Cockpit table getting new screws. Stainless, because brass screws are such a silly idea. They meet some seawater and turn into pudding (dezincification).

Successfully dug out the broken screw remains and epoxy filled the hole.

Waiting for it to cure, which shoud be quick in the warm tent!

#Epoxy #BoatMaintenance #TheBoatyard #CruisingLife #Brass #Stainless

Mads from Sail Life is stuck in the Cape Verdes with a broken autopilot drive. And two broken backup units of the same type, one of which was faulty from new (not sure why he accepted this and took it along as spare).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4PY125fRCg

Not exactly great advertising for the manufacturer, Hy-Pro in the UK.

Meanwhile the Caribbean and Atlantic crossing season is ticking away fast.

https://www.hypro.co.uk/products/hydraulic-pumps-and-steering/linear-actuators/

#Sailing #BoatMaintenance #MarineElectronics #Hydraulics #CruisingLife

Varnishing weather finally arrived. Took the cockpit tent off and prepped everything on Monday, only to wake up to thunder and rain on Tuesday.

Today the promised sun came, so now everything smells really nice (boiled linseed and tung oil varnish, no stinky synthetic).

I do weirdly enjoy varnishing. Don't ask me to polish gelcoat though.

#Varnish #BoatMaintenance #TheBoatyard #DIY #Teak #Wood #Sailboat

Me, installing new batteries.

The trick is to start and finish this job in daylight and while it's not too cold, because during it there's no lights, no heating and no water pumps.

Luckily we have a dark blue cockpit tent, which absorbs a lot of sun (when available) and kept @vaviurka warm. In summer this is not the most practical colour though! :)

#CruisingLife #TheBoatyard #Batteries #BoatMaintenance #OffGrid

Chipping away the last remnants of the teak deck.

Top tip to boat buyers: Never get a teak deck. New, old, good condition, a few years left or already rotting off - doesn't matter, just stay away from this epic nonsense.

#Teak #Deck #Deteakification #BoatMaintenance #TheBoatyard

One lazarette lid done. Removed the teak decking from the top, had to pad all the fittings, patch gelcoat, scraped off the old weather sealing from the bottom lip and installed new foam on the top, much more protected from wear.

This involved sitting inside the locker with a pencil and flashlight to transfer the location of the foam seal onto the lid :)

Then made new straps for the emergency wire cutter and gave it some fresh oil and wrapping.

#TheBoatyard #BoatMaintenance #DIY #CruisingLife

Annual diesel tank maintenance. Was a bit concerned, as we had a few drops of water in the bottom of the separator, but didn't find any more water in the tank and only the tiniest bit of dirt.

At least I know our Chinese copy of a Racor 500 FG is actually working to separate water from fuel. Wasn't even enough water to notice until filter change.

As usual, the stuff goes through a coffee filter and back in the tank.

#TheBoatyard #BoatMaintenance #Fuel #Filter #Diesel

About 20 months ago, I removed the old, failing teak deck from our boat and freed the non-skid gelcoat it was glued onto. This left a bunch of black PU adhesive in between the nonskid pattern. It's nearly impossible to remove as PU has good chemical resistance, but luckily is vulnerable to UV light, so simply ignoring it is doing a great job so far!

I'm guessing in another two years or so, the rest is gone. Maybe a bit longer in shadier spots.

#TheBoatyard #Deteakification #BoatMaintenance

Fourth stormy day in a row. Getting on my nerves a bit.

Updating the boat data wiki. I've written down a lot of random measurements I've needed over the years. And other things, like which lubricants to use on what. Should be useful for the next owner. I had to figure out everything myself and it took ages :)

#Documentation #CruisingLife #BoatMaintenance #TheBoatyard

Broken snapshackle? Turn it into a low friction ring!

I previously wired it shut, but this is much nicer. Stainless bolt with dome nut secured with liquid threadlocker

This works really well for the little 4mm rope that we use as dedicated halyard for the anchor ball. It's normally lashed to the mast at the lower spreaders.

#DIY #BoatMaintenance #TheBoatyard #Recycling #Reuse

Mast climbing day, because when we pulled out all the halyards for washing, one mouseline ran away 🐁🏃😱

It's back in after some fiddling and a neighbour helpfully handing @vaviurka a piece of wire to fish it out of the mast with.

The folding mast steps once again came in handy (footy?). Even remembered to fold each one on the way down this time 😁

#BoatMaintenance #CruisingLife #TheBoatyard

How to rate a chandlery in one quick glance: Look at the nuts & bolts shelf. If it's little plastic packs of 7 screws each, it's bound to be a lousy chandlery.

If it's industrial sliding shelves with open trays where you can examine, pick and count the exact nuts & bolts you need, they're bound to be a good chandlery.

#TheBoatyard #CruisingLife #BoatMaintenance #DIY

I removed my batteries from the boat to give them one more full cycle before they go into storage. The old fashioned 130V light bulb work perfectly with 50 VDC. 80h to go!

#batteries #lifepo4 #boatmaintenance #battery

One long year on the hard is wrapping up. The engine got replaced with an electric motor, the bilge got cleaned out, leaks where found and fixed, mold got removed.
They say, for a day working on a boat you get a day sailing on a boat. Next season is going to be great!
#sailing #sailboat #alberg30 #engine #boatmaintenance

Fixed some original sin¹ I discovered while looking at the alternator the other day. The battery wires were plenty thick, but undersized ones connected from the alternator to the VSR (Voltage Sensing Relay) and the starter.

Upgraded them and moved the temperature sensor to a better spot.

When working on live wires with big battery banks, it's a good idea to protect one end of the cable with something ⚡

¹ Sins commited by previous owners or their minions.

#CruisingLife #DIY #BoatMaintenance

The Microsoft of boat parts: Navico.

https://panbo.com/brunswick-corporation-establishes-navico-group/

"Some of the many brands that make up Navico Group include: Ancor, Attwood, B&G, BEP, Blue Sea Systems, C-MAP, CZone, Garelick, Lenco, Lowrance, Mastervolt, Marinco, MotorGuide, Progressive Industries, ProMariner, RELiON, Simrad, and Whale."

#TheBoatyard #BoatMaintenance #MarineElectronics

13 months later...

Lots of weathering, a few pressure washes and deck scrubs and I'd say about half the old glue is gone. All the center dimples have gone away and the grooves are filled about half way instead of all the way to the top now.

So this indeed seems to be working, albeit a bit slower than expected.

#DeTeakification #BoatMaintenance #DIY #TheBoatyard #Macro #Gelcoat #CruisingLife

Taking apart the old tack assembly. I have an idea how to repair it with onboard materials (might have to buy some Monel rivets in Olbia).

The stainless parts came off okay and are in good condition. There is enough extrusion left to make something with by extending the bottom.

All depends on if I can drive out the aluminium reinforcement inside the extrusion though. Currently soaking in release penetrant.

#DIY #BoatMaintenance #Selden #Rig #CruisingLife

Winter isn't just for Sunday BBQs and yoga lessons - it's the season of boat maintenance.

Had a spell of good weather and nearly done freshening up the varnish on various bits of cockpit trim.

#BoatMaintenance #CruisingLife #TheBoatYard #Varnish #DIY

Two macro shots from the deck. One from the coachroof area which never had any teak, so the gelcoat has been exposed to the elements for 20 years.

The other from underneath the recently removed teak deck, with residual black glue and a white patch nearby.

#deteakification #boatmaintenance #theBoatyard #macro #gelcoat #diy #cruisinglife