'Free State' Fitting Out

[DesertAlbin736]

For the polar opposite, we get 60 or 70 inches per year, frequently in BIG clumps - Nearly 10 inches over the last 3 or 4 days and more to come before it starts to dry out Monday

Don

I'm a little familiar with that part of the Gulf Coast. In the early '70's I was stationed in Pascagoula just down the road from Biloxi when the Navy sub I was on went in the Litton yards for overhual. Rain does come down by the bucket fulls in the Spring in those parts.

I have a cousin who lives over in Bay St. Louis. We're debating whether or not to go as far South as Jacksonville, FL and take I-10 on the way back to Arizona & stop by to visit my cousin after our East coast trailering trip & Chesapeake cruise this summer. Will depend on the weather in late July-early August. It'll be at the height of hurricane season. If it's too hot & sticky we can go back up to New England and come back across the upper Midwest and do some cruising on the Great Lakes before returning to AZ via the Northern route. We're used to the dry heat here. While it may get up into the 100s, the humidity can be 10% or less. Makes a big difference. The trick is to stay out of the sun and in the shade.

Here's a couple shots from last weekend at our sailing club "Surf n Turf" event. This was a combination RV campout/beach party and sailbaot raftup. Our boat is 4th from right, the only one without a mast.

[smacksman]

The drought in the US SW is terrible. I lived in southern Africa and October was called the suicide month when the rains failed and the heat built. Then that glorious smell of the first rain after months of the dry season. Charleston SC seems to have a pretty good balance while I've been here.

The Shurflo strainer arrived today as promised and I started to fit it. The 3/4" bsp female to hose tails I had bought were useless. The tails didn't grip the hose at all. Gave up and went on the hunt for a proper plumbers supply. They don't seem to exist here, just Lowes, Home Depot and similar DIY shops. I thought a plumber might know but they were shopping in Home Depot!

Eventually emptied the bank and went to West Marine and got some bronze fittings at huge expense but the right kit.

Opened the sea cock and nothing happened! Disconnected the feed to the strainer - no water. Rodded down the hose with a wooden dowel and clunk, the valve was shut with the handle open! Bloody plastic rubbish! The hull is already like a colander with redundant sea cocks! Give me a Blakes tapered cone sea cock anytime. They last for decades and easy to maintain.

So now I have a problem. I have to move the boat to the lift to haul out (which I planned to do anyway next week) but now I can't run the engine. If the yard don't have a tender I'll have to inflate the Achillis rubber duck and see what 2.7hp of Cruise 'n Carry will push her like.

Went to change title of the dinghy and outboard. Bizarre! The 7ft inflatable needs no title or documentation so long as it is a rowboat and has no outboard. The 2.7hp outboard does not need title or documentation because it is under 5hp. However, put the two together and it needs the full might of the law to protect society and swell the coffers. As the tag on both items is (19)90 and in CT I guess the law has happily been ignored for 25 years.

Bought a 2.6cu.ft. fridge and popped it on the bench between the table and the heads bulkhead. Eventually I want to mount it on a bracket 2ft. off the cockpit floor so the engine hatch can open and the heat from the fridge stays out of the cabin. Mounted it on some rub rail to absorb vibration and allow the locker lid to open.



Table is now a 3 seater!

[smacksman]

@Desert - A raft up is always entertaining so long as the wind doesn't pipe up. We stagger our masts just in case of wash/waves.

Living on board now and getting a lot of little jobs done. Due to be lifted out in a day or so when I can get at the sea cock.
Stowed a lot of gear and cleaned the cockpit a bit and looks better for it.



Banging doors have driven me mad so made some snibs out of scrap rub rail insert. Cut a washer from rub rail to give a bit of friction. Peace at last.



Snib open and room for wash boards to slide in.



Snib closed and door held open.

I sleep in the aft cabin and find it really cosy. Slept like the Just. I made a pair of rain screens so I can sleep with the portlights open and also prop the deck locker hatches open a bit for cross ventilation.
However I also found the reason for the aft cabin port door sticking. From inside the aft cabin I could see that the bottom stile of the door had dropped down and snagging on the cill. The whole corner was loose. I removed the door and prized the joint open enough to chisel the old glue away and epoxied the joint as far as I could reach. Six hours later joint set and door fitted before it rained.



I must say that if pirates board me I will not bother to lock myself in the cabins. One good kick and they are matchwood!

While thinking of jobs to do I while away the time with a sharp chisel removing varnish runs and drips on the deck. It makes such a difference to the job with a clean edge between wood and gel coat.

