Sailing Vessel (SV) Sarah
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Modifications Below the Water line |
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This page was originally created to document the work done during a winter haul out in 2002-2003. Since then I've added sections on follow up issues, principally having to deal with clogged sewage lines and modifications to the original work done in 2003. So now the principal sections of this page are: |
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| 2003 Haulout Tasks |
| The haul out over the winter of 2002-2003 was used
to perform all of the below waterline projects necessary in preparation for
departure on the Atlantic Circle cruise. In addition I took this
opportunity to complete projects that I need to have complete before I
moved on board in the fall of
2003. This page will be used to record progress on this projects, which include the following: |
| Thru-hull Fittings |
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When I took possession of Sarah she had an incredible number of thru-hull
fittings. Since each thru-hull is a potential single point of failure that
could sink this ship, I took it as a goal to reduce the number of thru-hulls
to an absolute minimum. I discovered I could do little about the drain thru-hulls for each of the three sinks on board (galley, head, forward cabin). They rely on gravity to drain the sinks and therefore must be located as close as possible directly below the sink drain. Similarly, the above water line thru-hulls (deck and cockpit drains, refrigeration and air conditioner discharge) could not be effectively combined or eliminated. Therefore my primary targets were the intake thru-hulls (head, galley, refrigeration, air conditioner, deck wash down, engine, and generator). I inherited 6 sea cocks to serve all of these functions. My goal is to get them down to no more than three. My method for eliminating the thru-hulls is to combine the plumbing into several manifolds, each off a single sea cock.  I eliminated two of the seacocks in 2001 when I combined the air condition, refrigeration, galley, and head intakes onto one 1" seacock. This was accomplished by placing them on a single manifold located under the galley cabin sole, shown below. In 2003 I combined the engine and generator onto one 1 1/2" seacock. There was one unused seacock that I guess was originally used for the air conditioner or the head. It was plugged at one time, but was still installed. I removed that one as well. That left three intake seacocks. I could eliminate the deck wash down thru-hull, which is currently located under the cabin sole in the forward cabin. However, that would require a long hose run from the manifold in the main cabin. I have discovered that hoses filled with sea water are a major source of foul odor on board. Therefore I'll keep that hose run short and leave the forward intake seacock alone. |
 Pictured on the right are the two thru-hulls that
replaced the original four. The one on the left replaced the two 1"
thru-hulls for the engine and generator seawater intakes. In the middle was
the 1 1/2" waste discharge thru-hull. the one on the right replaced an
unused 3/4" thru-hull that I guess was originally for the air conditionerNow I have only two thru-hulls, both 1 1/2", where I
once had four. The one on the left will now be the waste discharge. The
one on the right will be the intake for both the engine and the generator.
In addition to reducing the number of holes in the bottom of the boat
(always a good thing), this reconfiguration will also help me clean up the
plumbing mess on the interior of the boat. |
 I also had the plastic thru-hull for the refrigerator
discharge replaced with bronze. The installer of my SeaFrost refrigeration
mentioned that this thru-hull needed to be replaced, and this was my first
opportunity. I should have replace all of the other plastic thru-hulls as
well, but I ran out of money and time. The plastic thru-hull on the left in
the picture is the discharge for one of the deck scuppers. |
 While I had the yard replacing thru-hulls I had them
also install the thru-hulls for the new depth sounder (right) and knot meter
(below). These are located under the cabin sole hatch in the forward cabin. |
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 On the left and right is the plumbing associated with
the thru-hull changes depicted above. These are the views from above the
aft cabin sole hatch. In the center of the hatch is the top of the 1-1/2"
Groco Raw Water Strainer for the engine and generator. This is connected
via water host to the 1-1/2" seacock accessed through the galley cabin sole
hatch. Two 1" ball valves are connected to the output from the strainer.
One (barely visible on the top of the picture on the right) provides sea
water to the main engine. This valve is connected to the V-Drive by 1"
water hose. The other ball valve (upper center in the picture on the left)
provides sea water to the generator in the cockpit Lazzarette hatch.The seacock visible just forward of the raw water strainer with the white hose is the overboard discharge for the head. The original seacock for this function was back up under the cabin sole, and very difficult operate, much less service.
