Holding Tank Replacement

The existing holding tank has three problems.  The access hatch is sealed closed and has broken tabs.  There is one 1/2" vent, and there should be two 3/4" vents by modern conventions.  And last, the lower fitting (pump-out) leaks.  Not cool.  Newer tank designs use a pick-up tube for the pump out which keeps all fittings high and avoids the leaks, even when changing hoses.  Can't have poop leaking under the v-berth.

Through-Hull and Gate Valve Replacement

Through Hulls

My boat isn't much different than most of its vintage.  Back in the day it was pretty common to fit gate valves directly to through-hulls.  Unfortunately, this practice has not stood the test of time, and for reasons I won't elaborate on here, it's a bad situation.  This project was one of the top entries in my safety category. The first step for me was to inventory my seacocks and hose sizes so I could begin spec'ing out the shopping list and comparing the prices of my options.  Here's what I came up with: Cockpit Drains (2):  1-1/2" Engine raw water intake (1): 1/2" Galley Sink Drain (1):  1" Head Sink Drain (1): 1" Head Toilet Intake (1): 3/4" Head discharge (1): 1-1/2" Selecting a Replacement Product There are a lot of different choices for proper seacocks on the market.  They range from moderately expensive to insanely expensive and everything in between.  Of course, since seacocks are a marine product, there is no such thing as inexpensive options.   After reviewing the options I was extremely interested in the Marelon Forespar line.  I really like the idea of eliminating corrosion from the list of concerns, and if plastic is strong enough for my hull, it's hard to argue that the through hull and valve need to be stronger.  The problem I encountered is that Forespar's Marelon line does not include seacocks in a very wide range of sizes.  To use Marelon throughout my boat I would need to either increase or reduce the size of many of my through-hulls, then convert hoses as needed.  This was an integration hassle I really didn't think was justified in the end.  With that, I abandoned my Marelon dreams and moved on. As I was researching alternatives, I stumbled on a lot of forum postings about Groco's line of Flange Adapters.  The idea with this product is that the valve is a separate unit from the flange, and thus the mechanical part of the through-hull assembly can be changed without having to remove the through-hull itself.  This is good considering that the through-hull is typically bedded quite firmly, while the valve is threaded on with pipe dope.  After comparing prices, I realized that using flange adapters would be just about the same cost, or less, than using traditional seacocks.  The Groco line is very complete with respect to available sizes and fittings, so I decided to go with flange adapters and in-line ball valves. Reuse or Replace Through-Hulls? Reusing my existing through-hulls would save me a lot of work.  However, I've found that many of the items on this boat were not installed in a manner I'm pleased with.  I also noted that some of the through-hulls had gobbed bedding compound left on them, which doesn't sell itself as a professional installation. The second consideration which pushed me over the edge was concern over metal quality.  I just don't know what kind of through-hulls are on the boat now, whether or not they are quality, and whether or not they have been corroding over their 30 years.  Reminding myself that I would probably not have to do this job again as long as I own the boat, I decided that the right course of action was to remove the existing through-hulls and replace them.  In the end I would have 100% Groco matched products, with known compatible metal types in a known to be good bedding job. Peace of mind for the cost of around $20 per hole. Planned Modifications There are two modifications I wanted to make during this project.  Upgrading the engine raw water intake from 1/2" to 3/4", and installing a diverter valve in the head discharge to create a better (less stagnant) path for the black water. The engine raw water intake, while adequate at 1/2" made it tricky to find seacocks.  Not too many are made in such a small size.  Moving to 3/4" brings me up to the "standard" small size.  The extra capacity will also help to offset any flow which might be impeded when I add a raw water strainer.  This is probably irrelevant, but it also can't hurt. The head discharge plumbing is a bit of a mess.  Rather than a diverter, there is a strange mix of gate valves attached to plastic fittings with cracking hose cuffs on poorly sealed thin walled hose.  .  The routing also leads to a number of positions where black water may not be fully flushed through the system.  By adding a diverter valve closer to the toilet I can fix routing issues and simplify the plumbing considerably. Removing the Original Through Hulls The plan for removing the original through hulls is to use threaded rod, a big nut, and blocks of 2x4.  The strategy comes from a Don Casey article on replacing seacocks.  In place of the threaded rod, I happened to have an automotive spring compressor that would do the job... In a few cases I really needed the leverage this set up provided, but in others I think I could have pried the fixture out with a toothpick.  Yes, I'm really glad I tackled this project because more than half of the through-hulls had nearly failed sealant / adhesive.  Yikes!  I tightened the clamp down slowly with the intend of letting the adhesive fail by stretching out without cracking the outer layers of fiberglass.  In the end, only the engine raw-water intake was damaged.  A few passes with the grinder and 2 layers of fiberglass will bring this spot back to new. The old through-hulls really weren't in bad shape at all.  I saw no visible signs of corrosion, cracks, or thread damage.  This is no doubt due to this being a fresh-water boat, but I'm pretty confident they would have been fine had I chosen to only renew the sealant.  I'm still going to replace them all though. Making New Backing Plates The original backing plates throughout the boat were plywood.  I don't think the plywood was ever sealed in epoxy as some of it is in rough shape.  I decided to go with fiberglass backing blocks.  Rather than spend time making laminates, I ordered 2' x 2' x 1/2" thick sheets of premium Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) from McMaster-Carr.  While not cheap, they saved me a lot of time. After finding two circle-shaped random items in my workshop (one for the smaller through hulls, one for the larger) I made tracings and cut out the plates using a jigsaw and very high quality blade.  If you try this with a economy grade blade it will last for about 15-20 seconds.  