Good companies and knowledge gained....

Went to WEMA USA in Fort Lauderdale yesterday to pick up two of their excellent senders. (Don't forget to use code 551 when you checkout to get 30% off).



While I was there I had a chat with Alan the Operations Manager and the subject of Biodiesel came up. He pointed out that the only gasket material to deal with this was 'Viton". These gaskets cost $6 more that the standard cork/nitrile (Buna-N) gasket.

A quick internet search for "Viton" and gaskets pulled up "Quick Cut Gasket & Rubber Corporation, NY". After a conversation with Pete, a 12" x 12" sheet of 1/8" "Viton" is on its way to me.

BioDiesel info here

Another call to NMA provided a source of "Haysite" which is recommended as a support for the tanks (5200 onto the aluminum - read the David Pascoe article here). They can machine any shape you want. Contact Vick.

Sometime it almost looks like I know what I'm doing.

More Bilge Pump stuff.....

Main bilge pump, Rule 3700, with Rule Superswitch. The pipe on the bottom right is the "snorkel" from the lower sump pump which only has to pump the 6" from the bottom of the sump to the upper chamber. Tests will be carried out to see if the Rule 3700 is powerfull enough to totally evaluate the hose, or if the back flow of water will cause the switch to continuously cycle. I will not, under any circumstances be installing a one way valve in the bilge line (Later Note: so much for this plan, ouch, that will teach me not to be so absolute in the future).




The Whale Supersub Smart 650 is the sump pump which is activated by its own electric field sensor. The black box on the left is the high water alarm (Johnson ultima electronic bilge switch) which will be connected to the mother of all bilge alarm bells.




When that thing goes off at 3am, if you haven't died of a heart attack, you are wide awake and ready to deal with any problem.

Bilge pump system....

Lower sump pump feeds into the upper tank, which activates the float switch on a 3700 Rule pump.

Dummy center fuel tank in.....

At least it fits through the hatch...



and into the keel....



The white tank in the middle will be the bilge pump system.



As a result of the test fit the forward tank will be extended 2" and both tanks reduced in height to 23". Tanks are now gone for construction in 5052-H32 .250 aluminum.

Based on some excellent advice on this blog and elsewhere I will rethink the fuel piping system with an emphasis on KISS.

Fuel system piping.....

Fill system: The only deck fill will go to the "day tank" (stbd tank approx 50 gals). A pipe half way down the tank will decant fuel into either of the keel tanks (I am a little nervous of a connection half ways down in the tank but one at the top would require a pump - suggestions???). Having it half way down will prevent draining the day tank fully.

Supply system: The engine will be fed from the day tank (with an emergency valve to allow it to be fed from the keel tanks). Polishing of the day tank will be via the dbl Racor with their own pump.

Full system.

The deck fill and vent will use this Vetus system;

Now I'm off to watch U2 on YouTube!!!!!

Trying to avoid an "Oh Sh1t!!!" moment......

Anyone who has ever worked on a boat has had at least one of these. The work of art that won't fit through the hatchway etc. etc. As I am about to invest a bunch of boat bucks in aluminum tanks that cannot be returned I decide to mock them up, in cardboard and hot glue, first. I will see if they fit tomorrow. I did learn, however, that you should resist the urge to spread hot glue with your finger.



Question for the experts? I need to rest the finished tanks (after epoxying them etc.) on 2" wide by 1" high stringers. What should these be made of? I would like to bolt the stringers to the keel bed and then 5200 the tanks to them, so that rules starboard/kingboard.

Click here for a good article on installing fuel tanks.

Gread advice from followers and an apology.....

Blogs are a curious exercise in self indulgence. Glancing at the "Feedjit" map on the right hand every day gives one the feeling that I have followers all over the world. Closer analysis, however, indicates that many of these hits are for my posts on "sea cocks". I hereby apologize to the gay community, and possibly some single women, for confusing their search for love on the high seas. It was not intentional.

For people like Jerr Dunlap (check out his web site), a boat builder on the west coast, one question, why are you not on the East Coast? I will take your advice on painting the bilge. How do you feel about Interlux 2000E, which I have used before with some success.

Ref the bilge pumps. You are aboslutely correct. The lower pump is only for nuisance water. I will have a Rule 3,700 GPH above it. See my post on bilge pumps here, and again thanks for the input.

The bilge works.....

well it was hardly a high tech project;

Bilge full


Bilge empty....almost


There is a small lip where the two epoxy/sand pours joined, but it serves to trap water on the sump side, so I just pretend that it was part of the plan.

BTW the sand/epoxy mix is never coming out. I tried to grind a little to level off the sump and lets just say it took a while.

This is what I plan to install as a sump pump;



The Whale Supersub smart 650.

Bottom of keel in...

Seems like years ago I decided on an mix of epoxy and sand to raise the bottom of the keel to support the fuel tanks and to provide a sump. Well, its done.




My excuse was that I had to wait for a day that wasn't so hot that I would pass out and be found face down in the epoxy, as in;



On a rainy day where the bilge fills up with water. As it was, I just finished before the rain started. The concrete block will, hopefully, be removed and provide the sump to take a small bilge pump.

Temperature drop in Miami.......

57 deg F tonight. (that's 15 deg C in old money). Panicky trip to the basement storage to recover "blankie".

Seriously though, this is why you live in Florida......WINTER.

Still too hot to work.......

but not too hot to pull things apart.

The lockers in the aft heads were not too bad. Just a little de-lamination due to chain-plate leaks etc. (big surprise, not). However, the bottom right hand corner contained an above water bilge drain, which could only be serviced by leprechauns with very long arms. I find hiring these to be very very expensive and will have no fitting on-board that cannot be serviced by an overweight, extremely lazy, aging cruiser.

I also have plans for the sink area which may or may not materialize.

So out came the sink, the bulkhead between the head and the Engine room and the front face of the lockers.

As they say, so far so good. Now if I can just put it all back together.

Should I install a diving board?

Probably not, the water in the bilge looks a bit shallow. Still its nice to have access like this to a "real" engine room.

BTW you are looking down through the cockpit sole.

I havn't been kidnapped....

I spent the last week onboard my friends Patrick and Lisa's Whitby 42 "Gaia" sailing on the Chesapeake and visiting the Whitby/Brewer rendezvous. Great sailing, great boats (10), great people and great program. What more needs to be said.