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| Propeller |
 On the left is the 21x10 fixed blade propeller I
inherited with the purchase of the boat. This will be replaced by a Max
Prop feathering propeller that I expect to significantly reduce drag under
sail. |
  On the left is the propeller shaft. I replaced
the strut bearing during this haul-out. The picture on the right of the
strut bearing seems to show a slightly miss-aligned shaft in the strut. Not
sure if this is a problem or not. I walked around the boat yard looking at
other boats with shaft struts and none seemed to be any better aligned.
This is another job I left to the yard. |
 On the right is the outside of the pilot tube where the shaft exits the
hull. I was expecting to see a Cutless bearing at this point, but clearly
there is none. My previous boat had a Cutless bearing at the end of the
pilot tube, but it did not have a strut bearing, so it appears you don't
need both. This was confirmed by my walk through the boat yard, as none of
the other boats with strut supported propeller shafts appeared to have a
Cutless bearing at the end of the pilot tube. It makes sense as it would be
very difficult to get both bearings aligned with each other.. |
 On
the right and below are pictures of the 20" MaxProp installed with a
new Cutless bearing in the strut. |
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 On April 12 I moved Sarah from Zahniser's back to her
berth at the Town Creek Landing marina. I was extremely pleased with the
control I had maneuvering Sarah out of the slip in Zahniser's and docking
her in Town Creek. The next step is to see what benefit I get in light air
sailing. |
| Stuffing Box |
 I replaced the original stuffing box with a PSS Shaft Seal.On the left is a very indistinct picture of the
installed shaft seal. You can just see the bellows of the seal mostly
obscured by the V-Drive. |
| Hull Cosmetics |
On the left and right are pictures of
Sarah shortly after she was hauled and blocked up. I would like to have the
entire hull Awlgripped dark blue, but that is beyond currently what I can
budget. I am also concerned that a painted hull would not survive the trip
through the
French
Waterways. Therefore my ambitions for the hull have been reduced to a
thorough compounding and waxing of the hull, and having the boot and
waterline stripes re-painted. |
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 The Boot Stripe has been repainted and shown on the
right and below. |
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 Above, Sarah is nearly ready to launch. I compounded
and waxed the hull. It could have used at least one more coat of wax, but
I'm out of time and my arms won't take another trip around the boat with the
buffer. You might have noticed that Zahniser's moved Sarah from where she
was stored for most of the winter. They say they did that so they could
launch the boats that were behind Sarah. I believe they just wanted to get
me closer to the office and the cash register (see right). Now all they
have to do is look out the window and - KA-CHING. |
 Sarah was launched during the week of March 24, but I
was unable to bring her back to Town Creek until this past weekend (April
12). She is back at the dock and I can now continue my projects. I don't
expect to put the sticks back in until after June 1. |
| Bilge Mess | ||
 The bilge sump on the Pearson 424s is immense.
The entire aft portion of the keel is hollow and provides a nearly 5' deep
sump. I would like to figure out a way to use this space efficiently. It
would be a great place for heavy equipment (e.g., batteries, tanks, anchor
storage, etc.). Before I even contemplate any of these uses, I have to
clean up the mess of plumbing and electrical wiring that currently exists in
this space. I especially need to address the bilge odor the emanates from
this place. |
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 Cleaning up this mess involved removing virtually all
of the seawater plumbing in the boat. On the right is the Raritan LectraSan
sewage treatment tank. This was installed under the saloon cabin sole I
was tempted to replace this unit with a holding tank because I thought it
was the source of bilge odors that have plagued this boat since I purchased
her. As it turned out the LectraSan, although certainly an odor source, was not the source of the
odors that I needed to fix. I believe those odors are coming from the
extended length of sewage hose that was under the cabin sole. This hose was
installed with large loops that extended down into Sarah's deep bilge in
order to maintain alignment with the Y-Valve. I believe standing sewage and
seawater in these hoses are the primary sources of a great deal of the
odors. Therefore I have decided to re-install the LectraSan as I don't need
take on a project of installing a holding tank. |
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 Yes, those are wine corks under the LectraSan. This
was a planter next to the picnic area at the Town Creek Landing Marina. A
number of years ago the owners erected a gazebo cover over the picnic area
which put the planter in the shade for most of the day making it a
non-functional planter. Most of the boat owners at the marina are wine
drinkers (some would say wine inhalers) and one of the marina owners
challenged us to fill the planter with wine corks. It was a nasty job, but
we did it in less than a year. Unfortunately several winter storms over the
past years have depleted the cork supply in the planter. Looks like we will
have to get to work again. |
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 I removed and modified the
low volume
manifold installed in 2001. This manifold services the head intake, the
galley seawater faucet, the refrigeration and the air conditioner from one
1" seacock. I originally installed the raw water strainer in the cabin
sole hatch over the V-Drive. When I added the high volume manifold to
service the engine and generator in that space I had to move this strainer
to the area under the cabin sole in the galley. Shown right and below is the
new arrangement with the raw water strainer combined with the manifold. The
installation also involves relocating the electric pumps for the
refrigeration and air conditioner. |
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 The installation of this manifold required a lot of
modifications to the previous approach. Above is a picture of the manifold
attached to the support boards. These boards are through-bolted to the
cabin sole hatch frame. I used #10 SS T-Nuts to secure the machine screws
through bolts. T-Nuts are an expensive, but essential solution to providing
a through bolt installation when the backside of the installation is
difficult to get to or nearly inaccessible.
