Renewal = removal?

Looking back, sometimes it seems that our time on Eolian has been dominated by deinstalling things and hauling them off the boat, some large, some small, and some almost trivial.  Here's what I remember so far, over the 15 years that we have now been responsible for her care:

• I think the first think to go back in 1997 was a rusty  suspended metal three-basket set.  It was ugly beyond belief.
• Remove a whole host of corroded brass doodads that celebrated dolphins. 
• Remove another host of straw fabrications, presumably procured in Mexico and attached to various places with generous quantities of silicone
• Removed an ancient battery charger, and eventually the batteries that it ruined.
• Removed (and refurbished) the insulation of the refrigerator
• Removed and plugged the refrigerator opening that had been cut into the countertop, apparently by a drunken logger with a chainsaw that needed sharpening
• Removed (and replaced) the refrigerator door
• Removed (and replaced) the original stove/oven.  This was at least 20% by weight congealed grease
• Removed a 110V crash pump - a large 110V centrifugal pump.  In a situation that needed it, it was likely that the time spent getting it to prime would have allowed the water to rise up and drown the generator.  
• Removed (and replaced) 3 bronze head thru-hulls and associated leaking bronze tapered plug valves
• Removed (and replaced) the original bilge pump, installed when there was nothing else in the hull, apparently.  Spelunking skills were required.
• Removed a corroded and non-functional antenna tuner
• Removed an unbelievable quantity of "mystery wire" - wires that went nowhere and caused no end of difficulty in troubleshooting electrical problems.  At today's copper prices, I wish that I had saved it for recycling - I'd be rich.
• Removed (and replaced) the old bowsprit
• Removed (and replaced) the old inner forestay pad eye
• Removed  (and replaced) the old Benmar autopilot
• Removed the leaking fuel daytank
• Removed (and replaced) the refrigerator cooling water circulating pump
• Removed (and replaced) the holding tank
• Removed (and replaced) the bilge pump controls
• Removed (and replaced) the forward electrical distribution panel
• Removed two non-functional diesel filters
• Removed (and replaced) the stern lite
• Removed (and replaced) the masthead lite
• Removed (and replaced) the old microwave
• Removed (and replaced) the water heater
• Removed (and replaced) the corroded section at the foot of the mainmast
• Removed (and replaced) all the running rigging
• Removed (and replaced) the old cockpit canvas/bimini/dodger/side curtains
• Removed (and replaced) the old Groco heads
• Removed (and replaced) all the head plumbing
• Removed (and replaced) the exhaust elbow
• Removed (and replaced) the exhaust manifold
• Removed (and replaced) the alternator
• Removed (and replaced) all the original instrumentation (except windspeed/direction)
• Removed (and replaced) the original inverter
• Removed (and replaced) all the interior cushions and upholstery
• Removed (and rebuilt) all the cockpit cushions
• Removed (and replaced) the large fixed cabin windows
• Removed (and replaced) four of the eight opening ports
• Removed the original 110V space heaters
• Removed (and replaced) the original TV
• Removed (and replaced) the original VHF
• Removed the LORAN set (replaced with GPS)
• Removed the remains of the original airconditioning equipment
• Removed a non-functional oil change pump
• Removed (and replaced) the mizzenboom gooseneck fitting
• Removed all the original wood-grain formica
• Removed (and replaced) all the engine rubber hosing
• Removed (and replaced) the original fuel level senders
• Removed (and replaced) the original fresh water pressure pump
• Removed (and replaced) the original anchor wash-down pump

Woo boy.  I'm pretty sure that there's more, but the list is depressing enough as it is.  And there are investments that don't show up properly in the list, like a new bow lite, or a new inverter/charger.  Many of the removals above constituted their own projects which are documented elsewhere on this blog (you can search either by keyword or by label, over there on the right).

It seems that our waterline should have moved down...

Renewal = removal?

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Reprise

Well, we got a good test - 45 hours of hard wind-driven rain, and no leaks.

Hurray!

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Reprise

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase IV, final

Why the starboard middle window
was the first to be installed

Installation is finiky, but mostly tedious.  The hardest part of the job is getting the sun-baked white duct tape (held the shower curtains over the windows) off of the deckhouse. 

