Holding Tank Monitor And Major Service On Our Ford Lehman

We posted our holding tank installation several months back and one of the unfinished parts of that project was to install a tank monitor. We did a lot of research on the different types and manufacturers and finally decided on the Solo Tank Monitor made by New Providence Marine/Ferriello Sales LLC. The decision was based on lots of positive feedback from current owners and a recommendation from Miss Peggy Hall, known throughout the boat industry as the "Head Mistress." Peggy has a couple of excellent books on marine sanitation. The installation could not have been more straightforward or easier.

 We first needed to decide where to mount the display. It needed to be easy to see and have good access to run the wires from the power source to the tank. A convenient spot on the bulkhead directly behind the head was perfect for us. It began with cutting a hole for the panel. We posted our procedure for doing this in an earlier post, so I won't repeat it again. The power connection was run from our main DC panel and the monitor has its own breaker switch.
  

Even though it's connected to a breaker, we also installed an in-line fuse per the manufacturer's instructions. All of the in-line fuses on Beach House have a spare fuse taped to the fuse holder, so if it blows, there is no hunting for a replacement and hoping we have the right size. This has made the replacement process quick and easy.

With the panel in place and the power wire run and connected, the next step is to install the sensors on the outside of the tank. We chose the external, non-contact sensor. There is no need to drill holes in the tank, no moving parts to care for or any sensor in the tank that would need cleaning. With our custom made "plastic" tank, this kind of sensor is ideal. The installation of the sensor is extremely easy and only took a few minutes.

The sensor module is wired to the display panel, two self-stick strips of aluminum are attached to the outside of the tank, the self-stick copper patches attached to the module are stuck over the aluminum strips and the module is secured between them via a piece of self-stick tape. And that is all there is to it.

There is one more additional step and that is calibrating the tank both empty and full. This allows the sensor to read and display how much fluid is in the tank. Our tank is opaque and you can see the fluid levels if the drawer next to it is removed. But we prefer a bit easier and more precise way to tell when the tank needs to be pumped out BEFORE it is over full. The first part of the calibration is to pump the tank as empty as possible. Most tanks will still have a small amount in the bottom, but that is okay and preferred during the calibration process. Once empty, the buttons are manipulated according to the installation manual.

We then filled the tank with our water hose, being careful to stop at about two inches above the top of the tank. This would give us a little cushion when the monitor reads full and we would still have a couple of flushes to carry us through if we needed them. Once the tank was full, again, a simple manipulation of the buttons on the display calibrated the monitor for a full tank. The entire installation took very little time and was one of the easier installs we have done. We highly recommend this unit.

Oh yes, I did mention some major service for our Ford Lehman 120. The engine has performed flawlessly since we have owned the boat. But it has had a minor problem with oil weeping from where the head bolts on to the top of the engine, near the rear of the head and engine. I re-torqued the head bolts when we were in Reedville, Virginia and it slowed the problem down a bit, but did not stop it. So we decided to pull the head, have it checked and machined if necessary, and at the same time, replace the injectors, new valves and seats, a new head gasket and exhaust manifold gasket and do a valve adjustment. Our plans to do the Great Loop will mean thousands of miles that we will have to motor so we want the motor to be in tip-top condition. The top of the pistons and the cylinder walls all looked excellent and even the valves were in good shape, but since we had everything apart, it only made sense put new valves in since they are very inexpensive. We'll let you know how it all turns out.

Trawler Flybridge Makeover

A major project that has been on my to-do list for a very long time is the renovation of the flybridge. I knew this was going to be a lot of work, and other more pressing projects have kept this on the back burner. But at some point, it really needed to be done and a few weeks ago, I reached that point. The "You Have To Do It Now" list is blank for the time being, and I have found the extra time away from the work stuff to get it done. But it was not one of my more pleasant projects.

The built in fiberglass seats were looking really bad and had to be completely removed. They leaked every time it rained and the gelcoat was in bad condition. We considered painting them and making new cushions, but in the end decided they had to go. Removing the teak baseboards made it easy to just pull them out. They are only fastened to the deck by a handful of screws attached to three glassed-in frames on the inside.

Once the seats were out, I glassed in the flybridge gunnels to the deck, eliminating any possible water intrusion. Many traditionalists will have a fit about this, since now the flybridge can never be removed. But we see no future plans that would require the removal, and this eliminated an ongoing problem for us. The space where they meet was filled in with thickened epoxy, and a two-inch strip of fiberglass cloth was applied over that. Epoxy with fairing compound thickener was the final coat, and once the epoxy kicked off, it was sanded to a rounded corner.

