Finally got the go ahead from Bill & Steve that they were comfortable that the boat would due well on our upcoming trip to Baltimore, MD. Went down to their marina on Saturday to pick up the boat, after getting help from our friend Bev in dropping my truck off at our marine and then her giving me a ride to where the boat was. I brought down the new galley countertop, sink and faucet and I was planning on doing this work after I brought boat back to her slip.
She ran fine from Waretown over to Barnegat, a short 5 mile run down the bay. Backed her into her slip, and got to work on the galley top. I spent allot of time getting the template/pattern just right, as the angles were all skew and nothing approaching parrallel or right angles. I was doing an overlay, so the existing countertop, less sink and overhang, would serve as the support for the new top. Had to open up the area for the sink and faucet, as I was changing it around a little.
Fortunately for me, my slip-neighbor, Capt. Steve, was down on his boat. He gave me a hand unloading the top from the truck, and bringing it aboard the boat. Once I made the preliminary modifications, he helped lift it up for the first dry fit. A few more slight modifications, a little silicone caulk adhesive, and 1-2-3 the granite is on. Boy, what a perfect fit!! No gaps anywhere. Steve hooked up the water lines while I finished off the seal between sink and under-counter. We both stood back and admired a job well done! Boy, is Alice gonna love this. While I did bring the other top and sink for the head vanity, I didn't have the faucet yet, plus it was running late. I decided to save this for another day. I had to head home because Alice works tomorrow and Jesse was going to a school dinner function. Once I dropped him off at the banquet hall, Alice & I would take a quick run back down to the boat to bring the new leather sofa. We had to dodge the growing storm clouds so that the sofa didn't get wet on the back of the truck. Good thing for me I didn't marry a 'delicate flower': she helped me unload the sofa from the truck onto the boat, then we took a few moments to take in all the new changes on board, before we headed home to pick up Jesse from his dinner.
Only two more days and I was getting antsy. Everything was coming together. Let's just pray for good weather. Nothing ruins a vacation on the water like rain.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Start of Mechanical 'Issues'- July 11 - 31, 2009
Well, it was bound to happen. After all the work done on both engines as well as the boat in general, over the winter, something was bound to go wrong. I thought that we had this all behind us, but the mechanical gods were annoyed at something, or somebody (me!).
Went down to the boat following the holiday weekend. Alice was working this weekend, so it was just Jesse and I; boys weekend. We decided to take her out for some time-trial runs in anticipation for our upcoming trip down to Baltimore, Md. My grandson, Tyler, was going to be celebrating his first birthday in August, and his dad was planning a big party. I decided to incorporate our vacation into the trip down to the party. We would leave Barnegat, travel down past Atlantic City on to Cape May, NJ for day 1. Day 2 would be across the Delaware Bay and River into the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Day 3 would be on into the Chesapeake Bay and down to Baltimore, MD and its Inner Harbor area. After the party we would return via a similar route.
I began the planning process early in July, researching available marinas and routes. I was hoping to travel down the ICW behind the barrier islands of New Jersey to Cape May, NJ thereby avoiding an exposed ocean run from Barnegat to Cape May Inlet, a distance of almost 85 miles. Depending on sea and wind conditions, this could be a great leg of the trip or pure hell. Taking the 'back road' down the bays and small inlets would offer a reprieve if the weather turned sour. Everything was being developed on paper, but I needed to know what to expect from the boat.
Jesse and I went down Saturday afternoon, having had a business meeting in the morning. Gotta pay for this lifestyle somehow!. We spent an uneventful evening on the boat and got up early the next morning. Left the marina around 8am, heading south along the ICW towards Manahawkin Bay and Little Egg Bay beyond. I was hoping to reach Atlantic City via the bay, and then take a return trip outside in the ocean and up the coastline. This way we can compare performance data and results on Vintage Viking.
We had a light breakfast underway. Navigating along the ICW through the numerous No Wake Zones (NWZ) along the LBI towns of Spray Beach, Brant Beach and Beach Haven caused us to take what seemed like an eternity to reach Egg Harbor Bay and the breakwaters of Beach Haven Inlet. This is a very misleading inlet, as it has shoaled over time and unless you are shallow of draft and/or very foolish you stay away. Further south is the intended destination of Atlantic City, home of NJ gamblers!. You can see the tall oceanfront buildings in the distance, and the construction cranes working on yet another gambling resort. Appropriately, I had a feeling of 'taking a gamble' with this trip. I hadn't traveled that far on the new engines. It was supposed to be a 42 mile trip each way.
We traveled down the back bays without much ado. I watched the FloScan to keep track of fuel consumption, and since much of this route is through NWZ's, we never really got much opportunity to open her up and see what she was made of. I took advantage of this slower pace to teach Jesse the basics of speed vs. fuel consumption vs. distance of travel in a given day. This would prove to be helpful in our planning of the Baltimore trip.
We made Atlantic City by 1:00 pm., roughly 4-1/2 hours from when we left Barnegat, NJ. At this rate, it would take us almost 9 hours to make Cape May, NJ, assuming Atlantic City is the halfway point of the 85 mile overall distance from Barnegat to Cape May. We stopped at Kammerman's Marina in Atlantic City Harbor, across from the State Marina and Trumpp's Resort. We took on fuel and water here, and met up with a couple bringing their vintage Chris Craft Constellation up the ICW from Virginia to New York. They were traveling 'outside' since Cape May and had the wind at their back. I asked how the trip was and the woman said she didn't know since she slept through most of it. Even though the Constellation was 20 feet longer and 5 feet wider than Vintage Viking, I deduced that if she could 'sleep' through the trip the sea conditions couldn't be that bad. I decided to venture out the Absecon Inlet and take to outside ocean route north to Barnegat Inlet. Paid the tab at Kammerman's and headed out.
Leaving the inlet, we got exposed to the southerly winds. Coming across our starboard beam, they gave us a slightly rough trip into the open ocean. Once we made it past the outer marker buoy and we turned north-northeast towards Barnegat, it got a little smoother. The wind was now behind us, and once we got up on plane, the boat was much smoother. We ran about 18-20 MPH for the most part, and our FloScan was showing a considerable burn rate of almost 44GPH. Having nothing to gauge this data against, I kept an eye on the totalizer to make sure that we would be OK on fuel capacity.
Jesse took the wheel for part of the trip, having gained a little confidence the weekend before. The seas were only slightly rolling, and as long as he kept the speed in unison with the rollers, we had a nice ride. I took the time to show him how the GPS and chart plotter work to help you plan out your trip and stay on the most efficient course. We passed a catamaran sailing north, and began to feel like we fit into this life of cruising up and down the coast.
We made it back up to Barnegat Inlet in about 2-3/4 hours, and after another 45 minutes we would be back at our marina. However, as we entered the bay from Double Creek Channel,I started hearing a 'hissing/farting" sound coming from the bilge. I brought her down to idle, and opened the hatches. It appeared that the port engine was leaking exhaust, and I initially suspected that it was the rubber riser ell swivel that gave us some problems when we installed the engines. I couldn't find any traces of water leaking, and the heat exchanger still had sufficient cooling fluid. But the fume alarm was intermittently sounding, so I turned on the bilge blowers. Must be leaking exhaust fumes.
The mechanic from the marina that had done most of the work on the boat got into a tiff with the owners and had quit. The remaining mechanic was more of an outboard guy, and I didn't want to take any chances. I contacted the surveyor from my purchase for a recommendation, and I phoned up the new mechanic. I arranged to bring the boat to his marina during the upcoming week. When I did, I put the boat in one of his empty slips, gave him a summary of the work done to date and what the current issues were. I wanted to get it checked out and resolved before we left on our "Big Trip" in 3 weeks.