Seriously.  I burned though all my blades and had to go buy a nice set of bi-metal carbide tipped DeWalt blades.  Major difference - don't try to cheap out when cutting fiberglass. The most efficient plan would probably have been to use a large hole saw and a 1/2" drill.  I didn't have a hole saw that size, nor a drill with that much torque.  In the scheme of things, it would have taken no time at all to pick up a sacrificial drill at Harbor Frieght and a decent hole saw at Lowes.  It really doesn't matter in a structural sense though.  What I did will work just fine, and the small imperfections in my cuts won't ever show.  I made a roughly-centered 1/8" guide hole as well.  This will help to align the hole saw when I cut out the through-hull opening in the center.  That will take place after mounting the plates in the hull. In each case I made about a 3-pump mixture of West epoxy and thickened it with colloidal silica.  I then pressed the plate into place with a hugh nail sticking through the guide hole.  I climbed out of the boat, and used that nail to eyeball it into the center of the old through-hull hole.  I used my gloved finger tip to make a nice fillet on the outside, then went back in and did the same there. I'm very, very happy with these things.  They look great and are bullet proof. Installing the new through-hulls The first step was to re-drill the through-hull hole since each one now had a backing plate blocking it.  I picked up some cheap Husky hole saws at Lowes which I really don't like at all.  They worked, but they dulled quickly and didn't feel very precise.  A cut a few holes with a Milwaukee hole saw that cut like butter and felt better.  Not sure how else to describe the difference, but if I were to do it again, I'd only use the Milwaukee saws. I discovered that no matter how you orient the flange adapter, you can get the in-line ball valve to align as you wish with a pipe wrench.  The easiest thing for me turned out to be wrapping the flange adapter with teflon tape, then scissoring two pipe wrenches to cinch it down.   This assembly was then put in place and dry fit with the through-hull screwed into it.  In all cases the through hull was too long and needed to be shortened.  I used my Dremel tool with a large cut off wheel because it gave me a lot of precision and let me grind off the burrs when I was done.  Having tuned the lengths, I threaded them into the flange adapter to test fit everything.  You don't want to discover a problem AFTER you put in a bead of 4200, so blow the time and dry fit it first.  While I'm at it, here's another tip:  Don't try this without a through hull wrench.  Just buy it as it's not worth trying to go without. Back inside the boat, I fine tuned the flange adapter's orientation and drilled the holes for the bolts.  In some cases the space was tight, and I needed to remove the flange adapter (after marking the hole!).  I then drilled it out with a Dremel tool and angle adapter.  I then enlarged the hole from the outside 1/6" at a time where I could use a full-size drill.  A real angle drill would have been preferable since the little Dremel was really straining to make the necessary torque to drill through almost an inch of FRP.  With patience, it did the job though. Outside the boat again, this time with a 5/8" counter sinking bit.  This took some fidgeting.  You need to bury the bolt deep enough to have a reasonable thickness of fairing compound over it, but not so deep as to compromise the hull integrity.  Do a little bit at a time and check it.  Creep up on it until the bolt head is about 1/16 below the hull surface.  Don't forget to use only bronze bolts.  This is no place for stainless steel. Finally, it's show time.  I loaded up the flange adapter with 3m 4200, then did the same on the through-hull.  I pushed the bolts through from the inside to keep the flange adapter aligned, and then ran outside the boat to thread in the through hull until it was moderately tight.  Then I went back in and pulled out the bolts.  Running back down the ladder (this was getting comical!) I pushed the bolts in properly, then ran back inside the boat again to tighten the nuts down.  Final step was to give the through hull another crank and clean up the excess 4200. Whew, done! New Hoses (Non-Sanitary) The existing hoses were in pretty sad shape.  The sanitary hose was corrugated and cracked bilge hose.  Nothing could be worse.  The cockpit lines were badly cracked.  Both sink drains were not quite cracked, but definitely not good.  The only one that was decent was the engine raw water intake.  I'll keep it around as a spare. I wanted to use the same hose throughout the boat as much as possible for consistency.  It also stands to reason that all of the through-hulls have the same structural demands placed on them, so what's good for one is good for all.  The only exception to this is the sanitary and fuel line plumbing. For all but the sanitary I chose Shields Flex II Water Exhaust Hose.  This stuff is very highly regarded, and it is amazingly flexible compared to the sanitary hose and some of the existing lines.  Can't deny that the blue stripe looks good as well.  Each hose end will be finished off with dual stainless non-perforated hose clamps.  I'm sure some of the existing clamps are still OK, but I have no benchmark so I wanted to start fresh.  The non-perforated clamps are much stronger and preferable for below-waterline use.  Hose Location Diameter  Length  Cockpit Drains (need 2)  1-1/2"  X  Engine Raw Water Intake  1/2" (upgrade to 3/4")  X  Galley Sink Drain  1"  X  Head Sink Drain  1"  X  Toilet Intake  3/4"  X New Sanitary Hoses I went through many deliberations on what to do with the black water plumbing.  Ideally I'd love to have a dual-diverter configuration for complete flexibility.  That's not going to happen.  My budget and schedule are too tight for non-essential modifications.  The other consideration is the hole in my hull.  Should I fill it and go with a tank-only configuration?  There's a lot to be said for that simplification.  But do I have the time and motivation to fill a 1.5" hole in my hull?  That's a lot of fiberglass layers, and a lot of grinding mess. In the end, I ran out of time and got sick of fiberglass work.  In installed a through-hull, a threaded coupler, and cap to seal off the through-hull.  At some point when I recover financially or psychologically I'll have the yard fill the hole and remove the through-hull.  A tank only set up is best for me as it will work for the majority of my sailing and increase the safety and simplicity of my boat. I still need to run hoses from the head to the tank, and the tank to the deck pump-out fitting, and to select a holding tank...  ...

