Lorelei and I had productive day on Lark. We replaced the leaky weatherstripping on the Perko portlight over the aft berth. I still wonder just how watertight it would be with a cockpit full of water though. We figured out the model of the head (Raritan PHII) and the part number we need to replace (I211PL piston rod yoke). We scrubbed, swept, and vacuumed. We measured the finger pier width for stairs (23 7/8). And we confirmed the hypothesis that the interior would remain cool while running the A/C with the companionway doors open since the cabin is mostly below the level of the opening.
8/30 prog
Lorelei helped my replace the hose to the Racor and and thread sealant to the fitting on the auxiliary fuel pump. I trimmed the insulation on the front section of the ice box so it would close again. We'll need more epoxy paint to reseal the exposed insulation now. As an experiment we left the air conditioner running all afternoon and found the boat was freezing cold when we got back.
A wrinkle
During our survey in June, Paul the surveyor identified an issue which at the time I counted as minor but now seems possibly less so. He observed that as we shifted the transmission from forward to reverse and back, that the engine moved visibly, and more so than the otherwise unremarkable wiggling at idle. He looked closely and concluded that the engine mounts were not loose, but the substrate to which they were mounted was. His guess: that there is a pan or tray which was bonded to the hull and on which the engine is mounted and secured, and that the tray itself is no longer strongly bonded to the interior of the hull.
In retrospect, I suppose this should have bothered me more. On the other hand, the boat seemed like a bargain and I suppose that I thought that a few non-trivial issues were to be expected.
When we launched a couple weeks back, I had a marine diesel guy come to give things a good once-over prior to departing Riverside, as I wanted a specialist to confirm prior to our departure that we were in good enough condition to make the short hop to Harbortown. Tim the diesel guy noted that the engine seemed to move around more than he'd expect to see it do and that when I stepped on the heat exchanger in entering and exiting the companionway that it settled down and was a lot quieter.
When I had him come take a further look last weekend he brought a large pry bar along and placed it against the fiberglass piece the engine is mounted to and applied pressure and it did in fact appear to be relatively soft and moveable. His conclusion: the engine should be removed, the old components cut away and rebuilt, and the engine reinstalled. I asked him if we were talking about a 4-hour job or a 40-hour job, and he said that it was more like 40 than 4. At $84 an hour. Bummer.
Worse: Tim was talking to me about rotten stringers. Oh man. That could conceivably condemn the whole boat.
On advice of our mentor and instructor, Cap'n Jack, I sought a second opinion from the guys in the yard at the marina. Howie's worst case estimate: 120 hours at $80 per. Whoa! Tim's $3360 sounds like a bargain now!
In the meantime, are we questioning yet what in world we are doing with all our friends back in Colorado and ourselves here trying to move onto a boat as old as we are with about 80 square feet per person and wobbly engine beds? You bet! What in the world are we doing?
But we remind ourselves of one of our guiding principles: if we are going to have regrets, we want to regret what we have done, not what we haven't. Well, if the boat sinks to the bottom and explodes like a scene from a B movie tomorrow, we've won on that one already. And really, what do we have at stake? Just money and stuff. And not much of either. It's not like we have any real problems. That's the joy of living with so little: so little to lose!
What to do? We'll let you know when we do. It will all be fine whatever happens, and we're looking forward to seeing what that is.
In retrospect, I suppose this should have bothered me more. On the other hand, the boat seemed like a bargain and I suppose that I thought that a few non-trivial issues were to be expected.
When we launched a couple weeks back, I had a marine diesel guy come to give things a good once-over prior to departing Riverside, as I wanted a specialist to confirm prior to our departure that we were in good enough condition to make the short hop to Harbortown. Tim the diesel guy noted that the engine seemed to move around more than he'd expect to see it do and that when I stepped on the heat exchanger in entering and exiting the companionway that it settled down and was a lot quieter.
When I had him come take a further look last weekend he brought a large pry bar along and placed it against the fiberglass piece the engine is mounted to and applied pressure and it did in fact appear to be relatively soft and moveable. His conclusion: the engine should be removed, the old components cut away and rebuilt, and the engine reinstalled. I asked him if we were talking about a 4-hour job or a 40-hour job, and he said that it was more like 40 than 4. At $84 an hour. Bummer.
Worse: Tim was talking to me about rotten stringers. Oh man. That could conceivably condemn the whole boat.
