Many of the projects must be credited to Steve of Flexible Flyer, my Dragonfly mentor living on Whidbey Island. Many of these projects were just following his lead.
The biggest project, and subject to its own entry, was the electrical system upgrade. As indicated by the overnight anchorages, one of the two Optima Yellow Top house batteries had failed. Further, the two 60watt solar panels weren't doing anything. The goal for the electrical system upgrades was to get at least 4 days on the hook without needing to recharge via engine or shore power. On to the other projects.
Head Replacement
The second biggest project was the head. The OEM head was weak...at best. The upper half, the bowl and lid were just fine, the pump in the lower half was a diaphragm pump which just did not want to push anything but liquid. We eventually resorted to pooping in a bag...or suffering. This was just not going to work for any anchoring out.Based on a recommendation from a member of the Dragonfly forum (http://www.dragonfly-trimarans.org/phpBB/index.php), a Raritan PHII lower body unit was purchased. Allegedly, it would "plug and play" with the OEM bowl and mount in the space easily. Not so fast.
First a word regarding the plumbing on a Dragonfly 1000. Like Italians, the Danes are geniuses when it comes to somethings. Woodworking for instance. But plumbing? I have been told the waste system in the DF1000 was designed with 'weight and balance' in mind: Keep heavy items low and in the center of the boat to improve the ride. OK, if this is the case, then why is the fresh water tank in the bow and above the waterline?
So, the waste system plumbing: Starting at the head, the waste hose travels forward about 6ft to the Y-valve/discharge pump. From here, it goes directly overboard or is redirected aft about 15ft, past the head, to the 14 gallon holding tank. When desired, the tank is emptied via the Y-valve/discharge pump (15ft forward and uphill) or via the dockside pump out fitting 20ft forward on the bow. There is a lot of 1.5in hose and a lot of back and forth. A huge improvement would be to put the Y-valve next to the head. Far more efficient. No, I have not done this because a lot of DF1000 have needed to replace a rotting holding tank and I reckon most of the hose and the Y-valve will be eliminated should I have to replace mine.
Removing the old head was pretty straight forward though a few contortions were required accessing bolts on the aft side of the head, dealing with rusted bolts etc. I had to remove the bowl to access the aft bolts. Once off, the space was thoroughly cleaned. Now to check for fit.
The old bowl's and the new base's bolt holes did not line up. Flange to flange, no problem, just the holes did not align. So, drilled new holes. The Raritan base is a softer plastic so I did not worry there. The old bowl was a harder plastic and I did worry about busting it. Started with small drill bits and worked my way up. Slow and steady, new holes and no breaks!
Next, the new base did not fit into the space. It was about 1in too wide. Either the pump handle was up against the cabinetry or the bowl overhung the space preventing the flip down seat from sitting properly. The lower base is an integrated unit, from the bowl flange to a tube across the bottom to the pump unit. Bolt flanges to secure the head to the deck also come off this unit. The tube is merely a conduit from the bowl to the hand pump with no pressure. Stuff just sits in it until sucked out. I ended up removing about an inch from the tube, reconnecting the system with a black rubber hose with hose clamps.
Now about an inch narrower, the unit fit into the space! But I had destroyed the unit's rigidity by cutting the tube and it would not mount well, remaining flexible between the bowl and pump. So, I got a plastic cutting board and mounted the head to it first, using recessed nuts. Stiffness and integrity restored, the unit could be mounted to the deck using the cutting board as the base.
The old hoses and new head fittings were not in the same place, naturally. The waste hose needed to be shifted aft about an inch. A hole saw was used. The water intake for the old head was on the backside of the unit, the new on the front. Again, the hole saw was used to cut an access to bring the water line to the front side of the head.
The strict for and aft position of the old head made for difficult sitting, too little knee room. The new head was angled slightly to starboard to allow for better leg room. Once properly positioned, new holes were drilled to mount the base to the deck. This took a couple steps. The front side of the unit was easily accessed, but the bowl blocked access to the aft side. So, once the front side was bolted in, the bowl was removed to access/drill and bolt the aft side. Bowl remounted and system checks great!
OK, this was a pain in the ass and not the 'plug and play' stated by the forum member. It was worth it though! As of this writing, we are on our second season and this head works. A little vigorous pumping and everything disappears!
