Of couplings and "cotton reels"
The Repowering Project: Day 15 (Wednesday)
No blogs for the last two days because the mate has been attending a radio operators course, so spent the time usually allocated to blogging studying, attending lectures or sitting the exam. Hopefully she has succeeded in obtaining her Marine Radio Operator Certificate of Proficiency.
Weather continues wet, windy and freezing. However the project inched forward. Keith and Jason arrived at around 0830 this morning. Keith had the "cotton reel" made up by Scotty, which goes between the prop shaft and the engine. Keith, Jason and Peter shifted the engine around so that they could check that all the bits would fit together as planned, and so that Jason could get precise measurements for the wedge-shaped struts that will sit on the old engine beds. In the process they discovered that the flexible coupling they were planning to use couldn't be placed where they wanted it, and so it will be exchanged for a different one which will fit between cotton reel and shaft, instead of between engine and cotton reel. At the end of these proceedings the engine was left in the cabin at the bottom of the companionway, so that we can start lining the engine compartment with soundproofing material.
Meanwhile, in the area of general maintenance the mate managed to get one coat of paint on the Danbuoy in a break between rain squalls. Mate and captain went out for some lunch, and to look for the key parts of the exhaust system: a water trap (aka muffler or pongbox), exhaust hose and a stainless steel through hull fitting for the hose to go through to the open air. We have just about decided what to use and where to get it, but flinching at the costs. (We are reminded that BOAT stands for Bring Out Another Thousand.)
Earlier this week, on Monday, Keith provided a "puller" to get the prop off the shaft, and we packed it and sent it Express Post to Autostream in Melbourne. They received it Tuesday, swapped the blades for bigger ones, and it came back via Express Post this morning. We've fitted it back on to the shaft and to our relief our calculations were all OK - the blades clear the skeg comfortably in all positions. This upgrades the prop size from 18" to 20".
In the last couple of days we've also cleared out one side of the lazarette where the exhaust pipe goes from engine compartment through the lazarette and out through a hole in the transom. The engineer pulled out the old exhaust pipe, and with considerable effort removed a large John valve which allowed the exhaust to be shut off, but which we've been advised is unnecessary. This is all part of clearing the way for installation of a larger diameter exhaust hose and the cutting of an appropriately larger hole in the transom.
No blogs for the last two days because the mate has been attending a radio operators course, so spent the time usually allocated to blogging studying, attending lectures or sitting the exam. Hopefully she has succeeded in obtaining her Marine Radio Operator Certificate of Proficiency.
Weather continues wet, windy and freezing. However the project inched forward. Keith and Jason arrived at around 0830 this morning. Keith had the "cotton reel" made up by Scotty, which goes between the prop shaft and the engine. Keith, Jason and Peter shifted the engine around so that they could check that all the bits would fit together as planned, and so that Jason could get precise measurements for the wedge-shaped struts that will sit on the old engine beds. In the process they discovered that the flexible coupling they were planning to use couldn't be placed where they wanted it, and so it will be exchanged for a different one which will fit between cotton reel and shaft, instead of between engine and cotton reel. At the end of these proceedings the engine was left in the cabin at the bottom of the companionway, so that we can start lining the engine compartment with soundproofing material.
Meanwhile, in the area of general maintenance the mate managed to get one coat of paint on the Danbuoy in a break between rain squalls. Mate and captain went out for some lunch, and to look for the key parts of the exhaust system: a water trap (aka muffler or pongbox), exhaust hose and a stainless steel through hull fitting for the hose to go through to the open air. We have just about decided what to use and where to get it, but flinching at the costs. (We are reminded that BOAT stands for Bring Out Another Thousand.)
Earlier this week, on Monday, Keith provided a "puller" to get the prop off the shaft, and we packed it and sent it Express Post to Autostream in Melbourne. They received it Tuesday, swapped the blades for bigger ones, and it came back via Express Post this morning. We've fitted it back on to the shaft and to our relief our calculations were all OK - the blades clear the skeg comfortably in all positions. This upgrades the prop size from 18" to 20".
In the last couple of days we've also cleared out one side of the lazarette where the exhaust pipe goes from engine compartment through the lazarette and out through a hole in the transom. The engineer pulled out the old exhaust pipe, and with considerable effort removed a large John valve which allowed the exhaust to be shut off, but which we've been advised is unnecessary. This is all part of clearing the way for installation of a larger diameter exhaust hose and the cutting of an appropriately larger hole in the transom.
posted by Nahani-mate at
9:41 pm
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