New to me Marine Trader 36 Sundeck - Questions

[DBG8492]

Update...

Got back to South Florida at 0330 Friday. Worked my regular job all day and went to the boat that evening to unload all our stuff from the truck and load it aboard. I sorted out the Thruster/Windlass wiring/voltage issue - which I'm sad to say wasn't even real. I mistakenly thought the batteries were wired in series, but they're actually in parallel. That's embarrassing considering I wired the damned things... I have a separate thread on that over in the Electrical section...

Figured out that the Freedom 25 device works as it should. The fault is in the Heart control panel. I don't have time to source a replacement so we're going to manually monitor and control the charger and leave the inverter off so shore power controls all the 115 outlets. The ProIsoCharge controls the alternator, and it works well. Once on the hard, pretty much the whole system will be torn out and replaced.

Worked on her all morning this morning, first getting the forward wiring sorted and then getting the main online.

For the main, all I did was close the seacock, pull the cover off the strainer, and then pull the raw water feed from the heat exchanger. Then I maneuvered the open end of that hose higher than the pump and used a garden hose from the dock to feed water into it until it started coming out of the strainer. There are two loops - one behind and one in front of the pump, so I knew that even if the water drained out of the hose when I re-attached it, the water in both the pump and those loops would remain. With that done, I re-attached and re-clamped the hose and had the Admiral start him up. Once he caught and was running, I opened the seacock, and a few seconds later, we got raw water from the exhaust.

The only thing left to do is install the new oil pressure and water temp gauges and install a new water temp/oil pressure alarm system.

The thing I forgot was an on-engine oil pressure gauge. I mean, I completely forgot to order one... Just a brain fart. Tractor Supply has a 100 PSI gauge in stock. That's not ideal, but it would work - only it's a two-hour round trip, so I may not be able to get there. I will go ahead and go to Lowe's and buy the pipe I need to make it happen, but I may not get the gauge installed before we have to leave Monday.

The good news is that we found a yard only a few day's cruise from where we are that will allow us to DIY and live aboard for a reasonable rate and far enough inland to be well-protected from hurricanes. I won't get her out of FL within the 90-day window for paying FL property taxes, but that's a small price to pay. I have Starlink, so I can work from the boat - we will just have to buy a very good AC unit and find a place to install it temporarily.

Knowing I don't have to trek 1000 miles to get to a yard that won't put me in the poor house is a huge weight lifted.

So to sum it up:

• 115V Charging works, but requires manual intervention
• 12V Charging system works using the ProIsoCharge for three banks
• Depth gauge functional
• New VHF
• The main runs and draws/exhausts water
• New main sensors and alarms being installed
• Impeller, belts, and fluids changed
• Steering works pin to pin
• Heads work, but I'm not sure of the plumbing, so I bought a $100 "camping toilet" for use underway, but nights will be spent at marinas so hopefully, it won't see much use
• Y valve and OBD valve are both locked closed and cable-tied
• Propane system is not trustworthy to look at, so nothing will get cooked on the stove or in the oven - we have the grill on the aft deck and a butane camp stove for cooking out there was well
• Fridge is iffy - seems to work unless it's 90 degrees inside...
• Thruster/Windlass both work - hope we don't need the windlass
• Plenty of PFDs, fire extinguishers, and all safety gear/signage required by the CG
• New-to-us West Marine tender on the davits - for emergency use only

Gotta do some light provisioning tomorrow, but other than that, we are set to cast off Monday at first light. Low tide is at 0130 with a high at 0720 so we should be in a good spot to go when the sun comes up at 0645 although we will probably time our exit a little later to try to catch the first bridge on the quarter hour.

Thanks for all the help and I will keep updating with our progress.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Sounds great and cool that you found a good boatyard. I hope your new adventure goes well and have fun on your first cruise!

 

[Comodave]

A DIY boatyard is great. Sometimes hard to find nowadays.

 

[DBG8492]

A DIY boatyard is great. Sometimes hard to find nowadays.

Ridiculously hard to find.

And many of the ones still left demand both arms and both legs in the deal.

Which makes it hard to get any work done...

 

[DBG8492]

Mother of all Shakedown Cruises - in the books...

We got a late start due to a faulty plug-in 12v charger needed to power the Navionics tablet. The Admiral and I both thought the other packed the spares - neither of us did.

So she walked a mile round trip to the store to buy a sack full of the things while I ran the engine and did the last-minute checks, and we got underway around 0830.

And as it turns out, I do have functional temp gauges both above and below. So I got that going for me - which is nice.