What happened next was unbelievably upsetting. The more they investigated the engines the more they uncovered faulty or incomplete work. The exhaust leak was coming from a bad intake gasket, and as he took the manifold off he found loose bolts and other sloppy work. I instructed him to go over both engines. I was told from the previous mechanic that the tachs were 'bad' and not reading above 3000 RPM, but that the engines were fine. Nothing was further from the truth!! The tachs were fine, but the engines were not developing enough RPM and were slugging, causing excessive wear on the newly-rebuilt powerplants. We hauled the boat to make sure we had the right props, no bottom issues slowing the boat, etc.
What he found was that the starboard engine had the wrong carburetor! This is the same part that was such an 'issue' with the mechanic in my marina, after having broken it and loosing the replacement I provided. They wound up installing an undersized carburetor meant for a smaller Mercruiser. UGGHH!!! I contacted my marina to get the original 'broken' carburetor returned so that we can rebuild it and not surprisingly I was met with resistance and total denial. I'll deal with these guys later; I need to resolve the mechanical issues and get the boat seaworthy. I now had absolutely zero faith in the work done by them, and put total (maybe not complete) confidence in Bill & Steve, the new guys. But I did like the way they systematically went about diagnosing the various deficiencies and sea trialing boat each time they made a modification. Over the next 3 weeks, they worked diligently to get the boat to where even they would be comfortable taking her on a 600 mile cruise. I located a pair of original-spec carburetors in California and had them rebuilt to the original specifications. These arrived just two days before I was scheduled to pick up the boat.
During this layup at the mechanic's marina I took the opportunity to conduct some of the improvements that I had planned on. I replaced the Formica counter/steel sink in the galley with a custom-fabricated quartz/granite counter and new sink and faucet. I had a matching one made for the head, but this would need to wait until after the trip. I bought a new leather sofa for the salon, and installed a new remote searchlight on the fly bridge. I extended and expanded the inverter system, so that we could be more comfortable on our cruise away from shore power, and I installed a fly bridge-to-salon intercom system so that we could communicate while underway. We were getting closer to departure date (August 5th) and I was getting nervous. Plus I was spending more dollars repairing issues that should not have been a problem had they been done correctly the first time. But I came this far, I couldn't leave without having the boat running correctly. I was tempering frustration and anxiety of being done in time to leave with anger and contempt for having been had by my previous mechanic.
Went down to the boat following the holiday weekend. Alice was working this weekend, so it was just Jesse and I; boys weekend. We decided to take her out for some time-trial runs in anticipation for our upcoming trip down to Baltimore, Md. My grandson, Tyler, was going to be celebrating his first birthday in August, and his dad was planning a big party. I decided to incorporate our vacation into the trip down to the party. We would leave Barnegat, travel down past Atlantic City on to Cape May, NJ for day 1. Day 2 would be across the Delaware Bay and River into the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Day 3 would be on into the Chesapeake Bay and down to Baltimore, MD and its Inner Harbor area. After the party we would return via a similar route.
I began the planning process early in July, researching available marinas and routes. I was hoping to travel down the ICW behind the barrier islands of New Jersey to Cape May, NJ thereby avoiding an exposed ocean run from Barnegat to Cape May Inlet, a distance of almost 85 miles. Depending on sea and wind conditions, this could be a great leg of the trip or pure hell. Taking the 'back road' down the bays and small inlets would offer a reprieve if the weather turned sour. Everything was being developed on paper, but I needed to know what to expect from the boat.
Jesse and I went down Saturday afternoon, having had a business meeting in the morning. Gotta pay for this lifestyle somehow!. We spent an uneventful evening on the boat and got up early the next morning. Left the marina around 8am, heading south along the ICW towards Manahawkin Bay and Little Egg Bay beyond. I was hoping to reach Atlantic City via the bay, and then take a return trip outside in the ocean and up the coastline. This way we can compare performance data and results on Vintage Viking.
We had a light breakfast underway. Navigating along the ICW through the numerous No Wake Zones (NWZ) along the LBI towns of Spray Beach, Brant Beach and Beach Haven caused us to take what seemed like an eternity to reach Egg Harbor Bay and the breakwaters of Beach Haven Inlet. This is a very misleading inlet, as it has shoaled over time and unless you are shallow of draft and/or very foolish you stay away. Further south is the intended destination of Atlantic City, home of NJ gamblers!. You can see the tall oceanfront buildings in the distance, and the construction cranes working on yet another gambling resort. Appropriately, I had a feeling of 'taking a gamble' with this trip. I hadn't traveled that far on the new engines. It was supposed to be a 42 mile trip each way.
We traveled down the back bays without much ado. I watched the FloScan to keep track of fuel consumption, and since much of this route is through NWZ's, we never really got much opportunity to open her up and see what she was made of. I took advantage of this slower pace to teach Jesse the basics of speed vs. fuel consumption vs. distance of travel in a given day. This would prove to be helpful in our planning of the Baltimore trip.
We made Atlantic City by 1:00 pm., roughly 4-1/2 hours from when we left Barnegat, NJ. At this rate, it would take us almost 9 hours to make Cape May, NJ, assuming Atlantic City is the halfway point of the 85 mile overall distance from Barnegat to Cape May. We stopped at Kammerman's Marina in Atlantic City Harbor, across from the State Marina and Trumpp's Resort. We took on fuel and water here, and met up with a couple bringing their vintage Chris Craft Constellation up the ICW from Virginia to New York. They were traveling 'outside' since Cape May and had the wind at their back. I asked how the trip was and the woman said she didn't know since she slept through most of it. Even though the Constellation was 20 feet longer and 5 feet wider than Vintage Viking, I deduced that if she could 'sleep' through the trip the sea conditions couldn't be that bad. I decided to venture out the Absecon Inlet and take to outside ocean route north to Barnegat Inlet. Paid the tab at Kammerman's and headed out.
Leaving the inlet, we got exposed to the southerly winds. Coming across our starboard beam, they gave us a slightly rough trip into the open ocean. Once we made it past the outer marker buoy and we turned north-northeast towards Barnegat, it got a little smoother. The wind was now behind us, and once we got up on plane, the boat was much smoother. We ran about 18-20 MPH for the most part, and our FloScan was showing a considerable burn rate of almost 44GPH. Having nothing to gauge this data against, I kept an eye on the totalizer to make sure that we would be OK on fuel capacity.
Jesse took the wheel for part of the trip, having gained a little confidence the weekend before. The seas were only slightly rolling, and as long as he kept the speed in unison with the rollers, we had a nice ride. I took the time to show him how the GPS and chart plotter work to help you plan out your trip and stay on the most efficient course. We passed a catamaran sailing north, and began to feel like we fit into this life of cruising up and down the coast.
We made it back up to Barnegat Inlet in about 2-3/4 hours, and after another 45 minutes we would be back at our marina. However, as we entered the bay from Double Creek Channel,I started hearing a 'hissing/farting" sound coming from the bilge. I brought her down to idle, and opened the hatches. It appeared that the port engine was leaking exhaust, and I initially suspected that it was the rubber riser ell swivel that gave us some problems when we installed the engines. I couldn't find any traces of water leaking, and the heat exchanger still had sufficient cooling fluid. But the fume alarm was intermittently sounding, so I turned on the bilge blowers. Must be leaking exhaust fumes.