On advice of our mentor and instructor, Cap'n Jack, I sought a second opinion from the guys in the yard at the marina. Howie's worst case estimate: 120 hours at $80 per. Whoa! Tim's $3360 sounds like a bargain now!
In the meantime, are we questioning yet what in world we are doing with all our friends back in Colorado and ourselves here trying to move onto a boat as old as we are with about 80 square feet per person and wobbly engine beds? You bet! What in the world are we doing?
But we remind ourselves of one of our guiding principles: if we are going to have regrets, we want to regret what we have done, not what we haven't. Well, if the boat sinks to the bottom and explodes like a scene from a B movie tomorrow, we've won on that one already. And really, what do we have at stake? Just money and stuff. And not much of either. It's not like we have any real problems. That's the joy of living with so little: so little to lose!
What to do? We'll let you know when we do. It will all be fine whatever happens, and we're looking forward to seeing what that is.
8/24 progress
I had an interesting appointment with Tim the diesel guy. What was planned as a lesson on routine maintenance turned into Tim convincing me that we really do need to take the engine out, rebuild the stringer where it's mounted, then remount it.
That and he showed me where the secondary fuel pump under the galley sink was dripping diesel, so I got to wedge in there and do some more unplanned engine maintenance. Hooray! It actually was pretty fun though. He can't do the mounts until October though which gives me time to get a couple other opinions on it.
Hopefully I'll get my raw water pump back from him in time to reinstall it later this week and get our next few Cap'n Jack lessons on our own boat.
We also spotted what looks very much like where a siphon brake would be installed, meaning that we don't have to remodel the entire aft cabin to install a riser to prevent seawater entering the pistons after all. That sure would be nice.
And the air conditioner works! It's nice and comfy down below now. It's such a weird thing because at our survey the seller was so puzzled that it wouldn't run, when we weren't plugged into shore power, the seacock was closed and the reset button was out. Had he never even run it? But then why was he so surprised that it didn't run? It's head-scratcher.
I also have Richard the South African refit guy coming to look at our leaky diesel tank this week. Turns out he keeps his boat two docks over at the same marina as Lark.
Then Jim the refrigeration guy is coming to look at, what else, the refrigeration.
It will be great to have all these things squared away.
We didn't get the dinghy down yet but we will soon by golly!
I'll do a little lifeline netting tomorrow morning.
That and he showed me where the secondary fuel pump under the galley sink was dripping diesel, so I got to wedge in there and do some more unplanned engine maintenance. Hooray! It actually was pretty fun though. He can't do the mounts until October though which gives me time to get a couple other opinions on it.
Hopefully I'll get my raw water pump back from him in time to reinstall it later this week and get our next few Cap'n Jack lessons on our own boat.
We also spotted what looks very much like where a siphon brake would be installed, meaning that we don't have to remodel the entire aft cabin to install a riser to prevent seawater entering the pistons after all. That sure would be nice.
And the air conditioner works! It's nice and comfy down below now. It's such a weird thing because at our survey the seller was so puzzled that it wouldn't run, when we weren't plugged into shore power, the seacock was closed and the reset button was out. Had he never even run it? But then why was he so surprised that it didn't run? It's head-scratcher.
I also have Richard the South African refit guy coming to look at our leaky diesel tank this week. Turns out he keeps his boat two docks over at the same marina as Lark.
Then Jim the refrigeration guy is coming to look at, what else, the refrigeration.
It will be great to have all these things squared away.
We didn't get the dinghy down yet but we will soon by golly!
I'll do a little lifeline netting tomorrow morning.
Boat Maneuvering
We have been playing around on Captain Jack's little tug boat, a Ranger 21, while Lark is having some engine work done. It is a nice first step, as the tug has a similar engine and controls, but it is smaller and lighter. Baby steps. Today Captain Jack told me to stop staring at the pilings I didn't want to hit and watch the dock I was trying to line up with. It instantly clicked. It is advice that is ingrained in me from skiing. Look at the space between the trees!
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| Me, driving the boat. |
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| tooting the horn under the bridge |
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| catching bouys |
In the meantime we have 3 weekends left until we move aboard, and SO SO much still to do. I’m trying to decide if everyone needs a new mattress in addition to new sheets. It looks like Jacob and my mattress has had quite a bit of water damage in the past, and I’m afraid of the mold that might be living in there!
My new pots and pans arrived and I am in love with them. They were recommended by Carolyn at the TheBoatGalley.com, and are the best quality that I have ever owned. Also, they nest so they only take up a half a cubic foot space! The handles come off but in a not flimsy way.