She ran like a top. 8 knots easy @ 1600 RPM. Late in the day, the RPMs seemed to wander a bit if she was in gear at idle. But other than that, oil pressure was good, temp was good - thermostat functioning, alternator charging.

Before we leave tomorrow, I need to add some fluid to the pilothouse steering. You can steer from up there - I did it all day - but it can take it a bit to catch up. The inside helm responds right away. I'm guessing there's an issue with the lack of fluid between the upper and lower helms. And I know you're supposed to bleed it if you add fluid, and while I get it, I'm not sure I can make it worse by adding some.

The excitement for the day (other than the steering) was the thunderstorm that dropped on us just south of the Palm Beach area around 1330 or so - I am guessing, I didn't look at my watch.

There was a light rain falling and I was standing in the pilothouse when it hit. The initial gust ripped the bimini to pieces and ten seconds later, I couldn't see a thing. We were in the channel with a large anchorage to our right. There were 15 or 20 sailboats over there so I figured the depth was okay. Rudder hard to starboard to get out of the channel, let her go forward for about 30 seconds, all stop and scramble down to the inside helm. From there, I let the wind spin her until her nose was in it and then used the engine in forward and reverse to keep her in place. From the inside, I could see a sailboat anchored about 30 yards away - used her as a point-of-reference to stay in one place. Thought about dropping the hook, but was hoping it wouldn't last long. Five minutes later, the wind was gone and I could see again, so I headed back up to the pilot house and we went on our way while the Admiral cut the rest of the bimini down so we wouldn't look like anymore like a floating shipwreck than we already do...

To be fair, the bimini was on its last legs and I'd told the Admiral that it wouldn't likely last past the first storm. I was right, but that's not going to make tomorrow's trip any better with the sun beating down on me.

Trying to make St. Lucie tomorrow - Does anyone know of any good marinas there that DON'T cater to strictly high-dollar boats? We had a hard time getting transient dockage here in North Palm. Called a bunch and finally found one and when we got here, they put us on the fuel dock - said it would "be easier." When we walked the place, we figured it was because they didn't want our slightly bruised 1986 Marine Trader mixed in with all those multi-million dollar yachts.

But c'est la vie! The adventure continues...

 

[SIBERNUT]

Phelps was 10 yrs on the hard and water 1/2 way up the engine when I got (it/her/him?), I empathize with you. After 6 mos, looks like splash this week. Hang in there!

 

[DBG8492]

Phelps was 10 yrs on the hard and water 1/2 way up the engine when I got (it/her/him?), I empathize with you. After 6 mos, looks like splash this week. Hang in there!

That's awesome!

I bet she's beautiful!

I can't wait to get on the hard and start the real.work. This break-fix stuff on 40.year old gear to keep.her going is driving me crazy.

At first light,.I went to remove the fill cap from the upper helm reservoir. It's stuck with the glue of the gods. Gonna have to remove the wheel and use vise grips to get any real torque on it - and the helm wheel bolt is also stuck. I have a very large set of channel locks, but I am afraid if I dig into it too hard, I will muck up steering from the pilothouse - and I can't have that.

Oh well.

We cast off in less than an hour.

 

[SIBERNUT]

It's not beautiful, it's fugly. But viewed thru the lens of what I paid, it's a diamond in the rough.
Keep us all posted.

 

[DBG8492]

Helming from the pilothouse with no bimini in South Florida is just about the worst sort of hell you can imagine. I can imagine worse, but not by much.

Managed to find a spot to park her for a couple of days to try and sort out a place we can stay for two to three weeks while waiting for yard space.

Nettles Island Marina - The place was wrecked by Ian and they have nearly all of the dock space torn out. There are about 10 piling slips - five of them occupied. Only one guy is working here - no dock hands - and he wasn't here when we got here and no one replied to many 16 hails or cell calls. None of the slips are labeled and I completely missed the fact that the slip that we were supposed to be in - A10 - had a longer walkway than the one we ended up in. There was a thunderstorm about 2 miles away and the wind was pretty crazy so I just backed her into a slip and then we dropped the dinghy and adjusted everything so our port entry just barely makes the end of the walkway - no way I was moving...dogs can jump and if they miss, they can swim as well.

It's stupid hot down here (of course) - there's no lounge - restrooms/showers have no AC. Kind of pricey for a unique fixer-upper opportunity @$125 a night... But there is a (sort of) grocery/ships store, and a restaurant/bar that hopefully opens soon - and beggars cannot be choosers, so here we are for the next two days while we try and sort out a place to park for a few weeks. If the haul-out facility had slips, this would be easy - but of course, they do not. I don't blame them - one less thing and the yard rates would probably go up if they did.

