Tappets

 

Mike

Mike, from Havelock Slipway, checking the tappet clearances. Only one was a bit tight, and another a bit slack, otherwise no adjustments needed. 

Firing order

I've now painted the firing order on the ER forward bulkhead, in case someone in the future hasn't got the manual. By the way, it's 1 5 6 2 8 4 7 3.

Haul out 2025

Removing the propellor for balancing

Two new props on the thruster

Anchor cable

The long awaited 80 metres of new 13mm anchor cable arrives from Michael Hill, Southshore Marine. Somewhat exciting. Michael's connection with Johnson's Barge meant we enjoyed some assistance from the skipper of the Manatu and his hydraulic arm.

 

Alongside Johnson's Barge

Old cable comes out

New cable lifted onto the barge

Ventilation

1 of 2 x 4-inch holes 

The lazarette has always been damp. In spring and autumn stuff gets soaking wet. It's what caused the hydraulic connectors on the steering machinery to rust. We have finally got around to doing something about it. The work started with the first of two 4-inch holes in the deck. The deck is 55mm thick. The 60-year old matai (matai - black pine) is very hard.

The new aft vents

Two Dorade boxes were nicely made by Sounds Marine at Waikawa Marina. The ventilator hoods are by Vetus and are made of slightly flexible rubbery plastic. We're pleased with the result all round. They look like they belong. Already the lazarette has dried out heaps. 

Chamber of horrors

June 21 the ferry Aratere went aground in Picton harbour due to a steering failure. Turned out it wasn't so much a mechanical failure as a procedural one, but it made me decide to do something about the corrosion in the steering flat on Orion. Life got in the way, and no action was actually taken until last week when Sue asked Gary and Giles (Aquaserv) to get on with the job.

The lazarette is poorly ventilated (which we are going to address next) and the damp conditions caused the hydraulic hose connectors to the steering arms to rust. Karl and Sam (FPS Havelock) found things not too bad, one hose however was "about to blow" and that is now an exhibit in the Chamber of Horrors. Some connectors were restored and some new ones supplied and this time they were coated. We didn't use Denzo tape because then you can't inspect them.

Before

Before

After

After

Monograde 30

Oil Change

Slightly overdue at 230 hours, Ken gave us a hand. Continuing for another year with the Morris Oil Ring Free XHD30. I think I topped up once with 1 litre since the last oil change; pretty amazing for an engine first commissioned in 1977. Anyway, the engine seems to like it and it matches the spec in the operator's manual. We get it from Tractor Repairs & Spares in Renwick. See Gardner swami Joe McCool on YouTube on the subject of oil.

Getting trolleyed

Fine day

Pressure wash

Ready to roll

In the yard

In the shed

In New Zealand you can get all four seasons in a day. There is no good time of year - it's either too cold, too wet, too windy, or too hot. That we can get Orion into the shed at Sounds Shipwright Services right here in Havelock is a huge advantage. We're hoping, believing, that the paint job will be all the better for it. It means she's in the shade and out of the wind, so although she'll dry out it'll be nothing like last year when insanely hot sun beat down on her day after day.

Three winter projects

With mainly inclement weather, short days, long nights, we've been using our weekends to make a few small improvements: fuel transfer system; aft deck cctv; better dinghy chocks.

Fuel transfer system
There was a tank balancing pipe that was quite useful, but it had a tendency to block with crud and water at its lowest point where it passes underneath the shaft. We started thinking that if we installed a pump and a filter and some change-over valves we could add some useful functionality: fuel transfer between tanks, only to having to use the filler nearest the fuel jetty, and trapping water and dirt. It just felt like it would offer more control than simple gravity balancing. It's a 14 litres/minute gear pump, and an off-the-shelf Ryco filter. Gregory Engineering of Picton made up the panel, and we fitted it over two weekends.

Aft deck cctv
Seeing out the back isn't too good, especially since we fitted the clears. We've installed a car reversing camera that looks out over the aft deck. The picture is really clear.  It helps when we're backing out of the berth; it'll be handy when we're fishing; and it'll be good for keeping a lookout for traffic coming up from astern.

Higher dinghy chocks
When it rains the dinghy fills up. There's a perfectly good bung at the back with a mushroom valve. So we've built the forward chocks up to tilt the boat up at the bow. It helps when we're washing mud out of the bottom of the boat too.

Winter projects

Brass fiddle in main cabin

Eberspächer 4kW

Heating control in main cabin

New freezer compressor and bits

New sounds and bilge pumps rewired

The diesel heater was installed by Phil Martin, along with some other electrical work. Phil's standard of work is excellent and we would recommend him to anybody. Thank you Phil!

The freezer repair was done by John Dey. John went through the system from end to end, paying attention to every small detail. He made a number of changes and the system now runs efficiently again. Thank you John.

Now all that remains is for the light to return to the southern hemisphere and for us to load some friends and go and get it all wet!

Creature comforts

Bunks made up in the fore end

Pictures of Tangaroa and Amazon

Cabin lamp and picture of WT28

Sue has been busy painting in the fore end, and making up the bunks, which just makes the whole thing look really inviting. The cabin lamp is not wired yet, but we'll find a nice warm LED if we can, and there are two more brass lamps to go in the corners and light the table. We're keeping the CCFLs Brian originally fitted because they're nicely installed and if not particularly moody, they're useful when you want to see what you're doing. The engine room has gained some LEDs too which has reduced the load should we be stopped and fixing something in there while away from shore power.

Engine room LEDs

Position of the blocks

It was pretty cold in the wind, and hard to find the necessary patience. But it's important to do this stuff, to be blocked well next time. Nick had some notes from when he hauled her last during Brian's time. Options in Marlborough include Tory Channel Contracting in Picton and Havelock Boatyard... both have good patent slipways. For the position of the blocks also see this page on this blog.

Caulking

Nick and John have done lots of caulking

One would use red lead, but it takes a long time before it dries enough to putty over. So now Nick uses a primer made specifically for underwater work, and he notes the time he paints it on and there's an optimum time to start puttying - when the paint has taken a set, but hasn't completely dried. He says the paint then kind of glues the putty into the seam. So, they go along in sections, chalking up the time they put on the paint.

Some of the butts needed attention because they'd got rather wide and stayed wet long after she was out. John refastened some of them using silicon bronze screws and was pleased to note they all pulled up tight. And some we put a tingle over as well, as in the picture below.

Nailed it

John Butler

 John's hand-made nails

John makes by hand the nails that will fasten the sacrificial board to the keel. You can't buy nails like this in any chandlery shop we know. When we bump the bottom going into Havelock we'll know nothing's going to drop off.