J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Ananda's Refit

Honestly, I've been "refitting" since I got the boat. But the past couple weeks I've been working to majorly improve the boat's systems (as opposed to the sailing characteristics). My TODO list is lengthy:

• Renew all blackwater hoses and clean the old holding tank.
• Replace the old broken head with an electric macerating unit.
• Renew all freshwater hoses and install a new filter and water pressure pump.
• Replace all freshwater fixtures, new galley sink drain, new head sink.
• Install new propane galley stove.
• Install Espar D4 heater and run ducting to main saloon & v-berth.
• Install a holding plate/compressor refrigeration unit in the icebox.
• Replace old electrical panel and clean up the rats nest of wiring.
• Install AIS splitter/receiver.
• Install new 120VAC system with galvanic isolation and battery charger.
• Replace old clouded windows with new opening portlights.
• Replace head and main saloon 9.5x9.5 hatches with new (v-berth hatch already replaced).
• Re-paint blue accent along main cabin roof.
• Apply Kiwigrip for non-skid for entire main deck.

Progress is already well underway - I'm lucky enough to have my dad visiting from Virginia and helping me with the major tasks. Thus far we've completed the blackwater work (ew), the freshwater work (mostly), and are working on installing the propane stovetop, the Espar heater and the portlights.

I'll post pictures as we progress!

Lots of pictures from the progress so far:

Old head before removal:


Head removed, hoses stuffed with rags:


More plumbing removal:


Holding tank removed from v-berth and cleaned:


New head hoses with new vented loop:


Holding tank replaced with new hoses attached:


New deck fitting for pump out:


Fitting the new head:


New head installed:


New head hooked up (no power yet though!):

Minor repairs to starboard traveler attachment (balsa was all rotted out):


Exhaust hole filled after old Force 10 diesel heater removed from main saloon bulkhead:


Freshwater tank cleaning in progress:


Freshwater hose removal:


New water pump and filter hookup:


The main saloon gets pretty messy while we're working on it:

Removing old jib tracks from the deck (all unused, sheets are led to blocks attached to padeyes now):



Balsa core under the aft portside track was pretty rotted, and the fiberglass had even collapsed in from overtightening. Reaming it out:


The aftermath:


Prepping the diesel tank inspection hatch with new holes for fuel sending unit and Espar fuel pickup (easier to drill the hatch than the tank):


Inspection hatch with new hardware fitted:


Same treatment for the freshwater tank - sending unit holes drilled:

Enlarging the main saloon windows to make room for the new portlights:


New portlights fit from outside:


And from inside:


New stove and faucet fitting:


First test of pressurized water system (no more foot pump!):

I feel the same way. Velocity Girl has been a work in progress since I bought her too. I have rebuilt the transom literally all new, fixed coring issues in the deck, regripped, new hoses throughout the boat, done woodwork inside and out, had the boom repaired, new running rigging all the way around, new sails, refit the stainless steel rails and stanchions with all new backing plates, rewired big parts of the electrical system, and barrier coated the bottom all since 2007. I have a list a mile long for this spring too... I feel your pain but they really are great boats play on! Good luck with all your projects!

Canaan
Velocity Girl #278

Velocity Girl is an awesome name, fyi.

I love the J/30 design. I've looked at and seen for sale boats that are faster, or more comfortable, or more luxurious, or in better condition than mine. But I've yet to find anything that's comparable across the board - the J/30 is fast enough to be exciting, sturdy enough to handle the conditions here in San Francisco, comfortable enough for friends and family to enjoy, roomy and well-appointed enough for overnight trips and weekend cruises, and good looking enough to stand out along a crowded dock.

So I continue to invest in Ananda and make every hour I'm aboard all that much more enjoyable.

Alex,

Your project progress looks great! I would reassess removing the jib tracks. Even if you don't use them now, they provide much flexibility for sheeting angles and other sails. You can isolate the core and reinstall them. There is no need to leave the jib cars on them if you plan on using the pad eyes.

Progress continues slowly - the hardest part of this job has been the logistics of all the little fasteners, epoxy, tubes of sealant, and other bits that tend to hold up the works when they run out. There is a chandlery down the street but it's minimally stocked, so weekend trips to West Marine have become the norm.

Here's my girlfriend Crystal filling the big deck holes with thickened epoxy:


Applying the Marine-Tex to the windows:


One of two small hatches mounted as the sun goes down. This one ventilates the head compartment (very important!). On the right you can see my terrible mounting job for the spinnaker halyard block from last year, due for relocation as I brilliantly placed it right in the weakest spot of the deck.