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I originally secured the valve portion of the manifold to the support board with U-bolts. However, I discovered it was necessary to install the support boards first then attach the manifold. With the boards in place is was impossible (or nearly so) to secure the U-bolts with nuts and washers on the back side of the board. So I discarded the U-bolt approach and secured the manifold to this support board with hose clamps that were screwed into the board. This is not as secure as the U-bolt configuration, but still strong enough to take the force of opening and closing the valves. The two centrifugal pumps visible in the pictures below are for the refrigeration and air conditioner. They will be installed on the shelf just aft of the LectraSan. |
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 On
the left and below are pictures of my re-installation of the bilge
pump on Sarah. The extreme (>4') depth of the bilge sump on Sarah makes the
bilge pump installation more complex than on most boats. I inherited and
adapted the existing installation of a bilge pump and float switch installed
on the end of a wooden stock, which you can just barely see in the picture
on the left. I replaced all components, float switch, pump
and wooden stock, but kept the basic design. Below is the pump arrangement prior to installation. |
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 On the right and below are pictures of the pump and the switch connected together with hose clamps. The inaccessibility of the pump once installed motivated me to test the pump and switch before I started the installation. The test bed is shown below, right. I filled the tub with water and hooked the pump electrical wires to my car battery. My original arrangement used a much larger pump. Testing proved that the impeller on the larger pump was broken. So I have substituted a smaller pump until I get the larger pump repaired or replaced. Without prior testing I would have completed the installation not knowing that the pump was not operational. Testing would have required filling the bilge sump with water and then discovering I would have to pump out the water with the manual pump in the cockpit. |
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 On the right are the tools of ignorance, AKA boat
plumber's hands. |
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 Finally I have completed the re-plumbing of the bilge
area. After initially assembling the revised head plumbing I was plagued
with leaks from a number of the hose connections. In trying to clean up the
head hose arrangement I used 90 degree elbows on each hose connected to the
Y-valve (shown on the right). I realized I was generating potential
congestion points in the system, but felt the significant reduction in
physical hose lengths and the associated hose loops would reduce the amount
of odor in the bilge.
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 I was totally bummed when it looked like I had
introduced a blockage into the system with the resultant back pressure
causing the leaks. I worked on this problem for the next two weekend with
limited success. I completely dis-assembled the connections twice looking
for blockage or some source of the back pressure.This past weekend (June 14) I enlisted the help of a friend who convinced me that leaks are not the result of back pressure, but the result of poor seals at the hose connections. By this time I was down to one leaking connection which I believed I had previously tightened. I had apparently forgotten to tighten the hose clamps on this connection it was loose.. We tightened those clamps and no more leaks. I had spent nearly a month of weekends chasing a non-existent back pressure problem when the only problem I had was one of tightly sealing the connections. My friend also showed me how the common white sanitation hose we all use is very difficult to seal with just hose clamp pressure. It is more effective to slightly soften the hose end with a heat gun and then push it over the hose barb and clamp it. The softened hose will conform to irregularities in the barb in a way the cold hose will not no matter how much pressure is applied with the clamps. Turns out the back pressure I was so concerned about is the normal pressure exerted by the 4' lift to the top of the anti-syphon loop and nothing to be concerned about. The head appears to be working perfectly with no leaks. |
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| 2006 Head Clog | ||
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With a number of right angle elbows and Ts in the head plumbing I was very
aware of the possibility of the output lines becoming clogged. In
particular I was concerned about the build up of calcium at each of the
congestion points, further restricting the water flow and possibly resulting
in a blockage. Because of this concern I routinely flushed the system with
vinegar and left it for a week to dissolve any deposits on the inside of the
hoses and fittings.
