This is a neat resource! Well worth a gander for those interested in historical ships. There aren’t many cruising boats to be found herein, but the research sounds well-informed and comprehensive.
December 30, 2005
more flames
Another thought… marine liquid-fuel stoves seem to be going (have gone?) the way of the dodo. At first sight of Centaurea’s Optimus, several visitors have immediately suggested replacing it, or somehow converting it to propane.
Weelll… a few points to consider:
liquid fuel is, on an absolute level, no more dangerous than a pressurized gaseous fuel, and somewhat less explosive. However, with propane, there tends to be a reliance upon systems to assure operator safety, while with the Optimus, it’s up to the operator to assure their own safety.
The second pont is to dredge up sailing some sailing icons: the Pardey’s mantra of “Go small, go simple, go now!”, and after reading of journeys aboard Suhaili (complete with liquid-fuel stove), the realization of “If it was good enough for Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, it’s good enough for me.”.
Thinking more about it (especially after seeing how well the Optimus burns, and noting how less arduous the 7-step lighting-prodedure actually was), i’m left wondering where all the best and brightest of marine liquid-fuel stove technology has gone.
The first answer that comes to mind is from the world of trekking/backpacking. They make a whole wild range of multi-fuel compatable stoves for backpackers these days, which have managed to help sustain most all of my adventurous friends at one time or another. A quick web search has revealed a whole slew of fresh thinking in portable multi-liquid-fuel stoves, but nothing in the way of new marine liquid-fuel stoves.
flamin’
i’d like to say i made great leaps and bounds on the boat today. Wouldn’t that be nice? Ended up having a pretty mellow day aboard. i rebuilt the Optimus kerosene stove, and boy, does it cook! A little exciting with all the pressurized jet-fuel leaking here and there… whenever i had a leak or flare-up, i just stopped, cooled, and took that part down to it’s bits, substituting new ones from the well-stocked spares box.
Also continued oiling woodwork. i think that the teak panels have been all pinted white at some point; there’s traces of white around the seams, etc. i had debated painting a few more surfaces, but the woody look appeals to me. The danger is, of course, that the interior gets to looking too dark, but the white deckhead (ceiling), cabinsides, and bilges seem to brighten things up enough.
The 5 small non-opening ports admit more than enough light, even if they are crazed and hazy. The main cabin has one small opening hatch fwd, plus the companionway hatch. The v-berth foredeck hatch is plenty large, and draws a great quantity of air into the boat even without the windscoop in place. The only real gloomy space inside is the head… there is a 4″ hole in the deck above the head, capped with a plastic lid; maybe it’s for a cowling of some sort. A dorade vent above the head would be ideal, but i’d almost prefer more light; even leaxan-topped dorades don’t admit enough light. However, James has a beautiful “juicer” deck prism somewhere… hmmm…
December 29, 2005
oily goodness
Lots of errands to run this morning, collecting stored bits and redistributing them; appliances/electronics too large for the boat are now in new homes.
Worked on a couple client’s boats for the middle part of the day. Otherwise, i was back at Centaurea. i Sawzalled off the rear engine mounts. With a sturdy plank across the cockpit coamings, some chain, and a come-along, i winched the motor up off the pads, and wriggled out that last shaft coupling bolt. The front motor mounts needed to be removed in two pieces to let the front of the huge motor ease down low enough slide forward a little into the cabin, which in turn gave me room enough to get that shaft coupling apart.
i’m very curious how they got the engine in (and likewise, how i’ll get it out!) in one piece. i may yet need to take the head off the engine block! Ideally, i’d like to remove the transmission seperately, but with the poor access and large parts, i can’t imagine how the engine and transmission can be seperated while still in the boat.
One neat feature i found is a remote greasing point for the stuffing-box. Since a new engine/transmission will reguire a new coupling, and since the cutlass bearing is shot, i might as well go ahead and put in a new stuffing box as well (losing the tricky remote greasing). i have a couple friends who have installed those new packless drip-free shaft seals in lieu of a stuffing box, and i’ll be checking with them to keep up with their experiences. If that proves to work well, i’ll go that route myself.
This afternoon, i took a break from the mechanicals, and rubbed out a coat of teak oil on a few sections of the tired interior woodwork. i think most of the interior woodwork was originally oiled. Some pieces of wood look to have been given a coat of rubbed varnish or urethane at some point; everything appears either completely dry or with a thin, worn coating (no chipping/cracking/peeling varnish nonsense.
i’m using Amazon GTO right now (because i have a bottle), but i’d like to try SeaFin oil if i can find some locally. The GTO goes on pretty nice as it is, soaking right into the dry wood, and really revitalizing the scuffed-finished bits. For the moment, i have no plans to really get into sanding, scraping, or otherwise stripping any of the wood, just rubbing on some oil to preserve and shine a bit. Frankly, i like the “experienced” look of the wood; it’s more friendly and welcoming compared to the usual varnished gleam and blinding white gelcoat. The little dings and stains speak to me of many miles at sea, and many hours spent aboard by happy, moving, working folks… no yachty yacht here!
