Category Archives: Gear

Closing the Loop on a Few Recent Posts

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Now that we are all caught up with what has been going on, I want to close the loop on a few recent posts …

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We installed trim tabs on our dinghy earlier this year. Since then, we’ve used it for short trips and a few longer cruises. Do I think it is an improvement? I don’t know. It is a nice stable ride and it planes easily. But, the trim tabs sort of turn a sporty car into a station wagon. And it is slower. We lose about 4 knots of speed. And I like speed in a dinghy.

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It is Time to Replace Our Engine Mounts

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Cam at West Coast Marine Diesel noticed the port engine was vibrating left and right a bit  when were in Sidney. After further investigation, he recommended we replace our engine mounts. We replaced the prop shaft and cutlass bearings on the port side two years ago. We certainly don’t want engine vibration to damage any of that rather expensive work. We also have no idea how long the current mounts have been on the boat. For all we know they could be the original mounts. Replacing them seems like a reasonable thing to do. And, of course, it is another project for me.

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Be kind to your dinghy

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As the title suggests, we have not been kind to ours. We expect our dinghy to transport us to shore and back, take us exploring, adventuring, joyriding, and perhaps even rescue us in the event of an emergency. Yet we treat ours poorly. Not intentionally. We always have the best of intentions. I’d call it benign neglect.

We’ve had our boat a bit over six years now. The inflatable came attached to the stern. Back in early ’12, we installed new davits, seats, steering, and a new 20 hp Tohatsu outboard. For anyone wishing to relive that exciting story, visit this post.

Since that time, the dinghy has lived on the davits on the back of our boat. Good weather and bad. Tipped up on the stern, it’s convenient to use, but not to work on. We wash it and keep it mostly clean, but that’s just about the extent of our care. As for the motor, I check the oil from time to time. I also check to make sure it is still firmly attached to the dinghy.

The most recent abuse came from sitting in salt water for a month while our boat was in the yard. Barnacles and various slimy things were growing on it when we finally pulled it out of the water. Yuck.

mv Archimedes dirty dinghy bottom Continue reading →

Water Filtration Project – The exciting conclusion

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Just when you thought it would never end …

It does. Really.

Now that we have the boat back, I was able to tackle what was the easiest part of this project. I just needed to mount the accumulator tank and the pump on the new filter platform, and run new hoses between everything. I pulled all the old plumbing out and took it back to the house. Here is everything mounted up and ready for the hose.

mv Archimedes ready for water hose Continue reading →

No joy this weekend

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We did not get the boat back this weekend. I’ll admit I didn’t think this trip to the yard would end up taking a month. We’ve got to get it back next Saturday. We are planning to head north to the San Juan Islands Sunday morning. The Grand Banks Rendezvous starts Thursday at Roche Harbor.

I couldn’t work on the boat so we went kayaking. And fine kayaking weather it was indeed.

mv Archimedes kayaking Liberty Bay 2

I could sit and watch the world go by for hours on a beautiful Sunday morning like this.

mv Archimedes kayaking Liberty Bay 1

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Water Filtration Project – Part 3

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First, let me apologize. I’m not really trying to turn this project into an epic event. If I’d done this when I had access to the boat, it would have taken half as long. Additionally, time to work on it is limited to weekends. And … we need to get the boat back next weekend so I can wrap this project up.  We are headed for a week in the San Juan Islands soon. With that said, here’s the progress I made this weekend.

This is where I ended up.

mv Archimedes filter housings mounted and plumbed 1

And here is how I got there …

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Water Filtration Project – Part 2

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I built the beginnings of the new structure to hold the water filters last week. I modeled it based on the scribblings that pass for my notes. For some reason (entirely unclear to me now) I had written “18 inch height” on the notes. Between my feeble memory and the photos I have, I was sure there was more space available. I want to use as much space as is practical to insure there is adequate room to access and change the filters.

We popped over to Seaview West this past weekend to visit the boat and pick up and drop off a few things. I also wanted to verify some of the measurements in the engine room. I measured real good this time.

I based last weekend’s effort on my previous notes and measurements. Turns out I did have more room than I thought. So I made a new platform that takes advantage of the available space. I decided to call my first effort a “prototype.” Makes me feel better about doing it the second time.

Below are the old and new platforms. On the left side is the original (the “prototype”). The one on the right uses the new measurements. 24 inches tall rather than 18 inches. Same width. but a little deeper than the first one.

mv Archimedes filter mount proto and final

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