With the edges glassed in place, the inner frames that held the seats in place had to be cut off flush with the deck. A reciprocating saw with a long blade did most of the work. Then there was a lot of grinding to get it level. Once everything was satisfactory, the cut off area was covered with a layer of one-inch wide cloth and epoxy to cover and reinforce the deck.

Once the starboard side was done, the entire process had to be done on the port side. Did I mention that this was really messy and no fun at all? Eventually all of the glass work was done and it took lots of sanding, starting with 80 grit and moving up to 125, until all of the surfaces were smooth enough to think about painting.

Of course, with any project, there are those unforeseeable little details that drive you crazy. The new seats were going to be in a different position and they were slightly larger than the old ones. That meant the speakers would have to be moved about 3 inches aft so they were not behind the new seat backs. The old holes had to be glassed in and faired so the sides could be painted.

Now that ALL of the fiberglassing was done, the surfaces smooth and sanded to 125 grit and the surrounding areas taped off, the first of 3 coats of white AwlGrip 545 primer was applied. Each coat was sanded with 220 grit before the next was applied.

After the primer, 3 coats of AwlGrip Cloud White was applied, also sanded between coats with 220 grit. Awlgrip recommends at least 300 grit, but I have had better luck with the 220 and the paint looks just as good. The tube sticking out of the deck leads to the exhaust in the galley and will have a fan attached later. At this point, we have not done anything with the decks except sanding.

 

For some time now we have had two 36-inch bench seats on the flybridge and these were always meant to be the replacement for the old seats. They were installed back to back, caulked along the bottom and securely fastened to the deck on the starboard side. These seats have lots of storage space in the base. They are vinyl covered with high density foam and plastic bases.

There is not enough space to put 36-inch seats on both the port and starboard side, so we put two 27-inch wide seats on the port side. They are very comfortable and so much more attractive than the old fiberglass seats. Once all of the seats were installed, the decks had to be re-done. Our plan was to coat all of the decks with the same Tuff Coat non-skid material we used on our previous boat.

We have posted the details on doing our non-skids on our sailboat here, and this process would be exactly the same. The preparations take much, much more time than the actual application. First, all of the edges have to be carefully taped and any surfaces covered over that will not be coated.

Once the edges are taped, I like to apply the provided primer with a small roller, being careful not to get the primer on other surfaces. The primer dries completely clear and should sit for 24 hours before the non-skid coating is applied.

The non-skid is tenacious and will stick to anything it comes in contact with. It is nearly impossible to remove once it dries. To keep the spatter off everything, we use a 9-inch wide painters tape around everything.

The secret to getting the texture even is to make sure the material is thoroughly mixed, and a mixing paddle and drill will do this just fine. The material also needs to be stirred even in the paint pan while working.

The corners and edges where the roller does not quite reach needs to be done with a brush. The trick here is to "dab" the materials and not to brush it like paint. I use the brush to stir the coating in the paint pan also.

The non-skid coating is applied with the roller provided by the manufacturer. I like to roll about a 2'X2' section, first in one direction and then the opposite direction. It take a short time to develop a technique that leaves an even pattern in the coating.

Two coats are needed, and as soon as the first coat is dry to the touch, the second coat should be applied. The material dries very quickly. The person applying the material should be covered, too, since getting it off skin after it dries can be painful.

Another very important step is to get the paper and tape off IMMEDIATELY. If left on too long, it will pull the edges up as the tape is removed. The material can be walked on, but shoes should be discouraged.

The results are astounding and we really love this material. It is truly non-skid no matter how wet the surface gets and no matter what kind of footwear you have on. We have found it to be very durable no matter how much we abuse it, and it is easy to clean.

The finished flybridge looks absolutely amazing and we are so pleased at how it all turned out. It surpassed all of our expectations and makes this one of our favorite spots on the boat now.

The final steps are to re-bed and re-install any hardware that was removed. The aft deck cabin top was the third section done this time.

The only problem now is, we will need to get some new deck furniture to go in our new flybridge. The walk around section of the deck has not been done yet. We want to wait to finish a few other things first so we don't mess up the new surface.

On to the next project.

Mustang Survival IPFD Recall

We have been users of the Mustang Inflatable Vests for many years and have been very satisfied with them. But we have recently been made aware of a recall due to a problem that might keep them from fully inflating. Here is the official recall notice...


