Delivery of Grimalkin aka FisherCat

[zipper]

Wife made black sun shades to cover the portlights and deadlights in the black accents on deck. We used black snaps so they would not be so obvious.

 

[zipper]

The look of the original cabin…



And the new one…

 

[Murf'n'surf]

The look of the original cabin…

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And the new one…

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Awesome job! Ya'll took that from 1983 Buick to 2025 Maybach!!!

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

The look of the original cabin…

View attachment 224955

And the new one…

View attachment 224956

Your wife is a maestro with that sowing machine!

The new fabric really brightens up the interior!

Jim

 

[zipper]

Some more, out with the old…undersized fuse holder and wiring that melted the fuse holder/fuse. It was the wiring from the 40a solar charge controller to the battery. Installation was done by a previous owner and I did not start looking for the problem until we were on a mooring for 3 weeks in July and the solar panels were not charging and had to run the generator a couple times to keep the (2) 4D AGM's above 50% charged. At our slip we have shore power and the issue was not evident. Did not take long to find the issue once I started looking. Clue #1 was the wiring and fuse holder sizes, a #10 wire and a melted 30a fuse/holder for a potential 40a current from the controller.
The 30a fuse is melted, but did not blow, creating an intermittent connection that had me swearing at the different voltages between the boats voltmeter and the controllers meter. All good now.



In with the new…I upgraded the wiring feed between the controller and battery as well as the ground to #6 stranded tin coated copper and put a 40a fuse and holder at the tie in to the battery.
Quite a difference in size, I don’t want the boat to catch fire from undersized wiring. The controller works now.

 

[zipper]

This will not be the last hole I cut in this boat.





We needed a couple of solar vents in the highest points of the cabin to exhaust heat from the inside.



Good practice run with the old crazed 3/8” thick plexiglass. New glass is scheduled for next year and I will have to drill holes in to it for the fans.



One done, one to go.

 

[zipper]

Installed another Marinco solar vent yesterday.




Daytime temps dropped a lot. There is no blast of hot air in your face as you open the companionway door.

They are solar charged and battery operated for 24hr duty. They have a small light, the fan is reversible and you can close these. I am not sure they were intended for a 3/8” thick hatch glass install, their supplied trim rings left a lot to be desired. I was not going to like the finished look, so I made a couple of collars, by cutting a 4” pvc coupling in half.

 

[zipper]

The throttle and shift controls for for the outboards have been stiff and difficult to fine tune the engine output when you need to bang on them to move...yesterday I found the labels for the cable lengths, at the helm end, and we ordered new sets. The current cables were installed in 2018 and saw only saltwater until recently. The starboard side is a 10' and port is 12'.




Hopefully new cables will free up the resistance we have now.

Also, since the Dufour 53’ was struck by lightning, a few boats down, we have been using the clamp on lightning diverter system for catamarans. Our older boat has no metal keel or plate to connect a mast/shroud bonding system to. A previous owner had a manual mast grounding system installed. It clamps onto a fitting at the base of the mast and I drop the other end in the water.

 

[zipper]

A little sailing today. About 9 kts apparent wind and 6 kts SOG.

 

[BigN8]

@zipper I challenge you to a dingy drone shot! I was going thru footage and found this footage of me playing with the drone and our Dingy Capt having fun with me!! This was one of the Cays in Exuma. Maybe Norman Cay?

New video by Nathan Rockwell

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[zipper]

The boat was set up with 275 watts of solar controlled by a Schneider Electric 40a charge controller. It was not enough, so we added 200 watts.
We installed a 300 watt bi-facial on the stern, replacing a 175 watt that moved forward to the bow and decommissioned the 100 watt that was there. I also replaced the old charge controller with two charge controllers, a 40a BougeRV for the stern panel and a 15a Victron for the bow panel. The voltage outputs of the panels were too far apart to use one controller. And the MPPT controllers are relatively cheap.
The old stern setup, resting on a bent from too much weight, 1" dia. length of s.s. The new panel weighs more.


The new one, I did a little s.s. tube bending on a bender I setup for 7/8" and 1" tubing.




The bi-facial can take advantage of reflected sun off the water, as it generates power from the backside of the panel too.

 

[zipper]

Drilling aluminum track for our new trampoline. Removed the starboard tramp first to install the new system.







The new material.

 

[zipper]

I found and fixed a couple of water leaks into the bilge yesterday. The first was this corroded 6" aluminum inspection plate that leaked rain water into an air tight compartment below the steering quadrant aft. I took the screws out and lifted it right off the deck. The sealant had failed. This was a 33 yo factory installation that I have been eyeing since purchase. I replaced with a 6" o-ring sealed, screw on plastic inspection plate sealed with 3m 4200.







The second leak emptied about 10 gallons from the 50 gallon water holding tank into the starboard hull forward in 24 hrs. I had been thinking the tank had a crack, but I put it under pressure with the paddle board pump and it held. I found the s.s. hose clamp on the pressure side of the water pump had failed and was spraying water under the cabin seating. Very happy to find and fix this pesky leak. Especially how quickly this one was fixed. Working towards a dry boat.

 

[BigN8]

I feel like we are getting ready for an Atlantic North to South run to the BVIs!!! If so reserve a cabin for Capt Nate for a week or 2!!

 

[zipper]

I feel like we are getting ready for an Atlantic North to South run to the BVIs!!! If so reserve a cabin for Capt Nate for a week or 2!!

Getting things sorted. After the trampoline, my canvas worker needs to make a stack pack and lazy jacks for the main. Hand flaking with full battens stacking them on the boom while dropping the sail is a PITA. We will make sure she is ready to return to Southern waters. The previous owner barely made it back from their Bahama trip, under tow with 2 broken motors and a blown out genoa with rainwater leaking in from many places. This boat needs a Genoa, for balance, she turns up under main only.

 

[BigN8]

Yep, if your in any kind of rough water standing up there trying to do anything with the sail and not fall and break your neck is no bueno. Stack pack and lazy jacks a must. Although fighting with the main while raising it so it doesn't get on the wrong side of the lazy jacks is a pain in the ass.

Sailing around the Bahamas and Exumas is tough. The water depths and coral heads keep you on edge and anxious constantly. But I'd do it again. I couldn't get the wife to sign off on a sail trip this year, so instead we are heading to Eleuthera for a week and renting a house on the beach mid Oct.

 

[zipper]

We went out yesterday afternoon. Light winds 8-10 kts. Hit 6 kts in one gust but sailed around at 4-5 kts mostly. We played around with “points of sail” and at what degree to the wind do we lose speed. Below 45 degrees we slow down.

4.5kts SOG with 8.5 kts apparent wind speed on a close reach. Where Are We Going: Understanding Points of Sail

 

[zipper]

Swapped out the old, 6yo, throttle and shift cables today. What a difference. Hind sight tells me THIS should have been the first modification done this past Spring. Throttles move effortlessly now and were very stiff before.










Change your stiff cables. Easy to replace. Smooth as butter now.

 

[zipper]

Peaceful morning on Valcour Island, NY. Letting the dogs relieve themselves. A view of the anchorage. Never expected this many boats on a Wednesday in September. Big catamaran way back, off our stern.

 

[zipper]

Another quiet morning in a NY anchorage. The weather has been spectacular this week. Boating as much as we can before it turns cold. At anchor in Willsboro Bay, walking the dogs ashore earlier.



Nice boat ramp and poop park. Lol



Not much of a cell signal here.