Sea Trials of the Sharon Rose

Sea Trials (Shake Down) History
Date  
20-Oct-20 The Launch (#1)
25-Jun-21 In order to launch I checked out the anchor windlass, and low and behold I found out the winch motor was bad. I saw that there were fine threaded holes which let the water leak in and rust out the whole insides. Who would build a winch motor that spends it's whole life outside with holes in it to allow water to get in ? Ordered a new one and got it all working again.
30-Jun-21 The Launch #2
30-Jun-21 The Launch #3
6-Jul-21 As you saw in Launch #3 the engine quit. Found out the fuel system was leaking air and only burnt the fuel that was in the engine for about 5 minutes.
On inspection Randy and I decided to replace the on-engine fuel pump. The manual pump handle was not working so we figured it needed a new one.
When I went for parts to North Harbor Diesel Craig mentioned that the older 200 series Racor filters will sometimes leak air. Those are the ones with a built in primer pump. Well guess what, that's the one I had installed a long time ago.
Installed the new on-engine fuel pump, and while doing so noticed that the last asshole that worked on the engine jammed in and cross threaded an NPT fitting into the inlet side which required a straight thread and o'ring. That too could have been my air leak.
I had a spare 100 series filter so I plumbed it in the fuel line directly from the tank through the primer bulb then to the new filter with clear hose then to the fuel pump on the engine. With the clear hose I will now be able to see air bubbles.
Gnettie and I removed the air from the engine an gave her a try. Oh shit ! The starter stuck running. Lucky I had installed the quick disconnect and quickly shut it off. This is the second time this has happened so it must be the starter that's bad by drawing way too much current.
Went to O'Reilly's here in Anacortes and ordered a new starter and solenoid.
I also changed the oil in the transmission and in the engine.
12-Jul-21 With new starter installed Gnettie and I bled the lines a got the engine running. The new starter ran the engine what seemed to be twice as fast.
We ran it from Hobbs start; 211.6 to 212.28 for a total of .68 hours.
Engine Testing Test Data:
Oil Press: Computer 37, Steam Gauge 22
Temp: Computer: 213, Actual: 120
RPM: Computer: 923 Actual: 915
12-Jul-21 Later on in the day we ran it from Hobbs start; 212.28 to 212.50 for a total of .22 hours.
She started right up ! Fuel system solved !
Engine Testing: Oil pressure too low. 20 psi and 37 on the computer readout no matter what the RPM setting.
Suggests that the pressure relief valve is wide open, because 20 PSI is the minimum for the engine. To Do: drop the oil pan and inspect the pressure relief valve which is not an easy task.
14-Jul-21 Spent the whole day trying to drop the oil pan. I found that the Perkins oil pan is very hefty and precisely built. It can only drop straight down. Well guess what ?? 2 bolts on the fly wheel housing prevented it from falling straight down.
Now it's jammed sideways against the last bolt so I cannot remove it. Now I'll have to strap the oil pan up some how to relieve the stress.
16-Jul-21 By using a couple of tie down straps I was able to pull the oil pan back into place. Removed the last flywheel housing bolt and the pan slipped right gently into the bilge. Note: Now I know I can use these straps to install the oil pan back on the engine.
The system in this engine is different from the service manual. This engine has a balancer attached to the crank shaft to keep it running smoothly. It turned out that the oil pump and relief valve are on the same housing attached with 7 bolts.
Worked over 7 hours to get the damn thing out.
On close inspection you could see that the oil pump was OK. I bought a feeler gauge and could not get .002" in between the gear and the housing. The relief valve however only needed a slight push to open it up.
I later checked the relief valve spring with a fish scale. Only 10 lbs of force was necessary to completely collapse it.
Also there was no sump screen attached to the pump. There has to be a fine screen to keep big chunks from entering the oil pump.
19-Jul-21 I needed to order gaskets, a spring and a sump screen. Went to North Harbor diesel and left him with the list. Didn't hear from Craig for 5 days. Went back and found out he couldn't find any of the parts. He let me photograph the parts book and I spent most of the day sleuthing out the parts. All parts to arrive by next Thursday at Bob and Fayes in Freeland. What gaskets I couldn't buy I made.
27-Jul-21 While waiting for parts Gnettie and I decided to check the gray water tank and pump system. The pump was running for what seemed like a long time so we decided to clean it out. I had put a screen in front of the pickup tube inside the tank years ago and when I was cleaning it out it fell off. It was so matted with junk it was unbelievable that the pump could work at all. So we decided to add a cleanable strainer in the line and not re-install my screen. Now we'll be able to easily check the strainer and simply uncap it and clean it out when it gets gummed up.
Note: With new system in place the tank was pumped out in less then a minute !
31-Jul-21 Got most of the parts, but the oil pump gaskets did not arrive at the Elliot's yesterday.
The new oil pressure relief springs fully compressed at 17 pounds. So in theory we have a 70% increase in oil pressure which will bring us to around 35 PSI. We'll see the actual numbers when we start the engine.
05-Aug-21 We are ordering some new covers to be made to cover the binnacle, aft hatch and the companion way hatch. In order for Jon the upholsterer to measure out for the binnacle cover I needed to install the engine controls on the pedestal.
See the full story here.
06/07-Aug-21 The last of the gaskets arrived on the 4th at Bobbies. Gnettie and I took 2 days to install the pump, a new screen and the cross over pipe. We also prepped the oil pan for final installation.
Here is is all put together. I have to lay on my back, work with one hand and reach in blind to install these parts. I put the camera in the opening so you can see it finished. The unpainted section is the oil pump. You can see the cross over pipe coming from the pump to the red housing. This housing ports the oil to the outside of the engine block which feeds the oil filters and cooling lines.
08/09-Aug-21 Took 2 days to install the oil pan and it is still not done. Gnettie and I had to pull on the straps then try to wiggle the heavy pan into position, and it finally went into place. Then I had to work almost upside down to try to get the bolts into place. Work was slow. There are 23 bolts so it seems like I fit a bolt every 1/2 hour! Worked all day on the ninth to install 6 bolts, and still have 2 bolts and a stud to install at end of day. One of the bolts was cross threaded by the last asshole that worked on it, now I will have to fix it where I can't easily get at it. We also found that some bolts were never installed, and for the studs they used oversized lock washers. Gnettie had to visit the local hardware store to find the right stuff.
