January 1, 2017
Whew looking back at 2016 I am feeling very good about the outcome. The long awaited trip to the Sea of Cortez accomplished, not only accomplished but thoroughly enjoyed. It is funny how different an experience will be from what we had dreamed about. Not at all in a good or bad way, just different. The trip to the Sea…
November 17, 2016
UPDATE January 21, 2017!!! – Rudder bearing installation, see the new post for more information: Update What a process… I had reached out to Van at Seawind Catamarans for assistance on how to remove the rudder bearings. But I suppose I should start from the beginning – for a while now I have had a vibration when making a sharp…
October 23, 2016
So what happened? Well I suppose the best term would be burn out. After working the month of July averaging 85 hours weeks, when I headed back to Minnesota, I was ready for a break from boat work. I did return for a few days in early September where I knocked off a couple of things and continued a frustrating…
August 30, 2016
The sail down to the Sea of Cortez is quickly approaching. Thankfully the list of projects is shrinking and looks like there should be a green light for making the downwind cruise to La Paz in October. Looking at my original list there were two categories of items, 1. Critical to the safety of the boat and 2. Things that…
August 15, 2016
Well I suppose it should be expected that the one hatch that leaked would be over my bed. At least in Mexico and San Diego there isn’t a lot of rain so it wasn’t major issue. Mostly just a just a pain in the ass when washing the boat, since I had to remember to put a bin under the…
August 2, 2016
Disassembly of a Harken 46 was pretty straight forward. The pictures were a big help in making sure everything fell back into place when reassembling the winch. Supplies used: Bucket for clean and dirty parts Small cleaning brush (nylon) 1” Paint brush Harken Winch Grease Harken Pawl oil Large and small flat head screwdrivers Allen wrenches Clean rags Mineral spirits…
August 1, 2016
It was an exhausting, at times overwhelming, grind, but from July 7th until August 1st I buckled down and cranked out a lot of work. The days were long often starting before 6:00am and not knocking off until after 8:00pm. I skipped a bunch of meals and made daily trips to the marine store, Home Depot, and Target (some times…
July 26, 2016
Two engines means two chances to get it right. Or to screw it up… Clip the zip tie holding the coolant hose Remove the alternator belt guard Remove the lower bolt from the back side of the alternator Loosen both the front and back bolt holding the alternator Remove the alternator belt Remove the alternator cables Zip tie the alternator…
April 28, 2016
With only getting time aboard about once per month, upon arrival there is a routine I have to “exerciser” the systems. The pumps (fresh water and HVAC), the thru-hulls, the engine fluids, and the critical head test and purge. Guess what failed… The starboard head bowl filled nicely with seawater. The evacuation, not so much. Great, one more project to…
January 28, 2016
Large swell. Blue sky. Light wind. Warm temperatures. A beautiful day to be on the water. A number of boats had been holed up in Ensenada waiting for a weather window to start the journey to Cabo. My plans weren’t so exciting, but then again I didn’t have all the preparation either, so it should be no surprise that after…