I also ordered a sample towel that I was considering for the boat, and it seems very nice. Jacob used it after his shower tonight and said it was great. It is a nice version of camping towels that feel fluffy, but are super absorbent and dry really quickly, supposedly with out a dryer. I think we will be ordering the rest of the set now. I'm thinking each person will get their own color.
Jacob and I still have a list of things that we need to tackle before we move aboard. Now we are just trying to prioritize and decide what we have to handle immediately.
- Leaky port above our bed
- Fix broken Refrigeration
- Attach blower tube so we can use the stove
- Put up lifeline netting
- Outfit the boat: sheets and blankets, dishes and silverware.
- Shock the water system…if we can ever find the water tank.
- Fix the leaky fuel tank
- Finish engine repairs including mounting it
8/23
We've been stocking up on live-aboard stuff. April got her set of nesting pans for the galley and a micro-fiber towel we've been eying. It's supposed to be super absorbent and fast-drying, so we'll give it a try and if works out, order several more. We picked up a drinking-water hose and I got a set of the coolest little ratcheting wrenches with "chamfered lead-ins" which I can't wait to try out on my rebuilt raw water pump.
Tomorrow morning I'm getting some lessons in maintenance procedures for the Perkins with my man Tim from Florida Marine Diesel. Afterward the girls and I will hopefully make some headway on our exploding to-do-aboard list and splash around at the pool at the marina a little.
We're going to see about getting the dinghy down off Lark's roof. Audrey's been dying to take it out for a spin, so we'll try. Maybe we'll be able to strap it onto the Nissan's roof rack and bring it over to Jaycee Park.
I keep discovering new compartments aboard Lark with neat things in them. Today I found three new compartment in the V-berth containing spare parts for the Perkins, 2 more sails, a big old anchor, and some canvas in nice shape which I think goes on the cockpit structure.
Tomorrow morning I'm getting some lessons in maintenance procedures for the Perkins with my man Tim from Florida Marine Diesel. Afterward the girls and I will hopefully make some headway on our exploding to-do-aboard list and splash around at the pool at the marina a little.
We're going to see about getting the dinghy down off Lark's roof. Audrey's been dying to take it out for a spin, so we'll try. Maybe we'll be able to strap it onto the Nissan's roof rack and bring it over to Jaycee Park.
I keep discovering new compartments aboard Lark with neat things in them. Today I found three new compartment in the V-berth containing spare parts for the Perkins, 2 more sails, a big old anchor, and some canvas in nice shape which I think goes on the cockpit structure.
8/18 prog
We had another great couple hours of boat-handling lessons aboard Cap'n Jack's Ranger 21 today. I'm finally starting to know at a gut level that the prop walk will pull the stern to port in reverse, that the rudder really does turn exactly the same way as the wheel, and the boat really does pivot about a point amidships. It's a very different thing to have read about it and be able to figure it out on paper than to just know it viscerally.
After a full Sunday aboard we know two things now without doubt: we must back Lark into her slip if the dog and kids are ever going to be able board at anything but the very lowest tides; and to attempt this project tied up at a dock at ambient August temperatures in Florida is sheer foolishness. At least for this family at this point in time.
After a full Sunday aboard we know two things now without doubt: we must back Lark into her slip if the dog and kids are ever going to be able board at anything but the very lowest tides; and to attempt this project tied up at a dock at ambient August temperatures in Florida is sheer foolishness. At least for this family at this point in time.
8/16 progress
We have 4 weekends left, including this one, until we plan to move aboard full-time. Like all boat-owners we have a list too long to think about of things that could and should and really ought to be done. We are focusing now only the absolutely critical items. Those are to get the raw water pump reinstalled on the engine so we can move the boat to yet another slip; to figure out what's going on with the bilge blower and hoses; to fix the leaky opening port over the aft bunk; to get the A/C and icebox working; to get the water system cleaned out and working; and to get sheets and blankets squared away. But hey, we have 4 weeks so no worries.
In the meantime we have charted a 30-60 hour course of study with our man, Captain Jack, the ASA instructor and USCG Master over the next several weeks and months, beginning with 4 more weeks of twice-a-week 2-hour sessions on boat-handling around the docks and marina. He's certified to teach through ASA 106 and the sessions we've had with him so far have been really great learning experiences and lots of fun and we got to bring the kids along so we're just generally thrilled.
We replaced 3 of 4 docklines today and got lifelines to install tomorrow.