Note: From the 6th to end of today, Gnettie and I drank a full bottle of Margarita mix to help us wind down at the end of each trying day!
11-Aug-21 Took the day off yesterday to work on the aft helm engine controls and to straighten out my body from being folded up under the engine like a pretzel.
Got the most of the buried bolts and nuts installed. As for the cross threaded bolt, I was able to align it straight and shove it into place and tighten it down. Lucky !
Installed the oil filter housing and oil filter. Now I'll wait a day to let the gasket sealer set and try for an engine start on Friday. Note: There was no way I could reach and install 1 bolt that was buried in behind the oil pan up high in the center, that bolted into the flywheel housing. The oil pan has 2 studs and 2 bolts nearby so I think leaving this one bolt out will have no affect. The flywheel housing is oil free so I don't expect to see any oil leaks from the empty hole.
13-Aug-21 We filled the engine with 15W-30 Delco oil and started the engine. Yeah !! 40 PSI
We let it run for 30 plus minutes to make sure the fuel system was not sucking air.
Oil pressure went to 38 PSI when it warmed up.
Engine computer readout Temperature compared to handheld was within 10 degrees. Engine running at 175 degrees when it warmed up.
Engine computer readout RPM checked OK with handheld laser, but idle is too high at 1152. Gnettie and I reduced the idle to 850 RPM.
Hobbs Start: 212.50 - Hobbs End: 213.1 = .6 hours.
The engine is ready to go !!
14/15-Aug-21 I wanted to put the two dual Racor filters back into the system. I installed a valve to switch the output of the fuel source selector to either the transfer pump for polishing or direct to the engine. The 2 dual Racor filters will only be used for polishing fuel because they suck air !
16/17-Aug-21 Our friends Karen and Mike Chapman arrived for a visit. They are both US Coast Guard certified and inspected our ship.
We ran the engine while Mike checked it all around for leaks. He found a small fuel leak in a high pressure banjo connection on the injector pump, and a large leak in the feed line from the fuel pump to the secondary fuel filter.
Got new seals for the injector pump and repaired the fuel line with a 1/4" rubber hose which made it a lot easier to install.
The fuel line looked like it had been rubbing on something for a long time and wore a pin hole in it. So just when Mike inspected it, it decided to leak, which is really a good thing !
I have no idea why I didn't notice the problem when I had the fuel line out to install the rubber furls.
For the final inspection Mike advised I use a powerful flashlight and take my time. From now on all the leaks are on me !
Engine Hobbs: 213.9, .8 hours run time.
The Sharon Rose has received Coast Guard Approval !
21-Aug-21 Took a few days off from engine testing. Got the generator ready to go and did the final adjustments on the dinghy hoist system. We will be depending on the generator for the water maker, washing machine and charging the batteries.
Ran engine to check the latest repairs and I doubled checked it again for leaks.
Engine Hobbs: 215.0, 1.1 hours run time.
After being on the hard for 2 months, The Sharon Rose is finally ready to get wet !
26-Aug-21 What can we say about Launch #4..
Randy and Nycol showed up to help us go through the launch and we were all ready for the guys to come at 10:30. The yard guys finally came at noon with the SeaLift as you've seen before, but just as they were ready to load the boat, they blew the hydraulics on one of the wheels.
Like "What the Hell!" Then a fellow named Rick showed up from Cap Sante Marine who have a Travel Lift but he wouldn't be back over to get us till 2:00 PM.
So wait we did, but this time we could not be on the ship during the launch and then to add insult to injury it started to rain. Oh Shit !
They picked us up in a van to take us over so we wouldn't get totally soaked. You'll see the fun in the video link below. So they dropped it in the water and we tested everything again, and of we went on a great first time cruise. After 40 years we were actually out there omongst all the other ships. At about 5 miles out, Randy suggested we check the stuffing box.. "You mean the one that's smoking right now !"
The stuffing box seemed to be cross threaded some how so we determined that the rubber boot had to be loosened before it would align. So a quick call to Cap Sante Marine and Rick, they were ready to pick us back up out of the water to fix the F^&*king stuffing box.
Randy and I fixed the stuffing box. It turned out I put 2 many packings in the stuffing box and it couldn't tighten down properly. Once we took a packing out it threaded on just fine.
Randy had to work the next day so we drove them home to Freeland but not before a Chinese dinner. Gnettie and I spent yet another night in dry dock. At least this dry dock had a different view..
27-Aug-21 We woke up to rain and fog. I did some last minute stuff, Gnettie ran errands and they put us back in the water. While on the water I had to double check the adjustment of the stuffing box, 1 drip per minute from around the shaft. Rick gave me a quick lesson on how to adjust it and told me to make sure it doesn't get over 85 degrees while underway. Then it was the moment of truth, Gary for the first time at the helm. We left unscathed to begin our first great adventure. The Real Final Launch
Sea Trials (on the water)
5-Sep-21 We came to Penn Cove and Coupeville and have anchored here for a few days near the pier. During this time we learned a lot.
  1. We found out that the freezer we installed is using way too much battery power. It runs for an hour every couple of hours and sucks the batteries down overnight.
  2. We installed a microwave and it too sucks a lot of juice and really isn't necessary.
  3. I did not want to start up the water maker yet for just a few short weeks, because it is quite a job to pickle it for the winter. So we are hauling water from the Coupeville dock every morning. The washer/dryer we installed uses 7.5 gallons per load. That's a lot of water to haul or make while not at a dock. It would also need the generator in order to operate and I don't think I can haul that much gas while in southeast Alaska.
  4. Hauling a lot of gas to keep things running while we are stationary for a few days is impracticle, and running the engine can't really keep up.
  So in conclusion this is our To Do list. We will try to get as much done while we are in dry dock for a few weeks:

  1. We are downsizing the freezer to a portable low wattage unit.


    Here it is installed where the Washer/Dryer was installed. I had to run new wiring and install a 12 VDC connector with 2 charging ports.

  2. We are removing the microwave oven.

  3. We are removing the washer/dryer. 13-Oct-21 It's out of here and down on another boat already.
    Sounds easy to just remove the washer/dryer. Had to plug up the through hull for waste water overboard and redo the vent below decks.
    Here's what it looked like with the washer/dryer vent hooked in. To build this 'Y" took many trips to the hardware store, because none of the sizes match. Removed the 'Y' for a cleaner installation.

  4. We are removing the TV set. I had hopes to show our navigation system mirrored to the TV but the quality sucks and it too draws too much power.

  5. Fuel leak in port tank return line.
    While underway I noticed that there was fuel in the forward bilge area next to the gray water tanks. How in the hell can fuel get there. After a cleanup and anchored out there was no fuel in the bilge. Quite a head scratcher. It had to be happening only when the engine was running. I then found a leak in the port tank return line. So for the next engine run or two I diverted the fuel to the star tank. No fuel in bilge so we know this was the leak. Resealed the fuel fittings with Loctite high temp sealer and let it dry for 2 days. Reinstalled hoses, ran a fuel polishing routine to put fuel in the port tank and NO MORE LEAKS!
    After a few days we noticed that the boat no longer smelled like diesel fuel. First time ever! Yeah !

