New Stanchions - Helpful Friends

When we were ferreting out the myriad of water leaks, the 4 stanchions that formed the boarding gates on the port and starboard sides were likely culprits.  As we already described, Beth and I applied matrimonial science to solve the re-bedding process.  However, as we were to discover later, these were only a small part of the problem.

Aft Gate Stanchion on Starboard Side

The real issue with these stanchions was that they were broken and presented a safety hazard.  Unfortunately, the gate support was "attached" to the stanchion by a tube that slid over the main stanchion.  While this design provided some lateral support, it really served to create an extreme area of stress and material fatigue on the main stanchion. 

Aft Gate Stanchion on Port Side - notice the bent stanchion

Over the years the stanchion would flex around the gate support tube and bend.  Furthermore, the gate support would flex and its weld points would fracture.  This is what had happened, and all four gate stanchions were severely deformed and exhibited stress fractures on all gate supports.  If anyone fell against the lifeline or the gate stanchions, while at sea, the stanchions would most likely fail.  This risk would turn up in a thorough survey and confine Harmony to "port risk" until fixed.


Forward Gate Stanchion on Port Side - notice the severe deformation at the lateral support where the tube slides over the stanchion


We needed to replace those four stanchions.  While we were at it, we would re-bed all of the stanchions which were through-bolted to the bulwarks.  We would also install bronze mid-ship cleats to match the bow and stern cleats.  I contacted Bud Talpin, of Worldcruiser Yacht Company, and the living Westsail legend whose expertise supports all of us Westsail owners.  Bud was able to get the new stanchions made and shipped to us for a very reasonable price.

These new stanchions featured a welded gate support which would eliminate all of the design flaws of the old stanchions.  However, I did have to invest a significant amount of time measuring, re-measuring, and, then, measure again to make sure I had the right fit.  When the stanchions arrived there was a slight amount of "customization" I needed to do because the bolt holes were not a complete match:  par for the course.

I was able to remove the old stanchions and make whatever customization I needed.  I was also able to install the bronze mid-ships cleats just aft of the hawse holes/deck drains.  However, I needed to assistance of another set of hands to mount the new stanchions and re-bed the others.  My good friend, Paul, who along with his wife Abbie, had become the new owners of our beloved Poetry, came down from Maine to give me a helpful hand.

Somehow, when two friends combine to work with one on-deck and the other below deck, the process works a lot smoother than when husband and wife do the same thing.  Very interesting to say the least.  Perhaps that matrimonial passion clouds the senses, and male bonding is like a cloudless sky?  Whatever! 

We were able to get all of the stanchions installed in short order.  It was very satisfying to have a friend down to share some team work and mutual support.  Paul's help was tremendous and when Beth and I walk the deck in seaway, we'll be reminded that his friendship is very much like those stanchions:  providing solid support and a lifeline when we need it.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

The New Shower - Pan Pan Pan

One of the luxuries of Harmony that Beth is looking forward to is being able to take a shower inside the boat.  Our showers on Poetry consisted of SunShowers in the cockpit.  While certainly refreshing on a hot day and a wonderful use of solar energy to heat water, the shower experience was less than spectacular for modest people.

We would fold up the cockpit cushions to provide a little privacy, string the 5 gallon SunShower from the boom, and sit in the cockpit well in a bathing suit for the shower.  Since our mooring was right on the main harbor channel, we always felt a little uncomfortable about giving a "show".  Yes, it was great on a hot summer afternoon after a long day of sailing.  However, the SunShower only worked in the sun and if you filled the back with a tea kettle's worth of boiling water, you could get only a tepid shower.

In Marion we always have the option of going ashore to use the public showers.  These are actually very nice, as the Marion Harbormaster and his team keep them clean.  Between $0.50 and $1.00 for a very nice hot shower is not too bad.  As we conceived the Harmony project, we wanted to remain as independent (i.e. off the grid) as possible, and as environmentally responsible or efficient as possible.

While the public showers will work in a pinch, we believe using our own on-board shower will use less water and will use water we make ourselves from the ocean.  Harmony was originally constructed with a shower in the forward head.  However, when we took ownership, it was in need of serious work.  The plumbing was basically gone and the very small shower pan drained into the bilge:  NOT a good situation.