The mechanic from the marina that had done most of the work on the boat got into a tiff with the owners and had quit. The remaining mechanic was more of an outboard guy, and I didn't want to take any chances. I contacted the surveyor from my purchase for a recommendation, and I phoned up the new mechanic. I arranged to bring the boat to his marina during the upcoming week. When I did, I put the boat in one of his empty slips, gave him a summary of the work done to date and what the current issues were. I wanted to get it checked out and resolved before we left on our "Big Trip" in 3 weeks.
What happened next was unbelievably upsetting. The more they investigated the engines the more they uncovered faulty or incomplete work. The exhaust leak was coming from a bad intake gasket, and as he took the manifold off he found loose bolts and other sloppy work. I instructed him to go over both engines. I was told from the previous mechanic that the tachs were 'bad' and not reading above 3000 RPM, but that the engines were fine. Nothing was further from the truth!! The tachs were fine, but the engines were not developing enough RPM and were slugging, causing excessive wear on the newly-rebuilt powerplants. We hauled the boat to make sure we had the right props, no bottom issues slowing the boat, etc.
What he found was that the starboard engine had the wrong carburetor! This is the same part that was such an 'issue' with the mechanic in my marina, after having broken it and loosing the replacement I provided. They wound up installing an undersized carburetor meant for a smaller Mercruiser. UGGHH!!! I contacted my marina to get the original 'broken' carburetor returned so that we can rebuild it and not surprisingly I was met with resistance and total denial. I'll deal with these guys later; I need to resolve the mechanical issues and get the boat seaworthy. I now had absolutely zero faith in the work done by them, and put total (maybe not complete) confidence in Bill & Steve, the new guys. But I did like the way they systematically went about diagnosing the various deficiencies and sea trialing boat each time they made a modification. Over the next 3 weeks, they worked diligently to get the boat to where even they would be comfortable taking her on a 600 mile cruise. I located a pair of original-spec carburetors in California and had them rebuilt to the original specifications. These arrived just two days before I was scheduled to pick up the boat.
During this layup at the mechanic's marina I took the opportunity to conduct some of the improvements that I had planned on. I replaced the Formica counter/steel sink in the galley with a custom-fabricated quartz/granite counter and new sink and faucet. I had a matching one made for the head, but this would need to wait until after the trip. I bought a new leather sofa for the salon, and installed a new remote searchlight on the fly bridge. I extended and expanded the inverter system, so that we could be more comfortable on our cruise away from shore power, and I installed a fly bridge-to-salon intercom system so that we could communicate while underway. We were getting closer to departure date (August 5th) and I was getting nervous. Plus I was spending more dollars repairing issues that should not have been a problem had they been done correctly the first time. But I came this far, I couldn't leave without having the boat running correctly. I was tempering frustration and anxiety of being done in time to leave with anger and contempt for having been had by my previous mechanic.
July 4th 2009
We all went down to the marina to spend the Fourth holiday weekend on the boat. Jesse & I went down real early on Friday so that we could play a round of golf at a nearby small public golf course, Ocean Acres. We left just ahead of all the traffic, because as we got to our exit the traffic started backing up. It was promising to be a hot day so I guess some people were trying to get an early start. Plus since the 4th was actually a Saturday, many businesses chose Friday the 3rd to close in recognition of the holiday. I chose to shutter my business Friday as well as Monday the 6th.
Jesse had been playing golf nearly every day since school let out at the private golf course next to our home, West Nine. As I had repeatedly told him, golf is a game of consistency; the more you play the better you get. These words were going to bite me in the a#$! We arrived at the course just as they were opening for the day, and lucky me, I got stuck paying for both of us! Real surprise there.
As we teed off for the first time, I could see the improvement in his game. He is becoming a little more relaxed in his swing. As the day progressed this became very obvious, but so did his frustration with 'bad' shots. If he can learn to focus and control his game and be realistic with his expectations, he will develop nicely.
Later that day we went back to the marina, and cooled off in the pool. A little dinner at the local eatery, Jenny's. Then back to the boat for an early evening spin out on the bay. We took her out to Double Creek Channel and around Sedge Island, then to Oyster Creek Channel and back home. I gave Jesse a turn at the helm and he did very well, except for the constant desire for 'more speed'. I wanted him to get the feel for the mass of the boat and how she responded to the wheel and trim before I gave him more throttle. We were still watching RPM's as her breakin period was still too soon.
Jesse, manning the wheel while I manned the throttles, began returning to Barnegat Town pier and eventually our marina. Once we got near the entrance I took over and brought her into her slip. He was feeling very proud of himself, and well he should have.
Next day we spent at the marina; Jesse relaxing at the pool and me puttering aboard with my list of 'little' things. Mom was working today an would travel down after work with Finny. There is a fireworks display at dusk right off our marina, so sitting on our boat gave us a perfect vantage point. However, it is apparently the 'local' thing for people to congregate at our marina to watch the display, plus with the town pier and the bay swim beach in the vicinity, the access road gets very congested, to the point where local police close it down. Alice had to prove to the police that we have a slip at the marina for her to get through, and she was able to arrive just at the crescendo launching of the final fireworks.
Next day, Sunday, Alice and Jesse wanted to go to Long Beach Island and do some shop-hopping. Jesse like the Ron Jon Surf Shop and Alice likes the numerous gift shops. I stayed back at the marina, and took Viking out onto the bay to watch the Speed Garvey races being held right off our marina's gas dock. Perfect way to spend the holiday; watching a bunch of speed-freaks nearly kill one another on a short oval course set up in the bay. Allot of noise, plenty of excitement and since I was new to the sport very difficult to follow who was winning. But it didn't matter since I was content just anchored out on the bay enjoying the day.
Next day Jesse had plans back home so he and Alice wanted to go home while I again stayed aboard. That list of mine keeps growing, and I would rather deal with boat-issues than deal with work issues anyway. But while I was eating breakfast and Jesse was getting ready to leave my phone kept ringing with work-related calls anyway. It was well after lunch before it stopped ringing and they left for home. We had lunch together before they hit the road and I hit the bilges for some real relaxing work.
Jesse had been playing golf nearly every day since school let out at the private golf course next to our home, West Nine. As I had repeatedly told him, golf is a game of consistency; the more you play the better you get. These words were going to bite me in the a#$! We arrived at the course just as they were opening for the day, and lucky me, I got stuck paying for both of us! Real surprise there.
As we teed off for the first time, I could see the improvement in his game. He is becoming a little more relaxed in his swing. As the day progressed this became very obvious, but so did his frustration with 'bad' shots. If he can learn to focus and control his game and be realistic with his expectations, he will develop nicely.
Later that day we went back to the marina, and cooled off in the pool. A little dinner at the local eatery, Jenny's. Then back to the boat for an early evening spin out on the bay. We took her out to Double Creek Channel and around Sedge Island, then to Oyster Creek Channel and back home. I gave Jesse a turn at the helm and he did very well, except for the constant desire for 'more speed'. I wanted him to get the feel for the mass of the boat and how she responded to the wheel and trim before I gave him more throttle. We were still watching RPM's as her breakin period was still too soon.
Jesse, manning the wheel while I manned the throttles, began returning to Barnegat Town pier and eventually our marina. Once we got near the entrance I took over and brought her into her slip. He was feeling very proud of himself, and well he should have.
