We arrived back at our home marina with a long list of projects to do, and as always, not enough time to do them all. We decided to get the biggest project out of the way first – we needed to lift Pierre Diesely, our 61 hp Peugeot-Lehman diesel engine (named after the legendary 2020 Italian GP winner Pierre Gasly), for the third time to replace the damper.
Our Pierre has always been pretty noisy in gear, especially at low RPMs but while sailing this summer, Lucas noticed he was getting louder and louder and the noise was creeping into higher RPMs. Lucas had diagnosed the rattle as a “full damper blowout”, and it was becoming apparent that it was something that needed to be fixed before we motor all the way through the Erie Canal. For the non-gearheads (myself included, although I’ve learned a lot being the partner of one for 17 years), the damper sits in between the engine and the transmission and absorbs the vibrations between the two. If the damper fails completely, the engine can stop providing propulsion, something we’d like Pierre to keep doing.
So, both the engine and transmission needed to come out. Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it), we have already had to lift Pierre twice before, so we knew what to do. We headed to Lowe’s on our first day back in the marina (Thanks to Kyle for giving us a ride to our storage unit to get our car the night before) and bought the necessary lumber for building our engine hoist. Lucas then got to work disconnecting all the wires and plumbing. By the second day, Pierre was ready to come out and the hoist was built. Craig, our friend and fellow engineer, came over to help. Between the three of us, we got Pierre up and level with the floor. The next day, using some creative rigging, we got him sitting on the floor.
Once we did all this, removing the old damper and replacing it with the new one was relatively straightforward. Lucas had made the correct diagnosis, Pierre’s original damper was really blown out. Bill and Brandie, our friends and fellow-sailors, helped us connect the heavy transmission with the engine on a night when it was 87 degrees inside the boat with about 100% humidity. By the weekend, Pierre was back in the hole and he fired right up. The rattle was gone, check mark!
As you may imagine, having a huge engine sitting in the middle of our living area got old, fast. This was especially the true when we got hit by a massive thunderstorm in the middle of the week. The storm lasted from 1 a.m. – 4 a.m. and we saw winds up to 55 mph. As we were laying in bed, watching the radar and hoping Pierre didn’t fall over in the living room, Lucas realized his feet were getting wet – we had a new leak! Our underwear cubby was the main victim, which was pretty depressing. We hung up our wet drawers and tried to figure out where the leak originated as the storm raged. Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep that night.
This fun anecdote lead me one of my big projects of our marina stay, chasing leaks! We’re learning that leaks on a boat are inevitable and can be tricky to track down. What can appear to be just a tiny hole can lead to a surprising amount of wet underwear. Using our handy borescope camera, epoxy, teak plugs and some wood glue, I plugged the underwear compartment leak. We already knew of a few other leaks, so I tried to plug those as well. One I think I fixed, the other I somehow made worse #boatlyfe.
As I chased leaks, Lucas started to tackle our next huge project – the autopilot. Unlike most boats her size, Alaya never had an autopilot and it has been on our wish list since we bought her. Autopilots help to steer the boat for you by holding a heading, it becomes a really important part of our crew. Lucas scoured eBay for the past three years to get all the parts we need for a ram-type autopilot and now it was finally time install them.
First, we needed to find a place to mount the ram arm. It needed to be mounted somewhere very strong, out of the way of other boat systems, storage spaces and in the right orientation to the rudder shaft. It proved to be pretty challenging to find a spot in the bilge that met all that criteria and we had to do some demo to make it work.
Second, we had to build the shelf. Luckily, we had some extra G-10 laying around (a very strong board made of fiberglass), so we decided to use that. With help from Mike and Susan, Lucas’ parents, and their workshop, we fabricated the shelf. Next, we had to install the shelf and find a spot for a sensor arm that detects when the ram arm is moving. This again proved difficult but thanks to some inspiration from other boats and an extended threaded rod, we eventually found a good spot.
Last, Lucas had to wire it all together. This is where we were temporarily beaten. We got all the wiring run and were ready to fire it up when we discovered the main computer unit was broken. After some investigation, Lucas discovered a burnt capacitor and resistor on the main electrical board. It might be fixable but without parts on hand, not quickly. So back to eBay Lucas went. He found and ordered another used unit, this one also has a 30-day return policy but unlike the previous unit we’ll be able to do a full test in the boat rather then on a workbench. We will pick up the new unit in Buffalo but unfortunately, we will be crossing Lake Erie without an autopilot. Lucas thinks the old unit is repairable, that project will be added to the list and will hopefully give us a spare unit.
As our time in the marina ticked on, and the closing of the Erie Canal in mid-October loomed in our minds, we worked on many other smaller projects too. After months of research and many phone calls, we finalized our long-term health insurance and boat insurance plans. I added a few more coats of varnish to our handrails, dorade covers and companion way. Lucas, Craig and I removed the stern pulpit (metal rail structure at the back of the boat), so we could run wiring for our solar panels through the metal tubing and re-bed the pulpit with new bolts.
Another project we have been talking over for a while is where to store our outboard engine for the Margaret P. Typically outboards are stowed on a boat’s stern rail, however after many debates, we decided to start with a inboard spot knowing we could move to the stern rail at a later date. Inboard storage is ideal for long passages, keeping the engine protected from the elements and out of the way. A major factor to consider is the loading and unloading of the nearly 100 lbs. engine off the boat and onto the dinghy and vice versa. By moving the outboard to our aft lazarette, we can easily use the boom to lift and move the engine over the rail and onto the dinghy. This location also puts more weight lower in the boat which helps with overall stability. Typically, there is a concern of stowing gas engines below deck, gasoline needs to be properly vented overboard to prevent fumes from accumulating in the bilge. However, the Suzuki outboard engine we have has a separate fuel tank that will be safely stowed in the vented propane locker. In addition, the engine is fuel-injected, so very minimal fuel is left in the engine once the tank is disconnected.
My favorite project by far was stowing for sea, which is an art and a science, Alaya has so many storage opportunities and we have a lot of stuff to stow, so you have to be very strategic. It really is one big puzzle. A huge part of this project was getting our tools organized in the v-berth. As I’ve had time this summer, I’ve been making canvas tool sausages for each type of tool. I just finished my last batch. Lucas built shelves in the v-berth hanging locker, with help from our friend and advisor Richard. Having an organized space makes such a huge difference in our daily lives!
Our last major project was to design and construct wooden supports to hold our mast when we go through the Erie Canal. We found some leftover 2x6s in the dumpster for this project and stowed our new supports on deck until we need them in Buffalo.
In addition to boat work, we also spent lots of time with friends and family. A huge thank you to everyone who came out to see us or welcomed us into their homes to visit (and do some laundry), we were completely spoiled. Highlights included going to the Chelsea Fair’s Figure 8 Demolition Derby, seeing an episode of NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me recorded live at the Hill Auditorium, recording conversations with Lucas’ grandparents telling stories about their lives, hosting a Harry Potter sleepover night with Jacob and Anna, our nephew and niece, and just spending time with people we aren’t going to see for a while. It was certainly bittersweet to say goodbye; we’ve never had to say, “I’ll see you sometime soon” to so many of our loved ones.
Once all the sticky notes were moved, we said our final, final goodbyes, stored our car and cast our lines. Now, we just need to follow the compass east.
