08/09/2026
I am just not someone who enjoys making content. It gets in the way of my processes and hampers my time constraints.
I'm an older fellow...A Gaffer, I like like the term. So, its difficult for me to think ahead about videoography because I didn't grow up with it or ever really try to integrate it into my life.
Once upon a time, while I was riding motorcycles around the world, on each continent I visited. I attempted for the very first time to create motorcycle ride videos. In my down time, between legs of each ride, I tried to do some video editing and found myself sitting alone in my room for hours, sometimes all night to create video clips to post. When most everyone else, was out enjoying their evenings in exotic locals. I was holed-up in my room playing with technology, that I didn't much care to play with, cursing and pacing and feeling like I was missing out. A way out of it was to "go live" and just post whatever happened, in real time, as it happened.
Being a former teacher, I was always a bit of a w***e for the written word. I mean, I always enjoyed a good book and a cup of tea or a good glass of w**e over anything digitally ingested. The quiet time was and still is more valuable to me than social interactions...a bit of an introvert, I will happily admit.
I had limited time this past holiday weekend, but I drove the 3 hours to the boat. We're not allowed to overnight on the boat at its current marina, if the boat is on the hard. It has to be in the water, at a slip in order to stay aboard it, and the marina closes at 9:00pm. They have not, as of yet kicked me out for working after 9:00, or for arriving after 9:00 to unload things.
Anyway, excuses being like a$$holes, I didnt take a single photo or video, because I was just too involved. The PO, Gordon met me there Saturday morning to take a look at the injection pump on the diesel. It is an old Universal Diesel, series #5416. It is a 12hp and I was told upon buying the boat that it runs fine at idle, lacks power and black smokes ALOT! Having spent many years working on a lot of machinery, cars, boats, aircraft and motorcycles. I know my way around an engine and a toolbox.
Gordon started by removing the covers from the top and side of the injection pump to get a look inside. The engine and engine bay were covered in diesel soot. It was quite literally oozing out of every crack and crevice. So, needless to say it was an extremely smelly, filthy job. Apparently, the engine was replaced a few years ago. These engines are kind of like the holy grail of reliable diesel small diesel sailboat engines. They run off of compression mostly, but they do have glow plugs, an electric starter, and an alternator. They can also be hand-cranked I believe. They have a compression relief lever as well, in the case of needing to either handcrank to start, or in case of a weak battery. Which is an option that I love! When it comes to systems, I like old and simple and meticulously maintained for maximum ease of use.
Anyway, what we found was that at some point someone had the injection pump covers off and failed to replace 2 gaskets, and used silicone instead. The gaskets are necessary for the correct clearance under the top cover and we felt that perhaps the engine may have been sucking air into the pump, which is a no go. The engine was running rich and not burning all if its fuel. Also, there are small shims in that same are that effect the timing of the injection pump with the engine timing and can cause either a timing advance or re****ed situation. Old diesel or contaminated diesel can compound the problem. And this fuel in the tank is of unknown age. Its a 25 gallon tank and half full! There was no Racor fuel/water separator present in the engine bay, which in my mind is a total no-no. Marina gas is questionable and I have gotten contaminated fuel before. So the Racor really does help.
Flash forward to the next day, I was going through holds on the boat and found a brand new Racor, in a box, in a drawer. With the receipt from 2024! Along with a bunch of new fittings and clamps. I needed to first clean, desoot and degrease the engine bay and engine. Which I did with simple green and pressured water wash...about 5 times! I already knew that the bilge pump was not working so after flushing everything into the bilge over and over and cleaning all the old diesel and oil out of the bilge which is about 16" deep x about 3' long and wider than I could measure. Its also 3 separate compartments, each one shallower going forward.
After I scrubbed, vacuumed, degreased. (rinse and repeat) I pulled out the bilge pump and float switch and the graco intake strainer for the engine. Dropped everything in a bucket to soak in simple green. There must have been about 2" of sludge, debris, old rags and scotchbrite pads in the main bilge that I sucked out, to reveal a nice clean bare fiberglass bilge. It will need more cleaning before I apply a sealer on it, but its 1000 times better already. It stank something fierce! But no signs of bilge rats were found! I was happy about that. The previous day, Gordon found that the bathroom pan drain was not draining. And I never much liked the shower water being drained into the bilge, for the bilge pump to handle. I would prefer a standalone pump for the shower pan going directly overboard with a valve and switch, or going into the holding tank dilute the biowaste for later pump out. The boat does have a macerator. But I have not checked its functionality yet. The holding tank is empty and I am told that the PO never once used it. I also brought a portopot onboard, so using the holding tank for grey water is a possibility.
So next weekend-Install the new gaskets and change engine oil, pull the injectors, soak, clean and inspect.
Install the new (Free) Racor fuel/water separator and pump out the fuel tank and clean it as best I can. I also have another 20 gallon fuel tank I would like to install somewhere else.
Install the new Rule float switch I already had and reinstall the bilge pump, and run new wires to the breaker panel.
Reinstall the Graco engine water strainer in the bilge and install new clamps. And any engine hoses that look tired.
I would also like to find a modern 90Amp alternator and get rid of the old 55Amp alternator that is currently on there. But test it or rebuild and keep it as a backup.
After I got all that under contol. I cleaned the massive mess and started working on deck a bit. I removed some old broken, teak combings above the portlights P&S that were potentially the source of a leak or two. I bought a gallon and a half kit of Total Boat Penetrating Epoxy, but I forgot to bring a countersink with me, so I just temp taped the holes over with from tape until next weekend. I'm on the fence about new combings or just fill and fare the holes. I like the looks of the teak combings, but they are a maint. thing.
I'm currently looking for nice used opening ports. I am going to need a lot of them because I am removing the long windows on either side of the cabin top and epoxying and glassing over the holes and installing opening ports I may do just 2 opening and 2 fixed, not sure yet. I already needed 5 new ports so that makes 9 total. Thats a lot of portlights. Those little bastards are not cheap! So if anyone has any thoughts on that or contributions to my plight, please let me know!
I also reinstalled the boom to get it up and off the deck and out of my way. Plus I wanted to construct a boom tent to shade the companionway and coach roof hatches. Its bloody hot out in that sun in the yard. But my new boat cover tarp was way too big and the other one was way too small. The boom is 13'6" with a beam to the lifelines of 12' so another tarp of canvas needs to be purchased. Maybe a nice, white, canvas dropcloth treated with some silicone spray as an inexpensive alternative until I can get a real one made. I have two 50"w ×250'L rolls of 4oz nylon ripstop fabric in both gray and burgundy. It is ultralight tent fabric, but water resistant and strong. I'll probably use it to sew up a custom boom tent. And some wind socks to hang from the rigging to help with cabin airflow. I was also going to use it to create some privacy/splash guards for the lifelines and stanchions.
Anyway...onward and upward! I apologize for the lack of pictures and video content. I have already packed my GoPro gear for the next trip. And i have an old Galaxy that has a great camera I am planning on setting up in the cabin as well. Eventually, I will install a couple of cameras both inside the boat and on deck to capture everything 24/7 going on. Any suggestions for that system would also be welcomed.
Thanks everyone. I hope my little book here wasn't too hard on the eyes. I enjoy reading, but I know some find it too slow, or boring or whatever. I get it...In one of my Masters programs, I had to read clinical psychology literature and after about 2 minutes, my eyes got heavy and my brain tried to shut down from shear boredom. I know it's a thing.
Kai Out!
