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May 7, 2012May 7, 2012

DC Generator 3

Now that the radiator is off. I need to mount a plate in its old spot. But, hey its too small! Apparently I’m not done, there is one more plate underneath to remove.

Look how much corrosion is present. The factory uses fresh water to test the units. Imagine what things would look like if one did not use a quality antifreeze.

Blanking plate is all set.

Because the blanking plate will now be the preferred entry point for antifreeze into the engine, the nipple on the head needs to be plugged. Unfortunately to get a wrench on it to remove the glow plug must temporarily come out. Once the plug is screwed down, the glow plug can get reinstalled.

May 6, 2012May 7, 2012

DC Generator 2

Before I can get started adding components I need to remove a few first. I need to remove the fuel tank as I will feed this unit from my inboard fuel tanks. Next, I’m going to cool the unit with a heat exchanger with wet exhaust, so the fan and radiator need to be removed.

First, the fuel tank comes by removing a few bolts, it has one feed line and multiple return lines.

Next up is the radiator. The radiator fan has its own belt, to remove it the shroud needs to come off.
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May 6, 2012

DC Generator 1

The new dc generator arrived!

I was expecting some amount of assembly, but it arrived with essentially none of the accessories installed. I’ll have to mount and rig the heat exchanger, the circulating pump as well the fuel pump. They are currently in their own box.

April 8, 2012April 9, 2012

Inati to anacortes

07:30 and underway. The crew is well rested, over fed and in good spirits. Less than a foot chop, sunshine and little wind.

09:00. Home port is in sight. 7.9 gallons burned since Friday.

With luck it is early enough that nobody will notice I’m landing barefoot and in pajamas.

Luck was not with me. The channel was running just over 4 knots and I did not feel I could safely get in. I sat and jogged in the current for about an hour, enough time for the current to drop to just over 3 knots and plenty of time to see exactly what it was doing next to the new breakwater. I made it in without fanfare, but there is a rather narrow line that will be required to follow when the current is chugging. With the full moon, we were pushing a good ten foot of water in the exchange.

April 7, 2012

Inati Bay

The amazing thing that I find about boating in the northwest is no matter how long you have been out there, there are still places I have not been. Less than an hour from my home port even, here I swing in Inati bay on Lummi island.

There is only one other boat in the bay, a fellow Tollycraft anchored near a small waterfall.

There is a beautiful beach…

This looks like some sort of log careen..

April 7, 2012

Just outside of Eagle Harbor on Cypress

Waking up this morning with a beautiful sunrise, a bit of frost on the decks, birds chirping and flat calm. Ive seen this all before, yet somehow its just as impressive as the first time. For the first cruise of the season, I’m reminded why we do this.

Cypress island is only a stones throw from my home port, I ran no more than 7 knots last evening to get here and burned almost a gallon of fuel over about 45 minutes it seemed. Trying to decide whether to stay here another night. With no generator, I’ll have to run the main engines to heat up water for a shower anyway, and put a little charge back to the battery.

It seems crazy to even think of moving from such a spot when you think about it, yet this is the fortune we have in this part of the world.