Removing the blockage was fairly unpleasant, but not difficult. However I could not remove very much of the calcium deposits on the inside of the hoses and fittings. This calcium has effectively reduced the inside diameter of the sewage hoses from 1-1/2" to about 3/4". Cleaning all of the deposits out of the hoses or replacing them will take several days. So I continued to cruise Sarah on the Med with the restricted flow through the hoses. I plan to disassemble the entire system over the winter of 2006/2007 and restore the full water flow. |
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| 2007 Head Clog | ||
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When sailing back to the USA at the end of
Sarah's Atlantic Circle the head
once more clogged. This time we were at sea about 5 days out of
Bermuda enroute to the Chesapeake Bay. As unpleasant as clearing the
clog was the previous year, at least then I was in a marina. Words
cannot describe how unpleasant it was to get the head back in working order
while underway. I have resolved that this will be the last head clog I will experience on Sarah. In December, 2007 I ordered an Airhead composting head. It was delivered in March, 2008. Once it was installed all of the sewage hoses on Sarah, including the LectraSan, were removed (see below). Details on the Airhead and the installation on Sarah are described on a separate page that can be found in the Equipment Upgrades menu at the top left of this page or by clicking here. |
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| 2008 LectraSan Removal | ||
After the Airhead had been in use
for a month I decided it was time to remove all of the components of the old
Raritan PHII head. This included the LectraSan and its electric
circuits and the sewage hoses. In order to remove the LectraSan I
first had to remove all of the pumps located just aft of the LectraSan.
At the same time I decided to remove the low
volume seawater manifold that fed all of those pumps, including the now
removed PHII head. I
could have removed the LectraSan without dismantling the manifold, but it
would have required jockeying the LectraSan a bit. In the process of
removing the manifold I discovered several components had deteriorated
significantly.In the picture on the left the manifold is upside down on the dock. |
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 While
removing the hoses from the manifold valves to the pumps I broke off the
hose barb on the valve for the refrigerator pump. This was a brass
hose barb. When I put this manifold together I used several brass
components because they were not available at the local marine or hardware
stores in bronze. The brass components included another 1/2" hose barb
and eight nipples that connected the T's and the valves. |
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 It
is clear in the picture on the left that this valve has deteriorated
somewhat in the last 5 years of almost continuous use. |
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 I
knew that the raw water strainer bowl had become contaminated and needed
cleaning. It had started to pickup barnacles while I was in Florida
preparing to depart for Europe in 2005. I thought I had that under
control by periodically inserting a pool tablet in the strainer basket.
That did appear to kill the barnacles, you can see the marks they left on
the surface to strainer bowl in the picture on the right.What I wasn't expecting was the amount of sludge in the bottom of the bowl. I knew the water in the bowl was murky from the times I cleaned the basket, but I thought that was just the remains of the dead barnacles. If I'd had access to a wet vacuum I would have pump out the bowl and discovered the bowl was nearly 1/4 full of sludge. I could have drained the bowl by removing the plastic drain plug, but I was paranoid about dropping the plug into the bilge and not being able to retrieve it. So I left the plug alone. |
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 So
now I have to rebuild this manifold. First I have to take it apart and
determine which components are salvageable and which must be replaced.I no longer need the valve that previously served the PHII toilet (the one on the "T" next to the strainer bowl in the picture on the left), but I will keep that valve as I'm considering the installation of a water-maker and that valve (or its replacement) can be used for that purpose. |
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| New Manifold | ||
 I
took over a week to build and install the replacement manifold. It
seemed every assumption I made about hose sizes and pumps was wrong.
