I've been busy working on Spray. The windlass installation was a big job but it came out quite well. I removed the existing bow platform that supported the anchor roller, modified it and reinstalled it 15 inches lower, so that the anchor roller is now at deck height. I cut large holes in the bulwarks for the anchor rodes to pass through, directly to the windlass gypsy, which is mounted at deck level as it should be. Large holes were drilled in the foredeck for the windlass and a foot-operated switch, then power cabling was routed forward and, viola, the windlass now works!
Well....... sort of. My main anchor rode is currently 200' of 5/8" nylon line plus 26' of 3/8" chain. The windlass handles the chain well but is sized for 1/2" line, not 5/8", so I need to make some changes there.
I've also installed a large (size 8D, 160 lbs.!!) 12 volt battery as an addition to the existing 'house' battery. I built a shelf on the port side of the engine room to hold the new battery, and wired in a large switch to enable/disable the battery connection. The whole idea is to be able to run lights, refrig., etc. for longer time while at anchor.
Still to do: I've purchased a 35 gallon waste holding tank to replace the existing 9 gallon tank. Much of the ICW is designated as 'no discharge area' and I'll have to stop at marinas to pump out the waste. This larger tank will allow me to do this less often. I may have a problem with installing this larger tank because its quite a bit....LARGER than the tank it's replacing. I had of course measured the available space in the starboard engine room and verified that the new tank will fit there, but I hadn't really measured the size of the opening above the engine to see if I can route the tank down to its destination. It looks like its not gonna be easy.
Also still to do: Change engine oil & filter, fuel filters, check raw water system. I've bought the 3 gallons of engine oil I need, plus a hand-pump to remove the old oil (through the dipstick tube), so I'm ready to change the engine oil, maybe tomorrow.
Oh, and I've finally joined the dark side by buying a cell phone for the trip. Its an iPhone that will also give me internet access (for weather reports and other info), plus its built-in gps will be useful. My cell no. is 207-902-2000. Soon I'll use the iPhone to take a few pix of the recent work on Spray and upload those to this blog.
More later....
Nice job on the windlass. That's a big job.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to carry another 3 gallons of oil if that's what it takes for an oil change (along with a spare oil filter). Coolant and transmission fluid too. I'd also think about replacing the impeller and making sure you have a couple of spare ones.
It's exciting Bill. You're going to do well.
Glad to hear that Steve may join you.
ReplyDeletewe will meet you in CT. And welcome to IPhone land!