side which the tangs on the set slipped into. Feeding the antenna cable through the lazarette, under the cockpit, behind the galley and dining area to the TV was more challenging.  The end result however is quite pleasing (note that the cables still need to be cleaned up).

More pictures of the antenna to come.

Fwd cabin repaint

Some of you may remember from an earlier post about the dry rot repair in the forward bulkhead how dark the forward cabin was. As the shipwrights who carried out the repair could not exactly match the existing timber I decided to paint the bulkhead white. The effect was to lighten the cabin and rather than put off the repaint until later in the refit  decided to do it now.

I enlisted the help of my youngest son Paddy (don't call him Patrick) to remove the batons and doors in preparation for the refinish. The insulation behind the batons was in good order and except for one panel well adhered to the hull. I decided to leave it in place and give it a good clean with sugar soap prior to refinishing the cabin. With thoughts of making the cabin lighter I also decided to paint the aft bulkhead white. The remaining bright work I decided to re-varnish. The pictures below show the process in stages. even though I used a sealer on the aft bulkhead it took three coats before the oil in the teak plywood stopped bleeding through.

Primed ready for paint

Bright work after 2nd coat

Forwad bulkhead no longer the dark cave

Aft bulkhead - light and bright

Gallows crutch

One of the first things I did when I bought Crosswind home was to fit an awning to give some shade and protection from the Queensland sun and storms. I bought it at Whitworths chandlery to suit the length of the boom but wider than the boat. Stu my neighbour (a retired sailmaker) on 'Odna' fitted some reinforcing patches and eylets so it could be fitted.  Works a treat - great shade and protection from storms, reduces the deck temperature by 10 degrees and as a bonus funnels any breeze through the cockpit.

The only issue is the headroom under it when standing on the deck is minimal. This is because the awning sits over the boom and the boom rests in the gallows only a few feet above the deck. The solution is quick and neat. Buy a tread for a house step and make a crutch to lift the boom. Make it short enough so that when sailing it can be stowed in the lazzarette. I was going to put a locating plate on both the fore and aft side where it fits into the gallows, but when I trial fitted it, it was such a solid fit I don't think it is needed.

Still needs a coat of varnish/paint but that can wait until I've finished a few other jobs. For now I have full head height under the boom with no loss of shade or protection :)

Sextant service (Part 1)

There are numerous small jobs for the boat that can be done away from it, in some spare time. One of these was the cleaning and servicing of the sextant that was included in the sale of the boat. It was mounted on the cabin side above the navigation area and as can be seen from the photo (click to enlarge) on the right it was dirty and had corrosion on the brass minute arc. 

The sextant is a Simex Mariner made by Tamaya but has no correction chart, case or accessories, but as we all know that one day all the electrics will fail and I will need it to find my way home. There was a book on the boat "The Sextant Handbook: Adjustment, repair, Use and History" by Cmdr. Bruce A. Bauer, USN (ret.) Second Edition 1992 (ISBN 0-07-005219-0) which together with a "Sextant Test and Adjustment" work instruction I found on the web (click here) encouraged me to have a go at servicing it myself.

The first order of business was to get it home, easier said than done as I don't think it had been taken down for many years. Careful use of a drift and hammer eventually freed the locking arm and I wrapped it carefully in a jacket to protect it on the way home. Once home I commandeered the dining table as a worksite and began work - well almost. I must admit some trepidation at taking on this task as if I stuffed it up it would either cost me a couple of hundred to get it serviced or worse a new sextant. I spent the next few nights cruising the online forums and visiting the library before I realised that I just had to get on with it.

The sextant was so dirty that I took it outside and using a can of compressed air from my camera bag blew most of the dust off. Then using soapy water and a well wrung out cleaning cloth I wiped away the years of accumulated grime from the frame. I then removed the scope and shade and gave them a clean using the same process. Then using the lens cleaner and cloth I use for my glasses I cleaned the mirrors, shades and scope lenses. The silvering on the mirrors was in perfect condition and the shades and lenses were like new.

I tried to unscrew the cap for the battery compartment on the handle but it was corroded shut.  Fearing that there may be corroded batteries in the handle I removed the endplate the cap screwed into to check inside. No batteries, no corrosion, but I still can't remove the cap - I'll have to think some more about how to solve this problem - any suggestions?

The next step was what concerned me the most - the corrosion on the arc. The arm would not move easily when I used the clamp release and I was not game to try the vernier at this stage. I tried amonia on a cotton bud but had limited success in removing it. My daughter asked why I had not used one of the scratch free Scotchbrite pads we use on the non sick cookware to avoid damaging them. I removed one of the stop screws on the end of the arc and cleaned the area behind it as a test and it worked. Fifteen minutes later the arc was smooth, the scale was intact and readable and I could move the arm using the clamp release. To clean the teeth I used a new toothbrush (small cost for such an important job) and a weak amonia solution which seamed to work quite well. I cleaned the vernier and worm screw with soapy water and the toothbrush, followed by a rinse with clean water and a blow dry with my can of compressed air. I moved the arm to one end of the arc and applied two drops of watch oil (bought from a hobby shop) to the worm screw and wound the vernier through the full arc. The action was very smooth and there seemed to be no play which meant it could now be reassembled for testing.

