All posts by cs

A deeper look

boats

After enduring the infamous squeak, I decided to open up the steering pedestal to check on things. The backstory is that on about the 2nd or 3rd day at sea,  our cockpit steering pedestal developed a faint squeal as the steering wheel rotated one way or the other. The autopilot (which did a terrific job BTW) always makes small course corrections so the wheel is constantly sawing left and right. The autopilot sensitivity you might describe as fidgety. Metal on metal could accelerate failure. We lived in the cockpit — and the noise began to wear on our nerves. It had the sound of a small dog whine or whimper. Was it getting louder or were we now keen and focusing? 

We just assumed that we would have to live with this for the duration although we did consider exploratory repair but quickly rejected the notion. We didn’t want to mess around with our steering offshore. It’s kind of a critical item. But we did hear an excellent suggestion from [Mom] a communique reply shoreside. We didn’t have any WD-40 or similar penetrant onboard but something we had in our food provisions might work. Try Extra Virgin Olive Oil she said… Brilliant! 

After a few attempts we managed to wick the slippery substance between the shaft and its pedestal bearing. The squeak was diminished if not remedied outright.

Meanwhile afterword dockside I decided to have a peak at the internals; which I was unwilling to do before. The compass binnacle has to come off for this inspection and as I found out, so does everything (nav course plotter) above that. I discovered that I needed a Security Torx Bit to allow for removal. It was rather an effort so I can assume that it hadn’t been done as a matter of routine. I applied a dab of lithium grease to the chain and sprocket and tightened the set screws on the collar that acts as a thrust washer. 

It is good to know the inner workings and have understanding (and the right tools for next time). The annoying steering is cured but if you listen carefully when playing back a video shot during the trip you can almost hear…

beyond chafe

boats

Observed a heavy bronze jib sheet block that was in a state. Going forward with a hammer to beat on it to coax the bearing pin back into place when we noticed that the line was somewhat worse for wear. Chafe is damage caused by rubbing and as you might imagine with all of the motion and commotion on a vessel there is lots of potential. You have to guard against and inspect anything that has repetitive movement.
jip sheet chafeThis bit of rope is beyond chafe and I was fearful of sitting next to the associated  winch grinder when it was loaded. There is considerable force created by the very large sail that it is sheeting in. The tail end would recoil into the cockpit had it parted.

Specification: 9/16″ (14mm) double braid polyester with a 2.4% stretch @ 15% breaking strength of 11,000 lbs.

The entire length will be replaced.

Wrecked at the Finish Line

adventure, boats

After 4 (uneventful) days offshore, we motored the arrival for the last mile or so in late afternoon sun. The desire was to find and secure our berth in the marina before losing the light.  In this pursuit we were on track and feeling good about all that we had accomplished during our long sail. Fenders deployed, mooring line pre-rigged; we eased past the last channel marker before turning in. The marina is very tight quarters for maneuvering and with a light skiff with outboard coming out of our lane I needed to delay in order to allow him to exit. Selecting neutral and then reverse was the proper action but then surprise. Ineffective reverse. Transmission problem? Our trajectory is aiming us at a transient catamaran moored to a side dock and we are still making way. Reverse gear is making a dreadful sound and although speed is next to nothing we bounce off of the cat. About to ricochet off the fuel dock behind us I select forward gear and surprise, it too is gone. How could this happen? We were all good for days and then at this critical juncture — hell handed to me in a hand basket. How can this be? This was not the grand finale I foresaw.

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[damage: apart from my pride — this crease in a shroud turnbuckle on the other boat]

So, a glorious conclusion was not to be and instead turned into a story to tell. Luckily there was neither wind nor adverse current and having rubbed up against the fuel dock and with the very limited propulsion, I was able to get a line on and secured. We called it a day and spent the night. I just needed to check one thing. I stripped my shirt, and donned a skin diving mask and went over the side. I wanted to have a look at the prop and discovered that there was nothing wrong with the engine or transmission…

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[fishnet encounter]

The prop was fouled. Evidently the netting debris had wrapped up on the shaft and aft of the prop blades but when reversed slid forward to tangle and gum up the works. Too big a job for my Leatherman, to deep, dark, and I can’t hold my breath that long, a Diver was called and he cleared the mess that you see here.

Who would know? The takeaway is check your brakes (reverse in this case) before entering the traffic pattern.