Oh - and a boat friend of mine didn't believe me when I said I could do 8 knots in the old girl at 1600 RPM, so I sent him the pic below from today's trip. That shot was taken at 1134 AM in the stretch of ICW between the North Jupiter Narrows and St. Lucie inlet. At that point, Navionics said the current was inbound at around 1.3 knots.

Now we get to breathe some relief for a couple of days and the old girl gets some well-deserved R and R herself for an awesome couple of days cruising.

To be continued...

 

[DBG8492]

Forgot the pic...

 

[DBG8492]

Questions about Fuel System Plumbing and Racors

Just mapped out the whole fuel system while taking the day off from cruising. It needed to be done, and I hadn't done it yet, so now was a good time.

Given what I found, I have made some assumptions and would like assistance with whether or not they're correct.

From what I observed/traced (see diagram below):

Fuel from the port tank is pulled through the first open valve and mixed with fuel pulled from the starboard tank through the second open valve.

From there, it heads to a stopcock between the two Model 500FG Racor Filter/Water Separators. A T fitting in this line leads to a stopcock on the Starboard Tank - which is closed.

From there, fuel from R1 hits the pressure gauge (PG in Diagram) on its way to the Main, and fuel from R2 also hits the pressure gauge on its way to the Main. If the Genny was running, fuel from both Racors would also feed it and the gauge.

Given this configuration, I should be pulling from both tanks currently. But if I want to run only the starboard tank, I would shut Port Valve and the Mixing Valve and open the Starboard Valve that's currently closed. To run the Port Tank only, I would shut the Mixing Valve and the Starboard Valve.

Is that correct?

Also, I am assuming that the Stopcock between the two Racors is so I can shut off the fuel to clean them, replace the filters, and then fill them back up with fresh diesel to avoid bleeding.

Is that correct?

Finally, the gauge measures how much vacuum it takes to pull fuel through the Racors - which means a lower number is better.

Is that correct?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[DBG8492]

Correct Pic Attached

 

[CharlieO.]

Am I not seeing the return lines?

 

[DBG8492]

Am I not seeing the return lines?

Yeah, I didn't put it on there - there's only one and it runs directly from the engine to the Starboard Tank - so I had that part figured out. It was the supply side I was trying to sort.

I'm a little more confused now because I did a lot of reading yesterday and it looks like the petcock on the T between the two Racors may be a T-Type three-way valve and not a binary on-off valve.

That would mean there are four positions - inlet flows to both outlets - pointer down- which is how it's set now, inlet flows to Racor 1 - pointer left, inlet flows to Racor 2 - pointer right, or OFF - which would be if the pointer was in the "up" position.

If that's the case, then I can isolate tanks AND isolate which filter is used meaning I can run everything through one and have a "known good" one in reserve if that one gets clogged.

 

[Blissboat]

If that's the case, then I can isolate tanks AND isolate which filter is used meaning I can run everything through one and have a "known good" one in reserve if that one gets clogged.

Always good practice. In my experience, a fuel filter will clog at the least convenient time, meaning when you do not want to have to shut down and change it.

 

[DBG8492]

Made it to Indiantown, FL

So today, we made our next-to-last leg of this trip into Indiantown, FL.

It was uneventful and easy and the last leg is tomorrow across Lake Okeechobee to Glades Marina.

If I had to go back and do this over, the one thing I would change is that I would get the onboard AC working. Against my better judgment, I let the Admiral convince me that a $500 room AC would do the trick. There was already one in the aft cabin, and although the hose was deteriorating, I effected repairs that allowed it to work fairly well. Until we got underway...

Both the brand new one and the old one have been nothing but headaches every day since we left. And the heat down here is stifling. I like Florida, but I like it better in the fall and winter...

What really bothers me is that the issue with the onboard AC was an easy fix.

The estate we bought her from had someone take a look at her shortly after the previous owner died. They found the AC inlet seacock was frozen open, and the strainer for it was leaking, so whoever it was removed the line from the strainer, plugged it, and clamped it. This means the fix would have amounted to buying a new strainer, unclamping and unplugging the line, plugging it into the new strainer, and clamping it down. I could have tried using a wrench or vise grips to move the strainer, but it's a small one and I would be worried about breaking it off completely, so...