November 2, 2011

MUSTANG SURVIVAL ISSUES VOLUNTARY RECALL NOTICE ON MD2010 & MD2012 model 22LB Inflatable Personal Flotation Devices

In keeping with Mustang Survival’s commitment to the highest levels of product quality and safety, we are voluntarily recalling all model number MD2010 and MD2012 inflatable Personal Flotation Devices (PFD’s) sold in the United States during 2011. To determine if you are impacted by this recall please reference the images below:
Image 1: Any inflatable product with multiple white sewn on safety labels on the back is OK and is not affected by this recall.





Image 2 If your inflatable does not have white sewn on safety labels, please check for model number MD2010 or MD2012 on the back of the PFD, then refer to Image 3.











Image 3 MD2010/MD2012 models with an “MIT” (Membrane Inflatable Technology) stamp (in black or color) above the CO2 cylinder are OK. Any MD2010 or MD2012 missing the “MIT” stamp should be returned to Mustang!
This recall is being issued for the inspection and repair of an inflator installation inconsistency that may prevent some units from fully inflating.  Mustang Survival has developed a solution that corrects any affected product and prevents re-occurrence of this issue.  The inspection and repair can only be performed at a Mustang Survival factory.
This recall notification is for only the MD2010 and MD2012 22LB buoyancy inflatable PFDs.  No other Mustang Survival products are affected as they utilize different inflator mechanisms. 
All MD2010 and MD2012 PFD’s without the stamped MIT logo as shown in Image 3 (above) should be returned to Mustang Survival for inspection.  All other Mustang PFD’s are okay for use.
Distributors and consumers are urged to contact Mustang Survival’s Customer Service department at 1-800-526-0532 between 7:30am and 4:30pm PST, Monday through Friday for specific shipping instructions.  If you have questions, please first refer to the Frequently Asked Questions below:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Why do I have to return the product?
A: Our QA team has discovered an installation inconsistency with the inflator system that needs to be tested and corrected if necessary.
Q: How do I know if my inflatable is one of the affected products?
A: The model number is screen printed onto the back panel above the UL mark and will begin with the characters MD followed by four numbers. Affected products are MD2010 and MD2012
Q: When will I get my product back?
A: We are striving to have all products returned to dealers and consumers within 3-4 weeks (including shipping time to and from Mustang).
Q: What are you doing with my returned product?
A: All units will be tested and if necessary, repaired, before being returned. We will stamp the inside of the product above the CO2 cylinder with “MIT” to indicate that it has been tested and is OK.
Q: Are the re-arm kits affected by this recall?
A: Re-arm kits are not affected by this recall. The problem is isolated to the inflator assembly on the inflatable PFD.
Q: Is this a problem caused by the M.I.T. (Membrane) technology?
A: No, the problem is with the inflator installation on the affected units.
Q: Does this recall impact any other Mustang inflatable PFDs?
A: No, the recall is limited to only the MD2010 and MD2012 models due to its unique inflator components and installation method.
Q: How do I return my product?
A: Contact Mustang Survival’s Customer Service department at 1-800-526-0532 between 7:30am and 4:30pm PST, Monday through Friday with any questions or concerns regarding this voluntary recall notice.
Q: What are the shipping and repair costs?
A: Mustang Survival will pay for all testing, repair and shipping costs.
Q: How are you notifying the public about this issue?
A: A detailed communications plan is being executed to notify all affected dealers, distributors, consumers and industry partners.

Moeller Marine Products Review

Over the years we have often used Moeller Marine products, also sold under Tempo, and found them to be of fairly decent quality. But our most recent purchases have changed our opinion considerably. Here on the Beach House site we often post the specific product we are working with and links to where it can be found. When we use a product we like, it gets a good mention and we will often recommend it to others. But when we find a product we consider of poor quality we feel just as obligated to let others know of our experience. Three recent products made by Moeller have made our "Never Again" list. 

Each of these was purchased only a few months ago and only used a couple of times. The first is a pad that goes over the transom of our dinghy to cushion it when the outboard is mounted. This has only been used one other time with the outboard on and when we mounted the outboard again this weekend, here is the condition we found the pad to be in. It has split completely in half. The dinghy is mounted horizontally on our swim platform and it is impossible for anything to come in contact that might cause this problem.

The next is the premade fuel line that connects the outboard to the fuel tank. The squeeze bulb that lets you prime the line and the outboard is made of such a hard rubber material that you can't squeeze it to prime anything. You must virtually step on it to get the bulb to compress.