Bilge Pump Redesign

Introduction

The CS27 seems to have been designed by someone who was incredibly optimistic, or perhaps hadn't benefited from a long and distinguished chain of best practices.  I'll give them a break, after all, my boat is 34 years old and a lot has changed since then.

There are three separate bilge areas in my boat

1. Engine pre-bilge:  A shallow bilge directly below the engine.  It is isolated (excepting overflow) so that oil spills are not automatically  discharged overboard.
2. Keel bilge: This is the main area in which water collects, and extends from the cabin to the forward v-berth bulkhead.  It has structural baffles with limber holes.
3. Bow bilge: In some CS27s, this bilge is connected via limber holes to the keel bilge.  That's really how it ought to be, but for some reason, my boat has this area isolated.  I would like to find someone with a better-equipped CS27 who could send me some pictures of this limber hole configuration so I can try to drill out some holes myself.  It's not immediately apparent to me where this ought to be done.

The original bilge pump configuration I inherited with the boat was entirely manual.  It consisted of a Henderson MK-IV pump mounted in the cockpit.  This pump discharges through a 1.5" through-hull mounted on the port side near the transom approximately mid-way between the toe rail and water line.  A very low quality plastic two-way Y-valve selects between a hose in the pre-bilge, or a hose in the main bilge.

This configuration has its merits...

• No need for electricity.
• High capacity.
• Y-valve consolidates hoses and shares a through-hull.