Done.  Finally.

And we finished before the rains begin in earnest.

Whew!

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase IV, final

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase III

The new window glazing arrived last week, but today is the first opportunity I have had to begin the work.

As usual, Bomon did a masterful job of packaging. Inside a large cardboard box was a protective layer of Celotex (think of it as soft, uncompressed masonite), a double layer of bubble wrap, and individual cardboard sleeves on each pane. Everything survived the several thousand mile trip from Quebec in perfect condition. The panes were apparently CNC cut from the same data as the original panes, and came with the neoprene gasket cut to length, bonded and fitted. Nice!

So the first step is the removal of the old glazing. Alain provided detailed instructions on how to do it. The best trick in those instructions was to remove the old neoprene gasket before disassembling the window frame. A couple of short, deft cuts with an Exacto knife (I have a blade that cuts on the end instead of the side - this proved perfect for the job), and it was possible to zip it right out! This is a huge bonus, because one of my greatest fears was destroying the frames trying to separate them from the rubber.


After removal of the gasket, disassembly of the frame and removal of the old glazing was easy.

You can see how far gone the Lexan was
by comparing it to the unexposed portion

Assembling the new glazing into the frame with the neoprene gasket in place was not so easy. The things that make these windows stout, heavy extrusions and tight clearances, don't make it easy to assemble them. Alain recommended the use of soapy water - I used soap rubbed on the rubber and water sponged onto the surfaces. And still it was real work to get things to go together. Multiple pipe clamps were required.

At about an hour and a half per window, it is clear that I'm not going to get them all done today...

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase III

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase IIb

Seal the raw edges of the window cutouts in the cabin sides...


If moisture should get past the outside window seal, it would wick into the foam and go who knows where.

I used polysulphide, carefully rubbed in with a finger.  To protect my finger from rough edges of fiberglass and to keep it clean, I used fingers cut off of rubber gloves (the gloves went 10 times further this way).

Counting clean up, each window (there are 6) took me about an hour to do, and I used that whole tube of polysulphide.

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase IIb

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase IIa

The manufacturer of our windows (Bomon) has informed me that the plexiglas is cut and he is ready to ship.  I had expected it to take much longer than this.  In fact, I had planned to reinstall the windows this weekend, and then pull them one-by-one to reglaze, much later.

Now I won't do this.  Instead, I'll work on other things.  Here's a partial list:

• Finish the alternator work
• Install the anode in the water heater
• Lube the aft head
• Remount the tray on the stern pulpit
• Seal the exposed foam at the window cutouts (OK, this actually is part of the window project)
• Clean the old Magma grill for resale

Looks like a good weekend...

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase IIa

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase I

Back in 2003 we had new windows custom manufactured for Eolian. Unfortunately, even tho I had specifically requested Plexiglas glazing, the manufacturer mistakenly used the more expensive Lexan.

I wanted Plexiglas because the poly(methyl methacrylate) is transparent to UV radiation - that is, the UV passes thru the acrylic without stopping and doing consequent damage. Not so with the polycarbonate - it is opaque to UV, meaning it absorbs it and suffers the consequences.

Now, here we are 7 years later, and the glazing has failed. It is so crazed that it is essentially opaque when the sun shines on it, and further, it is now brown in color. I talked to the manufacturer about this situation, and he offered to reglaze at his cost, but the shipping was so high that this option was untenable. He then offered to supply me with the materials and instructions at his cost - an option that seems fair to me.

Unfortunately, at this point we have already pulled the windows out.

We have covered the openings in the cabin sides with pieces cut out of shower curtains, attached with white duct tape.





Amazingly, the shower curtains have about the same transparency as the aged Lexan, and are not brown - they are actually an improvement. But we do feel like we are outside - the shower curtains do nothing to stop the outside sounds from coming in.  The birds are especially entertaining at first light.


I desperately hope we can get the materials in, the windows reglazed and reinstalled before the fall rains begin in earnest.

Project: Window renewal (#2) - Phase I