The hose itself is starting to collapse from the inside. We are always very careful not to crimp the hose but this one has already developed a crimp on its own, right at the end fitting. Also note the cheap crimped clamp on the end fitting since this too is a problem.

Both ends leak where the hose attaches to the end fitting connectors because the crimped clamp does not clamp down tight enough on the hose. You can easily spin the end connectors and if you can get enough pressure on the priming bulb the ends leak and will continue to leak when the engine is running and pulling fuel from the tank.

The biggest disappointment has been the brand new 3 gallon fuel tank that we purchased about a month ago. We use three gallon tanks for the dinghy so that the gas in the tanks get turned over quickly and we don't have to throw away bad gas, especially as expensive as it is now. The first time we filled up the tank and carried it down the dock we found it was leaking all over the place. Upon further inspection it was determined that the threads for the plastic cap that holds the pick up tube was split in half where the threads meet the mounting.

After disassembling the fitting, I used the handle for the pliers to hold open the split to show how bad it was. Note the other tank sitting next to the broken one. This older tank is a couple of years old and is also a Moeller tank. It has shown no signs of problems and continues to be leak free. I can only make the assumption that the manufacturing process has changed and quality control has gone down the tubes. The colors of the tanks are not the same further indicating to me that things have changed. Perhaps if it had been a single product we might have just taken it back for exchange. But three different products from the same manufacturer all failing in such a short period leads me to only one conclusion. We don't want this product on our boat. This time we will take the hit and reorder all three of these from another manufacturer. I invite Moeller to come on the site and comment on this if they care to.

Our Navigational Notices and Other Work Related Stuff

We haven't been totally neglecting Beach House, but W-O-R-K has been interfering with our boat work a little. Our new projects for Marinalife are coming along nicely. We have quite a few Navigational Notices and Alerts posted that cover the eastern U.S. coast from Maine to Florida and the Gulf Coast, Great Lakes and inland Waterways that include the Great Loop Route. We have even posted a few from the west coast, but not as extensive as the rest. We are also putting together cruising itineraries based on some of our previous cruises that include marina stops and anchorages for a leisure cruise south on the ICW, with stops at about every 50 miles. We will have another cruise template for the ICW from the Georgia border to the Florida Keys, but that will probably not be up for another week. If anyone wants to receive my Navigational Notices, you can go to the Marinalife website and register, and then sign up for whatever areas you want on your dashboard page. It is all free and I send out the Notices as soon as I receive and verify them. They can be read on the website or sent right to your email box. The notices are also linked to our Nautical Chartviewer so you can see the exact area where the notice is posted.

We have also done a few articles for Marinalife Magazine and Susan has an article that has just been picked up by Cruising World. We've compiled many of our anchorages and included them in the Marinalife Chartviewer, plus we have an article for anchorages along the ICW that we will be posting later. Keeping up with all of our other writing has kept us off the blog for a while, but we will make it up soon. Besides working to build the cruising Kitty, we are renovating the flybridge and will post on that as soon as we're a bit farther along. Our plan is to replace the old fiberglass seats, Awlgrip areas we have not done yet and redo the non-skid on the decks. It's still a work in progress, but we are moving along.

We are in our third marina since we arrived in south Florida. We have always wanted to be able to sample different locations rather than just park in one spot as we have often done. Being able to do this is not only fun, but it lets us feel more like we are still boating rather than just sitting and working. More on that later too. The big projects are yet to be done. The autopilot will be next after we finish the flybridge. After that, and a few smaller things, we will tackle the generator. So stick around and sign up for Marinalife updates through email or RSS feed, and we will keep on keepin' on.

Plotting Your Course

In September of 1987, I sailed my 30-foot Hughes Columbia sailboat south to Little River, South Carolina. After a few days of waiting weather, I exited the Little River Inlet and pointed the bow towards Bermuda, some 1,000 miles away. To find that small speck in the middle of the Atlantic, I had the most up-to-date navigational instruments of the time. They consisted of a compass, VHF radio, a sextant with complete tables, paper charts and a radio direction finder. Seven and a half days later, I tuned the RDF to the radio signal for St. Georges Harbor and my feelings of accomplishment were beyond explanation.

Flash forward to the year 2000 as we were planning a trip through the Bahamas, Hispaniola and Cuba. We bought our first on-board computer with state-of-the-art navigational software and the most current electronic charts. We thought we had gone from the Santa Maria to the Starship Enterprise. Now, just 11 years later, that first navigational setup seems almost primitive. Today, we have a full complement of electronics, including our favorite, the chartplotter. We didn’t install our first chartplotter until our cruise from Houston, Texas to Beaufort, South Carolina in 2007. Once we had it on board, we wondered how we had navigated all those thousands of miles for all of those years without one.