It also has some downfalls...

• Lousy quality Y-valve was selected.  I'm surprised the handle hasn't already broken.
• Not being electric, it depends on you not getting tired.
• Not being automatic, it depends on you being present to work.
• The hose choice and installation means that you need at least 3-4 inches (or more) of water in any bilge before you can pump.  It also means that you'll never get a dry sump without a sponge or additional small hand-pump.
• No redundancy.  If this manual pump breaks, there's no "plan B".

Pump Functions

The concept of deploying a separate de-watering, or maintenance, and high-capacity pump seems to have a universal acceptance.  The idea is that 99% of the time you don't need high capacity; You just need to keep the keel sump dry from the daily trickles.  A large high capacity pump uses more electricity than necessary, and has a higher volume hose that will drain back into the bilge when it's done.  This makes it less suitable to the job at hand.  A smaller de-watering pump can be installed with a smaller diameter hose.  This will use less amp-hours, and minimize the flow-back.

In summary, the main bilge pump area ought to have two pumps.  One to take care of smaller volumes, with a primary goal of dryness, and a second with a high-capacity which is to be used in emergencies.  This also provides a degree of redundancy, which is a good thing.

Pump Capacities

Practical Sailor (October 2010) recommends for vessels in the 30-35' range a 1,000 to 1,500 GPH maintenance pump and a 2,000 GPH pump as a backup.  My boat falls below this size guideline, although I'd follow it if I could.  One of the big problems the CS27 has in designing a bilge pumping system is the narrow bilge.  It's not easy to find pumps that fit into the available spaces without raising them up (which increases water level).

In considering the constraints of bilge dimensions, and overall vessel size, I am planning to have a 1,000 to 1,500 GPH pump as a backup / emergency pump and a 500 - 750 GPH primary de-watering pump in the aft bilge.  The pre-bilge pump can be just about any size as that area will overflow into the main bilge if any serious amount of water is entering.

While it would be ideal to significantly increase the pumping capacity of the vessel, there is a significant challenge posed by its inherent structure.  The baffles in the bilge will only permit a certain area to be removed from them for hoses.  I feel that it would be safe to remove volume for a 1.25" and a .75" hose, but to fit two 1.25" hoses would be too much.  Unfortunately, this significantly limits my pumping capacity.

This is illustrated in the photo to the right.  You can see two of the baffles, each with approximately a 1" limber hole at the bottom.  Adding an additional small hose would be no problem with some careful Dremel grinding (the baffles are hollow).  Adding another large hose would be a lot of area to remove, and a challenge to route in the engine compartment.

New Design

Priorities

The real priority for me is not convenience, but safety.  The most important pump to install is the emergency pump as its high capacity will be much more important than convenient de-watering.  An equal priority is the manual bilge pump, which also has a high capacity, but more importantly will work if the boat's electrical system is compromised.  With these two devices I will have redundancy as well as a fair capacity for purging excess water from the boat.

Engine Pre-Bilge

The engine pre-bilge collects the water from the stuffing box.  Although not a significant volume, it does add up over time.  I plan to replace my stuffing with WL Gore packing material which will cut down even further.  This area also collects any water that comes through the cockpit locker lids.  Although it doesn't have a lot of water inputs, this area is a pain in the neck to pump out because it's under the engine and requires removing the steps for access.  Not convenient.The plan will be to install a single inexpensive and low capacity pump (500gph) with a non-return valve.  The Whale Super Sub 500 with 3/4" hose is a perfect fit for this space.  A typical 3-way bilge pump switch will be installed for control, although it will most likely only be used for OFF and momentary ON.  Auto carries too much risk of accidental oil discharge.  I may also use a momentary on switch in place; It depends on how the switches lay out aesthetically.

Keel Bilge

The keel bilge is the low-point in the point.  As such, it is where the focus of emergency water purging.  It is also where most of the water in the boat accumulates, so a de-watering pump will get regular use here and provide redundancy.
Primary De-watering Pump

A 500-750 GPH pump using 1/2" - 3/4" tubing with a non-return valve will serve as the primary and de-watering pump for the boat.  This pump is to be mounted in the aft-most keel bilge section.  Pump must fit within a box having the following dimensions: 7" H x 4.5" L x 2.5" WAfter reviewing PS recommendations and product overall dimensions I have selected the ShurFlo Bilge 500.  ShurFlo pumps are highly rated in Practical Sailor, and considered to provide excellent performance for the price, as well as reliability.  The real decision maker for me is that it's the closest fit to the narrow aft keel bilge of any pump I can find.
This pump will use a 3/4" Trident XHD hose and a return valve to minimize backflow.  As this is not an emergency pump, and does not have high capacity, the risks of a problem due to return valve failure are minimal.