How could that be? I designed and built the manifold I was replacing.Part of the problems was that I installed this manifold in 2003 and then basically forgot about it. I didn't document how I put it together and I just assumed it would last for the duration of my ownership of Sarah. In addition to the deterioration of the manifold hardware I also created some problems for myself when removing the hardware and pumps. Not only did I break the hose barb on the manifold (see above) I also broke off the hose connection on the pump output to the A/C. So in addition to replacing the manifold I also had to replace one of the pumps. |
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 Fortunately
I had a spare March 3CP magnetic drive pump in my spare parts bin.The real problem was when removing the pumps and manifold I thought I knew exactly which hoses were for which system. This turned out to be a major mistake, and it caused me repeated trips to WM and Loews for plumbing adapters. Finally on Wednesday, July 9 I was able to get everything back together. The frig is now back in operation. I tested the A/C and was surprised it worked better than before - much fewer cycling of the compressor. Maybe that pump I broke really wasn't up to the job. I found that the manual galley seawater pump was frozen. Nothing to do with my re-installation - I believe it seized due to lack of use. I wanted to replace it anyway so a new pump is on order. I also ordered backup magnetic drive pumps for both the frig and A/C. Anyway, after nearly two weeks with no frig or A/C these systems are finally working. The real lesson learned is that I need to take these system apart if not annually, at least every couple of years to clean and refurbish them. |
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After a few days of operation I discovered the A/C water pump was not up to
the job. It could not deliver sufficient water to the A/C and the A/C
repeatedly shut down. I replaced that pump with the one I had just
ordered as a backup and full water flow appeared to have been restored. Appearances are deceiving. After a few hours of operation the A/C shut down again. Now I had the problem of an airlock. I disconnected the 1/2" output hose from the pump and allowed solid water to flow out of the pump to insure it was flooded. Then I reconnected the output hose and turned on the A/C. The pump and compressor came on and ran for 30 - 45 minutes until the cabin temperature reached the thermostat setting. Then the A/C compressor cycled off as normal and turned off the pump. About 5 minutes later the compressor cycled back on, but the pump was not pushing any water. Within a minute the A/C shut down because of the lack of water flow through the condenser. I fought this problem for several days, tightening hose clamps and fittings. I had tried two different pumps of the same model on this application and neither provided sufficient water flow for the A/C. I was considering taking the whole manifold apart and re-configuring it for more direct connection to this pump. Before I did that I decided to replace the A/C pump with the backup pump I purchased for my refrigeration. The A/C pump is a March LC-3CP-MD and the frig pump is a March LC-2CP-MD.  The
A/C pump (3CP) is rated at 490 GPH for a 3' head, while the frig pump (2CP)
is rated at 260 GPH for the same head. The A/C system requires only
120 GPH so the 2CP should be more than adequate. I only bought the 3CP
because that is what everyone seems to spec for A/C units.Hooking up the 2CP required several more trips to WM for pipe and hose adapters as the ports on the 2CP are smaller than those on the 3CP. Finally I had the frig pump hooked up to the A/C and wonder of wonders it works! The A/C cycles off, but now when it cycles back on the pump is delivering a steady stream of water. The water flow out the through hull is significantly greater than what I achieved with the 3CP pump (before it air locked). The picture on the right shows the 2CP pump installed in place of the 3CP. I still have to secure the pump and the electrical wiring. |
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 Late
and sorry, I've created a schematic of the manifold in Visio. |
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I sent the newly purchased 3CP pump back to DEPCO for warranty service
expecting to get a new or repaired pump in return. I was very
disappointed by the call back from DEPCO when they told me the problem was
the marelon right angle street elbow I had installed on the output of the
pump. DEPCO maintained that the seat on the street elbow was too deep
for the pump fitting and had impinged on the pump impeller, eventually
breaking some of the plastic fittings in the pump. I was very
skeptical of this analysis, but had little choice but to pay for a new face
plate on the pump. When I received the repaired pump and the broken parts from DEPCO I could see they were correct. The Marelon street elbow has and extension beyond the pipe thread. The fitting on the pump was designed for standard pipe thread. That is the reason the 2CP worked in place of the 3CP. Because of the smaller pipe thread on the output of the 2CP I had to use a standard bronze street elbow that does not have an extension beyond the thread. So the problem with both pumps was the hose barb fitting I had chosen. Now I have lots of spare pumps. |
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