The Admiral was worried about doing it without the seacock being able to be turned off - and she was adamant. Not wanting to have to sleep on the dock, I acquiesced. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have stood my ground and run the risk. It only would have been one night on the dock and it would have been worth it...

She's heading back north next week to get one of our vehicles, so perhaps while she's gone, it will magically get fixed...

 

[DBG8492]

Finally - Going on the hard...

Got our haul-out date today.

We yank on 1 September at noon. Once she's blocked and set, I'm going to disco the batteries, tie a 40x40 tarp over her, and we are heading north to swap the tiny car for my Expedition and visit some family.

We will be away from her for about a month or so - hopefully, temperatures will be more moderate once we get back. In addition to visiting, I have to replace the intake manifold on the Expy and make sure she's ready for the trip.

Once we get back, we have to build a set of stairs to get us and the dogs on and off the boat easily - don't think a simple ladder is going to suffice for that.

Then the real work begins.

I made a rough draft task list...

Hull check
Bottom paint
Deck repairs
Bilges clean, dry, and repainted where necessary
New through Hulls and Seacocks
Clean/rebuild sea strainers
Replace AC strainer
Verify bonding
Rudder bearing check
Cutlass bearing check
Prop check
Stuffing box - might replace with dripless
Inspect diesel tanks with fiber optic camera (what comes after depends on the condition)
Locate and fix engine oil leaks
New valve cover/check lash
Engine room insulation - especially overhead and aft bulkhead
Genny raw water system rebuild
Steering
Black water system replace (all of it)
Batteries and boxes
Charger/Inverter - remove/replace/rewire
Engine room wiring
Windlass fixed
New Propane line for galley stove/oven
Freshwater tanks and lines cleaned
Freshwater pump check/replace
Whole-boat freshwater filter system
Shower sump pump check/replace
Hot water heater - test/clean/repair/replace
Hard bimini
Rainwater reclamation system
Install Starlink permanently
Solar - replace/add as necessary
Both helms wiring and gauges
Update all 12v outlets - check wiring
Autopilot heads - replace LCD
Update all 115v outlets to GFCI and change wiring/breakers for port/starboard distribution
Update all lights to LED
Windows - rebuild/replace glass
Portlights replaced
Rub rail replaced
Hull deck joint - clean and re-bed
Clean/replace/re-bed stanchions/railings
Remove oversize custom davits
Bigger swim platform with tilt davits
Outboard mount
Hull, deck, superstructure paint, and non-skid, where applicable
Computer/sensors/transducers/radar
Rebuild sundeck overhead

That's a long list...and doesn't include things that will jump out once we start tearing other stuff apart. Also doesn't include interior work we can do in the water after splashing.

We will get as much as we can done - starting with the most important stuff (listed first) - and splash late next Spring to start heading north. Whatever doesn't get done we will tackle by hauling out again in North Carolina or Virginia.

 

[Comodave]

Looks like a great list. Take photos and keep us informed as to what you are doing on your baby.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Remove 360 anchor light. Insert new boat. Reinstall light.

 

[DBG8492]

Remove 360 anchor light. Insert new boat. Reinstall light.

I hear you. It's a lot.

But there's something awesome and life-altering about pouring your heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into bringing something everyone else gave up on back to life.

Plus, I owe it to her former owner. I didn't know him personally, but we both served in the same SpecWar community in the Navy - just at different times. She was his boat for 20 years and I won't turn my back on my brother - or her.

She will shine again.

 

[Barking Sands]

I hear you. It's a lot.

But there's something awesome and life-altering about pouring your heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into bringing something everyone else gave up on back to life.

Plus, I owe it to her former owner. I didn't know him personally, but we both served in the same SpecWar community in the Navy - just at different times. She was his boat for 20 years and I won't turn my back on my brother - or her.

She will shine again.

I am with you. I enjoy working on things and bringing them back to life! That list looks familiar

 

[Comodave]

Remove 360 anchor light. Insert new boat. Reinstall light.

Good one.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Yeah.

I had the anchor light removed (along with a foot of mast) so I could clear the overhead on the berth I rented.

Still need to do that little project before anchoring "out there"

 

[SIBERNUT]

Well, I'm bringing Phelps back to life , 10 yrs on the hard & nobody ever pulled the drain..............

Here's my latest thrill- I turned on the spreader lights AND THEY WORK!!!!! I didn't have to do anything!!

 

[DBG8492]

Well, I'm bringing Phelps back to life , 10 yrs on the hard & nobody ever pulled the drain..............