Secondary Emergency Pump
A 1500-2000 gph secondary high-capacity pump will handle emergency water purging.  The high capacity pump will be mounted higher than the primary, and will not use a non-return valve for safety reasons.  This pump is to be mounted in the forward-most section of keel-bilge where the largest space exists between keel bolts.  This pump must fit within a box having the following dimensions:  7" H x 7" L x 4.5" W.
After reviewing PS recommendations and overall pump dimensions, the Attwood Sahara 1100 pump appears to be the best fit for this role.  It has one of the best tested GPH rates in real-world scenarios and is an excellent fit for the area.  Having said that, it is twice the cost of a very close second-place pump, the Shurflo 1000.  I have decided that the extremely good performance and economics of the Shurflo pumps will make this an easy decision for me.
This pump will use a 1-1/8" Trident XHD hose.

Bow Bilge

At this time I'm not planning to install a pump in the bow.  I'd rather pursue a clean set of  limber holes to get the water into the keel bilge.  I'm also not sure of how I can install a through-hull in in the bow that I'll be happy with.  The alternative would be to tee into the sink drain since this would be a low-volume convenience pump, but I'm not keen on using tees.

So, the plan will be to join the bow bilge to the keel bilge.  A limber hole will be drilled either into the bulkhead where the bow meets the head, or on the center line.  The center line appears to be the factory standard configuration, but with no access to the bilge under the v-berth sole, it's very hard for me to see where I'm drilling, and that makes me uncomfortable.

This will be a work in progress...

Electrical Design

1. Primary (De-watering) Pump: ShurFlow Bilge 500.
2. Secondary (Emergency) Pump: ShurFlo Bilge 1000.
3. Pre-Bilge Pump: Whale Super Sub 500
4. All pumps will be controlled by independent Blue Sea Systems 8263 bilge pump switches.
5. Power to all pumps will be direct from the house bank positive bus.  See overall Ravat Electrical Design.
6. All pumps to have appropriately sized fuses integrated into the switches.
7. All wire gauges to to be sized according to 3% drop tables.
8. All wire to use adhesive lined heat-shrink connectors.

Plumbing Design

1. Primary (De-Watering) Pump: Shurflo Bilge 500
1. Hose: 3/4" Trident XHD ($1.99/ft.)
2. Length:
   
3. Non-Return Valve:
2. Secondary (Emergency) Pump: Shurflo Bilge 1000.
1. Hose 1-1/8" Trident XHD ($2.49 / ft.)
2. Length:
   
3. Pre-Bilge Pump: Whale SuperSub 500
1. Hose: 3/4" Trident XHD ($1.99/ft.)
2. Length:
   
3. Non-Return Valve:
4. Through-hull Strategy
1. Manual bilge pump retains its own dedicated 1.5" through hull (existing).
2. De-watering and Emergency pump to have dedicated through-hulls.
3. Fittings Required for new through hull
1. 1-1/8" Through Hull with barb fitting (90 degree)
2. 3/4" Through hull with barb fitting (90 degree)
5. Hose routing
1. Hoses looped high in cockpit coaming near cabin bulkhead in port cockpit locker.
2. Hoses to be secured with zip-ties and tie-blocks throughout travel.
3. Hoses to follow original path through bilge.
4. 3/4" hose to follow 1-1/8 hose by grinding out space above larger opening (with Dremel tool).

References

Every project begins with research to learn the background requirements, product options, and installation best practices.  Here's a few of the key ones I used.

