2012 Summer Sail Trip

I was so entranced by my various projects on the boat that I forgot about our month long sailing trip.
Here is a summary:

Down the Lynn Canal and Icy Strait to Dundas Bay
Outside of Chichagof Island to Sitka
Then back through Peril Strait and out to Warm Springs Bay
Down Stephen's Passage to Juneau and then home

The highlight was Dundas Bay.The flowers were something else and our hiking trip to the foot of the Brady Glacier was amazing.

The sailing sucked. We were either becalmed or going right into it most of the time.

No real adventure here. Most of the route I have done multiple times and have been in almost all the same anchorages.

Here are some pictures:

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMPa3dWfUu7Y3b9I_nBMB5KIsv-sdBQmdb8YGuH

Refinishing outside wood on Ginger Lady

 Last week Yammy and I spent 5 days stripping off old cetol and putting three coats on. We also oil sealed a few pieces including inside the cockpit.

A few electrical modifications.

In an effort to simplify my electrical system and get it to the point where I understand it, I have removed a few components and the associated wiring. Just back from Skagway today. I completed the new switching arrangement. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it.
Here is a picture of some of the stuff I took out of the boat. I also removed battery bank #2 a 168 pound 8D battery that was residing under my cockpit locker. It was fried and was dragging the rest of the system down with it.

Anyways there are still a couple of gremlins at work in the system and it will take a little more troubleshooting to get it running to my satisfaction.

Electrical Clean Up

I was too exhausted after ripping wiring and various other components out of my boat to take any pictures.
I will snap some pictures of all the stuff on my next visit.
In a nutshell. Nothing seemed to work right. The Amp Hr Meter, the Three Stage Voltage Regulator, the isolator and alternator sensor. To cap things off my batteries were not charging at the same rate and my starting battery was discharging while I was away from the boat.
Turns out that by battery bank two was toast. After much experimentation and ripping things apart I discovered that whoever installed the new Yanmar engine did not make any effort to integrate with the existing electrical system. The system was charging using the internal regulator in the alternator and not the 3 stage external regulator. The starter was wired directly to the starting battery with no switch. The rest of the switching arrangement doesn't seem to make much sense. Anyways after two days of hard work I have an enormous pile of surplus wiring, electrical components and battery cable lying in my cockpit.
Miraculously I have the system up and running adequately. I have a good 8d battery as a bank and a good starter battery, things are charging adequately and there is a switching arrangement I can understand.
The boat is about 200 pounds lighter.

I have a new alternator regulator kit ordered.
I am in the process of obtaining four trojan 6 volt batteries which will be my house bank.

I will install all that when we get back from our July sailing trip.

Oh and the electrical clean up will also continue when I get back. I suspect there are still a few miles of wiring that doesn't do anything.

Fuel Tank is Installed

I don't have any pictures yet. The new fuel tank is hooked up and everything seems fine. I filled it up with 26 U.S gallons. I was hoping for more capacity but that is probably very close to what the old tank held.
That translates to 23 gal ( to be safe ) = 46 hrs motoring = 230 mile range with no sailing.
I removed a bunch of old wiring. There was enough to fill a garbage bag. None of it seemed to be doing anything. For sure some of it was left over from the previous engine installation. I still have to reroute some plumbing and secure some wiring around the tank. I also have to wedge it in place so it can't shift.

Next I have to start the engine and test the three stage regulator to see if it needs replacing.

Fuel Tank Almost Finished

I am so proud of my new fuel tank. I have decided to keep it my office so that I can admire it every day.

There is still some work to do on the fuel fittings.That black stuff is truck bed liner. Am not sure that it will work out. So I have to order a new fuel fill fitting then finish working on the space it goes into and install it.
Then I am back in business.

Working on the new fuel tank

I am having Paul Baker of Snowdrift Designs make my new fuel tank.
Here he is cutting the parts of the tank with a plasma cutter.

I

This is Paul welding the tank together.

Unfortunately we didn't have time to finish the tank. Hopefully next week I will have some pictures of the finished project.

Making some real progress, just kidding.

Have been working away with my reciprocating saw and multicrafter tool. As you can see it is real refined work.

Getting the pan out from under the engine is a bit of a chore. There is a battery cable clipped to its underside. There is also some other wiring that I am trying to avoid. At least I have removed the non functioning  float switch and figured out the triple bilge pump system.

Next trip down I will come better prepared to wallow in the bilge. I will finish removing the oil pan and rewire the bilge pump and clean things up in preparation for the installation of the yet to be built fuel tank.