Sailing Vessel Eleanor Tarr

Our new 50 year old lifeboat diesel is all but ready for installation.

I have added a fresh water cooling circuit to replace the raw water cooling. This system integrates a copper-nickle heat exchanger with an aluminum header tank, two new water pumps and a welded 316 stainless exhaust mixer. The fuel system now includes dual Racor 215 fuel filters at 10 and 2 mircon respectively

The engine has had the exhaust manifold disassembled and cleaned, injectors replaced with new. Spares now include a vast inventory for extended cruising though I keep my eyes open for more all the time

Everything has been painted and after some final assembly it will be hoisted aboard with our small manual crane.

Upon return from our Atlantic voyage we were in need of blocks. We had a complete kit of wooden cheeked plastic sheaved blocks in 2007. 10 years later each one is badly wounded. Many had the injection molded sheave buckle in the narrowed mid-section, sending broken sheave into the cheek and jamming the whole setup.

I want to go sailing, and as beautiful as the wooden blocks were, they require more time to construct and more time to maintain. I am a metal worker, so I fabricated 22 blocks with 1/4″ aluminum cheeks, solid/turned delrin sheaves 2 3/4″ in diameter, the sheave has a oil-lite bronze bearing pressed in, and the pins are 3/8 stainless steel bolts, spaced with 3/8 ID / 1/2 OD ss tube.

I purchased a metal lathe in the summer of 2016, and frankly I wish I had done so the day I finished my boat-shop. It’s been invaluable in fabricated bushing, bearings, repairs to windlass, rigging, etc, etc.

Sheaves

The delrin was sliced from a 36″ x 3″ 2 7/8 rod using a table saw with appropriate blade. It was then placed in lathe chuck and faced both sides. When this was complete i centre drilled and faced the outside radius. I then enlarged centre hole for press fit to lathe mandrel, Grooving of each sheave commenced at this point.

I borrowed some radius gauges and made myself a set of (lathe) cutters for the sheave grooves. I tried a single cutter but the diameter of 5/8 was often too much for my small lathe. So this was split into 2 half diameter cutters.

Despite the firm press fit for the mandrel, many of the sheave blanks continue to slip when any real cutter pressure was applied.

Block Cheeks, Pins and Axles.

I cut the aluminum cheeks from 3″ x 1/4″ flat bar, cut them to shape on a bandsaw, sanded all edges on belt sander, and them took them to a friend with a vibra-polisher to tumble them.

I completely destroyed my seized Lofrans Manual Royal. Don’t use your windlass as a samson post, don’t let the vessel ride to it, don’t let salt fill it. I did this.. so now i have a project. Where the main gear/drive passed through the cast housing, as well as where the chain pawl’s gear passed through the cap casting has completely seized. I tried heat, I tried more heat ( propane and ox-acetaylene) I loaded a three jaw puller for one week with penetrating lubricant.  I tried a shop press after many other efforts and cracked the main casting.

I prepped and TIG welded the original casting back together, bored out the housing surfaces. I’ve turned new housings, from aluminum and TIG welded them into the original casting. This was followed by the turning of new UHMW shaft bearings, thrust bearings, and end plates. I’ll try to reference this to my Lofrans manual and part numbers at some point to perhaps give someone else some ideas. If you need to know, contact me.

More assembly shots etc to follow

The spring work began with a widening of the drive in which Eleanor Tarr’s refit is taking place. In order to ease  the vessels departure on a hydraulic trailer, it was necessary to center the the cradle with the  new drive. A move of 36″ north was required.

The cradle was jacked and blocked in order to pass 16′ 6×6 timbers underneath. 3 such timbers spread the load underneath. The load was then lowered on to timbers with a small sheet of UHMW plastic (1/4″) sandwiched between steel cradle and timber.

The Timber was then well greased. End caps were fabricated for the end of the 6×6  timbers. Chain come-a-longs were then attached to these end caps and to slings around the cradle.

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This small extension of our bow is considerably shorter, and stronger than our previous anchor roller/platform. In addition, there is a chain plate to accept a masthead forestay (bare wire) or a spinnaker tack.

I rented some scaffolding to make this project comfortable. As one might imagine, the sprit being straight and true was of utmost importance. The scaffold made this measuring and “eye-balling” a practical affair.

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This summer we added a small metal lathe to the shop tools. The need for construction of rudder bearings, sheet rollers and other things round necessitated the purchase of an Atlas 618. UHMW rollers were turned to accommodate the 3/8 chain as well as the shank of a Rocna 15. Cheek blocks will then box the rollers in, and attach the two roller shafts to one another.

Rollers

Tig welded diesel tank. Mild steel, coated inside and out with epoxy paint. This is a 15 gallon tank which sits level with the engine. The 25 gallon keel tank will feed this tank via 12v pump. The side of the tank features brackets to attach an aluminum plate which holds the 2 stage Racor fuel filtering system.

As mentioned in an earlier post about rudder heals and bearings, the rudder stock as well as the rudder tube suffered corrosion from contact with a bronze bushing. The surface of the rudder stock was left pitted like a lunar surface.

Using ultrasound and calipers it was determined that sound stock measured at a minimum of 1.39″ in all but a few pits. The decision was made to repair and fill each of the dimples, grinding each back to the level of a straight edge placed across the stock

A gantry type of lift was quickly fabricated in order to provide easy rotation of the 300 lb + rudder. It will be used to service the engine and construct engine mounting system as well.

Below is the first phase of filling. Ugly but a significant betterment.  A piece of steel machined to exactly 1.55 ID is used to check for fit after welds are ground to flush line. If the “donut” catches at a point a file can be used to bring that point down. A few more passes and then a surface buff will catch-up the main stock with the heel which has had three passes.  It will look fairly fair and smooth by the time it’s finnished.

Our Volvo Penta MD2 has it’s new starter mounted on fabricated brackets incorporating a alternator bracket as well. Neither were originally fitted on this hand cranked surplus lifeboat engine.