• Sea Weasel's Bilge Pump Redesign - This is another CS27 with a well thought-out plan.
• West Marine West Advisor: Bilge Pumps - General bilge pump background information.
• Don Casey: Installing a bilge pump - More general bilge pump background.
• Practical Sailor (Subscriptions req'd for links) - Reviews and recommendations
• Electric Bilge Pumps (February 2004)
• 20 Electric Bilge Pumps Tested (June 2000)
• Marine Systems: Low Capacity Electric Bilge Pumps Face Off (September 2010)
• Battle of the Electric Bilge Buddies (August 2010)
• PS Advisor: Plumbing a Multi-Pump Bilge (April 2011)
• Corrosion Resistant Bilge Pump Wire? (September, 1999)

Galley Stove Update

The aesthetics of this transom-mounted propane cage really make me crazy.  I think it spoils the boat's lines.  I'm also not crazy about the way the rubber hose enters the deck here.  Unfortunately, after messing with all kinds of ideas, I've concluded that it should stay where it is.  There isn't a lot of storage on this boat if I were to make a longer trip, and I think the cockpit lockers would be wasted storing a tank.  So, the trick is to make it better... After trying everything I could come up with to make an efficient propane locker, I decided that the CS27 was not really intended to have propane tanks.  Sometimes things just weren't meant to be.  I ripped out the original Kenyon Homestrand stovetop only to discover that it was really an alcohol stove that had been modified to use propane.  I wonder how safe that really is? I dug around and found that the Cookmate dual burner stove top is very close in dimension to the Homestrand, so I have placed an order.  I expect to have to do some modification to the gimball mechanism, but I believe I can make it work. The stove was back-ordered through mid June, which turned out to be a good thing as I had a lot of more pressing projects to attend to.  The stove arrived just before the boat was to be launched.  After a quick test-fit in the gimbal I realized that my measurements were good, but that the corners of the gimbal which used to mount the old stove needed to go in order to mount this stove. Dremel time!

Fuel Tank Installation

It's amazing to me how many "gotchas" come up in a typical project.  Even when I'm confident, I still get knocked on my butt.  Case in point is the installation of my new fuel tank.  I had only a few weeks ago removed, cleaned, and reinstalled my original tank.  I was feeling pretty confident that the new one would go without a hitch since my experience was so fresh.  Nope.

The old tank ended up being a nightmare to remove.  I had to remove cockpit locker dividers, the new starter battery on the port side, and wrestle it through the new bilge pump hoses which I haven't fully secured yet.  Not only that, but for some reason it seemed that the filler hose had grown by about a half inch as I couldn't get it out without pulling the deck fill.  Ugh.  Re-bedding a butyl seam on that filler is no fun at all.

The mistake I made in selecting a new tank was only paying attention to the tank's overall dimensions, and not the fittings themselves.  As it turns out, one of the fuel pick-ups exists right where the tank mounts to the cockpit sole, requiring that I cut a notch to allow it clearance.  You gotta be kidding me!  

Of course, this meant that the mounting bolt for the strap also had less then ideal support below, so I needed to move the strap.  Is this an ideal situation?  Nope.  But given how short our sailing season are, it wasn't worth losing 2-3 weeks to have a custom tank made.  When this tank gets close to wearing out I'll go custom.  For now though, I'll go sailing.

The good news is that this tank (RDS Manufacturing) is solid as a rock, and it's ever-so-slightly smaller dimensions are a much better fit with the new larger seacocks for the cockpit drains.  I still need to do some fine tuning to the strap tension, but I'm very pleased with the tank itself.

Were I to do this over again I would purchase a custom tank from RDS based on the stock model I selected, and simply have the extra fitting left out.  I'd also have the vent fitting set up as a rear-facing elbow, but that's not as big a deal.

I still need to get the engine controls hooked back up, and clean up the mess I made during installation.  Then I can reinstall the starter battery and locker dividers.  This will be nice as the battery and dividers are taking up a TON of cabin space right now.  Not to mention that it will be nice to have the boat usable again.  With the dividers back in place I may be able to start storing some things in them, which will free up even MORE cabin space.  Sounds nice to me!

And for the grand finale, here's the tank installed in all its shiny glory:

Don't Forget to Check for Cooling Water!

My boat was in the maintenance slip a few days last week for some stress crack repairs which exceeded my skill levels.  The yard did a great job on the fiberglass and gelcoat work, but they did not do a very good job in transporting my boat between slips.  They have a habit of leaving my seacock open when they move it, which I consider unsafe.