Next: Testing and Adjustment

HMB Endeavour

In May this year I had the opportunity to take a tour on Her Majesty's Bark Endeavour, a full scale, Australian-built replica of Captain Cook's ship used in his epic 1768-71 world voyage. It was well worth the two hour wait to get aboard and significant for me as my plan has been to follow Cook's route up the east coast of Australia (see 'The Plan').

History:

"On 27 May 1768, Cook took command of the Lord Pembroke, valued in March at £2,307. 5s. 6d. but ultimately purchased for £2,840. 10s. 11d. and assigned for use in the Society's expedition. She was refitted at Deptford on the River Thames, the hull sheathed and caulked to protect against shipworm, and a third internal deck installed to provide cabins, a powder magazine and storerooms. The new cabins provided around 2 square metres (22 sq ft) of floorspace apiece and were allocated to Cook and the Royal Society representatives: naturalist Joseph Banks, Banks' assistants Daniel Solander and Herman Spöring, astronomer Charles Green, and artists Sydney Parkinson and Alexander Buchan. These cabins encircled the officer′s mess. The Great Cabin at the rear of the deck was designed as a workroom for Cook and the Royal Society. On the rear lower deck, cabins facing on to the mate's mess were assigned to Lieutenants Zachary Hicks and John Gore, ship's surgeon William Monkhouse, the gunner Stephen Forwood, ship's master Robert Molyneux, and the captain's clerk Richard Orton.  The adjoining open mess deck provided sleeping and living quarters for the marines and crew, and additional storage space"

Below are some images from my time on board, for more see the 'Photos' page.

Endeavour on the Brisbane River

Head - 1770s style, one each side of the bowsprit

Crew's mess

Crew quarters - a hammock each, a shared locker (box) and not a lot of headroom

Cat-o-nine tails and its bag, hence the expression 'Don't let the cat out of the bag'

Great Cabin - Officers mess and workroom

Cook's Cabin

Ship's log - Throw the triangular plate over the side, ship's speed was the number of 'knots' that played out in one turn of the glass (60 seconds)

Depth guage - The lead weight was swung over the side and the number of knots in the line were counted until it hit bottom. Each knot was one fathom (6 feet)

It started with wanting a coffee

The stove when I first saw it looked to be dirty and had corrosion around the burners. A little bit of elbow grease and it would all be working again - how wrong I was.

After I purchased the boat I found a survey report from 2007 that stated only one burner was working - now (2011) there were none! There were two pieces of tape identifying the oven and grill but all other identifying marks including the manufacturers details were gone. The stove had past its use by date, could not be economically repaired so it had to go (but I saved the baking tray).


Then there was the boat registration requirement to obtain a gas safety certificate to show that the stove and gas system complied with the latest regulations including:

• a flame fail safe system on the stove
• two gas detectors (one under the stove, the other in the lowest area of the boat)
• a gas control box that can turn off the gas via a solenoid (manually or via the gas detectors)
• the shut-off solenoid connected to the high pressure side of the regulator and by a flexible stainless hose to the gas bottle
• the regulator mounted separately to and higher than the gas bottle with its vent facing downwards
• lagged copper pipe from the low pressure side of the regulator to a manual shut-off valve adjacent to the stove
• another flexible stainless hose from the valve to the stove, and
• all work to be carried out by a licenced gas fitter. 

After researching what was available I bought a gimbled three burner Smev stove (with oven and grill) from Whitworths Marine. One of the recommendation of one of the staff I engaged Kurt from Active Gas Services (Manly West - http://www.activegas.com.au/marine.html) to do the work. But before he could install the gas fittings I needed to buy and install the gas detection system. A quick search on the net revealed there was a limited choice available and as usual with anything to do with boats expensive. I chose the Peel Electronics model 04/02/12V Sensor Survey  (http://www.peelinstruments.com.au/page10.html) for five reasons:

• the kit came with all the parts needed for installation
• it complied with the Australian Standard - AS5601
• it had clear instructions
• it was Australian made (Melbourne) and
• a local distributor (Alternate Solutions Group -  telephone 07 3474 6575 - www.alternatesolutionsgroup.com.au ) who patiently answered my endless questions and stayed open after hours so I could collect it.

Installation was straightforward and I placed the control box under the second companionway step where it was easily accessable to turn off the gas (although I will still close the valve on the bottle when I leave the boat). One detector was installed under the stove and the other in the bilge sump.

