Meta Fog Reprise

This week we got the mast back on Meta Fog.

It had been down since the launch on May 22nd for some maintenance and corrosion management. Now the mast is repainted under hardware ( sadly a pretty amageur job, but should be serviceable), and all the sainless is rebedded with ECK which Brion Toss says works well and lasts a good while. Probably less of an issue in fresh water, anyway.

After some initial difficulties resolved by bleeding some air, I've had very good luck with the engine the few times I've used it to move back and forth to the launch / mast stepping crane, so I'm gaining confidence in that system. The electrical systems seem to be working well too. I've added a solar charge controller by Victron that is bluetooth enabled and can show charge and usage power, which is pretty neat ( though I'm not running the load through it yet). The data verifies that the 50 watt panel can keep the batteries topped off without an AC charger, with light use. I alread swapped almost all the lights for LEDs and there aren't many high current systems (the tiller autopilot is probably the highest draw) so I'm hoping that means the 50W panel is enough for some degree of independence from the AC umbilical cord.

I also rewired the mast with new Anchor Marine grade wiring and heat shrunk crimps. I used some waterproof cable pigtails I bought online for the purpose, which really came in handy when it came to running the wiring. Meta Fog has a deck stepped mast, so the connectors are under the step and need enough extra length to pick up the mast so you can get in there and disconnect them. I considered replacing the steaming / foredeck light but decided not to - the foredeck light is not essential equipment, and the steaming light will likely have more than enough power from the generator. Anchor light went LED. I also connected LED spreader spotlights, but after everything went together I couldn't get them to actually illuminate for an unknown reason. At least of all the lights, those were the best ones to mess up :P

It's great to see the mast back on the boat. I ordered a new Loos tension guage of the proper size so I can get the rig properly tight. Before I put the mast back on, I pulled the chainplates, took a close look at them (minor corrosion, but the shop agreed serviceable) and put them back in. The first pair I put back in with silkaflex. It worked all right. The rest of them ( 2 mains and 2 aft lowers, having already done the intermediates) I thought better and bedded with Bed-It butyl tape. I was skeptical, but the stuff is fantastic - so, so much easier to clean up and work with than the curing adhesives.

To seal the chainplates with butyl tape, I started by cleaning them as clean as I could. Then I took a flat file to the inside of the hole to clean that up and expose some fresh material and clean out all the old sealant. I took a small round file to the corners and anything else too uneven to fit. Then, I wrapped a big gob of butyl tape tightly around the chainplate, starting just about where the bottom came out of the deck, and thinkening up to just about where I thought the top would come out of the deck. I worked the plate in, squeezing all I could of the butyl tape into the chainplate slot, then slid the deckplate atop, squished it down as best I could, cleaned off the extra and screwed it down.

So far the chainplates seem good and watertight. I was skeptical at first but this bed-it butyl tape seems as awesome as folks say - much easier cleanup and handling and likely a better seal, too. Chainplates work so much, the super stretchy, tacky butyl tape might end up a much better seal on the chainplates.

In sadder news, I'm afraid my came-with-the-boat 6' bombard inflatable is not staying particularly inflated. I couldn't locate any leaks, but it has been deflating throughout the day since I filled it this morning. I have a newer PRU-3 dinghy I can use instead, but it's bigger and heavier, so I was kind of excited about the bombard. Maybe I can patch it, or maybe those little over-the-valve-plugs are more functional in this model than they are in my PRU-3 where they appear strictly cosmetic . We'll see. The awesome looking 2hp honda that also came with the boat ran fine for me when I tested this spring, so as soon as I have a dinghy I think it will also be ready for a sea trial.

So, haven't been sailing again quite yet, but soon now!