I closed the seacock while I was working once night, and it seems they didn't bother to open it when they brought the boat back to my slip.  Some of my dock friends noticed no water was coming out, and yelled to the guy driving, but by that point it was really too late.  The next two times I have started the engine it has been putting some pretty nasty black stuff into the water.  Not oil sheen, more like black dust in the water.

I started the engine again before I left last night, and the flow was almost normal.  I'm hoping that what I'm seeing is impellor residue working its way out of the engine.  I have ordered a bunch of replacement engine parts to keep on hand (belts, impellors, etc.) so I will do a proactive replacement when that order arrives.  In the mean time, the impellor is still moving water effectively and without any visible change in exhaust burping.

Ugh, it really irritates me when someone doesn't take the same care of my boat that I do.  Well, at least to such a significant degree...

Bilge Pump Plans Coming Together

I'm slowly working through the design for the new bilge pumping system on Ravat.  There's a lot I would like to do, but with time and budget being constraints I need to focus on what's important.  Since the boat should be relatively dry these days given the new windows, hatch, hull-deck joint, and freshly rebedded deck hardware, I am thinking that my de-watering needs are significantly reduced.  Yes, the stuffing box will continue to drip, but I'm hoping that once it has been repacked with Gore stuffing it will be of little consequence.

As it stands today the plan is to have two pumps on board.  One is the original Henderson MK-IV manual pump.  I've removed the Y valve, and will replace all of its hose with Trident XHD bilge hose.  This pump will continue to use its original through-hull.  Instead of pumping both bilges, I will leave a single hose in the engine sump and possibly add a weighted strum box.  This pump will only be used in emergencies.



The second pump will be a (moderately) high capacity pump that is essentially the biggest pump I can fit into the shallow and narrow bilge of my CS27.  That happens to be the forward keel bilge, which extends the hose by a few feet.  It's also not technically the lowest point in the bilge, but it's within an inch or less.  Since I'll need 2-3 inches of water to make this pump kick off, that's not an issue anyway.  I'm 99% certain that the pump will be an Attwood Sahara 1100.  I can't fit any of the 1500+ GPH pumps into my bilge, unfortunately, so 1100 GPH is about as big as I can go.

De-watering will continue for the short term to be manual pumping and sponge work. I never really found it oppressive when the boat was leaking all over, so I'm sure it won't be bad now that the boat is pretty dry.

This pump will be connected to the house bank positive bus, so will be available even when the boat's switch is off.  I'm planning to use a Blue Sea bilge pump switch as I've been very impressed with everything else they make.  I also like that it's more narrow than the popular Rule switch which is also a great choice.

I'm still hashing out the best place to mount the switch.  My companionway surface is just about full now that I've mounted the Victron battery monitor and the new fuel gauge.  I have a few places in mind, but I anticipate needing some head-scratching time before I'm ready to make any new cuts.

Digging the New Drains

Aah, look at those beefy new Groco flange adapters and in-line ball valves mated to 90 degree tailpieces.  The carefully selected ShieldsFlex II exhaust hose makes the bends gracefully while keeping the hull's integrity.  And yes, those are shiny new double-clamped all 316 stainless bands!  Did I mention the 1/2" structural FRP backing plates?  Oh yes, this is one HECK of a through hull configuration, and my boat is glowing with pride.
Fitting all that stuff into the tight working space of the CS27 locker is not a small feat.  The starboard valve handle can't move 1/4" in any other direction without causing a problem.  This was less of an issue with the old gate valves since they didn't need to swing, but these things are worth the congestion.  They are beefy enough to be on the space shuttle.  I'm going to cut a section from old hose to use as chafe protection, but it's not too bad so I'm not in a hurry.

Almost Water-Tight

With the exception of the galley sink drain (which is trapped under a cradle pad, unfortunately) and the cockpit drains I have all the through-hulls and seacocks installed and nicely bedded.

It took a little messing about to figure out how to line everything up.  A bit more challenging than I anticipated.  But in the end, I think the positioning will work well.

I need to get the fuel tank re-installed before mounting up the cockpit drain seacocks just because I like having the extra room to work in that tight space.

Once all the seacocks are installed I will go back through and fair them with 3m Premium Filler.  When all is smooth and shiny I'll hit them up with barrier coating, and cover the new fairing block at the same time.

When all the barrier coating is done and blended, I'll lightly sand the entire bottom to prepare it for two coats of VC-17 blue.  That will complete all the hull work, and Ravat will once again be water-tight.