One hand for the ship, One for Yourself

adventure, boats

I had heard this old adage. I knew it. I learned it (again) the hard way. I had made my way aft and arrived at the port side winch which had my full attention. Knees were fully bent in the squat position and balancing on both feet. At the same moment that I reached out for the jib sheet the boat rolled. My hands came up with air and I tumbled over backwards feet out in front. Hard corners of the companionway hatch met the back of my scull with a wallop,
18772155400_e66c575bb6_nthat I won’t forget…and neither will my crew — imagining various recovery scenarios and outcomes!

Hardheaded that I am, I knew I was okay. Only the scars remain.

Lesson learned: …which may derive from the days of sailing ships, when working high in the mast rigging and before the advent of modern safety harnesses; it was an essential precaution that each sailor should hold on with one hand at all times, while working with the other.

This gave rise to the idiom “one hand for yourself, one for the ship” This saying remains excellent advice.

 

Sorting the Tankage

boats

Talmid, our Hans Christian 38, has a small diesel auxiliary which is supplied fuel by two ‘black iron’ storage tanks. One (60 gallons) is located port side forward of midship. The other (85 gallons) is starboard and located beneath the aft quarter berth. They have separate fill ports and are not interconnected but are linked at a valve manifold so as to supply the engine depending on which source is selected.

The forward fuel tank had not been used for several years. All that I knew was that this tank was empty with no trace showing on a screw cap dipstick. The previous owner had explained that he never used the tank. Since I intend to voyage beyond the Bay I need to have this reserve range. It would serve no purpose empty.  Some sailors extend their boats range by lashing Jerry Cans on deck but Talmid has lots of capacity. I figure that with a conservative throttle setting the burn rate will be ~1/2 gallon per hour. This Energy will be used for maneuvering, electricity generation, and propulsion when the wind drops.

However, there were concerns. The forward tank wasn’t being used… How about residuel fuel contamination or tank integrity? The supply lines leading aft to the manifold likely contained air if the tank was truly empty and Diesel engines, unlike gasoline engines stop running and won’t re-start if there are air bubbles in the delivery system. The lines have to be ‘bled’ ensuring a steady stream.

The place to do this is in the marina slip as opposed to dead in the water on open ocean while pitching and rolling. After much thought and from the security of the berth since this was my first foray,  I proceeded as follows.

  • Added a few gallons at the fuel dock ensuring that the unused tank did in fact hold fuel – checking that the bilge stayed dry. (What a clean up mess if it hadn’t!)
  • Motor back to the berth on the known good aft tank.
  • Acquire a length of 5/16″ short hose and a primer bulb from the marine store.
  • Partially drain the Raycor (pre-filter) and disconnect its fuel supply line.
  • Connect the make shift pump (primer) to this line and direct the output into an empty plastic water bottle for discard.

primer bulb
This is a juggling act and a bit messy. Diesel is nasty smelly stuff. Laytex gloves, paper towels and containment diapers required. The procedure worked. The first emission was deep red indicating old fuel from the line but quickly gained the healthy pink color of fresh. Further, after drawing off an additional quantity it remained so. There weren’t  any debris or contamination to note which was a relief.

Reassembling the Raycor by attaching the tank supply line that I had undone was simple enough as was topping the element bowl and securing the screw top lid.

Since air bubbles were likely introduced at the Raycor, my attention was directed downstream to the engine mounted secondary filter. Disassembly is not required. A bleed screw is installed for this purpose and the procedure is:
fuel filter housing bleed screw

  • Unseat the bleed screw
  • Actuate the mechanical lever of the fuel feed pump to purge the fuel
  • Observe the fuel gurgling from the bleed as you pump fuel
  • When there are no more air bubbles escaping seal the bleed screw
  • Start the engine and check for smooth operation as it runs.
  • Shutdown if there are no problems after 15-20 minutes runtime.
  • Cleanup and good to go!

Having accomplished this exercise I now have the experience of having done it and verified which tools will be required should a tank accidentally be run dry or a filter need changing. Most importantly designed capacity (145 gallons) is now available.

View from the slow lane

cars

The leg from Atlanta to Burlington is too far for a single charge. There are a Level 2 chargers enroute and this looked like the only option. Ultimately I stopped at the Ivy Acres RV Park as they had a “bigger hose”. I would pay $5 per hour but the wait was reduced by 2 hours had I stopped at the Level 2.

