Flybridge Makeover Part Two

With the "interior" makeover of the flybridge complete, the "exterior" was next on our list. Since the exterior of the boat has been painted in the past and we knew it was done in AwlGrip, the maintenance coat was a lot less labor intensive. First, all of the hardware and fittings were removed, including the vinyl lettering for her name. All edges had a double row of delicate tape to keep paint off of where it does not belong. Several screw holes that had mounted hardware that was no longer in use had to be filled and repaired. A good sanding and a single coat of 545 white primer and everything was ready for paint.

Two coats of AwlGrip Cloud White made the side look like new. Well, that is after a disaster with the first coat. The first coat took a bit long to dry because of the high humidity here in South Florida. Soon after sunset, a heavy dew began to form on everything and by morning, the dew was dripping on the deck as if it had rained. AwlGrip really doesn't like any moisture until it is completely dry, and sure enough, the finish had blushed, leaving a flat look about the same as the primer. OK, not a total loss since it needed another coat anyway. But what to do to keep this from happening over and over? The solution was to add an accelerator to the paint to cut down the drying time. Since I didn't have any, I had to order the 138 accelerator for brushing and rolling from Jamestown Distributors and wait a few days for it to arrive. As luck would have it, this slight delay also coincided with the arrival of a cold front coming down from the north. Now you might ask yourself what this has to do with anything? The cold front will clear out the atmosphere and bring dry air with lower humidity and dew points, perfect for painting since the chance of heavy dew, or almost any dew, is very low. Using the accelerator did the trick and with an early morning coat of paint, it was dry before the sun went down. I love it when a plan comes together. Now you probably wonder about the photo with the two black spots. After an extra day to allow for additional drying of the paint, all of the hardware and fittings needed to be re-installed. Rather than caulking, I now use butyl tape to bed all of the deck hardware. The recommended butyl tape is gray but I still had plenty left over from the installation of the ports. With the black, you must be careful not to use so much that it oozes out from under the hardware when it is tightened down. I am completely convinced that this is the ONLY way to bed hardware to ensure it won't develop leaks and can be easily removed if necessary.

The final results are a good-looking finish that will last us for another 10 years if we don't abuse it too much. This isn't quite finished yet, since the teak handrails and wood, now painted in the teal color, will have to be removed, the flybridge fiberglassed to the decks (I know I will hear about this) and the strip repainted. That's for another time.

The teak cap rail needed to be caulked to keep moisture out from under it. Both the teak and the fiberglass sides get a row of easy release tape and the caulking is applied. It had previously been done in white but we have found that a brown or teak color looks much nicer. For this we chose Boatlife Teak Caulk, something we have used around the window frames in the past. Caulking is messy, especially on new paint. The stuff grows legs when you aren't looking and walks all over your new paint. The darker the color the quicker it can crawl away.

I use my finger to smooth out the caulk after it's applied. Once the tape is removed, the edges of the caulk have a nice uniform, professional look. We use this technique no matter how large or small the caulking job is that we're working on.

The last step was to replace Beach House's name and the folks at SpeedySigns once again did a great job of sending us new vinyl lettering. I really can't say enough about their customer service.

We decided not to replace the Marine Trader teak plaque on the front of the flybridge. It needs some work and unless we can get it looking the way we want, it might not go back in place. We'll have to see if Susan can rejuvenate it. This all looks great and we are getting lots of compliments from the dock walkers and our boating neighbors. A few have threatened to hire me so I guess I will have to go into hiding for a while. Our next post will cover the replacement of the copper plumbing in the fresh water system so come back soon.

An Exhausting Project

The Christmas and New Years holiday season doesn't mean the work on the boat will slow down or stop. If we are to stay on schedule, we need to push forward with all of our projects, even the smaller ones. Those smaller ones keep getting pushed down the list as more important tasks present themselves and some get moved to the top for a variety of reasons. But the list doesn't look any shorter even with all of the done items scratched off. One small project I have been promising to Susan for a long time is finally done.

It was actually the completion of the flybridge renovations that removed any excuses I might have had to put this one off. I did promise Susan that at some point I would get her a working exhaust fan set up in the galley. The exhaust pipe exited into one of the flybridge seats and I did not want to install a fan and then have to remove it when I removed the built-in seats. The new seats are installed so the exhaust fan has moved to the top of the list.

In the galley, the pipe and cover where the fan belonged has always been there. We have no idea if the boat ever had one, but a big help was the fact that the wiring was already run to the flybridge, including a switch on a small panel on the front of the galley cabinet. The pipe is a 3-inch gray piece of PVC that runs from the cover seen here and exits inside the starboard seat with about 8 inches of pipe sticking out of the deck.

The rest was easy. A visit to the local Ace hardware gave me all of the parts I needed except the fan. A 3-inch diameter piece of aluminum dryer vent hose and a vent cover was all that was needed. Because the pipe was also 3 inches, the dryer hose and pipe were connected using the foil tape that's used in most home heating and air conditioning duct work. The fan consists of a 3-inch blower fan that fit directly into the dryer ducting hose. The aluminum hose is rigid enough that it supports the weight of the fan without having to attach it to anything. This eliminates vibration of the fan through the side of the seat. Heat shrink butt connectors to waterproof the wire connections was the last step and we were in business.

The final final step was to vent the whole thing out the front of the seat. For our set up, this was the best placing. We chose the type of vent cover used on dryers that opens when the fan is running. When it's off, the vent cover is closed. The vent cover only comes in 4 inch, so an adapter was needed to connect it to the 3-inch pipe. Now when Susan cooks, she no longer steams up the entire salon and it keeps the temperature down inside the boat.

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.