Here's my latest thrill- I turned on the spreader lights AND THEY WORK!!!!! I didn't have to do anything!!

When that happens, I consider it a bonus and that means I get to spend an hour at the pool in the RV park attached to the marina :lol::lol:

I'm sure the RV folks consider the marina attached to the park - but it's all a matter of perspective...

 

[DBG8492]

Finally...

We have hit dry land.

Hauled, blocked, and stable on the stands at Glades Boat Storage - our home for the next six months or so. Glades has a tiny boat yard that not only allows DIY, but allows you to live aboard while you do so. As far as we could find, it's the ONLY place in Florida to do so.

It's owned by a boating family and it shows. The cost is around $600 a month with a single 30 AMP electric whip. It's also full of other boaters all working on their boats - which is a very valuable resource for the DIY type.

However, it's REMOTE. And when I say remote, I mean it's 20 miles from a grocery store and 60 miles from the only major city in the region - Fort Myers. But UPS and FedEx know where they are, so anything you need can be ordered - you just have to wait a couple of extra days for shipping to the boonies.

I was pleasantly surprised by the condition once she was hauled. We didn't do a survey, so this was the first glimpse we'd gotten of anything below the waterline. Bottom paint looked good except for a couple of bad spots, but all-in-all, it was not too shabby.

Once she was blocked, we loaded the car and headed north to visit family, pick up the truck, and hopefully let the weather decide to do something other than London Broil on a daily basis. We will spend about a month on the road before we return in October to commence The Cleaning of the Bilges in preparation for phase one.

Technically, two other projects must be done first - build a 6-foot set of stairs to get us, the dogs, and groceries/whatever on and off, and install the 12K BTU window unit - but I'm not counting those.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Sounds great!

A new adventure and affordable too. Window units are easy, pay special attention to the stairs. You (or your family) fall 6 feet to the ground, gonna be more expensive than the boat.

 

[Comodave]

Congrats on the boatyard. Sounds great. I made a 5’ set of stairs for getting on and off our boat in the barn over the winter. Works great and we can take the dog with us when we go. I just bought a set of precut stringers for 5’ and built the stairs.

 

[SeaMoose]

A great read that brings back many fond and not so fond memories, thank you. We’re about to complete the loop - pushing up the Hudson as I write this on our way back to our home port on Lake Erie - on a Marine Trader I spent much of my life restoring to make this trip with.

Crazy stray dc voltages in the wrong places plagued me on this boat for years, they were all the fault of poor grounds which resulted in electrons finding their own way home. I would take every single ground terminal off and give it a good cleaning.

For inspiration I recommend episode 3 of my you tube channel which shows how I spent $225,000 to restore a Marine Trader I bought for $25,000 to a vessel worth maybe $60,000 not counting my and the Admiral’s time. Watching the sunrise from our anchorage this morning - it was worth every penny.

Good Luck, we’ll be home by the end of September and will do our best to help.


Alan & Darina on Sea Moose
YouTube: “The adventures of Yorksie and Me”

 

[DBG8492]

Hoping that the window unit works better than the portable/room units - they were terrible and seemed to eat power in a manner quite disproportional to their ability.

And I helped build some Seabee Stairs when I was overseas, so hopefully it will all come back to me, and I won't build a set that collapses :lol::lol: I'd like to be able to use the pre-made stringers, but unfortunately it looks like the best you can do are the five-step with a rise/run that only gets you about 3 feet of height or so. Great for a deck, but not so great for what I need. There's a lumber yard in Labelle so I will at least check out what they have, but I will probably end up making stringers.

And @SeaMoose - I watched the vid. Hopefully, we don't end up with quite as much work... I know there are a couple of wet spots on the deck, the bowsprit is shot, and there are issues around the windshield, but the Sundeck construction is a bit different from the standard 34 MT, and I am hoping that - and the fact that she only had two owners over her 40-year life - means that we won't be facing a lot of issues with poorly-done repairs. Although I already know that there were lots of electrical items removed from the engine room for upgrades where the wiring was left behind. Will probably pull a couple hundred pounds of copper out of there before it's over.

There is one thing I'm worried about... I didn't see this on my walkaround when she was first hauled, but my fiancé walked around and took pics after she'd been on blocks for about half an hour and I found what you see below when I looked at them yesterday. Not sure what those are, but I'm afraid they're teredo worms. My understanding is that when most of these were built, everything below the waterline was solid glass, but I suppose there's a chance it's cored or someone did a cored repair in that spot and they got into it somehow. Hope that doesn't turn into a nightmare...