Refrigerator Efficiency
In the process of installing the new electrical equipment, the refrigerator had to be removed. The fridge is air cooled and depends on proper ventilation. Physics 101, heat rises. But it will only rise if there is ventilation above, but also below to replace that which has risen. Once the fridge was removed, I found there was sufficient ventilation out the top, but no vents down low to bring in cool air. All the rising air did was hang in there, heating the cabinet above the fridge. The fridge sat on a 1/4in plywood base which soon received about a dozen 1.25in holes courtesy of the hole saw. Though subjective, it is a dramatic improvement. The fridge is cooler at a lower setting and the cabinet above does not get hot.Inspection Port
The only access to the bilge is via a 12x18-ish inch hatch at the forward end of the port settee. This hatch gives access to head hoses, the forward end of the holding tank, some electrical wires, bilge pump and head intake through hull/valve. Very limited bilge access. So, I installed a 6" inspection port in the saloon deck in vicinity of galley. Granted, there is not much space under the deck there and makes for poor storage, but it can now be inspected. Further, during the winter, a 6" fan is place in the open port to keep air circulating through bilge. The bilge stays dry and mold free!V-berth Mats
Based on a recommendation by Steve B. of Flexible Flyer, ventilation mats were installed under v-berth cushions to provide some air circulation. I was not the original purchaser of this mat so I have no idea what it is called or where to get it. Steve said he found his at a boat show. However, this mat reminds me of a very heavy duty scotch-bright pad and is about an inch thick.Running Rigging
Much of the running rigging was replaced. All halyards, lazy jacks and screecher sheets were replaced. The ama in/out lines were replaced with Amsteel lines. The Amsteel lines worked great for a season but started slipping in the clutch during the second season. As of this writing, they have been replaced with Dyneema Cored Double Braid. To date, it has been rock solid.Anchor Rode
Strider came with a Fortress FX-16 which has been working great for us. I was not comfortable with the 3/8in rode with 6ft of chain though. The 3/8 was replaced with 1/2in and 40ft of chain was added at the anchor end. We now have about 290ft of rode. I've considered adding a 10 pound downrigger weight as a killet to augment the chain but have not yet.Getting Rid of Red
Striping
This should come as no surprise to those who know me, I am a University of Michigan fan after all. The original trim on Strider was red. By the time I purchased her, the red was ratty and faded. It need replacing. Since the hull is white, anything with red looks too much like several B1G schools, including that one down south. The red was replaced with maize and blue stripping, keeping the maize inside of the blue to show up better. Name and home port were also added.New Sail Cover
After chasing repairs, the OEM red sail cover was reaching the point decreasing usefulness. A new was was requested via a local seamstress. Margot nearly balked at the yellow, "Nobody wants yellow!" I do. "It fades fast." Bright maize or faded, they both work! Anyway, a cover was made and Margot did a great job! This cover is nice and tight with no flapping around in a storm. The previous one needed to be strapped down to prevent it from beating itself to ribbons.New Cockpit Enclosure
Strider came with the OEM cockpit enclosure. The OEM enclosure was designed to be a dodger only under sail. The entire back 2/3s unzipped from the front, was rolled up and stored aft of the cockpit. This is great in nice weather, or if you just liked getting wet. The dodger had a couple small windows on the top portion. But when fully up, the rest of the enclosure had but a single, small window on the aft panel. Entry into the enclosure was through a small flap on each side, requiring a lot of ducking and bending to use. It was like a cave. |
| The cave, OEM Cockpit Enclosure. The entire rear half must be removed for safe sailing |
Sailing in the rain was also a chore. If one remained behind the wheel, one was fully exposed. Ducking behind the dodger one could lean on the binnacle, keeping his head only exposed and steer the boat by reaching behind. The boat's furnace provided a little relief, but not much. It just was not a configuration for the PNW.
We put up with it until there was one too many repairs. "Margot, how would you like to make a cockpit enclosure? No? Would you make a recommendation? Tradewinds Canvas? Expensive but good." So, John from Tradewinds came out and we chatted. Told him what we didn't like about the old one. Told him what we wanted. He told me no problem!
The new enclosure features as-large-as-practical windows on all vertical surfaces. The dodger windows were also increased. Fully enclosed, the space is now a pleasant room and the boat's furnace can keep the space toasty. With the exception of the aft panel, the boat can be sailed with the entire enclosure up. The aft panel must be removed because of the main halyard/traveler being inside the cockpit. Easy entry/exit has been facilitated by removable side panels which extend up onto the roof. Removed, I can now stand on the cockpit lazarette. We refer to these side panels as the "T-tops" and have proven to be very versatile. If cold out, both tops are on. If warm, both removed leaving a small bimini. If there is a strong wind from the port side, bringing spray, the port side can be put up leaving the starboard open to facilitate deck entry.
 |
| No longer a cave, but a usable room, the new, airy cockpit enclosure! |
 | |
| Note the large rear window! Entire enclosure can remain in place for motoring but only removal of the rear window is required for sailing. |
 |
| Side panel, referred to as a 'T-top', removed. |
 |
| T-Top removed. |
Light Wind Spinnaker
Winds in the PNW are normally described as too much or too little. Spring, fall and winter, too much is fairly easy to deal with, reef and reef some more or stay at home. Summer on the other hand, is usually a different deal as a high pressure normally settles in and winds become light. One of the reasons for getting the DF was because it weighs little and, with a lot of sail, could move in the light summer winds. Strider's only light wind sail is a screacher, a mylar/polyester laminate. Wonderful sail for reaching and upwind - good for 2kts more than the genoa! The screacher was adequate downwind, particularly when used wing-on-wing with the genoa. But, there just wasn't enough sail for downwind in light wind conditions. A light spinnaker was required.Enter Minney's Yacht Surplus. I found out them via a sailing magazine. I kept monitoring their website for a few weeks. One day, a 44ft luff, 26ft foot .75oz nylon appeared. The condition was rated a 9 out of 10, nearly brand new. Sale price was $900 and best yet, it was bright maize! I bought it. Contacted my go to sailmaker. "Margot, how would you like to modify a spinnaker? Add a block M. Yes I'm serious!" OK, Margot is from Michigan and her brother is a big UM fan, she gets it.
This is a huge sail and we are still learning how to use it. Figured out we needed to do inside gybes, bringing the sheets inside the sail, between the spinnaker and the genoa. Figured this out as when we did outside gybes, one of the sheets always ended up under the boat. Further, I'm not sure putting the sail's tack on the bowsprit is best for downwind, the sail is under utilized. I'm going to experiment and try putting the tack out between the vaka and the ama, perhaps all the way out to the ama bow.
So, if you see a monster block M on a yellow spinnaker out there, say "Go Blue" or "Beat Ohio!"
No comments:
Post a Comment