Hey, what do you do with a big heavy sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay during the middle of the Summer? You do a lot of projects and then sail whenever you can. I was able to take care of several nagging projects this Summer. Knocking these off the list make the boat feel more “homey”.
1) Forward head door magnet
The forward head door would partially close on when you entered the head. It was awkward when you found yourself performing any sort of maintenance or cleaning in that space. The door would inevitably close and while doing so automatically, it would snag the back of my ankle. I saw a really cool magnetic door holder aboard Astra (HR48). So I reached out to HR Parts and purchased a door closure magnet. I prepared and varnished a 1″ teak spacer and installed the magnetic closure on the hallway wall. No more door slamming shut!
2) New WEMA diesel fuel gauge
I replaced the original diesel fuel gauge with a new WEMA gauge that was sitting in the boat inventory since we bought her. The original gauge did not light up and had unusual gauge span and markings. Separately, the water gauge was replaced with a modern WEMA gauge by the previous owner. I re-did all of the wiring for the water gauge made improved connections using heatshrink. The new diesel gauge has evenly spaced markings and lights up nicely. Note that we have the tank full for the Winter.
3) Reading lights
I replaced 5 reading lights around the cabin which were not working consistently and/or were corroded. The new lights came from HR Parts and have backing plates and are also 100% LED. Interestingly, the light in the aft cabin on the starboard side had surface corrosion from the portlight being left open while sailing which allowed seawater to splash on the fixture. I will have to make a note to wipe down the new fixture more often.
4) Forward head piping
The heads are VacuFlush style aboard Skyward with freshwater flush. The forward head has had a vacuum leak since we bought the boat. We simply managed to turn on and off the vacuum generators before and after every use; that was annoying. In my haste to fix this issue, I went about replacing seals and tightening hose clamps. But the vacuum system would still run every 2.5-3.5 minutes. That was both frustrating and satisfactory. I re-designed the suction line connecting to the toilet base as PVC. After completing the project, the vacuum system holds perfectly fine.
5) Helm station panel seal
I glued strips of aluminum to the inside wall of the helm station and tapped them to receive new screws. I then made a new gasket and secured the helm station cover to be water tight. The helm station panel was only held in place with a couple of screws, and it was frustrating to work inside the panel with the screws not securing the panel. Not any more!
6) Engine extra crank pulley elimination
The 100 hp Volvo Penta TMD31L-A engine came with an extra pulley installed when we purchased the boat. It became a place where belt dust and corrosion collected from previous raw water drips. The pulley extended the length of the engine forward to a point where a normal allen wrench could not remove it, because there was less than an inch of space between the pulley and the forward wall. I figured out a way to loosen the allen bolts, and walla! the extra pulley was removed finally.
7) Securing autopilot wiring
We’ve been having autopilot connection issues. Upon inspection, I noticed that the autopilot power cable did not have the proper installation of ferrite. I corrected the ferrite installation which was relatively simple to do. In digging through the inventory of the boat upon purchase, I noticed this simple plastic/rubber bar; I never knew its origin. Upon reviewing the documentation for the autopilot, I realized that the bar is meant to be the mechanism for securing all wiring in and out of the autopilot. Eureka! After proper installation, the autopilot is much more reliable.
8) Propane regulator, alarm, controller and solenoid switch
I removed all old Xintex propane detector, alarm, control and solenoid system pieces. None of it was working properly. There was even an extra Plastimo propane sensor and alarm detector that had some useless wiring — half of it was cut; that was all removed in the galley. The previous owner had purchased a very nice new Trident propane detector, alarm and solenoid system and left it in the boat inventory (THANKS!). I finally got around to getting it installed. The regulator and piping in the locker was also corroded and leaking at the vent. Nonetheless, I installed a new propane regulator and hose that I picked up from Arundel Gas.