  6. Engine controls aft deck. MOVED TO NEXT SEASON

  7. Back-up camera so we can see marine traffic behind us. Installed 27-Sep-21. See installation below.

  8. Install rudder position indicators. Installed 07-Oct-21. See installation notes below. MOVED TO NEXT SEASON

  9. Fix engine shut down solenoid. Installed 28-Sep-21. See installation below.

  10. Clean and wax the hull.

  11. Settee back falls down when underway. Velcroed it in position.

  12. The Sharon Rose needs a haircut. We found out that the stanchions are too high, so we are cutting them shorter by 6.5 inches. The netting is too high to work over and the bottom rope is too low to get our hands underneath. Here is the first step, have to cut off the stanchions next and 3D print new tops. FINISH UP, MOVED TO NEXT SEASON.
13-Sep-21 Tested the wash down pump system today and it worked beautifully. Now I can rinse off the anchor chain as it comes up from the ocean floor.
Work while in dry dock.
16-Sep-21
Here she is "on the hard". Just in time because the weather got bad the next day. See the Adventures page.
They moved us from our old location which is a good thing we no longer get the smells from the fish processor. Now we'll proceed with doing the list above, and when it's all done we'll head to Arizona.
19-Sep-21
One of my other concerns was the zincs on the prop shaft and shoe. Galvanic action happens when 2 different types of metals are connected and immersed in salt water. Electricity then flows from one to the other through the salt water taking a few molecules with it along the way. So the precious metals like the prop and shaft get slowly eaten away. In order to prevent this throw away zincs are installed which erode first, leaving the boat parts intact.
As you can see both look good with very little galvanic erosion in the 3 weeks they've been immersed in the salt water. This means the ship is wired correctly. Yeah !
 
;
Randy's brother Lance who's had many years experience with the Perkins 4.236 engine that's installed in the Sharon Rose, confirmed that the prop should be a 24 1/2" Diameter, with a pitch of 18. Wow, that's exactly what I installed by accident. I found this prop in a salvage yard. Another set of good news !
27-Sep-21
Backup camera installed. I was going to mount it outside on the back of the boomkin next to the rear navigation light. Then Gnettie suggested we just mount it inside in back of a window... Daaahhhhhh ! It worked perfectly as you can see ! What a great idea !
Now we don't have to worry about salt water corrosion and lines getting caught on the camera !
With this camera we can watch for traffic, plus we can watch to make sure the dingy is still behind us without leaving the warmth of the pilot house. It is set for mirror mode which means the display mimics a rear view mirror.
28-Sep-21
The expensive solenoid I installed does not have the pulling power to shut down the engine. So to simplify it I am removing the solenoid and replacing it with a cable. I couldn't remove the return spring with the solenoid in place because it was not designed to stay forward to keep the engine running.
Didn't think the knob would have been this big, so this was the only place I could mount it because of it's size and all the stuff underneath the panel. To make it easier to pull I removed the spring. With this arrangement you can pull the cable up to prevent the engine from starting when you just want to turn it over.
The down position will open up the fuel and keep the engine running.
12-Oct-21
Took advantage of some rainy days and installed the wiring for the Rudder Indicators. Also installed a switch on the instrument panel to switch from the aft helm to the forward helm indicators.
It's a little close to the big knob, but there was very little room underneath because of the instrument panel angle. The sensor is designed to connect to the rear shaft coming out of the hydraulic cylinder. When my unit is full right rudder the shaft disappears into the assembly, so I have to mount everything on the other end. The complicates the crap out of the installation. I have to take it to Arizona and 3D print mounting brackets.
14-Oct-21
While I was searching for methods to adhere flexible solar panels to the deck I discovered this a tape called Eternabond H.B. Fuller Roof Seal. It will actually adhere a solar panel to a roof and keep it there through all kinds of weather. As you already may know our decks are canvas. Canvas tends to crack and let water in so we have to keep an eye on it, especially after a winter here in the Northwest. So in the past few weeks during the sunny breaks in the weather, Gnettie and I have been sealing all the canvas seams with this tape. It is amazing stuff. It sticks like baby shit to a blanket. Gnettie does all the measuring and cutting the wide tape into strips. It is also a cure for sleepless nights worrying about water intrusion which leads to wood rot.
Very expensive stuff. A 6" by 50 foot roll is about $80.00 It looks a little funky now but it keeps the water out. Around the windows it will eventually be covered up by a fancy wood frame.
Canvas was coming off around the windshield frames. Taped everywhere the side canvas meets the deck.
Visitor 793 since August 1st, 2021