Hanging around the boat yard these past months, I see that nothing gets done today unless it was started months ago. I meet people that are only going to be here "a couple months". This is boat time. It has no relationship to real time. Real time is some sliding scale algebraic formula of boat time. It is a highly complex calculation of space and time that is based on variables with no constant, other than the yard fees keep piling up.
OK, OK, The blog awaits. Let's pour in a couple beers and see what happened this week.
OK, OK, The blog awaits. Let's pour in a couple beers and see what happened this week.
I started the week in the galley installing switches for the under counter light strips.
Each light is now switched. Lots of soldering and whatnot.
After 7 weeks between measurement and installation, Michael and Matthew showed up to install the front canvas on the cockpit. I was beginning to worry. I gave Phyllis (you remember Phyllis, don't you?) a half down deposit over nine months ago. I was worrying that the deposit would turn into a suppository (a depository?). She scheduled and missed two appointments with me. Upon seeing the finished project, I panicked and left three ignored messages on her phone. The front panel was not what she promised. I finally talked to head boat yard dawg, Gary. who called her. She doesn't ignore his calls. He handed me the phone and we had a spirited discussion and we scheduled a meeting. She's a smooth talker ("don't bother your pretty little head, I know what I'm doing."). We had a meeting and she knew that the front panel was wrong. There was no provision to roll up the windows for ventilation, I was committed to the project, I told her that her customer service needed improvement. She said that I was right. We both also know that she will never change, Her online reviews are either ones or fives. She does good work, but ignores customers.
I moved over to the master cabin and installed another switch, a two button.
Yard dawg, Robby, dedicated his time to the motor governor. There is a scrap D36 Yanmar in the warehouse he could practice on. I had a hard copy of the service manual and Ben forwarded a digital copy of another service manual in December. I finally found yet another digital manual in my files. I thought that it was the same one that Ben found. It wasn't. It had a detailed section on the governor and a step by step procedure to calibrate them,
He removed the governor being careful not to bend the linkage rod. It looked OK.
There are three weights that spin and rest on that silver thingy in the middle. The motor has been sitting so long that the weights were stuck on the center shaft.
Here are the weights with the center shaft thing removed. Only Dale (Hey, Dale!) will know what this is. We cleaned up everything and put the starboard motor back together. It ran!
The governor of the port motor had a bent linkage rod, which would affect the performance.
Ex yard dawg, Mark, helped a bit. It was his motor in the warehouse that provided practice and parts for my motors. He donated a new unbent linkage rod from his gunked up motor.
The accelerator linkage rod. Put a stainless steel nut on an aluminum rod and see what happens after many years. we adjusted the nut by twisting it on the rod until broke. Yard dawg, Mike is in the trail of stainless all thread and new ends.
We got both motors back together and started them up. Robby tweaked the idle so that both motors idled at 1000 RPM's. Perfect! See the video. Further tweaks have to be done when the motor is under load and in the water (!!).
I ended the week fussing with another switch box in the forward port cabin which will be in perpetuity known as "Ben's Cabin". I added an elbow that looks nice
I also sprayed some plugs to close off an unused end.
The Music♪: Frankie Laine And Jimmy Boyd "Tell Me A Story"
We all have one. Listen to them. Don't put it on the internet............................
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