9) Generator exhaust fan
This one was a head scratcher. The general exhaust fan was not working since we purchased the boat, and the power line must have been accidentally removed during our inspection as the line was hanging in the engine bay. I suspected that the exhaust fan had some corroded mechanisms. After investigation, I determined that the fuse was also blown behind the navigation station panel. It was a 15A fuse! It was extremely unusual to see a relatively large fuse blown by such a simple/plastic fan. I pulled the fan off the wall and set it on top of the generator after replacing the fuse and re-wiring the fan. The test indicated that the fan had an unusually high pitch. I looked into it a little further, and discovered it was a 12V fan installed on a 24V supply! So, I picked up a new 4″ high flow blower fan, soldered the power supply at the nav panel properly and installed a new fuse. All is much better now.
10) Windpilot rebuilt and reinstall
This Summer, I rebuilt the entire WindPilot system while deciding whether to keep it or sell it. All of the frame connections now have a thin Teflon gasket to minimize corrosion. All of the moving parts were thoroughly cleaned and properly lubricated. The years of salty grime build-up were washed away and all of the machinations move smoothly. Ray also welded up a simple loop on the rudder so that I could install the rudder while the boat was in the water with a safety line. Thank you, Ray! Oh, and there is another project for you…
11) Freezer refrigeration piping replacement
Horton Marine Services performed warranty replacement of the refrigerant lines. It turns out that when the SeaFrost compressor was installed, they used stainless steel braided Teflon lines. Looking back over the maintenance log, I could see refrigerant having to be refilled every year or two. It turns out that these Teflon lines permeate refrigerant. Replacing them with copper lines solved this age-old problem on the boat. The freezer runs flawlessly now. HMS is such a respectable company that stood behind their work even after so many years.
12) Bunk room closet light repair
The magnetic light to the closet in the bunk room was not shutting off any longer. In fact, I found it without a bulb in it when we purchased the boat. I installad a new bulb, and discovered the light stayed on 100%. Not good. Further inspection revealed that the circuit board for this light had some visible damage in the vicinity of the positive terminal. That made me believe that the built-in magnetic switch was no longer working. I purchased a simple magnet system from Amazon, and installed it separate from the light fixture on the positive power line. Now, the power is properly cut when the door is closed.
13) Navigation station portlight seal
Micah dropped everything and came over to tighten our the genoa track bolts after we found a few leaks on the port side. What a good man! Then, I removed the nav station portlight, cleaned off the old silicone, scraped off all original caulk, then installed a new seal and re-caulked the portlight in place. Then injected thickened epoxy into a couple of holes discovered leaking and behind the wood frame member under the portlights on the port side. I basically hit the leaking issue with as much as I could throw at it.
14) Jackline D-ring installation
As I learned from my offshore trip with Nikitoo last year, properly installed jacklines are a must. I installed new Wichard D-rings on the aft deck and new eyebolts on the bow with backing plates and large washers for secure anchor points. This is a victory for safety.
15) MOB receiver re-wiring
The boat came with a MOB receiver which has never worked properly. The socket at the helm station was corroded likely due to the fact that the socket was not covered. After a lot of back and forth and trial, I was able to install a new socket connector and a new plug connector on the receiver with all new wiring. Most importantluy, I installed a socket cover for the helm connector. All of these new bits and bobs were purchased from Mouser online.
16) Game Changers
I couldn’t help but mention two final “game changer” projects from this Summer. First is the installation of a Starlink gen3 router and dish using a TRIO pole mount. We all know by now how much Starlink changes the way we live and entertain aboard our boats. Second is the combined removal of the original watermaker, non-working Iridium Go system, and tons of dead wiring. These removals took a little courage, because we were for the first time removing capabilities that did not have an immediate replacement. The watermaker WILL get replaced in the future.
As you can see, Skyward is really shaping up. It is a pleasure to own and sail a boat where everything works as it should, and I am grateful for Hallberg-Rassy building a fine machine and for previous owners who thought ahead and purchased items for the inventory and later installation.
The Loxodograph 