Next day we spent at the marina; Jesse relaxing at the pool and me puttering aboard with my list of 'little' things. Mom was working today an would travel down after work with Finny. There is a fireworks display at dusk right off our marina, so sitting on our boat gave us a perfect vantage point. However, it is apparently the 'local' thing for people to congregate at our marina to watch the display, plus with the town pier and the bay swim beach in the vicinity, the access road gets very congested, to the point where local police close it down. Alice had to prove to the police that we have a slip at the marina for her to get through, and she was able to arrive just at the crescendo launching of the final fireworks.
Next day, Sunday, Alice and Jesse wanted to go to Long Beach Island and do some shop-hopping. Jesse like the Ron Jon Surf Shop and Alice likes the numerous gift shops. I stayed back at the marina, and took Viking out onto the bay to watch the Speed Garvey races being held right off our marina's gas dock. Perfect way to spend the holiday; watching a bunch of speed-freaks nearly kill one another on a short oval course set up in the bay. Allot of noise, plenty of excitement and since I was new to the sport very difficult to follow who was winning. But it didn't matter since I was content just anchored out on the bay enjoying the day.
Next day Jesse had plans back home so he and Alice wanted to go home while I again stayed aboard. That list of mine keeps growing, and I would rather deal with boat-issues than deal with work issues anyway. But while I was eating breakfast and Jesse was getting ready to leave my phone kept ringing with work-related calls anyway. It was well after lunch before it stopped ringing and they left for home. We had lunch together before they hit the road and I hit the bilges for some real relaxing work.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Dog Days on Barnegat Bay
So now Vintage Viking is running good; she's stretched her legs and proven her new power plant is up to the task. Spent last weekend doing the 25 hours break-in maintenance. Changed the oil, checked the hoses and fittings, and replaced the fluid in the transmissions to keep the warranty in force. Took her on a few fishing trips in the Bay, that were uneventful, and Memorial Day took her out through Barnegat Inlet northward past Island Beach State Park to Seaside Heights just off the amusement pier. Saw plenty of bunker being chased by bluefish with big striped bass below them, but just couldn't get anything into the boat.
This past weekend we brought our Boston Terrier, Finster, out onto the water on Vintage Viking. He had been down Memorial Day weekend and he really enjoyed being at the marina, meeting all the new people (and their dogs too!). Jesse took Mom and Finster for a ride in his boat, and Finny had a blast. He likes to sit up on the front like a bowsprit, gazing out over the water. "Look at me....look at me...!!" he appears to be saying.
I came down to the boat Saturday just after noon. The were several things I wanted to do around the slip and on the boat. It is amazing how the 'little jobs' can add up and take an entire afternoon. But I can't think of a better way to suffer through work than t be at the marina and on the boat. A quick jaunt to the grocery store, stop at the RedBox video rental machine and back to the boat just in time for Alice, Jesse and Finny to arrive. Cook a steak or two on the grill, a little quiet time and then off to sleep.
Sunday morning I cooked breakfast for everyone. Finny kept pacing up and down the dock, but not for a 'nature call'. He wanted to get going. So as I cleaned up from breakfast, Alice & Jesse ran to get some things at the store that I had forgotten the day before. By noon we were out of the slip and heading for a local anchorage, Tices Shoal, to spend the afternoon. I thought I would be good for Jesse to take his boat to explore the numerous coves and beaches, but it was a bit choppy on the Bay, with a brisk breeze. So I set up a bridle, and took 'Little Vike' in tow across the bay towards the western shore of Island Beach State Park.
We took Double Creek Channel towards Barnegat Inlet. Barnegat Inlet separates Long Beach Island to the south and Island Beach to the north. the southern half of Island Beach, from Seaside Park to the Inlet, is a protected State Park. There is virtually zero development along this stretch of the island, except for a few small buildings for various Audubon and Meteorological instrumentation and monitoring. This is what I imagine the entire Barnegat Bay area looked like 75 years ago. Just north of the convergence of Double Creek, Oyster Creek and Barnegat Channels is the area called Tices Shoal. During the summer this is a popular party/rafting area and it gets pretty crowded at times. It was still early in the season so there were only a few single boats, and a rafting party of about five Sea Ray Sundancers. It turned out that the owners were all related and came here often.
I anchored Vintage Viking a safe distance off of the Shoal. This area is aptly named, and during periods of extreme low tide some less-prudent boaters find themselves grounded on the soft sand as the waters of Barnegat Bay flood out to sea to be recharged and then return 6-1/2 hours later. If you have nothing else to do, I guess sitting aground for 4-6 hours could be fun. I just don't like the idea of all the weight of a boat resting on the rudders, props and shafts. These Sundancers must have either prop pockets tucked up into the hull or were outdrive models, because they were there all day and i could see them heel over at slack low tide.
Jesse got Little Vike ready, and he took off to explore. He had trouble at first finding enough water to land his little boat onto the shoal, but he eventually went around the far side of the rafted Sundancers and found an area he could beach the boat. After an hour he returned to get Mom and Finny. Off they went in his boat. I was confident in his boating skills, and we were in a somewhat protected area just off Oyster Creek Channel so the big boats didn't get in his way, or vice verse. Once again, Finny felt as though he was a bowsprit, guiding his vessel to an unknown shore.
The three of them spent over an hour playing in the tidal pools of water. For a puppy, this little dog is very well behaved on a boat, even the small dinghy with two people in it. Our problem is keeping him IN the boat. He wants to jump on and off at his leasure. This is fine when they're on a shoal beach and the water is a few inches from the gunwale. But when Finey is on Vintage Viking, either at the marine or underway, the water is a little farther from the gunwale and alot deeper. He has a life preserver that we put on him when he goes for his little 'jaunts' in the dinghy, but when he's on the big boat I am hesitant to keep it on him. I am sure that over the next weeks he is going to either show me he understands "Big boat-Big water" and he doesn't jump overbard, or he is going to become very friendly with his life jacket.
This past weekend we brought our Boston Terrier, Finster, out onto the water on Vintage Viking. He had been down Memorial Day weekend and he really enjoyed being at the marina, meeting all the new people (and their dogs too!). Jesse took Mom and Finster for a ride in his boat, and Finny had a blast. He likes to sit up on the front like a bowsprit, gazing out over the water. "Look at me....look at me...!!" he appears to be saying.
I came down to the boat Saturday just after noon. The were several things I wanted to do around the slip and on the boat. It is amazing how the 'little jobs' can add up and take an entire afternoon. But I can't think of a better way to suffer through work than t be at the marina and on the boat. A quick jaunt to the grocery store, stop at the RedBox video rental machine and back to the boat just in time for Alice, Jesse and Finny to arrive. Cook a steak or two on the grill, a little quiet time and then off to sleep.
Sunday morning I cooked breakfast for everyone. Finny kept pacing up and down the dock, but not for a 'nature call'. He wanted to get going. So as I cleaned up from breakfast, Alice & Jesse ran to get some things at the store that I had forgotten the day before. By noon we were out of the slip and heading for a local anchorage, Tices Shoal, to spend the afternoon. I thought I would be good for Jesse to take his boat to explore the numerous coves and beaches, but it was a bit choppy on the Bay, with a brisk breeze. So I set up a bridle, and took 'Little Vike' in tow across the bay towards the western shore of Island Beach State Park.
