Shaft Project, Days 6-8

Fort Pierce, FL
No LL

Yesterday was a day off from the project. We rented a car and drove to Vero for Libby's last doctor appointment for this winter. Ouch! The car rental fee was double what it was a few weeks ago. It has to do with Easter week and the end of the season. Florida car rental companies expertly fine tune their prices to charge the highest rates at the times of peak demand. I think that their prices vary as much as 300%.

Well, were on the down slope of this project. Today a mechanic came to help. He installed 4 new motor mounts. He aligned the engine. He installed my new shaft coupler, and a replacement drive saver flexible coupler.

In the process I learned that the shaft log was no installed quite square. It pinched one side more then the other and made the engine alignment difficult.

After the mechanic left, I pulled off the shaft log one last time. It had fit into the bore hole very snugly. Then I filed away a bit of the bore hole it fits through to give it a bit of play. Then I resurfaced the butt end with fresh Marine Tex epoxy putty, and also put putty on the log where it enters the bore hole. When I bolted it back on, it pinched the one side again. Aha! I backed off on the bolts, and the log aligned nicely with the shaft. I'll let the putty cure in that position before I tighen the bolts.

Tomorrow we'll put things back together. I think we'll splash on Friday morning.

I'll hold off on giving a summary and post mortem until we're back in the water and I see how smoothly she runs.

Relay: Crew Needed For Heron

Fort Pierce, FL

No LL

I know that many of you are experienced sailors and Westsail enthusiasts. Perhaps you may be interested in the following request that I'm relaying for the W32 Heron.

Our plan was for me to get off the boat in Fernandina and Don and 2 crew continue to Deltaville , VA - he is down to 1 crew and would like one more ( experience preferred ) to get them either to Beaufort, NC or all the way to Deltaville. We would of course pay expenses. Well have a car in Fernandina so could pick someone up. [ed: Heron is in Fernandina already, departure in a few days. Don says that with experienced crew they can make it an offshore passage.]

If you're interested, let me know. I'll relay your contact info back to Don on Heron.

I also learned from Don that our friend Greg on Argonauta is anchored here in Fort Pierce about a mile away. We'll try to see him to say hello.

Shaft Project, Days 4-5

Fort Pierce, FL
27 27.94 N 080 19.69 W

Well, we aren't going to be ready after a week, but we're closing in on it.

• The propeller shaft has been straightened. (Was that the cause of the problem? Possibly yes, but not conclusive.)
• The Max Prop propeller has been cleaned, polished, and checked for balance.
• The shaft log opening has been re-glassed with Marine Tex.
• New log-stuffing box hose and new hose clamps.
• Repacked the stuffing box.
• New shaft coupler, new drive saver flexible coupling, and 4 new engine mounts in hand and waiting to be installed.
• As soon as I get a mechanic to help install the mounts and do final alignment, and when I reinstall the propeller, we're done.

My new target is Wednesday.

By the way, after two readers provided considerable information on using a fiberglass shaft tube instead of the bronze shaft log, I seriously considered it. I finally decided it won't work. The problem is that with a shaft tube I could never remove the shaft, and maybe never the cutlass bearing.

I can't remove the shaft aftward. It hits the rudder, even with the rudder fully deflected. I can't remove it forward with the log installed, it hits the engine. The only way I can remove it is to first take the log off, and then angle the shaft out forward through the wide hole. If I had a fiberglass shaft tube, it would have to be cut off to remove the shaft. Also, without an extension to the shaft tube, where would the set screws go that hold the cutlass bearing in. Sorry, the tube won't work.

Opening with log removed

Shaft Log

Below: How often have you seen people post proud pictures of their toilet on their blog? I admit it's unusual, but it was so much work to completely renovate that Skipper head that I couldn't resist the picture before reinstalling it.

Shaft Project, Day 3

Fort Pierce, FL

No LL

On Thursday my only accomplishment was to finish disassembling our toilet. It was a bear of a job. In the end, I needed a gallon of muratic acid and the help of a neighbor with a pair of channel lock pliers as long as my shin to get it apart.

One point of acute embarrassment. Back in 2007 a critical part broke on that toilet. It caused us to have no functioning toilet on board just when our friend Pete flew down to Florida to spend a week sailing with us. I blogged about it. In the end I had to order a new part for $130 and to stay 4 days in an expensive marina waiting for it to come.

Anyhow, yesterday while pawing through my spare parts for the toilet I found a spare for that critical broken part. It was on board the whole time and I didn't think to look for it. Stupid of me.

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By the way, a few months ago I remarked on an odd report that suggested that the Gulf Stream was slowing and causing unusual tide levels here in Florida. I'm glad to say that I found an article here that says no. A excerpt follows:

Here’s a brief update on the great heat-toting oceanic currents that at one time were thought to be at risk from human-driven warming of the climate. There’s been no slowdown at all through much of the past decade and probably none since the early 1990s, according to new work using methods developed by Joshua Willis at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory:

Shaft Project, Day 2

Fort Pierce, FL
27 27.94 N 080 19.69 W

We are waiting for the prop shop to check our shaft and propeller. Therefore, today we had to find new projects.

I decided to overhaul our toilet. We have a Wilcox-Crittenden Skipper toilet. The Skipper is known as the Cadillac of marine toilets. New ones cost about $1,000. It's solid bronze, built like a brick you know what. However, the gaskets, and seals are worn out. The toilet is 35 years old.

I've had a repair kit waiting for installation for a long time, but it's hard to find the situation where we don't need the onboard toilet for a day or so.

I started taking it apart. Jeez what a hard job. I got to a point where I'm stuck. I can't get the pump shaft out. I tugged, and banged, and heated it with a torch. No luck. Finally I called the manufacturer. They promised to have someone call me back. So now I'm waiting on them too.

Libby finished waxing the hull, and also did some interior painting.

Tomorrow morning we'll have to find still more projects to work on.