Surviving a Maintenance Period
Tango is enjoying her spa treatment. We are completing projects to get the "icing" on our Cross-the-Pacific cake. The concept of a maintenance period comes from my years on USCG ships. A successful maintenance period takes planning, inspection, and communication. Part of the Tango's maintenance is or was done by the La Cruz Shipyard, part by people I hire (like a rigger), and the rest by Janet and I.
The planning started last July (2018) when we hauled Tango and completed a full structural survey. Tango was is great shape but taking the time to carefully review all the systems and components, we came away with a list.
*Bottom paint - we found a few blisters in the paint and we have seen more when we clean the hull (scuba at anchorage). We have put something like 8 coats on sinces we've owned Tango so... look at the photos in the gallery, near the rudder you could separate layers. The yard stripped the hull chemically then applied new gelcoat, barrier primer/epoxy, then two layers of hard bottom paint with "poison" keep the growth off.]
*Dripless Propeller Shaft Seal - our surveyor was concerned with the softness of the bellows part of our seal (5 years old, oil had dripped, etc.). There is no way to fix a shaft leak without hauling the boat... new one installed.
*Thruster Propeller - when we last cleaned the hull ourselves we found that 2 of 6 prop blades were broken off and that the zinc had unscrewed & disappeared. We installed a new prop/zinc.
*Bilge Pump Overboard Discharge Valves - while checking hoses (a routine annual event) I found one of the valves loose on the hull. Another case of SILICON caulking use instead of the proper stuff. We had the yard reset both valves using adhesive caulking (3M 5200). NEVER use silicon on a boat, EVER. It doesn't hold.
*Replace a failed Ultrasonic Boat Speed Sensor. Like most things, Tango has redundant speed sensors (GPS speed, paddle wheel DST800, and the failed Airmar CS4200. This sensor was getting "fussy" so during the July haulout the local B&G guy looked at it for me and predicted it was going to crap out. The sensor head was corroded... he was right. Replacing it with a newer technology ultrasonic sensor from Airmar (UST850) while fits in the same thru-hull.
*Mainsail Repair/Changes - we were not real happy with the sail delivered by Quantum, particularly because they didn't put the reefing points in the right places. We also have had problems with the batten backing out. We hired a local sail loft (Ullman Sails - and they rock!) to add the highest reef point that was not done originally, and to inspect the sail. They found several other wear issues have made improvements for us. They also spotted wear on our boom gooseneck and suggested we check it.
*Running and Standing Rigging - we are installing a Dutchman Boom Brake. This thing locks the boom in a location or dampens unexpected movement. By tensioning one line we can control the position and amount of "lock". Way less fuss than a pair of preventers and it doesn't run from the boom to the bow then back to the stern on both sides. We are "tuning" the tension on the standing rigging (normal maintenance after a haulout). In the previous "Catchup Post" I described the boom gooseneck. Great call by Ullman's on that one. 37 years of wear and tear. To remove the gooseneck we drilled out the stainless rivets, pulled the 4 reef/outhaul lines out of the gooseneck sheaves, and removed the bent/corroded pin. Then we unscrewed 6 of 8 screws and started the successful fight with the two stuck screws. You have to know the screws are threaded into the mast (no big deal) but they are METRIC! (AHHHHHhhhh!!). We guess what, the local Chandlery Store had them. Thank you Todo Vela La Cruz!
*Zincs - zinc protect the machinery of the boat. They are sacrificed to stray electrical currents caused by different metals, mechanical rotation, and water passing by the hull. Remember - a changing magnetic field creates electricity. The zinc are wasted to prevent this stray electricity from damaging your important stuff (rotating shafts, Thru-hulls, propellers, etc.). We have noticed that our zincs are wearing WAY FASTER here than TX, FL, and CA... water is warm, but not as HOT as the Gulf of Mexico. I'm pretty sure the zinc wasting is caused by improper grounding on boats near Tango and possibly on the Marina shore tie. Tango has a fancy Isolation Transformer that decouples our grounds from the shore tie and from the hull. Tango also has instrumentation that will warn of an improper ground. IT Ain't us... We are checking our zinc's about monthly now. They seem to be lasting 2-3 months max. I'm buying/carrying 3 extra sets too.
*Hydrovane Shaft Raising - with all the stuff weighing down Tango, our Hydrovane autopilot shaft has been "dragging" in the water a bit. We raised it up about an inch so the shaft again clears the water (like before we loaded up this boat).
*Oil & Filter Changes, Watermaker Pickling, Strainer Cleaning, etc. Didn't want to forget the more routine things that have to be done. We have changed the main engine and generator oil & filter. We pickled the watermaker protecting it from bio-growth for our extended "unuse" of the system, we have super cleaned the Engine/Gen/Watermaker & Cooling strainers.
So to summarize, this is going to end up taking about 4 weeks to complete and we should be done with all this in the next week or so. With our departure planned for the 3rd week of March we are in pretty good shape.
*******************
Well, its never over until its over. The bottom paint has significant issues...
Janet noticed some issues with the bottom paint smearing up into the boot top as soon as we tied up at the marina. Closer inspection showed that we could see some sort of paint failure. The yard manager rushed over and we planned to rehaul Tango to inspect. Photos added showing how the lift straps easily rip bottom paint off. PPG (the paint manufacturer) came and looked at the paint. What caused the problem may take chemical analysis to determine, but, Tango is having the job redone (100% removal of this paint, prep and cleaning, coating build up again, etc.). Back into the shipyard next week sometime for the redo. No cost to us of course so while we are unhappy about the issue and delay, the yard is standing by their work. The paint is widely used, including the US Coast Guard... we'll get her fixed up...