That'll be a big milestone!

Fuel Tank Frenzy

Today was a good day.  I managed to get all of the through hulls installed except for the cockpit drains.  I left the drains because I want to get the fuel tank back in place before adding things to get in my way.  And that is where our story begins...

I had removed the tank a few days ago with a few sub projects in mind.  First, it was covered in grime, and I wanted to clean it.  Second, the fuel fill hose was cracked, and needed replacing.  Third, I desperately wanted to get a fuel gauge installed somewhere I can read it.

The cracked fill was noted on a survey, and is probably responsible for the water in the tank that lead to algea growth, not to mention the diesel smell that wafts about the cabin.  In looking at it, it really seems that the best way to replace it is to drop the tank.  This was my primary motivation for yanking the tank.

Cleaning the tank was pretty easy.  A little Dawn and some scrubbing make short work of the grime.  The tank still looks pretty rough, but it's clean.  The next step was a poor-man's fuel polishing.

I picked up a West Marine baja filter which Practical Sailor rated #1 in their  November 2002 issue.  It is designed to filter out suspended particles of a certain size, and prevent water from going through.  After draining all remaining fuel from the tank, I poured about a half-gallon of clean fuel from a jerry can into the tank and proceeded to slosh it like a storm at sea for about a minute.

After my back returned to less than agony, and the burning in my arms went down to a smoulder, I poured the tank into the baja filter a little bit at a time.  The first few passes clogged the filter within seconds, requiring that i rub the screens to keep them clear.

I repeated the above process about five times until the stuff coming out of the tank went cleanly through the filter.  This made a huge difference in the tank's cleanliness, and made a huge boost in my confidence that the engine won't quit some time when I'm stuck in nasty seas.

Having cleaned the tank, I was on to my third mission:  A new gauge.  I really don't much care what brand, but I wanted a white dial as it seems sailboat-ish.  The local West Marine store had a Moeller universal kit in stock which fits all tanks from 4" to 27" deep.  Mine was just under 8", so I fit the specifications.

This job really couldn't be much easier.  I removed the screws from the old mechanical sending unit, and lightly pried it up with a sharpened putty knife to get under the gasket.  It popped right out.

I followed the Moeller instructions carefully and was able to get the new unit installed in about an hour.  I could do it much faster now, but there were a few moments of head scratching due to what I'll call "fuzzy" instructions.

The only complaint I have is that this unit does not come with a wiring diagram.  I'm sure they assume most people are just replacing existing ones and can transfer wires.  I'm not doing that, so I need to know what goes where.  I've found a bunch of resources which explain it, and it's pretty simple so I'm not worried about it.  Still, if you buy something electrical it ought to come with a diagram.

So now the clean tank with a new sending unit is ready to install.  Tomorrow I'll plan out the wire run and gauge mounting position, and pick up the supplies I need.  I should be able to get the tank installed over the weekend.

Mission accomplished!

Cockpit Drain Fittings Repaired... Cheap!

I couldn't possibly be happier.  I found two brass fittings at Lowes which are a perfect replacement.  They cost about $8 each.  You can't even have a dream about a marine product for less than $100, so this is good.

What I'm really pleased with is that they carried a 17 gauge model which appears to be nearly double the wall thickness of the original CS pieces.  Thses things feel like you could hammer tent stakes with them.

Took about 5 minutes to install them.  Project DONE.

Christmas in May

The big box from Jamestown Distributors came today.  I now have the Six10 tubes I need to start filling the hull blisters I ground out.  I also have about half of the pieces I need to re-do the through-hulls, and a nice Groco step wrench.  I can also begin removing all of the through-hulls excepting the cockpit drains.  I don't want to disable them until I'm ready to immediately replace them as that's the one part of the boat that can really scoop up rain.

Unfortunately I need to send some stuff back.  They sent me black 3m 4200, and I want white.  They also mixed up my 1" through-hulls and sent stainless steel rather than bronze.  No big deal.  Jamestown is very good with customer service and I'm confident they will help get it all sorted out.

The real bad news is that the upcoming weekend is looking like it's going to be really lousy weather, so it may not be conducive to getting these projects done.  It's frustrating not to make big leaps each week, but I can only work with what I've got and be thankful that I have a boat.  I do, and I am!