I've been Sick

I've been sick for the past week. When I started feeling better I watched an endless supply of YouTube videos while in bed.

This couple in Tulsa OK is building a 74ft steel sailboat from scratch. It’s way over 250 videos but It’s a hoot. http://www.youtube.com/user/submarineboat

The reason why?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr7A4GpeosQ

I'm hooked! Makes my little rebuild look like childs play!

Mary has got the cold now. I hope she can recover faster than me.

Canvas Work

I can sew… not real well but I can sew. I learned back in A&P School. Aircraft wings and fuselages used to be skinned with cotton. They haven’t been done that way for production aircraft in over 60 years but you had to know how to sew to obtain an A&P license. My Dad had an airplane with cloth covered wings. But that was back in the days when he was dating my Mom. In fact some of Dad’s buddies wrote “Just Married” in shoe polish on the bottom of the wings and he said he was never able to remove it. Not sure sewing is an A&P requirement today.





Armed with a dim memory of sewing and Don Casey's book, “Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual” (a guide to fix EVERYTHING on a sailboat); we bought a used industrial sewing machine thinking I would sew something for Something Else. A whole chapter in the book is dedicated to sewing everything that could need sew’n on a boat. Tips to cover things that are exposed to weather, bags for every use imaginable, (like a bag to hold all the covers when they are not in use) and handy accessories like an awning to keep the sun at bay. Mary bought me a few yards of 2nd quality Sunbrella on eBay to play with.




Companion way hatch cover

 

1st project I made winch covers with elastic inner cuff to keep the winch cover on.

2nd project I made a simple tiller cover that will need “refinements” to incorporate all the lessons I learned along the way.

My latest sewing project I made a companion way hatch cover that has a batten at the bottom that holds the lower cover in position.  The scratches in the picture are from dragging the material under the arm of the sewing machine.





I cussed a lot. I’d hate to have to make a living doing canvas work. It’s tough making things fit correctly. The machine is too fast (or I'm too slow), I’m afraid I’ll sew my fingers into the seams! I put a smaller pulley on the motor and is slowed it down a little, but it’s still too fast. A co-worker suggested putting an adjustable stop under the pedal. That way when you mash the pedal all the way down it can only go to the adjusted speed.

I’m not too bright (or a glutton for punishment) because I bought some upholstery material too. I am going to attempt to re-upholster the settee cushions. The backs should be easy because it’s all strait seams and stapled down on the back. But the bottom cushions are curved and sloped where it meets the hull and they have a zipper. Another topic for another time.

Welcome AWON Readers!

Welcome American Westerly Owners Newsletter (AWON) readers. Please enjoy reading about Something Else my GK29 and seeing what I've been up to. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions.

Logo

I've created a Logo inspired by the half star Westerly logo and Westerly Owners' Association (WOA) logos. I made it in PowerPoint so it’s awful simple. If you feel it is copyright infringement let me know. I think it is new work from my creative genius that pays tribute to Westerly heritage.

My Logo I created 11/08/2013

Exhaust System Project - Mock UP

I had to replace all exhaust system components from the old engines 1 ½ inch system because the new engine uses a 2 inch system. This is the mock up of the new exhaust system. A sailboat with an inboard engine is usually water cooled. Instead of a radiator like your car (water to air heat exchanger) boats use a water to water heat exchanger. Sea water is pumped from outside the boat and used it to cool the engine coolant. The sea water is then disposed of through the exhaust system. The water cools the exhaust and is used to muffle the sound in a water lift muffler or wet muffler. The water lift muffler instructions give a generic layout (see below) with key dimensions required to function optimally.



From Centek muffler installation instructions

 
Here is what the 1st mocked up exhaust looked like inside Something Else.




1st Mock  up.  Exhaust elbow silver piece on the left, muffler black object on right of picture.



One concern after putting it together is the water fall dimension from the exhaust manifold and the top of the muffler. The requirement is 12 inches minimum. It is hard to measure because there is a bulkhead between the engine and the muffler and everything is on a slope. I have about 11 inches. So I need to raise the engine exhaust elbow a little since I can’t lower the muffler. I’ll raise it by installing a longer pipe. This mean the exhaust elbow will go above the engine compartment and into a storage area above the engine compartment. I made a cutout to accommodate the exhaust elbow and have installed a loaf pan to close out the area… No Mom, the loaf pan is not a good one, I bought it at a thrift shop.



Final Mock up.  Exhaust Elbow is silver object on the left and muffler is black object on right of picture.





Loaf Pan close out for exhaust elbow.



The water lift portion of the mock up looks good. I have not decided all the details of the installation from here to the transom of the boat but I have a plan.



Muffler and water lift portion of mocked up exhaust system.



TBD... How to plumb a slope from A down to B.  I think I have a plan.

Catalina Island

Mary and I are in Avalon on Catalina Island for our anniversary.  We arrived yesterday and will go home Tuesday.  Nice weather, sunny and high in the 70's.  Lots of walking is wearing us out but still having a good time.

Engine Troubles!

BMW Marine - D12 Diesel Engine

During the deliver of Something Else from Chula Vista to Long Beach California the engine died 15 miles off shore and over 50 miles from our destination. When I bought the boat it had a 10 HP BMW D12 marine diesel engine. Yes, BMW made marine engines for a very brief time. The D12 model has a single cylinder and has some “interesting” design features. However the design flaw of thin casting in the head was the down fall of the D12. They are raw water cooled. That is they circulate sea water in the engine to cool them. Salt water is very corrosive and the cast iron head rusted out. A new head today is made of “unobtainium”. Rich at V12 engineering in Canada bought up all the spare parts in the world and has cornered the market on BMW Marine parts. He sales a usable head on Ebay for $2500. I had a useable head I bought for $200 in my hands in 2011 but I decided to re-engine now instead of later when the replacement head rusted away.

The BMW engine was not the original engine for a GK29. From what I’ve read they came with a 9 hp Peters diesel. But maybe my GK29 wasn’t completely finished at Westerly and it was finished by the original owner?? I read Westerly did home completion on a few boats. BMW Marine was in business from 1977 to 1987. My boat is a 78. I have been unable to find the elusive "build number" so I don't know if it's the 1st boat or the 182th GK29 made between 1977 and 1982.

I bought a 2 cylinder 15 HP Yanmar diesel engine I found on Craigslist. I like Yanmar because the parts are plentiful and Yanmar/John Deere tractors engines have many common parts.  Also the purchase price was in my budget (CHEAP).  The engine was a taken out of a scrapped boat. It didn’t look too bad but I rebuilt it to be sure of its condition.  It is a little tighter fit than the old engine and I had to custom make brackets for the engine mounts for the engine to align on the BMW bed (white fiberglass shell the engine bolts to).

2QM15 Yanmar Diesel Engine