We returned from PT on November 16.  It was good to be back in our slip, but we had one more big project this year, so we headed over to Lake Union Boat Repair, the Seattle shop that has done most of our non-wood work.

New mufflers/fiddley cover:  We have had an exhaust leak for years.  It was time to figure out what was wrong and fix it.  It turned out that we had big holes in at least 2 of the 4 mufflers.  It made sense, with the fiddley top off, to replace all 4.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New mufflers before installation. Unfortunately, these were not available at Midas

New muffler from Harco – These were from the same company that made the old mufflers. They still had the plans, so were able to fabricate them quickly.

 

Muffler for main engine being hoisted onto the boat

 

 

Fiddley cover being prepped for painting

 

 

 

There were several engine room updates.

Crankcase positive ventilation units: When the Caterpillar engines were installed, the crankcase ventilation consisted of a pipe that ran up through the fiddley, and dripped oil on the fiddley cover. Neither the most attractive or environmental solution. We had new modern units installed which return the oil in the air back to the engine and then send the cleaned air into the turbochargers.

 

 

New manifold for diesel (generator and furnace): For the last several years, we have had issues with our primary generator. There was an air leak somewhere in the diesel lines which meant that the generator would often start and then  die (starved for fuel), and the Engineer would have to crack the fuel pump, pump all the air out of the system and then start the generator again. Part of the problem was the fuel lines were old and stiff and had unnecessary junctions from earlier configurations. We replaced all the lines to the generator. In addition the manifold that fed the generator and the furnace were high on the side of the fuel tank, so that as the fuel levels dropped, the pressure on the system decreased, making it harder to get fuel to the generator. With these repairs, the generator starts every time and continues to run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hydraulic pumps: Last year in Port Townsend, when we tried to use the backup hydraulic pumps (run off of 24 v motors, rather than the generator), they blew fuses and seized up. It turned out that the pumps were fine, but that the motors had self-destructed. Our friends at Maximum Performance Hydraulics rebuilt the units and they now are working again

 

 

 

Battery Replacement:  This was also a year to replace batteries. All of the batteries are 8 years old and are reaching the end of their lives. So far we have replaced the starter batteries for both generators. We also had to replace the full bank of house batteries

 

 

 

Day Head:

While we were at LUBR, Kim installed our new day head (change from vacuflush to macerator).  This may not sound like a big deal to non-boaters, but it was one of the 2-3 things that our returning guests raved about.  It makes a big difference. Nuff said. While we were upgrading the head, we added a motion sensor light, as no one ever turns the light off in that head.  Notice the purple heart plinth!

 

 

 

Fill seams in salon ceiling beam edges:  This is one of those projects that no one notices being completed, but one that nagged at the owner (NE).  Originally, we had planned to replace the teak quarter round that trimmed out the beams in the salon. So when Nancy painted the salon ceiling, she ignored the cracks and nail holes that the quarter round would cover.  As the years went by, we realized that this project was so low on the priority list that it would never be completed. However, the gaps between the beams and ceiling were unattractive. Over a weekend, we caulked the gaps with Sikaflex and painted the ceiling again.

 

 

Another head project:  The forward blackwater tank (holding tank with poop and pee) has a rocker switch that is used to pump out the tank (overboard).  We put a barrier so it was difficult to turn on the switch, but folks still managed to flip the hidden switch. Peter rewired the overboard pump with a switch in the laundry room that requires an advanced degree to use.

 

Last pieces of wood in the forward passageways/staterooms: when we bought the boat, there were vinyl headliners throughout the staterooms forward and rear.  Once we pulled down the headliner, sanded the paint down to wood, and repainted, we had great headroom, but gaps in walls above where the headliner was. Nancy had filled gaps with foam insulation covered by canvas, but that was only a temporary fix.  We took advantage of access to the LUBR shop to finish the walls. Even with easy access, it’s a process: Pattern. Saw. Fit. Trim as necessary. Seal. Paint. Install.

 

Shelving under the TV: long ago, we had installed a shelf under the TV.  We found that we were using the top of the shelf for larger books, so decided to make a second shelf, and add some fiddles while we were at it.  Great project that took 3x longer than we thought, but ended up very functional.

 

 

Stateroom canvas ipad and phone holders:  The guest staterooms have limited storage.  We decided that it might be useful to have a place for glasses, books, etc.  Nancy made some canvas holders, big enough to hold phones, IPads, etc. for each stateroom.  According to our recent guests, they hit the mark.