We took Double Creek Channel towards Barnegat Inlet. Barnegat Inlet separates Long Beach Island to the south and Island Beach to the north. the southern half of Island Beach, from Seaside Park to the Inlet, is a protected State Park. There is virtually zero development along this stretch of the island, except for a few small buildings for various Audubon and Meteorological instrumentation and monitoring. This is what I imagine the entire Barnegat Bay area looked like 75 years ago. Just north of the convergence of Double Creek, Oyster Creek and Barnegat Channels is the area called Tices Shoal. During the summer this is a popular party/rafting area and it gets pretty crowded at times. It was still early in the season so there were only a few single boats, and a rafting party of about five Sea Ray Sundancers. It turned out that the owners were all related and came here often.
I anchored Vintage Viking a safe distance off of the Shoal. This area is aptly named, and during periods of extreme low tide some less-prudent boaters find themselves grounded on the soft sand as the waters of Barnegat Bay flood out to sea to be recharged and then return 6-1/2 hours later. If you have nothing else to do, I guess sitting aground for 4-6 hours could be fun. I just don't like the idea of all the weight of a boat resting on the rudders, props and shafts. These Sundancers must have either prop pockets tucked up into the hull or were outdrive models, because they were there all day and i could see them heel over at slack low tide.
Jesse got Little Vike ready, and he took off to explore. He had trouble at first finding enough water to land his little boat onto the shoal, but he eventually went around the far side of the rafted Sundancers and found an area he could beach the boat. After an hour he returned to get Mom and Finny. Off they went in his boat. I was confident in his boating skills, and we were in a somewhat protected area just off Oyster Creek Channel so the big boats didn't get in his way, or vice verse. Once again, Finny felt as though he was a bowsprit, guiding his vessel to an unknown shore.
The three of them spent over an hour playing in the tidal pools of water. For a puppy, this little dog is very well behaved on a boat, even the small dinghy with two people in it. Our problem is keeping him IN the boat. He wants to jump on and off at his leasure. This is fine when they're on a shoal beach and the water is a few inches from the gunwale. But when Finey is on Vintage Viking, either at the marine or underway, the water is a little farther from the gunwale and alot deeper. He has a life preserver that we put on him when he goes for his little 'jaunts' in the dinghy, but when he's on the big boat I am hesitant to keep it on him. I am sure that over the next weeks he is going to either show me he understands "Big boat-Big water" and he doesn't jump overbard, or he is going to become very friendly with his life jacket.
Monday, May 11, 2009
2009 - First Outing
Well, last weekend was my birthday, and the boating gods did not shine favorably upon me. Friday, while making final adjustments on the boat's engines, Eddie snapped an adjusting screw on one of the carburetors, and it needs to be replaced. No problem (I thought) because over the winter I actually bought a "new" unused carburetor online just in case, since I know how expensive and difficult they are to find. BUT, the boating gods sent another bolt of bad-luck lightning down to Barnegat and for some strange reason the mechanic couldn't find the carburetor that I gave them 3 months ago. He had it in his hands three days earlier when he was cleaning the shop, but couldn't find it. UGHHHHHHHHHH!!!! New carburetor is five days away UPS. Once again boat is in the slip for the weekend.
But I wasn't going to be discouraged. I brought my 20' walk-around, PipeDreams, down for the weekend and stayed on Vintage Viking and fished off PipeDreams. It rained all weekend long, and the fishing was off. On a bright note my wife Alice traveled down Saturday night to pick up Jesse. He was supposed to have a street fair/concert that he was to play in on Sunday so Alice was coming down to bring him home. She did stay long enough for me to cook up a hot Pasta dinner for all and we enjoyed some quiet family time.
After spending a wet day on PipeDreams on Sunday, I left both boats in slips at the marina and went home discouraged a little. Another weekend of mechanical setbacks.
The following week, Eddie spent more time fiddling with the boat, eventually installing the new carburetor. Jesse and I traveled back down Friday night to spend another weekend on the boat. Hopefully all of the mechanical issues would be fixed and we could enjoy some motoring time on Vintage Viking. When we got to the marina, she was tied up at the service dock. The guys don't like to put her back in the slip if there is wind or current, and I am pleased that they take this position instead of trying to play bumper-boats getting her into the slip. She does have considerable wind surface, so it does take time and skill to get her into the slip on certain days.
However, because she was away from shore-power for 3 days, the inverter had drained the house battery bank
just enough that the port engine wouldn't start. (Oh no, not more bad luck!!). but I was able to eventually get her started, and we took her out on the bay for a late Friday cruise. Once we cleared the NWZ, I throttled her up and she responded beautifully. The new carburetor and the adjustments Eddie made were apparent. She was finally out on the Barnegat Bay under power of her new power plants and was stretching her legs. Jesse got to drive her a little, and this was a special day because he had just received in the day's mail his newly-minted Boater Safety Card. He was 'official'. He was also surprised when I let him drive her. But he did very well, and I was pleased with his progress of running his own boat, "Little Vike".
We brought Vintage Viking back to her slip just as dusk was upon us. We tied her up, loaded all of our stuff for the weekend, and then went out for dinner. After dinner, we came back and settled in for a good night's sleep. I was pleased that she was running good, and in the morning I planned on taking her out for an extended run to make sure all the items on the list were complete.
I awoke about 6am, and made a quick breakfast for myself. Jesse was sound asleep and even food wouldn't shake him out of his sleep. After cleaning up, I started the engines and cast off the lines. By 7am I was clear of the NWZ and out on the bay. Jesse was still asleep, until I came upon Forked River, about 5 miles to the north. He came up on the bridge, and after a few minutes, went back down to make himself something to eat. I was heading north on the bay, following the ICW up through Barnegat Bay. Past Toms River, we ran into some light rain, but it was brief. We continued north under the Mantoloking Bridge and into Bay Head. This is a reverse-trip from the initial Shake-Down cruise, so I was familiar with the ATON's and the area. By 10am we were in the Point Pleasant Canal, heading to the Manasquan River and Inlet. We were approximately 20 miles north of the marina, and Vintage Viking was running fine. The engines were responsive, she got up on plane with ease, and there were no noticeable vibrations or shutters in her drive train. Because I was still in the 'break in' period with the engines, I never left it running at the same RPM for more than 5 minutes, and would adjust it up or down as needed to keep her moving.
I had contemplated taking her out the Manasquan Inlet and then running "outside" along the beach south to the Barnegat Inlet. This would have been a nice circuitous trip, but I didn't want to press my luck. The boating gods were finally looking favorably upon me and iI didnt want to stretch my luck. So I turned her around in the Manasquan and went back into the Canal for the return trip. I had made arrangements earlier to meet up with a friend, Karen, for lunch anyway. We would meet her in Forked River for dockside dining at the Captain's Inn.
Returning from Point Pleasant I kept her at a better clip, around 18 to 20 knots. The wind was now behind us, so the ride was a little smoother. Back under the Mantoloking and Toms River bridges, and then a short run up the Forked River and we docked at the Captain's Inn for lunch. This was going to be Jesse's first time as mate for a strange slip, so I went through with him what was needed and what I would be doing. Oftentimes there are dock hands at the restaurant, but you can't always count on them being there. Even with a stiff southeasterly wind, I was able to get Vintage Viking into the slip first time. We tied her off, and Jesse went to get a table.
Eating at the Captain's Inn is one of those things that I look forward to. Not just because the food is good, or that they have a dockside patio/bar called the Tiki Bar. But what I like most is listening to the other people that come there to eat without boats (Landlubbers!!!) talk about this boat or that boat, how nice it would be to have one. Well, I now own one of those boats, and I truly enjoy having people comment about how good my boat looks. Even though she is aged a little, she maintains her classic lines. With all of the work we put into her since we acquired her, it is nice to have people notice how she looks.
