Modifications and improvements

Electrical PanalTitle. Double click me.

The Electrical Panel has been upgrated removing the old ameters and volt meters and replacing with a Blue Sea VSM. The A/C control panel that was located below the chart table was re-located adjacent to the VSM panel. The Zantrex inverter charger panel that was also located below the chart table was also re-located to a more visible position below the master breaker panel. A remote relay battery switching system from Blue Sea was also located below the master breaker panel.

The wiring inside and behind the master breaker panel was re-worked and cleaned up.

As was both panels were very difficult to see and or make adjustments.

Still needs a little work but way better than it was.

As was.

New 360 panel from Blue Seas

Battery Bank Modification.

The old battery bank was 7 Group 31 Lifeline AGM mounted on two platforms below the aft cabin sole, the main issue with this arrangement was the lack of access to the packing gland on the prop shaft.

We decided four 8Ds would be our choice for the replacement system three for house loads and one for engine starting duty, a new battery shelf/box was constructed and glassed into place below the aft cabin sole for the house bank, the engine starting battery has its own platform below the foot of the bunk in the aft cabin.

The new platform/box glassed to the hull below the aft cabin sole.

The new house bank 750 amp hours.

New Wet Exhaust lifter and Remote Oil filter.

One of the first modifications we undertook was the relocation of the Engine oil filter, the oil filter being upside down on the side of the engine just did not make any sense to me. We purchased a remote mounting Kit from “Jegs” and mounted the filter under the sole aft of the engine in the aft cabin.

The old stainless water lift muffler was removed and replaced with a Centek FRP model, this is a much smaller muffler than the original and has given better access to the shaft packing gland.

Headliner removal & Replacement.

This project was inspired by a friends boat that had v groove bead board on the ceiling, other than looking very traditional the bead board looked easier to clean and made good use of the light below that seemed to get absorbed by our dirty cream vinyl.

After an extensive web search I was able to find Nantucket Bead Board Company and they milled my new ceiling from ½” PVC sheet with a V groove. The fairing strips were removed and the old vinyl and foam coated plywood panels were removed and used as templates to mark out the new PVC panels. The PVC cut very easy with a jig saw and installation was made easy with an extending floor mop pole as a prop to hold the new panel in place while I drove screws in through the fairing strips, I did have to use new screws to accommodate the thicker panel #10 x 1 ½” ss oval head.

The result is a beautiful clean ceiling that is indeed much lighter and easy to clean the added thermal insulation factor is also an advantage albeit an unforeseen one.

During this operation all the old incadescent light fixtures were replaced with DR. LED dome lights some red/white others just white.

New Refer

Wave Dancer has two refer boxes one inboard and one outboard, talking to the previous owners they had always assumed the original owners had plugged the outboard refer box drain because they could never get it to drain when cleaning it out!

Working on that assumption we tried to rod the drain, we tried to fish tape the drain all to no avail, working from below with a vibrating saw we liberated the drain and found a severe kink in the hose such that removal of the drain was the only viable cure.

This photo shows what we found, the new assumption is that the builder must have misjudged the hole location and or the alignment when installing the box therefore rendering the drain useless from the get go. A new plastic through hull fitting was installed with new hose.

A new Adler Barber cold machine was installed in the box we now have two very efficient working refer boxes.

More Galley Improvements

The old and we assume original Kenyon three burner stove was replaced with a brand new Force Ten four burner unit, this is an awesome stove the flat top allows pans to be slid to another location without dislodging anything oh what a pleasure, the fold away oven door is also a fantastic feature on this stove.

Out with the old!

In with the New!

Sailing Arch Installation.

Probably one of the more ambitious projects to date is the installation of the sailing arch. This project was inspired by good friends Bob & Julie who also installed an arch aboard their Bavaria 38.

Atlantic Towers Sailing Arch in a box was ordered.

Arriving in the biggest cardboard box I think our UPS store had ever seen we pick up our new arch and proceed to installation, started Saturday morning and the dinghy was on the Davits Sunday evening!

Atlantic Towers an amazing product.

As was with old Davits

2014 Haulout

Haulout South Texas Yacht Services

First class yard awsome guys doing fantastic work.

The Beautiful Cindy Sue and our girl with a fresh coat of bottom paint.

New Cuttless bearing being glassed in.

Ready to splash looking good.

Hauled out Monday morning splashed Wednesday afternoon, way to go South Texas Yacht Services.

Replace water tanks.

At first glance this looked easier than it turned out to be, our port tank had a leak so to realize our full water capacity it was time to pull the tanks for repaire and or replacement. Working alone on Friday afternoon the deck hatches are opened and the tanks exposed the photo below shows the Stbd tank port tank is at left and is under the sole just visible.

Much pushing and pulling with a lifting tackle rigged from the main hatch and the Stbd tank is out and layed in the galley, an old oil leak had left a terrible mess in the bilge and had the bottom of the tank coated with oil large black trash can bags were used to wrap the tank.

All connecting bolts and hoses were disconnected and the imspection plate together with level sensor were removed. The Stbd tank is lifted and eased forward to clear the mast. Mistake was to not wrap the mast with a towel or card board the tabs on the tank scratched the pait a little.

Saturday morning the Stbd tank is lifted clear and off the boat.

Now the port tank, a little bigger job on this one. The tank will not come out in one piece not enough clearence forward and or to Stbd to get it out.

A window was cut with a jib saw to allow access to the inside for a 4" grinder with cutting disc to cut the tank in half from the inside.

In this photo the tank is cut and the forward half is lifted clear for removal, the grinder leaves very sharp edges so black bags to the rescue, use old towels to protect the teak.

In this shot the window can be seen in the Aft half of the tank.

Both tanks out and the bilge area cleaned getting ready for a new coat of paint and preps for the new tank configuration.

Engine Re-Build

So a main bearing seal oil leak, and failed starter motor prompted engine removal, the decision was made to re-build while its out.

A lifting gallows was made using a 2 x 6 and 2 x 4 lumber and out she comes. The Beautiful Cindy Sue cutting her teeth on mechanical work by fire!!!

Onto the dock using the boom, into my truck and off to "Saunders Tech" in Pensacola FL for re-manufacture.

New liners, pistons and rings, all new bolts, crank re ground with new bearings, fresh paint and re-built Injector pump she should be as good as new when done!

Hamilton Ferris Solar Panels.

Three 140 Watt panels.

En-route to Florida in June 2017 the rebuilt Perkins decided it had, had enough and threw a rod. This happened about thirty miles South of the Mississippi Delta, so sailed as close to Mobile Alabama as was needed to get Tow Boat US to come and get us at 75 out from Mobile Yacht Club.

A new Beta Marine 50hp engine was ordered and old Perky was taken off the boat for the last time.

Lil Red was installed all is well also installed a "J" prop from Beta and wow what a difference in overall performance.