The planning started last July (2018) when we hauled Tango and completed a full structural survey. Tango was is great shape but taking the time to carefully review all the systems and components, we came away with a list.
*Bottom paint - we found a few blisters in the paint and we have seen more when we clean the hull (scuba at anchorage). We have put something like 8 coats on sinces we've owned Tango so... look at the photos in the gallery, near the rudder you could separate layers. The yard stripped the hull chemically then applied new gelcoat, barrier primer/epoxy, then two layers of hard bottom paint with "poison" keep the growth off.]
*Dripless Propeller Shaft Seal - our surveyor was concerned with the softness of the bellows part of our seal (5 years old, oil had dripped, etc.). There is no way to fix a shaft leak without hauling the boat... new one installed.
*Thruster Propeller - when we last cleaned the hull ourselves we found that 2 of 6 prop blades were broken off and that the zinc had unscrewed & disappeared. We installed a new prop/zinc.
*Bilge Pump Overboard Discharge Valves - while checking hoses (a routine annual event) I found one of the valves loose on the hull. Another case of SILICON caulking use instead of the proper stuff. We had the yard reset both valves using adhesive caulking (3M 5200). NEVER use silicon on a boat, EVER. It doesn't hold.
*Replace a failed Ultrasonic Boat Speed Sensor. Like most things, Tango has redundant speed sensors (GPS speed, paddle wheel DST800, and the failed Airmar CS4200. This sensor was getting "fussy" so during the July haulout the local B&G guy looked at it for me and predicted it was going to crap out. The sensor head was corroded... he was right. Replacing it with a newer technology ultrasonic sensor from Airmar (UST850) while fits in the same thru-hull.
*Mainsail Repair/Changes - we were not real happy with the sail delivered by Quantum, particularly because they didn't put the reefing points in the right places. We also have had problems with the batten backing out. We hired a local sail loft (Ullman Sails - and they rock!) to add the highest reef point that was not done originally, and to inspect the sail. They found several other wear issues have made improvements for us. They also spotted wear on our boom gooseneck and suggested we check it.
*Running and Standing Rigging - we are installing a Dutchman Boom Brake. This thing locks the boom in a location or dampens unexpected movement. By tensioning one line we can control the position and amount of "lock". Way less fuss than a pair of preventers and it doesn't run from the boom to the bow then back to the stern on both sides. We are "tuning" the tension on the standing rigging (normal maintenance after a haulout). In the previous "Catchup Post" I described the boom gooseneck. Great call by Ullman's on that one. 37 years of wear and tear. To remove the gooseneck we drilled out the stainless rivets, pulled the 4 reef/outhaul lines out of the gooseneck sheaves, and removed the bent/corroded pin. Then we unscrewed 6 of 8 screws and started the successful fight with the two stuck screws. You have to know the screws are threaded into the mast (no big deal) but they are METRIC! (AHHHHHhhhh!!). We guess what, the local Chandlery Store had them. Thank you Todo Vela La Cruz!
*Zincs - zinc protect the machinery of the boat. They are sacrificed to stray electrical currents caused by different metals, mechanical rotation, and water passing by the hull. Remember - a changing magnetic field creates electricity. The zinc are wasted to prevent this stray electricity from damaging your important stuff (rotating shafts, Thru-hulls, propellers, etc.). We have noticed that our zincs are wearing WAY FASTER here than TX, FL, and CA... water is warm, but not as HOT as the Gulf of Mexico. I'm pretty sure the zinc wasting is caused by improper grounding on boats near Tango and possibly on the Marina shore tie. Tango has a fancy Isolation Transformer that decouples our grounds from the shore tie and from the hull. Tango also has instrumentation that will warn of an improper ground. IT Ain't us... We are checking our zinc's about monthly now. They seem to be lasting 2-3 months max. I'm buying/carrying 3 extra sets too.
*Hydrovane Shaft Raising - with all the stuff weighing down Tango, our Hydrovane autopilot shaft has been "dragging" in the water a bit. We raised it up about an inch so the shaft again clears the water (like before we loaded up this boat).
*Oil & Filter Changes, Watermaker Pickling, Strainer Cleaning, etc. Didn't want to forget the more routine things that have to be done. We have changed the main engine and generator oil & filter. We pickled the watermaker protecting it from bio-growth for our extended "unuse" of the system, we have super cleaned the Engine/Gen/Watermaker & Cooling strainers.
So to summarize, this is going to end up taking about 4 weeks to complete and we should be done with all this in the next week or so. With our departure planned for the 3rd week of March we are in pretty good shape.
*******************
Well, its never over until its over. The bottom paint has significant issues...
Janet noticed some issues with the bottom paint smearing up into the boot top as soon as we tied up at the marina. Closer inspection showed that we could see some sort of paint failure. The yard manager rushed over and we planned to rehaul Tango to inspect. Photos added showing how the lift straps easily rip bottom paint off. PPG (the paint manufacturer) came and looked at the paint. What caused the problem may take chemical analysis to determine, but, Tango is having the job redone (100% removal of this paint, prep and cleaning, coating build up again, etc.). Back into the shipyard next week sometime for the redo. No cost to us of course so while we are unhappy about the issue and delay, the yard is standing by their work. The paint is widely used, including the US Coast Guard... we'll get her fixed up...
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