The space for the original shower pan in the forward head

We did not want soap, hair, and other indelicacies to slime up our bilge.  The bilge is a bad enough place without all of that soap scum coagulating.  So we had a relatively blank slate to work with, although the size and configuration of the forward head offered some limitations.

The relatively small original shower pan (white thing in center of picture) in the salon amongst other casualties of demolition

We chose to remove the original shower pan, which was easier thought of than done.  I had to remove the teak and holly sole first, and then pry up the fiberglass shower pan.  Once out, this left an inconvenient hole in the sole of the forward head.  However, it was now easier to clean the forward bilge and install the proper shower drainage sump.  After much consideration, we chose the Whale Gulley IC system.

The is a nifty "intelligent" shower pump system.  There is no sump, but instead the drain automatically detects the water level which activates the pump.  The pump, which pumps at about 5 gallons per minute can be mounted under the head vanity to allow easy maintenance and connection to the head sink drain:  double up on an existing hole in the hull.  As nifty as it is, we will have to be careful to monitor its electrical circuit, as any water spilled into the shower pan will cycle the pump.  Thankfully there is a built in check valve to prevent seepage back into the drain.

I took copious measurements in order to fabricate a new shower pan to fit the sole area.  This new design will place the shower pan in the center of the head sole and the drain hole was placed in the aft area, as the head sole cants aft.  The shower well is roughly 4 inches deep allowing for enough space for water collection and enough gap to not touch the hull sides under the sole.

New Shower Pan showing shape of forward head's sole and teak frame around the shower well.  Drain hole is in the aft area of the head's sole.

To not have a gaping hole in the head sole, I made a teak grating that fits into the frame of the well.  Once installed, a new head sole will be made of 3/4 inch teak and holly, which will not only match the look of the rest of the boat's sole, but provide enough strength to support the shower pan.

Teak Grate fitted into the teak frame covers the shower well and offers a bit of nautical ambiance, if not practical usefulness

While our showers on Harmony won't last any longer or use any more water than the SunShower system on Poetry, it will be private and available anytime.  An added advantage is that we can still use the SunShower, if necessary, through the overhead hatch!  Having both options just adds to the luxury and privacy we'll experience.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

Sound Proofing - Keep the Soundown

When we first examined Harmony prior to purchase, we knew that the old engine had been removed.  However, what we were not prepared for was the state of the "empty" engine room.  What a mess!  There was debris everywhere, engine viscera and fluids coagulating in the engine pan, and decaying soundproofing hanging off the bulkheads.

The "before" with accumulated engine room debris

The engine room clean up has been discussed earlier, but we needed to consider how to reduce the racket that would come from the future operating engine room.  The old soundproofing was an age old product that combined open cell foam, lead, and a foil cover.  Effective in its time, but now it was in a state of yuck.  After wrestling with the cumbersome lead filled blankets, I was able to remove the whole of it.

So, now what to do?  After researching the various products on the market, and speaking to several company representatives at the Newport Boat Show, we chose the Soundown sound proofing product.  We could easily obtain it from Jamestown Distributors and it was the most cost effective product for us.  Yes, there may be better products for longevity, but for the dollar value the Soundown product fit the bill.

A sample of Soundown insulation

Since this product is a mylar covered open cell foam sandwiching with a vinyl sheet, we needed to be thorough in sealing the foam edges with mylar tape to mitigate moisture absorption.  Obviously, we needed to keep the engine room dry, too.  Once the new engine installation is completed, the access panel in the cockpit sole will be tightly caulked and sealed.

In order to neatly organize all systems in the engine room on the bulkheads, we needed to encapsulate the Soundown behind panels on which we would mount equipment.  After some consideration, we chose 3/4 inch merranti plywood which would be edge-sealed and painted white.  These panels would be mounted on 1.5 inch through-bolted mahogany studs in between which we would install the Soundown.