To minimize charge waiting, as these chargers are a slowly flowing spigot, I wanted to conserve energy. This is done by driving very slowly. 55 MPH was a safe target speed. Although 45-50 would have been even better that might have been unwise. Other drivers tend to exceed the posted 65-70 limit and wiz by. It was interesting watching them decide lane choices and to jockey for position. With an EV, traveling at a higher rate of speed only extends your charge time if charging at a snail’s pace. I experimented with a hypermiler technique while cruising the right lane. I waited for a slightly faster Semi Truck (one with the aerodynamic fairings on the trailer to pass me by then position close behind and match speed so as to draft (NASCAR style). The big rig breaks the wind. Aerodynamic drag is the biggest energy consumer for any vehicle and this trick was good for about a 15Wh/mile advantage and at the same time allowing for a +5 mph gain in forward progress. Naturally you don’t want to be unsafe and 200 feet in trail is considered minimum I believe.

Flip the Switch already

cars

Could have been one of the first to use… The new Supercharger in Baton Rouge is finished but still not operational. May be online next week. In the mean time I’m probably one of the last of the pioneers through these parts to make a daytime stop for a necessary top off at the Frog Town RV Park which will see me through to my endpoint as night falls. $10 cash seemed reasonable for the service although this is the first “fuel” money I’ve had to layout. The early EV adopters are slightly spoiled because generally the plugins are free — for now anyways.

To Texas in a Tesla

cars

Glad to get a healthy charge at the Lake Charles Supercharger as I exit Louisiana. Interstate 10 West will take me across Houston to the next SC in Columbus but I will need a boost to make it. The Tesla Houston Gallery has a High Power Wall Connection (HPWC) which is not in the same league as an SC but is a much faster than the RV 50 amp.

An HPWC at a commercial business building, such as Tesla’s garage is 205v and 80 amps. A similar power supply at a residential garage is even better with 240v.

Multiply Volts (v) by Amps (a) and you get Watts. Follows are some interesting results for comparison:

205v X 30a = 6kW or18 mph (Level 2)
240v X 40a = 10kW or 28 mph (RV)
205v X 80a = 16kW or 49 mph (HPWC)
240v X 80a = 20kW or 58 mph (HPWC)

MPH in the context of number of miles range added in an hour.

This listing excludes DC Fast Charging or the most common source of power the 115v common household outlet; subjects for a later post.

Pushing the Envelope

cars

The wait for the Level 2 charge to finish wasn’t that entertaining so in an effort to minimize the sit time I calculated an absolute bare minimum charge.

Caution: Before attempting this stunt, realize that any detour or missed turn will put you at risk.

The challenge was to traverse the mapped out 80 miles and arrive with at least some energy left in reserve. So, I stopped the charge at 93. I figured the 3 bonus miles for my own inefficiencies or for squandering. The 10 miles on top of the 80 was for cushion. Dipping into this minimal reserve would be a Fail.

To achieve a 1:1 exchange of battery range miles for map miles required reduced speed (55), Cruise Control On, HVAC off (Brrrr) — basically wearing knit cap, gloves, and coat jacket while watching the traffic whizz past in the fast lane.

A good monitoring method is to compare predicted range remaining with distance to go. Subtract the map distance from the reported range every few miles or so. This mental arithmetic will keep you alert to a growing or shrinking reserve. If you discover your reserve to be dwindling then further adjust speed.

Interstate 10 through Louisiana is flat and this was cooberated by the realtime energy graph display which was flatlined. This is rare to see for me seeing that the Eastern states have hills always. I felt emboldened with my 3 bonus miles, one of which disappeared early on for some reason, to try an experiment. This was spurred on by the cold tingly feeling in my toes 🙂 Wanting to see the energy consumption diff I switched on the heat. The increase was marked at 50 WH/mi. I had to switch it off, too big a hit, but was able to run the seat warmer on lo in lieu of.

I was able to arrive with the 10 miles intact. This exercise was good experience but ordinarily 30 as a hold back is a good practice.

Close but not quite

cars

I left Biloxi with a Range Charge (260 rated miles) with the Supercharger in Lake Charles (265 miles) as target. It’s frustrating that this stop is just out of reach. A mid route stop in Lafayette will permit the journey on this thin leg. I focused on Moss Motors, a BMW dealership that is friendly to EVs furnishing a Level 2 charger for public use. BMW has an EV offering of their own; the i3, an example of which is featured on the showroom floor here.

There was some uncertainty over this last chance charge option. Would their system be operational? Would it be blocked? Would they co-operate knowing that I’m driving a competitive brand?

Charging now with a flow rate of 6kW. Computing the wait at 2 1/2 hours all for the mere 50 mile extension needed. Comfy waiting in the BMW showroom though.

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