Well a lot has happened since the last update, so there will probably be a couple coming up soon. I just haven't gotten around to updating it even though a lot of exciting things have happened! (Seems like I start every post out that way)
Anyway, after the mast went up I thought all I had to do was install the propeller when it came back and finish the survey to satisfy the insurance company and be on my way, or so I thought.
While we wait for the propeller to come back from PYI in Washington I was plugging away at various jobs to get the boat ready for launch. I rigged up the mast, boom, sails, and everything that was taken off before, was put back on. She is really starting to look like a sailboat again! I got most of the electronics working as well as the fire place! It turned out to be a life saver later on!
After waiting and waiting, the propeller came back from PYI and looks brand new! Awesome! I get the yard mechanic to help put it back on because he took it off while I was gone and knows how all the gears go back together. As we get all set up and go to put it back on, there is something that is not quite right...
There is no key-way machined in the hub! They forgot to machine it in when they made a new one! After a phone call and complete disbelief by the guy who made it, I brought it to a local propeller shop to machine a key into it. PYI paid for it to be done and I would highly recommend PYI for anything, they did a great job and the propeller looks brand new! It was just a slight oversight, one of those days, that was fixed easily, although the local prop guy didn't want to do it at first because it was such an expensive piece.
After the prop was installed, final preparations were made to put her in the water. The travel lift was brought over and she was all hooked up and waiting to get wet!
Today was the day that she was going to go in! A huge milestone after a years worth of work to get to this point. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into her to get her ready. I have never been so nervous in my life. I have all these scenarios running through my head about what could go wrong, but I knew that I prepared her to the best of my ability and that what ever happened I could fix it.
I was pretty much shaking when she finally hit the water. I jumped on board, still in the slings and the travel lift walked the boat back to the end of the lift well. Okay, I was ready to go, and she was lowered into the water. She floats! That's a good thing I guess, I didn't buy a boat that doesn't float. I go down below and check every opening that could possibly leak water, sea cocks under sinks, bilge pump over board, and the engine... the engine! It's leaking! It's coming out of the impeller cover I put on, a new Speed Seal that is supposed to ease the changing and prolong the life of the impeller. I closed the sea cock and took off the impeller cover, realigned it and put it back on. Opened the engine sea cock and no leak! Awesome. But looking in the bilge there was still water leaking from the back of the boat?
I looked at the propeller shaft seal and could see water gushing in. Oh no! I thought to my self that I was going to have to pull the boat and take the shaft out and fix it. A huge job. It is one of those drip-less shaft seals that is supposed to be maintenance free. Then I thought, it has been sitting for a long time, let me try starting the engine and turning it over. The engine, by the way, started up first try and ran great! I turned the prop over and went back to check. No water! Awesome! It seated the seal and stopped the water. Plus I got to learn that both of my bilge pumps work great!
Next comes the first mini sea trial of the Stella Maris. We (Veronica and I) backed her out of the lift well. She has plenty of power with that nice and big prop and plenty of HP. We took her up the river a little ways and then back down. We learned that just about everything on board that needed water to work, did; like the engine, the depth and the refrigerator, but the alternator turned out not to put out a charge. It is an expensive 110 amp Balmar with an external charge controller, it should work! And I will troubleshoot it later. We did some circles and then practiced docking at the Cape Fear Boatworks dock. Where she would end up staying, much to our dismay, for most of the month...
“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Anyway, after the mast went up I thought all I had to do was install the propeller when it came back and finish the survey to satisfy the insurance company and be on my way, or so I thought.
While we wait for the propeller to come back from PYI in Washington I was plugging away at various jobs to get the boat ready for launch. I rigged up the mast, boom, sails, and everything that was taken off before, was put back on. She is really starting to look like a sailboat again! I got most of the electronics working as well as the fire place! It turned out to be a life saver later on!
After waiting and waiting, the propeller came back from PYI and looks brand new! Awesome! I get the yard mechanic to help put it back on because he took it off while I was gone and knows how all the gears go back together. As we get all set up and go to put it back on, there is something that is not quite right...
There is no key-way machined in the hub! They forgot to machine it in when they made a new one! After a phone call and complete disbelief by the guy who made it, I brought it to a local propeller shop to machine a key into it. PYI paid for it to be done and I would highly recommend PYI for anything, they did a great job and the propeller looks brand new! It was just a slight oversight, one of those days, that was fixed easily, although the local prop guy didn't want to do it at first because it was such an expensive piece.
After the prop was installed, final preparations were made to put her in the water. The travel lift was brought over and she was all hooked up and waiting to get wet!
Today was the day that she was going to go in! A huge milestone after a years worth of work to get to this point. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into her to get her ready. I have never been so nervous in my life. I have all these scenarios running through my head about what could go wrong, but I knew that I prepared her to the best of my ability and that what ever happened I could fix it.
I was pretty much shaking when she finally hit the water. I jumped on board, still in the slings and the travel lift walked the boat back to the end of the lift well. Okay, I was ready to go, and she was lowered into the water. She floats! That's a good thing I guess, I didn't buy a boat that doesn't float. I go down below and check every opening that could possibly leak water, sea cocks under sinks, bilge pump over board, and the engine... the engine! It's leaking! It's coming out of the impeller cover I put on, a new Speed Seal that is supposed to ease the changing and prolong the life of the impeller. I closed the sea cock and took off the impeller cover, realigned it and put it back on. Opened the engine sea cock and no leak! Awesome. But looking in the bilge there was still water leaking from the back of the boat?
I looked at the propeller shaft seal and could see water gushing in. Oh no! I thought to my self that I was going to have to pull the boat and take the shaft out and fix it. A huge job. It is one of those drip-less shaft seals that is supposed to be maintenance free. Then I thought, it has been sitting for a long time, let me try starting the engine and turning it over. The engine, by the way, started up first try and ran great! I turned the prop over and went back to check. No water! Awesome! It seated the seal and stopped the water. Plus I got to learn that both of my bilge pumps work great!
Next comes the first mini sea trial of the Stella Maris. We (Veronica and I) backed her out of the lift well. She has plenty of power with that nice and big prop and plenty of HP. We took her up the river a little ways and then back down. We learned that just about everything on board that needed water to work, did; like the engine, the depth and the refrigerator, but the alternator turned out not to put out a charge. It is an expensive 110 amp Balmar with an external charge controller, it should work! And I will troubleshoot it later. We did some circles and then practiced docking at the Cape Fear Boatworks dock. Where she would end up staying, much to our dismay, for most of the month...
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
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