Plotters are arguably the most popular piece of electronic equipment found on boats today. The advancements of plotters and GPS integration over the last 18 years are nothing short of astounding. In the early 90s, most all of us were still plotting our course on paper charts and using dividers, protractors, parallel rulers and a sharp number two pencil. Some time around 1993, all of that changed and the race was on for high tech, highly accurate electronic charting. In 1993, Raymarine introduced the Raychart 600 as an add-on to their radar system. The unit displayed on a CRT screen and the radar had to be switched off to view the crude monochrome display with little detail. In 1995, Garmin introduced the GPS Map 220. It boasted of viewing in 16 colors and retailed for over $2,000. These early chartplotters required expensive data cards or “chips” with limited storage space. A long distance cruiser might need up to 10 or more of these chips to cover all of their navigational areas. These chips were not updateable, so to have the most current, we would often have to purchase new cards if significant chart updates had been made.

In 2003, Raymarine once again made major headway with their introduction of the C Series and E Series displays with the ability to integrate other onboard electronics to the same screen. The term chartplotter was already becoming a thing of the past. True chartplotters are getting harder and harder to find today as system integration becomes the norm even on small recreational vessels. Today’s multifunction displays or MFDs can display almost every other instrument connected to the system. This includes radar overlays, wind speed and direction, boat speed, depths and much more. All of this while providing a position on the electronic chart with accuracy within feet of where your boat actually is on the planet.

The current offerings for MFDs are as spectacular as the improvements from 15 years ago. The new Raymarine e7 series, released in July 2011, contains a dual-core processor, touch screen technology and dedicated graphics for incredible speed and detailed display. The e7 has built in WiFi that will communicate with the Apple iPad, allowing it to be used as a repeater and much more. With the new LED backlighted screen, the e7 is incredibly bright and colorful, even in direct sunlight. The e7 can be integrated with Raymarine radar, night vision cameras, Sirius weather receivers, autopilots and other instruments and contains a 48-channel GPS receiver.

Not to be outdone, other manufacturers are also bringing out some outstanding products. Simrad has introduced their new touch-screen NSSSport Series. The NSS Sport comes in three sizes and offers touch-screen, keypad and rotary control to provide the user with a variety of user controls to fit their comfort level. Ensuring ultimate flexibility, the NSS Sport can be networked to the Simrad NSO and NSE multifunction displays, as well as Simrad Yachting’s comprehensive range of innovative performance module options, including the award-winning Broadband Radar™, StructureScan™ Sonar Imaging, SonicHub™ marine audio server and WM-2 SIRIUS^® satellite weather/radio module. The NSS Sport is also preloaded with Insight USA™ inland and coastal cartography, and is fully compatible with the complete range of Navionics chart options on microSD.

Garmin’s new GPSMap 6000/7000 touch-screen offers state-of-the-art G motion technology and built-in worldwide maps, XM weather radio compatibility and allows support for radar, sonar and more. The G motion technology give the user unprecedented viewing of navigational charts.

Many of the current displays include built-in charts for the entire United States coastal and inland waters. The need to purchase individual charting chips is also becoming a thing of the past. Satellite overlays, 3D imaging, weather overlays and video displays are but the beginning of more features, added capabilities and expansion we will see from all of the major manufacturers. As users demand more integration with other mobile devices and more computer-like capabilities, companies like Raymarine, Garmin, Simrad and others will quickly introduce new and more exciting products, a long stretch from my first sextant and radio direction finder.

A big word of caution is also needed with all of this technology. The temptation is great to fire up all of the electronics and head off into the sunset staring at your MFD and feeling you’re getting all of the information you could possibly need to navigate around the world. As great as these electronics are and with all of the information they can provide, they are by no means perfect. Nothing compares to a set of eyes constantly on watch for hazards and potential problems. No display can tell you if a log is floating in your path or if channel markers have been moved due to shoaling. Blindly following a plotter is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, and overly depending on any piece of equipment for the safety and security of your vessel and crew is foolish. We still keep paper charts on board because we have learned from experience that electronics can and do fail. When we want to look at the “big picture,” we can only do that on a set of the most current, up-to-date charts. We use a variety of sources for information and confirmation, and years of cruising and tens of thousands of miles under our keel have taught us that anything is possible. We want you all to stay safe out there.