Through-hulls Continued

Before Winsome goes back in the water after a long spell on the hard, it made sense for us to really investigate the integrity of all her equipment below the waterline.  When we first bought Winsome in 2011, we really didn't have the time or money to dig into these projects and we were still really learning the boat.  Sailing was the biggest priority.  Personally, I'd rather be sailing than maintaining, but if we plan to head out on longer cruises these projects make all the sense in the world.  Also, Wise Debbie told me to do them. 

My biggest concerns were the valves and hosing, which were in many cases original to the boat.  All the original seacocks on Winsome are the gate-valve type, and as many boat owners know, the gates on these valves have a tendency to seize up when not maintained.  The seacock that drains our port side deck scupper and cockpit drain was broken when we bought the boat.  Eventually, this valve collected enough debris to completely obstruct flow. 

After removing these old valves, it made sense to also replace the through-hulls.   Through-hulls, valves and hosing were replaced on both the engine raw water intake and head raw water intake using the equipment noted in a previous blog post, and as shown in the following photos. 




3M 5200 flows well in warm weather, so blue tape was applied to the hull to protect it from excess dripping  material.  The circumference of the new Apollo 1/2" through-hull was traced on the blue tape with a razor knife.  The circular piece of tape was removed to expose the area where the 3M material will adhere to the hull. 

With a liberal amount of adhesive applied, the through-hull was pushed home and temporarily held in place with a piece of tape while the bronze nut was threaded from the inside of the boat.  Using a trick taken from Don Casey, the through-hull was not over-tightened, but tightened just shy of snug to allow the sealant to create a gasket between the hull and the fitting.  Once cured, the nut can be tightened to create a watertight connection on the outside of the boat.     

This through-hull and in-line ball valve serves the raw water intake for our marine head, and so it only needs a 90 degree barbed fitting for a new 3/4" hose.  The engine raw water intake assembly was installed similarly, with the only exception being a straight 5/8" barbed hose fitting.

The only other through-hull and seacock assembly that remains to be replaced this year is the one shown in the first photo which serves the port side scupper and cockpit drains. 

A Tale of Two Blocks

We've been using 1/2" genoa sheets since we bought Winsome in March of 2011, and have used that line in what we understood to be original equipment genoa lead blocks.  Note the obliterated sheave and the vastly larger size of the block on the left.  The new block (left) is the replacement, and is advertised to accommodate a maximum line diameter of 1/2".  Hmm...     

Through-Hulls and Seacocks Replaced

These seacocks are looking like they're ready to sink our ship!  Note the corroded gate valve handles, probably purchased from a hardware store, and the copper plumbing fixtures used to connect hosing for the engine raw water intake.  Without an in-depth probe of existing systems, these rotten, corroded and dangerous fittings will fail at the worst possible time.  



Now this bronze through-hull and in-line ball valve is something you can really be proud of!  The in-line ball valve is connected to an elbow with 1/2" NPT and 3/4" barbed hose ends, which will supply our raw water uptake to the marine head.  Isabel is proud of it, and so are we!





Here's a new through-hull installed using 3M's 5200 sealant/adhesive.  Once fully cured, we can be certain of the watertight integrity of this new fitting.     

Stuffing Boxes is No Holiday

Working on our rudder stuffing box is challenging, to say the least.  In order to complete this incredibly gratifying task, one must lay upside down in the lazarette with their head up against the hull, all the while manipulating two large pipe wrenches inside a space the size of a shoebox.  Which way is clockwise when you're upside down? 

Bottom Job

Now, I've used a paint scraper before, having scraped countless layers of paint and debris off old windows and trim, but this was before I got an office job.  In Don Casey's book, 'This Old Boat', he says to get a good scraper when doing a bottom job.  I bought two new scrapers, and a new file to sharpen them.  With my flaccid arms and out of shape back muscles, the new scrapers made the job of removing five layers of old bottom paint at least manageable.  Two weekends later, Winsome looks better than ever.  Too bad it's all below the waterline...

She's Alive!

Winsome has been sitting neglected for too long in the marina bone yard.  The poor old girl has been waiting patiently for her owners to find the time to pay attention, but work and school and the scarcity of greenbacks has kept them away.  This spring, work has begun in earnest to relaunch.    

Patty Finally Relaunched

Our dinghy, Patty, had been sitting in the garage since our last sail in the fall of 2012, so she was anxiously awaiting some much needed repairs.  Her winter overhaul included fiberglass repairs to the gunwale and reinforcement of the seat tabbing, fresh varnish on the mahogany seat, new drain plugs, painted oars, new bronze oarlocks, new gunwale guard all around, and a fresh paint job.