Steadily working my way round the opening portlights. One had the gasket joint at the bottom and leaked. Another had a gap and a bottom joint and leaked badly. Filled the gap with a dob of butyl sealant with a smear of vasoline on top to stop it sticking to the portlight. Another had the gasket not located in one corner. I smear some petrolium jelly on the gaskets and turnbuckles and lugs as plastic tend to bind with plastic under load. So far, all drips stopped.

More to do.

[Sprig1]

Hi Smacksman glad to see you are coming along. Started working on my boat today. I need at least ten feet of the rub rail inner bracket any sugestios I know you had problems thanks

[smacksman]

Hamilton Marine were so useless I didn't bother to go back to them the third time with the wrong order and made a bodge job of what they sent me. The rub rail was bigger than on the boat and the rigid insert was too big for the rub rail they supplied. No serial numbers on the products so one can only go by size.
If you can find rub rail anywhere but Hamilton then try there. But if you have to go to Hamilton then get their catalogue first and go by the measurements - sketchy as they are. If you have time ask for a sample of rigid insert and rub rail before ordering. I ordered according to the item numbers noted on this forum but either something has changed or a simple mistake - three times!
hamiltonmarine dot com

[Sprig1]

That sounds pretty bad. I just need the inner clip rub rail looks pretty good. Was your hull deck joint epoxied together? It looks like mine is can't figure out where all the water is coming in the wood piece along the outside edge is mostly rotted off. Enough about my problems glad to see you making so much progress.

[smacksman]

I solved the problem of the broken raw water seacock. Free State has a beautifully installed deckwsh! What a luxury and great for anchoring in mud. I ran the hose from the deckwash deck outlet in the bows, to a bucket in the engine room. Dis-connected the raw water hose from the sea cock and stuck it in the bucket. If the engine pump draws more water than the deckwash can supply then reduce revs. If the opposite, the bucket overflows and the auto bilge pump deals with it. Same as when you run your engine ashore before splashing except the hose is not on the mains water supply. Worked a treat.

Spent $55 on a diver cleaning the hull prior to lift out. All the smelly growth stays in the sea and enters the food chain.

Amazing to see Free State lifted out with a fork lift. Easy peasy.



and then chocked up ashore -



The shaft anode disintegrated when I tapped in the allen key to undo it. Saved some work but proved the anode was due for replacement. Brightened up the bronze 1 1/4" shaft to get a good contact before fitting the new anode. I do like a bronze shaft with a bronze prop. The prop is perfect - no nicks and rings true. Cutless bearing and rudder bearing fine. Replaced the sea cock. Sad to see there is no keel bar linking the rudder as I believe later models had. I will have to watch my kedge anchor warp doesn't get between rudder and prop.


Cleaned the topsides with toilet bowl cleaner (hydrochloric acid) and alcohol stove fuel for stubborn bits and washed off. Next day waxed the topsides and touched up the bottom paint. Arms pretty sore now! Splashed in today and back in my slip. A busy two days.

[smacksman]

That sounds pretty bad. I just need the inner clip rub rail looks pretty good. Was your hull deck joint epoxied together? It looks like mine is can't figure out where all the water is coming in the wood piece along the outside edge is mostly rotted off. Enough about my problems glad to see you making so much progress.

How come your rub rail is ok but you need the inner clip?
My hull deck joint had been repaired with some brown stuff which took some cleaning up before the inner clip could slide over. No leaks for me at that position. No experience of breaking the hull/deck joint to know its construction.

The wood you speak of is a fender rail at near waterline aft? If that is rotten then the fastenings will leak.

[Sprig1]

Hi Smacksman you are making go progress. The rub rail looks good maybe I should look closer. They had problems docking and smashed the inner clip and destroyed the hull deck joint for 3 feet. No the wood is on the intiorior cabin roof all around the outside it holds up the head liner. I think it was JT that suggested that it is the windows leaking and port lights.I have a piece of stainless attached to my keel. Got looking around the back bilge in the keel was full of water it must of been coming in the bolt holes which bolt the stainless on 6 half inch bolts silicone had failed I could pull it right out I guess that was it or maybe coming from above needless to say it's coming off and having 4200 put on it to seal it up. At least you don't have that problem. Happy fixing

[Panhdjoe]

Hello, I stoped by the Marina yesterday, walked the docks and did not see your boat. Brooke was not in the office and Tracy was busy with a customer so I did not ask about your whereabouts. I did not see your boat on the hard till I was on my way out. Nobody was around it. it looks alot better than the first pics you posted congratulations on the progress. I will be back down in 3 weeks if you are still there i will see you then. Joe

[don123]

Eventually emptied the bank and went to West Marine and got some bronze fittings at huge expense but the right kit.

Ah, yes . . . . West Marine - "We make boating more . . . . expensive!"