After about thirty minutes of sitting at the Tiki Bar (and finishing off a few appetizers) Karen showed up, looking for us. We waved her over, and she turned and noticed Vintage Viking. Although she has seen many pictures, this is the first time that she saw her up front and personal. She walked out onto the dock and just before boarding, she turned to me so as to ask permission from the "Captain'. I like how that sounds! Permission granted, she hopped aboard and took the tour, self-guided, and gave her nod of acceptance.
After ordering lunch, we sat at the Tiki Bar and talked about 'stuff'. She was down on Long Beach Island still looking at homes to purchase. The right one (at the right price) still hasn't come along yet, but she and her husband Bob aren't giving up yet. The real estate market in New Jersey is wacky, as it is in the rest of the US right now. But this area of the Jersey Shore still thinks it is booming years and the prices reflect that. Oh well, the market will eventually reset itself once people realize that a 'million-dollar view' home need not sell for a million dollars.
After we finished lunch, we moved the drinks and ourselves onto Vintage Viking. Still docked at the restaurant slip, we continued t enjoy the surroundings and the conversation. Even the Dock master, Bob, told us to relax and enjoy. Just let him know when we wanted to leave, and he would assist in casting us off. After about an hour, Karen needed to move on, traveling to family in the area, and we needed to get back onto the water. We said our farewells, and with Dock master Bob's help, we shove off back onto Forked River and out onto Barnegat Bay. We eventually headed back to Sun Harbor Marina and slid Vintage Viking back into her slip.
All in all, the first real excursion with her rebuilt engines was a success. We enjoyed a barbecue steak dinner later, and turned in early. Later that night the weather turned windy, the full moon raised the tides to near flood, and Viking rode high in her slip. I awoke about 2am to adjust her lines and reinforce her windward lines. Sunday morning brought even more windy conditions, and we spent the day around the marina talking with several people who had just launched their boats for the season themselves. Boaters, in general, are very social people, and when you get the right number of the right people in the right marina, it can be very enjoyable.
I think we are going to like it at this marina on this boat!!
But I wasn't going to be discouraged. I brought my 20' walk-around, PipeDreams, down for the weekend and stayed on Vintage Viking and fished off PipeDreams. It rained all weekend long, and the fishing was off. On a bright note my wife Alice traveled down Saturday night to pick up Jesse. He was supposed to have a street fair/concert that he was to play in on Sunday so Alice was coming down to bring him home. She did stay long enough for me to cook up a hot Pasta dinner for all and we enjoyed some quiet family time.
After spending a wet day on PipeDreams on Sunday, I left both boats in slips at the marina and went home discouraged a little. Another weekend of mechanical setbacks.
The following week, Eddie spent more time fiddling with the boat, eventually installing the new carburetor. Jesse and I traveled back down Friday night to spend another weekend on the boat. Hopefully all of the mechanical issues would be fixed and we could enjoy some motoring time on Vintage Viking. When we got to the marina, she was tied up at the service dock. The guys don't like to put her back in the slip if there is wind or current, and I am pleased that they take this position instead of trying to play bumper-boats getting her into the slip. She does have considerable wind surface, so it does take time and skill to get her into the slip on certain days.
However, because she was away from shore-power for 3 days, the inverter had drained the house battery bank
just enough that the port engine wouldn't start. (Oh no, not more bad luck!!). but I was able to eventually get her started, and we took her out on the bay for a late Friday cruise. Once we cleared the NWZ, I throttled her up and she responded beautifully. The new carburetor and the adjustments Eddie made were apparent. She was finally out on the Barnegat Bay under power of her new power plants and was stretching her legs. Jesse got to drive her a little, and this was a special day because he had just received in the day's mail his newly-minted Boater Safety Card. He was 'official'. He was also surprised when I let him drive her. But he did very well, and I was pleased with his progress of running his own boat, "Little Vike".We brought Vintage Viking back to her slip just as dusk was upon us. We tied her up, loaded all of our stuff for the weekend, and then went out for dinner. After dinner, we came back and settled in for a good night's sleep. I was pleased that she was running good, and in the morning I planned on taking her out for an extended run to make sure all the items on the list were complete.
I awoke about 6am, and made a quick breakfast for myself. Jesse was sound asleep and even food wouldn't shake him out of his sleep. After cleaning up, I started the engines and cast off the lines. By 7am I was clear of the NWZ and out on the bay. Jesse was still asleep, until I came upon Forked River, about 5 miles to the north. He came up on the bridge, and after a few minutes, went back down to make himself something to eat. I was heading north on the bay, following the ICW up through Barnegat Bay. Past Toms River, we ran into some light rain, but it was brief. We continued north under the Mantoloking Bridge and into Bay Head. This is a reverse-trip from the initial Shake-Down cruise, so I was familiar with the ATON's and the area. By 10am we were in the Point Pleasant Canal, heading to the Manasquan River and Inlet. We were approximately 20 miles north of the marina, and Vintage Viking was running fine. The engines were responsive, she got up on plane with ease, and there were no noticeable vibrations or shutters in her drive train. Because I was still in the 'break in' period with the engines, I never left it running at the same RPM for more than 5 minutes, and would adjust it up or down as needed to keep her moving.
I had contemplated taking her out the Manasquan Inlet and then running "outside" along the beach south to the Barnegat Inlet. This would have been a nice circuitous trip, but I didn't want to press my luck. The boating gods were finally looking favorably upon me and iI didnt want to stretch my luck. So I turned her around in the Manasquan and went back into the Canal for the return trip. I had made arrangements earlier to meet up with a friend, Karen, for lunch anyway. We would meet her in Forked River for dockside dining at the Captain's Inn.
Returning from Point Pleasant I kept her at a better clip, around 18 to 20 knots. The wind was now behind us, so the ride was a little smoother. Back under the Mantoloking and Toms River bridges, and then a short run up the Forked River and we docked at the Captain's Inn for lunch. This was going to be Jesse's first time as mate for a strange slip, so I went through with him what was needed and what I would be doing. Oftentimes there are dock hands at the restaurant, but you can't always count on them being there. Even with a stiff southeasterly wind, I was able to get Vintage Viking into the slip first time. We tied her off, and Jesse went to get a table.
Eating at the Captain's Inn is one of those things that I look forward to. Not just because the food is good, or that they have a dockside patio/bar called the Tiki Bar. But what I like most is listening to the other people that come there to eat without boats (Landlubbers!!!) talk about this boat or that boat, how nice it would be to have one. Well, I now own one of those boats, and I truly enjoy having people comment about how good my boat looks. Even though she is aged a little, she maintains her classic lines. With all of the work we put into her since we acquired her, it is nice to have people notice how she looks.
After about thirty minutes of sitting at the Tiki Bar (and finishing off a few appetizers) Karen showed up, looking for us. We waved her over, and she turned and noticed Vintage Viking. Although she has seen many pictures, this is the first time that she saw her up front and personal. She walked out onto the dock and just before boarding, she turned to me so as to ask permission from the "Captain'. I like how that sounds! Permission granted, she hopped aboard and took the tour, self-guided, and gave her nod of acceptance.
After ordering lunch, we sat at the Tiki Bar and talked about 'stuff'. She was down on Long Beach Island still looking at homes to purchase. The right one (at the right price) still hasn't come along yet, but she and her husband Bob aren't giving up yet. The real estate market in New Jersey is wacky, as it is in the rest of the US right now. But this area of the Jersey Shore still thinks it is booming years and the prices reflect that. Oh well, the market will eventually reset itself once people realize that a 'million-dollar view' home need not sell for a million dollars.
