Messages

Hello all,

I've been reading through recent threads to see who's doing what and thought it might make sense to start a thread for the purpose of providing a place to announce trips or trip progress.

To kick it off...We're headed out tomorrow, July 30 from Anacortes to spend until August 10 drifting around the Gulf Islands.  No time for a long trip this year.  General route will be Bedwell, Saturna, Montegue, Ganges, Thetis, maybe Silva Bay, problably Port Browning, and then home - all subject to daily revision!

Randy and Mary on Gorbash plus assorted relatives at various times and places

Jay, hi after the fact!  We saw you pulling into a slip at Roche just as we were rounding the guest dock on the way out.  We almost took a turn around but you had your hands full and we were running late so...next time.

Randy and Mary
Gorbash

Jay,

We'll keep a lookout for you.  Not sure what time we'll leave Roche as haven't looked at the tides yet but probably before noon.

Randy

Craig,

We're taking relatives out this weekend and will watch for you and the other C34s as well.  Friday to Reid Harbor on Stuart - Saturday to the zoo (Roche) - Sunday home.  We'll keep an eye out!

Also, summer will be short trips only for us as Mary has school in Ellensburg weekly so will generally be in the Gulfs when we go out.  Maybe we can meet up sometime.

Randy and Mary

PS:  I've dropped by to see if you were on the boat each time we've been up to work on Gorbash but we must be on very different schedules.  I'll be in Anacortes possible tomorrow morning and probably Thurday morning getting the last few things sorted out.

This is my last - I hope - posting on my project to stop the play in my exhaust riser.  the purpose of posting this is for the benefit of future searchers.

After pulling the system apart the first time, I sealed the flange to pipe threaded connection with a product called Acousti-Seal, recommended by my local marine engine repair shop.  Put the system back together with the old "non-hump" hose place - all worked and there didn't seem to be any play.  Meanwhile, I ordered the blue hump hose from Catalina Direct with the intent of cutting away the old hose and using the flexibility of the new one to avoid pulling the system apart again.

You can guess...as soon as I put any real pressure on the riser it moved a few thousanths again.  I pulled the riser assembly back off, thinking my sealant had failed.  What I found was that the motion was at the other end of the short threaded pipe that goes from the flange to the stainless portion of the riser.  The flange to pipe seal was solid.  I had tried to unscrew the pipe section on the first removal but couldn't get it to turn with moderate force.  This time a really reefed on it and it came unscrewed.  The threads were good so I sealed the riser end of the pipe with Accousti-Seal and put it all together with the new hump hose installed.

It's completely solid now so I'm pretty certain the problem is solved.

I don't know how the pipe could move a bit in it's threads and still be that hard to unscrew.  It went back together with no problems such as being out of round.  The lesson is to make sure to get that short section unscrewed from under the wrapping and seal it along with the flange end.

Other notes - you can remove the riser without going through the aft cabin although cleaning the manifold flange mating surface is easier from the back.  I did it all from the front on the second removal.  Total project time for the second removal was 4 hours including cleanup. 

The drain plug on the aft end of the manifold would not come out so I opened up the end of the heat exchanger and also used a PAR hand pump to be sure all of the coolant was removed from the manifold so it doesn't run into the engine when the exhaust gasket is removed.

Thanks to all here for suggestions along the way.

I've probably left my Statpower TruCharge on a dozen times for a few minutes each time with no apparent effect.  The regulator is a Balmer.  Whether it causes problems is probably equipment specific.

Hi Ron,

The job's been done for several weeks.  Stu asked me earlier in the thread what I'd used.  It was a high temperature sealant recommended by my local diesel repair firm - North Harbor Diesel - but my aging memory can't remember the name and haven't been back to the boat yet to look at the tube. 

Randy

Ron - Actually your article worked for me too.  I'm going to change mine in the water early next week.

Randy

Stu and others - haven't been back to the boat yet so no name yet but it was a sealant - not muffler paste.

Randy

Wow Ron...That's dangerous on so many levels...In my part of the country you'd get your nautical accessories ripped off your body for that comment!

Randy

Stu, 

Name slips me.  I'll look next time I get to the boat in a few days.  I asked my local diesel mechanic/parts supplier what their guys use for repairs and bought a tube.  It's about the messiest black goo I've ever used but remained soft and malleable for the whole time I screwed and unscrewed the flange trying to get it to fit right.  Then it hardened up perfectly when the riser and flange heated up.

Randy

Thanks Ron.  You probably won't see this for while now that you're cruising but all is working fine now.  There was no apparent impact from exhaust leaking by the threads in the flange so I gooped it up with exhaust sealer and put it back together.  I've also ordered the silicon hump hose to replace the wire reinforced one.

Randy

Cooked a bearing once with a slipping belt but it sounds like yours was hot with the eniine stopped?

Joe,

A sentinal has been a mixed blessing for me too.  I use one when winds are light to avoid keel wrap and also when in deep water when many others are anchored with chain-only rodes.  I have 40 feet of chain but in a 60 or 70 foot anchorage tend to swing into chain only boats when using sufficient scope.  This is usually due to currents running through the anchorage and the tendency of all chain boats to use less scope - at least in the areas I cruise in.

The downside has been that the sentinal line is usually wrapped around the anchor rode 5 or 6 times by morning.  If winds are light, this is time consuming but OK to deal with.  If winds are heavy, unwrapping the two lines is difficult with 20 pounds hanging on the sentinal line.  I haven't been able to tell whether the sentinal helps in a blow either.  I think it does tend to reduce the shock at the end of side to side "swims" though.

Randy

Great tip Ken - thanks.

My pump was at the end of its useful life so I ordered one from marinepartssource.com yesterday.  The web site shows two left.  The folks on the phone were very helpful when I called to confirm the model number for my M35A.

For folks searching for pump nomenclature help:

The pump number called out in the manual for the M35A installed in hull number 1268 is 300986.  This is the same as the Sherwood M5 mentioned by Ken in his original post.  It's also functionally the same as the Sherwood G903.  The G903 has now been replace by the Sherwood G908 and is Sherwood's current offering of the pump that fits this engine.  www.marinepartssource.com calls it the SHG908.