Kurt arrived at 7:00am on a wet Monday morning to install the gas fittings. I had hoped to use the existing flexible hose as it is accepted if there is only one appliance connected, but it requires that the end fittings are swaged. The ends on the boats pipe were clamped so it was out with the flexible option and in with the lagged copper pipe - at least it provided a guide for running the pipe. Three hours later with me helping (hindering) the job was done. I still need to manufacture a more permenent mount for the regulator and solinoid but it works and I have the gas certificate for the registration authorities and my insurance.

Now where did I stow the kettle?

Boom attachment - quick fix

When I bought the boat the boom was held to the gooseneck by one screw instead of three (one each side, one underneath). Although it looks like it's about to come apart (see picture below), with the sail and rigging attached it wasn't a critical fix but it needed to be done before any rough weather sailing.

The fix - replace the missing screws and add two rivets to each side for that added bit of security.

Bringing 'Crosswind' home



Not having sailed for 27 years I was very apprehensive about sailing my new boat from Mooloolaba to Brisbane (110nm) through Morton Bay. A work colleague introduced me to Bruce who volunteered to accompany me. Bruce has owned a few boats and has many years of sailing experience.

The boat went back in the water on a Thursday (09 September 2011) but the forecast was not favourable for a first voyage. Checking the seven day forecast on Seabreeze.com.au (see links) it seemed the weather would moderate over the next week and the following weekend would have light wind and calmer seas.

I picked up Bruce the next Friday after work and we drove to Mooloolaba to prepare for an early Saturday departure. The forecast had changed from light winds (5-10 kts) to no wind (less than 5 kts) so the first order of business was to check the how much fuel was in the tanks in case it became necessary to motor part of the way (only had 2 days as I was working Monday). The level in the tanks did not register on the dipstick so a quick trip to the fuel dock (less than 100m) and $300.00 (196l/58g) gave confidence that we had enough fuel for the voyage plus contingencies. Next item on the agenda was people fuel, so a quick trip to the supermarket solved that and with three bags of ice cubes (lack of local knowledge meant I didn't know where to buy block ice) we were ready to go.

Woke early and prepared to leave at first light. Logged on with the Coastguard, warmed up the engine and at 6:00am we were off.  First lesson - Crosswind does not like going astern, I'm sure I'll learn the tricks of reversing her in time, but that first lesson put me on notice. It was just before low tide and we stuck to the middle of the canal with the depth gauge showing around 1 meter (3ft) of water under the keel. Once into the river the depth increased to 6+ meters (20+ ft) with markers defining the channel. At 2,000 rpm we were making a little over 5 knots and had a line of power boats behind us waiting to clear the harbour entrance. As soon as we cleared the last marker they were off creating so much wake turbulence that I thought I was in a washing machine.

With the wind gauge indicating 6-7 kts it was time to go sailing. In minutes with the main up and both head sails unfurled Crosswind was making close to 3 kts.  Not a record, but this was my 'new' boat doing what she was purchased for - I could not get the grin off my face.

Three hours abeam Caloundra the wind, and my grin were gone and it was time for the iron sail. There was also a dense haze on shore which we later found out were bush fires along the entire hinterland.  Motored at about 5 kts from Caloundra to about 10 nm from Scarborough (our overnight stop) when the breeze strengthened to between 6-8 kts. Off with the motor and up with the sails and we were off on a broad reach.


About 5 nm from shore we were joined/overtaken by the local Saturday racing fleet on their last leg back to Scarborough which made navigating in easy. Bruce was a member at the club and had arranged a berth for the night at the bargain price of $10. It was a big night at the club which was also playing host to an offshore powerboat regatta.  At some point during the night during a break for the band the conversation turned to boats and fuel consumption. There was general laughter at my expense when after telling them how much it cost to put fuel in Crosswind the previous night, I was informed by one of the power boat racers that it cost him $750 to fill his boat and that lasted only 1.5 hours at racing speed. I left them to it at around 10:30 with the band still going strong, as we wanted to leave early the next morning for home.

6:30am saw us departing Scarborough for Brisbane and Crosswind's new home at Dockside in the Brisbane river. There was no wind and the only ripple on the water was that generated by our wake as we motored along. Relied heavily on the GPS today as the coastline was enveloped in a smoke haze from the bush fires that continued to burn.

The wind speed never got above 3kts all morning and at around 10:00am the port area of Brisbane came into view. It took 2 hours to motor up the river, under the twin Gateway bridges and finally to Dockside. Coming into the berth I was greeted by 3 of the people from nearby yachts ready to take my mooring lines and welcome me to their community.

Crosswind was home!

I have not forgotten Bruce, without whose help I would not have had such an easy first voyage. He knew I had doubts about being able to sail after such a long break and just let me get on with it, offering encouragement when needed. He also navigated, taking that pressure off and letting me get to know the boat. Thank you Bruce.