After we finished lunch, we moved the drinks and ourselves onto Vintage Viking. Still docked at the restaurant slip, we continued t enjoy the surroundings and the conversation. Even the Dock master, Bob, told us to relax and enjoy. Just let him know when we wanted to leave, and he would assist in casting us off. After about an hour, Karen needed to move on, traveling to family in the area, and we needed to get back onto the water. We said our farewells, and with Dock master Bob's help, we shove off back onto Forked River and out onto Barnegat Bay. We eventually headed back to Sun Harbor Marina and slid Vintage Viking back into her slip.
All in all, the first real excursion with her rebuilt engines was a success. We enjoyed a barbecue steak dinner later, and turned in early. Later that night the weather turned windy, the full moon raised the tides to near flood, and Viking rode high in her slip. I awoke about 2am to adjust her lines and reinforce her windward lines. Sunday morning brought even more windy conditions, and we spent the day around the marina talking with several people who had just launched their boats for the season themselves. Boaters, in general, are very social people, and when you get the right number of the right people in the right marina, it can be very enjoyable.
I think we are going to like it at this marina on this boat!!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
2009 Spring Commissioning - Fresh Engines
During the week the boys at the marina were able to replace the raw water pump on the port engine. Now, at last, I would be able to take Vintage Viking out on the water for some sea-trials of her newly-freshened engines and systems.
I traveled down to the marina early on Saturday. I had arranged for the local cable TV guy to come and get me some 'rainy-day' television capabilities. I was getting tired of the DVD collection, but didn't want the full package so I opted for basic TV channels. Never know when these guys show up, so I was at the marina at 8am. Jumped on the boat ready to fire up the engines. But no dice. The starboard battery bank was stone cold. I had recently replaced all the batteries, since they were accidentally boiled over during the winter. But I hadn't heard the on-board charger running since the boat was hauled out, and as I investigated the problem my worse fears came to be; the charger was dead. I traced all the fuses and breakers but no DC power. After what seemed like hours, I gave in and I opened it up. I found that there were overload fuses on each of the three banks to protect it, and they did just that. New fuses, an hour or so to charge up the batteries and I was ready to go out on the water.
But, not yet. The cable tv guy shows up, and gets started. Nice guy, puts the wires where I ask, but no tv signal. Apparently, the entire side of the marina is dead, not having had any customers for the last 3 years. OK, strike two for the weekend. But the engines were running!!!! I cleaned up a bit and cleared away all the tools and such from my little maintenance projects so that I can go out on the bay.
Untie the boat, pull out of the marina and into the no-wake zone. It was such a beautiful day for late April. Forecast was for clear sunny skies and temps in the high 80's. This was gonna be great!!! I approach the end of the NWZ, and begin to accelerate, being cautious of break in instructions. As soon as I attempted to hit the gas, both engines cut out. Started right up again, but would cut out when I accelerated slowly. Carburetors must need more adjusting. If I accelerated quicker, the boat would run. OK then, quick it is. As I approached 2500 RPM, the port engine started to require excessive throttle to keep up, and would only get to 3200. Strike three!!!
So here I was, four months since haul out and major engine work, and the damn thing wouldn't run! The boating gods were not looking upon me favorably today. But it was still floating, the starboard was running OK and the weather was great. So I decided to push on, and to put the boat through several tests and develop a list of issues. Being in the construction business all of my life I am very familiar with 'punch lists'. Since I considered the re-powering of Vintage Viking to be a major project, I treated the repower of Vintage Viking like one of my construction projects that we would run commissioning tests on the major equipment before turning it over to the owner. For the rest of the weekend, I would be the Owner and want to see the Project perform to my satisfaction before I accept it as complete.
Overall, the work done was exceptional. The problem was that since I was trying to get the work completed at the same time as my fellow boaters were trying to get their boats wet, the staff at the marina was a little overworked. Eddie, the mechanic who took over once the engines were set into the boat, had worked long and hard to get it to this point. But he was also pulled in other directions for other clients. He apparently never had time to take Vintage Viking out on the water for test runs.
I made the marina aware of the issues by sending them a report, similar to what I get from my clients. For the next three days, Eddie was back on board tracing down the little bugs that vexed me last weekend. On Wednesday I traveled back down at the end of the day. The weather was much cooler than the weekend, but still great to be on the water. As I puled into the marina I could see Vintage Viking moored up at the service dock. Eddie & Mike had just gotten back from a run on the bay with her, and were making some additional adjustments. Mike asked "wanna go out for a test ride?". Yeah, like I needed convincing. Hopped aboard, threw the lines and we were off. Boat sounded and behaved allot better, and soon were were taking her through some paces. Adjustments to the carburetors paid off, as port engine was doing much better, topping out at 4200RPM and running allot smoother. Still had some problems with instrumentation readings a little wacky, but Eddie was still on it. We were out for about an hour, and i had set up the portable hand-held GPS. Once I got the boat up plane, I was pleasantly surprised to see she was doing a 29MPH clip into the slight wind. What an improvement over the 18 MPH before the engine work.
Looking forward to the weekend. Since my birthday is Sunday, this weekend qualifies as MY time to do whatever I want. I'll be spending the entire weekend on board, regardless of what Mother Nature, or the Boat Gods, have in store.
I traveled down to the marina early on Saturday. I had arranged for the local cable TV guy to come and get me some 'rainy-day' television capabilities. I was getting tired of the DVD collection, but didn't want the full package so I opted for basic TV channels. Never know when these guys show up, so I was at the marina at 8am. Jumped on the boat ready to fire up the engines. But no dice. The starboard battery bank was stone cold. I had recently replaced all the batteries, since they were accidentally boiled over during the winter. But I hadn't heard the on-board charger running since the boat was hauled out, and as I investigated the problem my worse fears came to be; the charger was dead. I traced all the fuses and breakers but no DC power. After what seemed like hours, I gave in and I opened it up. I found that there were overload fuses on each of the three banks to protect it, and they did just that. New fuses, an hour or so to charge up the batteries and I was ready to go out on the water.
But, not yet. The cable tv guy shows up, and gets started. Nice guy, puts the wires where I ask, but no tv signal. Apparently, the entire side of the marina is dead, not having had any customers for the last 3 years. OK, strike two for the weekend. But the engines were running!!!! I cleaned up a bit and cleared away all the tools and such from my little maintenance projects so that I can go out on the bay.
Untie the boat, pull out of the marina and into the no-wake zone. It was such a beautiful day for late April. Forecast was for clear sunny skies and temps in the high 80's. This was gonna be great!!! I approach the end of the NWZ, and begin to accelerate, being cautious of break in instructions. As soon as I attempted to hit the gas, both engines cut out. Started right up again, but would cut out when I accelerated slowly. Carburetors must need more adjusting. If I accelerated quicker, the boat would run. OK then, quick it is. As I approached 2500 RPM, the port engine started to require excessive throttle to keep up, and would only get to 3200. Strike three!!!
So here I was, four months since haul out and major engine work, and the damn thing wouldn't run! The boating gods were not looking upon me favorably today. But it was still floating, the starboard was running OK and the weather was great. So I decided to push on, and to put the boat through several tests and develop a list of issues. Being in the construction business all of my life I am very familiar with 'punch lists'. Since I considered the re-powering of Vintage Viking to be a major project, I treated the repower of Vintage Viking like one of my construction projects that we would run commissioning tests on the major equipment before turning it over to the owner. For the rest of the weekend, I would be the Owner and want to see the Project perform to my satisfaction before I accept it as complete.