In the meantime we have charted a 30-60 hour course of study with our man, Captain Jack, the ASA instructor and USCG Master over the next several weeks and months, beginning with 4 more weeks of twice-a-week 2-hour sessions on boat-handling around the docks and marina. He's certified to teach through ASA 106 and the sessions we've had with him so far have been really great learning experiences and lots of fun and we got to bring the kids along so we're just generally thrilled.
We replaced 3 of 4 docklines today and got lifelines to install tomorrow.
Removing the raw water pump from my Perkins 4.108 in 7 relatively easy steps, not all being strictly necessary
The subject:
Where the through-hull is located:
1: Close the through-hull
2: Remove the hoses from the pump. There will be water.
4: Identify 4 bolts holding the pump to the engine.
5. Do what it takes to remove them. I had to use a couple different kinds of pliers to get at them all.
6. It will probably still stick to the engine a little. Give it a little bonk and it should fall off.
7. Bob's your uncle.
Too Tired To Blog
Sailing camp was a great success. Audrey is really excited about sailing now! She had a great time. On the last day of camp she took Jacob out for a sail, and showed us some of her amazing knot tying skill. She even beat Jacob in a little knot tying competition. She didn't want to participate in the final race with her group. I guess she doesn't care for racing. Her instructors feel it is probably due to her size and endurance level. She isn't really heavy enough to get her boat moving, and the little boats don't have cleats for the lines (ropes), so you have to hold the main sheet the whole time, which is very hard on her little arms. On the last day of camp they gave out medals, and Audrey got 3rd place in her division and was declared 'Most Improved'. She is really proud of her medal and loves to wear it and show it off!
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| The boats getting ready to launch. |
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| The optis (Audrey's group) out for a sail. |
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| Audrey at the helm. |
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| hard alee! |
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| taking Daddy sailing |
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| Jacob is a little big for the boat |
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| showing Daddy the new knot she just learned |
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| Lorelei giving it a shot |
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| Lorelei and I had a lot of solo play time while Audrey was at camp. |
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| heading to the pool |
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| riding bikes |
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| on our way to the aquarium |
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| checking out horseshoe crab larvae |
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| Lorelei's favorite, the Touch Tank |
Lark is officially in the water now, and in her slip at the marina. We had discussed hiring a captain for launch until Jacob's dad agreed to help us. Now after the suggestion from our broker we think we will hire a captain to help us learn on our boat instead of jumping right into classes that require lots of childcare and are on a different boat. We found Captain Jack, and it seems like it could be a good fit. He is an ASA instructor along with being a USCG Captain. We start lessons with him bright and early tomorrow morning!
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| in the sling ready to launch |
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| boat in motion |
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| Captain Jack at the helm |
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| finally a family picture on the boat. |
It was so nice to have Paul here for a week! I loved having a friend to play with, and the girls loved having all the extra attention. He was also an enormous help with them when we had to move the boat to her new slip (which we aren't sure she will even stay at...but more on that later). It was fun to be tourists in Ft. Pierce. It involved trying out lots of restaurants, the local treasure museum, going to the beach, the pool, and for the finale, deep sea fishing. Paul caught dinner...okay our appetizer, a yummy little Vermillion. It was the only large enough edible fish we caught that day, but between us all we caught at least 15 fish that were returned back home. We normally really take advantage of Paul's visits by making him play board games with us every night, but this trip we didn't get over to our storage locker to find our games until the trip was almost over. We did have a great last night with a fun game of Ticket To Ride, and a few rounds of A-hole, just for old times' sake.
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| Downtown Disney |
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| photo bombing someone else's picture |
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| getting a lesson on Cicadas |
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| The treasure museum in Vero Beach. I finally learned why they call this place the Treasure Coast. |
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| Friends for over 24 years! |
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| pool flips with Uncle Paul |
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| Showing Paul around Lark. |
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| Aboard the Fort Pierce Lady for some deep sea fishing. |
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| This little guy got to go home. |
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| The famous vermillion! |
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| Porpoises off the bow. |
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| Lorelei helping to reel in Audrey's catch. |
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| My only catch of the day was too small. Legally sea bass have to be 13" long to keep. |
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| Pelicans waiting for some scraps. |
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| Audrey checking out a turtle nest. |
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| Playing in the ocean with Uncle Paul. |
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| Yummy Cuban sandwich! |
We have to really get moving on getting the boat ready to live on now! We move aboard in one month!
I guess I need to post more often, because I still have more pictures I want to share:
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| sea oats |
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| playing in the gardens |
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