While this would intrude into the engine room space by about 2.25 inches on the fore and aft bulkheads, what we lost in space we would gain in neatly organized systems that could be inspected, serviced, and replaced easily.  The white paneling would help brighten up the engine room when work needed to be done.

Aft Bulkhead panel installed over the Soundown - we'll mount the water maker here

After milling the 1.5 inch square mahogany studs, the primary challenge was to cut the Soundown to the right shapes and adhere it to the existing bulkheads.  The second challenge was to fit the 3/4 inch panels into the space, remembering that I had to fit said panels down through the companion way.  The old adage of measure twice cut once, was employed often.  The Soundown and merranti plywood was worth a few boat dollars!

Although the entire project took a few weeks to complete with measuring, cutting, painting, and installing, all went well with the installation.  This part of the project dealt with the fore and aft bulkheads, and once the engine install has been completed, the port and starboard sides, as well as the underneath of the cockpit sole will be covered.

The Port Side of the Forward Engine Room Bulkhead with some systems installed

The Starboard Side of the Forward Engine Room Bulkhead

The Soundown was very easy to work with.  However, the key to maintaining its effectiveness is to ensure a very good seal of its edges.  Having the substantial paneling in the engine room helps us organize everything and will provide a platform to maintain a neat and orderly engine room.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

Davits - Our Hang Ups Exposed

One of the decisional cul-de-sacs that had repeatedly made us dizzy involved what to do with dinghy storage on Harmony.  While on Poetry, we always towed our dinghy behind the boat whenever we left the mooring for an overnight trip.  However, towing the dinghy was never really optimal, either for sailing or for the nerves.

Poetry, a 1965 Pearson Vanguard, on her mooring with inflatable dinghy tied astern

On Harmony, we had more deck space and the original drawings of the boat always showed a dinghy neatly stored upside down on the aft cabin.  That would be nice, but the dinghy needed to be really small.  We had seen some dinghies stored on the foredeck under the staysail boom, but that could significantly limited on-deck mobility.

So, this conundrum considered both how to store the dingy and what type of dinghy to have!  We have always used an inflatable dinghy.  Why?  Well, it was easier to transport to and from the boat when we needed bring it home, and it deflated and rolled up for potential on-deck storage.  However, these  "boats" were essentially inflated donuts and they rowed like what was in our holding tanks!

Enter the hard dinghy.  Oh, some of them look so traditionally nautical and they row nicely"  Dyer Dink, Fatty Knees, and the nesting home-built ones to name a few.  However, we'd need a trailer because I couldn't lift any of them on top of the car.  I didn't have time to build a nesting dinghy.  And, the goodness of their rigidity made on-deck storage more challenging:  not impossible, but challenging.

After much thought, our choice was facilitated by our decision to mount solar panels on a pair of davits on the stern.  So, we chose a rigid inflatable for perhaps the best of both worlds.  For off-shore voyages, the boat will deflate and store easily on deck.  For coastal cruises, we secure it on the davits.  So, now we needed to pick a davit system.

After much pondering and some inquiries, we chose Kato Marine davits.  First of all we needed a custom application because of the Westsail 42's canoe stern.  Secondly, we did not want to add an arch, but instead keep the existing stern pulpit.  We narrowed our selection to 2 companies, and Kato Marine was chosen for 2 main reasons.  Number 1, their fabrication design, quality and strength were impressive.  Number 2, they wanted our business and they were more than helpful in designing our rig.

After making careful measurements and taking photos from several attitudes, I sent all the info to Kato Marine.  In a few weeks time, we got our delivery of the system.  The components were beautifully made and finished.  With very clear instructions, I was able to install them in an afternoon.

Kato Marine Davits installed under the Winter Canvas Cover

Final adjustments and tweaks will have to wait until the Spring.  We will need to install a stabilizer bar and make sure the blocking and alignment are an exact fit to our inflatable.  Oh, that's right we'll need to buy that by then, as well!  Yep, just a few more boat dollars!  At that point, we'll be ready to install the solar panels, too.

We were very satisfied with our decision on all accounts:  davits and dinghy type.  We'll discuss our which dinghy we go with in a later post.  Kato Marine was absolutely wonderful to deal with, and we highly recommend them.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!