Overall, the work done was exceptional. The problem was that since I was trying to get the work completed at the same time as my fellow boaters were trying to get their boats wet, the staff at the marina was a little overworked. Eddie, the mechanic who took over once the engines were set into the boat, had worked long and hard to get it to this point. But he was also pulled in other directions for other clients. He apparently never had time to take Vintage Viking out on the water for test runs.
I made the marina aware of the issues by sending them a report, similar to what I get from my clients. For the next three days, Eddie was back on board tracing down the little bugs that vexed me last weekend. On Wednesday I traveled back down at the end of the day. The weather was much cooler than the weekend, but still great to be on the water. As I puled into the marina I could see Vintage Viking moored up at the service dock. Eddie & Mike had just gotten back from a run on the bay with her, and were making some additional adjustments. Mike asked "wanna go out for a test ride?". Yeah, like I needed convincing. Hopped aboard, threw the lines and we were off. Boat sounded and behaved allot better, and soon were were taking her through some paces. Adjustments to the carburetors paid off, as port engine was doing much better, topping out at 4200RPM and running allot smoother. Still had some problems with instrumentation readings a little wacky, but Eddie was still on it. We were out for about an hour, and i had set up the portable hand-held GPS. Once I got the boat up plane, I was pleasantly surprised to see she was doing a 29MPH clip into the slight wind. What an improvement over the 18 MPH before the engine work.
Looking forward to the weekend. Since my birthday is Sunday, this weekend qualifies as MY time to do whatever I want. I'll be spending the entire weekend on board, regardless of what Mother Nature, or the Boat Gods, have in store.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Launch 2009
After the extensive work done during the past winter layup on the hard, I had been anxious for weeks to get Vintage Viking re-launched and back in the water. There was still work to be done, as there always is with a classic (note: not OLD) boat. But I believed that I had done as many of the projects that required the boat to be on the hard that I could financially afford to do this year. Both engines were in and running, but we did suspect that the port engine needed to have the raw-water cooling pump rebuilt (even though this was done as part of the winter refit). But this could be done once the boat was in the water.
Weather fronts prevented the detail crew from completing the entire boat and superstructure, but they were able to complete the waterline-to-rub rail portion of the hull. The rest would wait until the weather cleared and I could get the detail crew back. But I could wait no more. The marina had made arrangements with the hauler to transport the boat from her winter mason-block pedestals to the launch ramp down the street at the Municipal Dock.
The gentleman who runs the hauling concern is an octogenarian German who custom designed and built his tow vehicle and trailer to meet his needs. If he thought of a better way to do something, he would probably re-engineer the entire rig to meet the need. Even though the surrounding area had plenty of lagoon-front homes with boats in the backyard, this man could, and did, make a living of hauling these boats out of the water in the backyard and re-depositing them onto blocks in the front yard for winter layup. He didn't need to travel very far; just in the immediate area I would guess there are 300 potential clients.
Late in the day on a beautiful Spring Friday, he came to the marina to re-load Vintage Viking onto his haul trailer and get her wet again. Just as Jesse and I had turned the corner at the bend between the Municipal Dock and the marina, we caught sight of the boat moving across the
Earth on this freight-train of a truck turning onto the road. Because of her height above waterline, and the added presence of the gin pole, someone had to ride on Vintage Viking while she made her journey so that he could lift low-laying wires that stretched from utility power poles on the road. This process would repeat itself about four times before the boat was down the street in the Municipal Dock parking lot ready to be backed down the ramp. It was not surprising to see that as Vintage Viking made its 
way down the street she attracted about 6 or 7 groups of onlookers, gawking at first her size and then the ease at which she moved over land. Even as we prepared to release her bonds and straps keeping her on the trailer, she still seemed graceful and at ease.
As she was backed down the ramp and began to get wet, first her props, then her rudders, and finally the keel and lowermost part of her hull, I could almost see an AAAAHHHH come over her. Like when you slip into that cool clear water of a swimming pool on that hot summer day. The mechanics from the marina were on board now, checking through-hulls and preparing the engines to run. After several minutes of 'discussions' between the sage octogenarian hauler and the young enthusiastic mechanics as to what was the best way to get the Viking off the pads of the trailer and floating freely without getting the haul-truck into the water. After a combination of slight tugging, easing the trailer a little further and the prevailing wind pushing the Viking into the water. She was now finally afloat, at home again in her wet environ where she belonged.
Weather fronts prevented the detail crew from completing the entire boat and superstructure, but they were able to complete the waterline-to-rub rail portion of the hull. The rest would wait until the weather cleared and I could get the detail crew back. But I could wait no more. The marina had made arrangements with the hauler to transport the boat from her winter mason-block pedestals to the launch ramp down the street at the Municipal Dock.
The gentleman who runs the hauling concern is an octogenarian German who custom designed and built his tow vehicle and trailer to meet his needs. If he thought of a better way to do something, he would probably re-engineer the entire rig to meet the need. Even though the surrounding area had plenty of lagoon-front homes with boats in the backyard, this man could, and did, make a living of hauling these boats out of the water in the backyard and re-depositing them onto blocks in the front yard for winter layup. He didn't need to travel very far; just in the immediate area I would guess there are 300 potential clients.
Late in the day on a beautiful Spring Friday, he came to the marina to re-load Vintage Viking onto his haul trailer and get her wet again. Just as Jesse and I had turned the corner at the bend between the Municipal Dock and the marina, we caught sight of the boat moving across the
Earth on this freight-train of a truck turning onto the road. Because of her height above waterline, and the added presence of the gin pole, someone had to ride on Vintage Viking while she made her journey so that he could lift low-laying wires that stretched from utility power poles on the road. This process would repeat itself about four times before the boat was down the street in the Municipal Dock parking lot ready to be backed down the ramp. It was not surprising to see that as Vintage Viking made its 
way down the street she attracted about 6 or 7 groups of onlookers, gawking at first her size and then the ease at which she moved over land. Even as we prepared to release her bonds and straps keeping her on the trailer, she still seemed graceful and at ease.As she was backed down the ramp and began to get wet, first her props, then her rudders, and finally the keel and lowermost part of her hull, I could almost see an AAAAHHHH come over her. Like when you slip into that cool clear water of a swimming pool on that hot summer day. The mechanics from the marina were on board now, checking through-hulls and preparing the engines to run. After several minutes of 'discussions' between the sage octogenarian hauler and the young enthusiastic mechanics as to what was the best way to get the Viking off the pads of the trailer and floating freely without getting the haul-truck into the water. After a combination of slight tugging, easing the trailer a little further and the prevailing wind pushing the Viking into the water. She was now finally afloat, at home again in her wet environ where she belonged.
I climbed up to the flybridge and took the controls for the first time this year. I could hear and feel the smoothness of the rebuilt transmissions and the power of the engines. I eased the boat down the channel, away from the Municipal Dock for the short 500 yard trip to the entrance to the marina and eventually her slip. I gingerly ran the engines, not wanting to overheat the port engine, yet still have power to overcome the windage once I was ready to back her into her slip. She responded to the slightest touch of the controls. I will be very happy to open her up and unbridle her newly-freshened power plants. But a little at a time; remember break-in instructions from Crusader........
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