 

 

Name on bow: We have been admiring names on the bows of boats. Our neighbors, Andy and Jo, had put their boat’s name on the bow, which prompted us to do the same. It’s reminiscent of the name on the bow when the boat was the Triton.

 

Updating master and day shower tile: The grout in the master and day showers had seen better days. We regrouted. Then the tile outside of the day shower looked bad, so we repaired that. Then the baseboard tile looked bad, so we removed and replaced with wood. Done!

 

 

Canvas cover for the UFB: The Ugly Boat got canvas. It’s a bit of a work in progress, but is very functional. We also lifted the bow of the UFB by an inch so that water would drain better when the boat is on the chocks. This seemed straightforward but turned into a big project. It took a weekend, but we finally finished it.

 

 

Ladder in Guillemot Stateroom:  One concern we have had is how to get guests out of the forward staterooms if the main aft steps/ladder is blocked.  We remedied this concern by buying a boat ladder (Cris Craft type) and mounting it on the wall in the stateroom Guillemot (oh yeah, we named our staterooms Gadwall, Grebe, and Guillemot).  It works perfectly. We used a Monel steel bolt (see earlier stem repair) from 1941 to hang the ladder. Jessica tried to lift the hatch and had no problem opening it from inside the stateroom.

 

 

Measuring spoons and cups:  We had too many to fit in our limited drawer set.  Also, it was a pain to find the one you were looking for.  Voila–a solution!

 

 

Here are a few other projects that we worked on as well:

There was a small area of missing wood just above the waterline on the starboard side. We replugged the fasteners, Nancy faired the area with epoxy and then repainted the bootstripe.

 

Several years ago, our friend Paul and Erica gave us a Day of the Dead/wine drinking tile. We finally got around to making a frame for it and mounting it in the salon.

 

Unfortunately, while Nancy was cutting the miters for the frame, she managed to break the chop saw at LUBR when a small piece of wood broke a plastic guard. The saw is now named the “Nancy ‘Nine Fingers’ Everds Memorial Chop Saw”.

 

Bob needed a new bandanna – the elements had faded the old one beyond repair. Peter had to climb the crows nest with a replacement bandanna, driver and screws for a little skull surgery. Bob looks spiffy again

 

The hinges that held the landing craft door on the UFB had corroded over time – they were made from non-stainless steel and mounted in aluminum. It was a major project to get the old screws out – involving lubrication, heat and finally an arc welder. We finally got them out. I found replacements that fit online, so hopefully we should be OK for a few years.

 

After we returned to our home dock, it was time for our yearly varnishing. Our painter, Mark Kennedy, tackles a portion of the bright work each year to stay ahead of the elements. This year, he also painted the pilothouse walls

 

One of the yearly maintenance tasks on the boat is to replace the impellers on the engines and generators (the impellers are rubber parts inside the raw water pumps that are used to cool the engines. I have not kept up with the main generator impeller. The vanes of the impeller were pretty much gone. In addition, I picked about 14 small pieces of rubber out of the end of the heat exchanger. No doubt this contributed to the generator running hot. I think I’ll be more vigilant about changing the impellers in the future.

 

 

 

We also took a number of cruises:

Center for Wooden Boats (CWB) – For many years, the CWB has had its Wooden Boats Festival in July. This year (2018) they moved it to late September, and it was great. Cruising season is winding down by then, the weather cooperated, and there were many wooden boats on the docks, as well as a lot of visitors. Gyrfalcon won an award for Best Power Boat.

We returned to the CWB in March in support of the opening of the new Wagner Education Center. There weren’t as many boats as there had been in September, but we did have our five minutes of fame – the Gyrfalcon was featured on a  news magazine on a local television station.

 

Charity cruises: We have been offering cruises as items at several different charity auctions for the last several years. This year we auctioned 2 cruises for the Center for Wooden Boats, and 2 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Each cruise raises several thousand dollars for the respective organization. So far this summer, we have completed the 2 for the Center for Wooden Boats. We had 20-25 guests for two 3-hour cruises on Lake Union, Lake Washington, and the ship canal as far as the Locks. We provide wine and beer and heavy hors d’oeuvres. The weather was superb for both cruises, and everyone had a great experience. As a matter of fact, we had to shoo them off the boat when the cruise was over!