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Long, hard week(s).
Posted by – March 21, 2009
New prop went on. Wasn’t right. Didn’t want to come off but finally did. It’s going to the prop shop Monday. Got running water but the pump went out quickly. Got it working but sheared two bolts off deep in the base so the seal is no good until I get them out. Added 45 watts of solar to the charging system but the panels have some bubbles in the silicone seal. Not sure about that. More water in the engine and the tranny oil seems to be disappearing and the engine vibration is getting worse. The diver even saw it underwater. Not much progress but we’ve been putting off the hard problems so this is expected.
We got Neil’s bike!
Posted by – March 20, 2009
The security guard at the hotel across the street saw some crooked fucks steal our neighbor’s bike and we caught the little bastards crossing the bridge by the marina.
Prop hunt
Posted by – March 9, 2009
Galvanic corrosion over the years has weakened our prop to the point that we lost a sizeable chunk. Today’s big task is finding a used prop that’ll fit. There aren’t many sailboat props in the stores around here so it looks like the size and pitch will be changing a bit.
Broke the head.
Posted by – March 4, 2009
I was installing the last piece from the $75 rebuild kit and the flange in the photo cracked. It’s one of two attachment points that seal the “discharge port” so we’re not taking any chances. New head tomorrow!
The bummer, other than all the wasted time, is that the rebuild kit I have doesn’t fit the new model of this head. The new one does have something called twist and lock. Weee.
Water in the engine.
Posted by – March 3, 2009
We finally found the cause of our watery engine problems. The water pump is leaking and since the engine is below the waterline eventually the water backs through the exhaust and into an open cylinder. I replaced the front cover, impeller and seal yesterday. Still leaking. Next up is the cam, which has significant wear, and then a rebuild kit if that doesn’t work. We’re trying hard to avoid buying a new $650 pump.
