Midships 25 Hull number 65 shall rise again

Test run of the Balwin Saildrive!

https://flic.kr/p/33351671645
As usual, it pretty much cranked right up. Video was taken just after it started, once it warmed up a bit the miss went away and she ran smooth as can be.


Alternator outputting charge voltage


Certified crazy eyed shop Tomcat thinks the charge voltage is a bit too high. I am going to wait and see what it looks like attached to a real battery rather than the little test battery we had there in the shop.

A few more pictures from one of the recently completed projects: Radio with DSC and GPS.

First a nice uncluttered ceiling photo.


The radio was bought used and without the regular mount, which was fine since I didn't like the radio being on the ceiling of the cabin anyhow.
Taking inspiration from SV Eastwind's FM radio installation, I decided to install the radio near the tabletop in a box glassed to the hull/deck.
Then run the wiring. This grey wire is the bundle for the new mast lighting. Up in the top you can just barely see the deck fitting for the antenna cable.


Perhaps overly strong for the application


Topside


This was a early spring project so the boat was still covered for the winter snow and rain.


Lots of wiring ended up in this bundle, which will eventually be hidden more or less by curtains and shelving.




Using DSC to call SV Eastwind. Don't mind the wire-nuts (thats a lighting project)


It looks like it works in this photo, but when tested with a meter, we found something was stealing all our magic powers.

Turns out it was these cheapo 90 degree connectors. Swap them out and presto the whole system works like a champ.
Yesterday we were using it to listen to the "local" coastguard station some 20 miles away.


Also installed a RAM MIC in the cockpit, so we don't have to dive headfirst into the cabin to answer the radio each time. This is installed on the port side, next to the PLastimo Commander Compass.


All this is supplemented by two handheld radios so we can move about the boat or do more complex tasks while single handed.

Thru-hull repair

Having a center cockpit boat, means that there are several HUGE lockers in the cabins. One of these lockers on Sunflower, had a single 1/2 inch thru-hull right in the middle of the locker. It had a rusty old gate valve on it and a rotten wedge of wood, and effectively took up the whole locker.


Out with the old and in with the new.
The thu hull in the locker was removed and the locker was painted "Sea Foam Green".


Then the area aroud the hole was ground into a much larger shallow cone, following Don Casey's method of fiberglass repair.
Then we cut many, many, many, way to many round patches of fiberglass cloth and mat. Making each progressively larger than the last.
After plugging the bottom with tape, the hole is filled in using normal glass methods, making a repair that is as strong as the hull around it.


New Hole drilled in the hull beside engine.


A new 3/4 inch thru-hull, with an actual seacock was installed in the engine bay and plumbed into the water pump.


Bottomside

It still floats after all this time in the yard.

Sunflower coming into the tiny harbor at Devils Island in the Apostles after having sailed the length of Isle Royale then crossed Lake Superior to the Apostles.

Great trip that made the work all worthwhile.

Whole album from the trip can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/albums/72157685731863505

Busy? No, not at all. I get almost every Saturday off.

That said I did have a long weekend for Thanksgiving. And when Aswayze showed up from KC we managed to sneak in a short 3 day trip.

Launched at Bayou Grande Marina NAS Pensacola on turkey day, and motored out into the gulf. It was a perfect day for sail..... which is good since the motor was being naughty.
1-3 foot waves, and 15kt winds from the shore (N) was delightful.


We ended up sailing back to Pensacola at sunset, without any working engines. Thank goodness the traffic was quiet or we would have been "those guys" tacking across/down the entrance to the bay, and then also down a 1/2 mile of the ICW. The winds were perfect for this last trip through the Pensacola Cut, which everyone on Active Captain cheerfully mentions is one of the narrowest portions in the area.

The buoys in this area have a "license to kill small boats."


Oh and the depth sounder finally quit working altogether. We finally set the new Mantus anchor in clean sand, grabbed our bearings, and set the anchor alarm for the night.
This portion was more adventure than wanted. While it is heartening to know you can SAIL into a tight anchorage at sunset, without a depth sounder, or engine, it is not relaxing to say the least.

After that adventure, we spent the remainder of the weekend exploring the area, working on the engine, and fishing. Starting with the remains of Fort McRee we looked at the accessible bits of history in the area.

Here are the decent photos from the mini trip. Thanks to Swayze for posting them to Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/albums/72157663121687588/with/37997434854/