Seriously, though, if you can catch a 2 for 1 sale there, you'll be paying about the same as most other places

Don

[Vic K]

Here's how I solved cabin door problem. I removed the piano hinges off the doors and replaced with pin hinges. Now I can easily lift the doors off the pins and store them away when we're on the boat. Better access to the galley and steps. Just a thought.

Vic

[smacksman]

@ Sprig1 quote 'I have a piece of stainless attached to my keel. Got looking around the back bilge in the keel was full of water it must of been coming in the bolt holes which bolt the stainless on 6 half inch bolts silicone had failed I could pull it right out I guess that was it or maybe coming from above needless to say it's coming off and having 4200 put on it to seal it up. At least you don't have that problem. Happy fixing'

My stern tube/cutless bearing fitting had sealant round it so maybe check those bolts too.

@ Panhdjoe Aaaargh! I was there!! No wifi at the back so hadn't checked mail and missed your pm till too late. Sadly I won't be here in 3 weeks as I plan to be heading south next week. 'Ships that pass in the night' I'm sooo sorry I missed you.

@ Don123 You get good discounts if you work there. A friend (who shall be nameless!) bought me some foul weather gear at half price which agrees with your 241 deal. But at least you can get good marine stuff there. There isn't a Defender near me.

@ CptVic Without side screens I need the doors to keep the rain out. In a squall the other day I had rain on the inside of the windscreen. Good idea but where do you stow them? I have trouble finding stowage for the 'washboards' to the fore cabin and still leaving them handy for bad weather.

Lovely day today - dry and low 80's.

Proudly flew the club burgee from the jack staff. Just arrived so just caught me before I'm away.



I wanted to check the fuel tank so removed the sending unit. Dipped the tank and 1/5th full. Fuel gauge reads about 1/5th FROM full. Coincidence or have some wires crossed? Anybody knows exactly how these senders work? Rheostat?
Some rust in the bottom of the ally tank but that is normal crud so pretty clean fuel really. Label on the tank says 72 gal capacity. One item of note. The rubber gasket lines up the holes only one way.



The sender unit.

Now I know I've said that pretty things can wait - varnish and the like - but the flag staff deck socket drove me MAD every time I looked at it. There was so much silicone on it and the surrounding deck and it still leaked. Silicone is ok in its right place - bedding for sealed units in windows. But I hate silicone on boats - it simply does not last.



There was even a perfect fingerprint to trace the culpret!

Then, pick any three holes from six!



and after an hour of getting rid of silicone, a neater job. Still not perfect but it will do. Bedded in butyl sealant. I drilled a hole near the bottom for drainage and also to take a light line to tether the flag staff.



Work continues ...

[smacksman]

Changed the engine oil today on the Lehman 4D61. Used a cheap fluid transfer pump with a couple of foot of 1/4" od plastic tube stuck into the bigger tube so that 16" protruded. Sealed the joint with butyl sealant wrapped with masking tape. The extra thickness acts as a stop at the dip stick tube so that the 1/4" tube gets to the bottom of the sump. Store in a strong plastic bag to keep the dirty tube contained.



Took quite a while to pump out 5 quarts.

While I was down there I checked the air bleed nipple on the oil cooler that I had brazed back on at some expense. Blow me if it was weeping again and a bit dropped into my hand! The brass nipple has dezincified. Drained the oil cooler - again - cleaned it up and then slapped some epoxy on it which in retrospect is what I should have done in the first place and saved myself $90.

A lot of muck gets into the engine hatch drains and I fiddled about with various implements to rod round the 90 deg. elbow. Came up with the perfect tool - a cable tie.



Getting close to heading south now.

[smacksman]

Finished the side screens at long last. It has taken me several days and a steep learning curve. Learning to drive a Brother sewing machine was one. Finding that zigzag stitches on plastic didn't work. Trying to fit the screens when the wind blew was not easy. Laying the material out on the cockpit floor,. held down with buckets of water. Oh, the list is endless. What I did learn was that I take my hat off to people who work canvas for a living. A great skill there.
The screens are very rough close up but will keep the weather out. How long they will last is another matter!
Made from plastic sheet that said it was transparent - and wasn't! - and Walmart shower curtains that are transparent - medium weight because they didn't have heavy weight on the shelf.



and Free State ready to go tomorrow. Shake down sail first and then if all is well - off south.



A bit down by the head in this picture. Is this normal? Do they squat a bit under way?

Measured for bridge height today - about 8'-6" with vhf aerial down and 16' with it up.

Found some RainEx on board so applied it to try it out. Said to make windscreens easier to see through when raining.

End of Free State fitting out post. Away tomorrow.