In the port lazarette, mounting the support brace for the Espar heater:


And the exhaust flange location marked on the transom (putting it 20" or so above waterline at 0 deg heel):


Inspection hatch installed back on the tank with new gasket and all hardware mounted:



I was never happy with the location of the tracks - they didn't provide any good options for sheeting with my current sailplan (95% blade jib). I'm considering adding a 125% or 135% genoa for lighter air, and I'll likely mount a new track in an optimum location if I go that route.

Spent all day yesterday putting this together. From left to right: house battery switch, charging relay, engine battery switch. The house battery runs through a shunt which measures current in and out.

One of the white cables carries the remote signals for the switches & ACR, the other carries data for the Vessel Systems Monitor on the new panel (shunt measurements, voltage, and temperature).

If there's a problem with any of the remote switch connections, the whole setup can be switched manually with the yellow knobs on the tops of the relays.

This replaces my off/1/2/combine battery switch.

Alex,
Pretty massive project. Can you tell me what kind of port lights you using in the cabin? I'm getting tired of the leaky stock units.

Rob

Nordic Star, hull 406

Alex - quite the electrical refit! Suggestion - get rid of the wire nuts and install terminal boards with lugs crimped on the wires. ABYC E-11 doesn't allow the use of wire nuts on a boat due to potential vibration and corrosion problems.

11.16.3.4 - "Terminal connectors shall be the ring or captive spade types."

11.16.3.6 - "Twist on connectors, i.e., wire nuts, shall not be used."

Hi Rob,

I'm not sure you'll want to go the route I did - I installed new Vetus portlights that are somewhat larger than the J/30 windows. To do that I expanded the windows by around an inch on all sides.

These are the portlights that I'm putting in.


I plan on getting some proper signaling connectors, but need to proceed with wiring the panel. If I waited on every single special order I'd never get anything done.

Alex,
How did these port lights tolerate the curve of deck house? Did you have to build up so they lie flat?

Thanks,

Rob

I love how the portlight manufacturer reminds us that they are not for use below the waterline.

New accent paint shining in the evening sun:



They haven't actually been installed yet (we're still painting as per the picture above), but in our test fitting the curvature hasn't been much of a problem. I expect the frames to draw tight while still being able to seal the window.


Yeah, I thought that was hilarious too. I would assume that's because there actually are hatches for use below the waterline (as escape hatches). Still, it's not like you're going to squeeze out through that portlight.

Alex,
You might want to seal the core around the exhaust pipe at the transom if it hasn't been done already. We were able cut around the pipe from inside and then fill with epoxy.

Rob

The core was excavated around the fitting hole and sealed with Permatex high temperature sealant (following a few examples I've seen online).

I said goodbye to my Dad this morning. He's heading home today, and I'll be flying to Virginia myself next week for Thanksgiving with the family. He was overdue back home - in his absence all but one of my family's cars have developed some kind of problem, from bad wheel bearings to weak batteries. He'll be returning in December though to help finish.

So, how'd we do?? Here's what's done or mostly done:

• (70%) Replace rat's nest that is the old 12V system with new panel & wiring.
  
  I have a few more wires to run, but the bulk of the installation work is complete.
  .
• (70%) Install Espar Airtronic D4 cabin heater.
  
  Installed and running with a few problems (more below). No ductwork run yet.
  .
• Install AIS receiver.
• Recommission long-empty freshwater system, renewing the plumbing, installing a pressure pump and replacing fixtures.
  
  Having pressurized water is awesome! Still need to replace both drain hoses. I ultimately want to install closable thru-hulls.
  .
• Install new freshwater head and renew all blackwater hoses, and clean out old holding tank. Not looking forward to this one.
• Replace old gimbaled pressurized alcohol stove with new fixed propane stovetop (fed from disposable bottles, no on-board propane storage).
• Upgrade icebox with an addon holding plate/condenser system for refrigeration capability.
• (75%) Replace clouded fixed portlight windows with new opening models.
  
  3 out of 4 windows are in. There was a problem with the 4th, and a replacement is on order.
  .
• Replace main cabin and head overhead hatches (current ones don't even lock).
• Re-bed stanchion bases at the bow.
  
  Turned out not to be necessary - the deck/hull under the stanchions is pure fiberglass, no core material.

And what's left:

• Install 120VAC system with shore power inlet, galvanic isolator, and battery charger.
• Apply Kiwigrip to entire deck.

Not bad if you ask me!

The new windows look fantastic:



So, electrical: the new panel is installed and operational, about half of the circuits are hooked up. As part of the retrofit I'm moving the controls for the navigation lighting (running, steaming, masthead and deck lights) to the cockpit. That part's not done yet. But starboard cabin lights, water pressure, autopilot, heater, and refrigerator are all wired. A lot of the other controls are at the panel or near it and just require short runs.

And ahh, the Espar. That thing is awesome and terrifying. We put together a fuel run with a couple of hacked connections (mainly for testing until I can special order actual 2mm parts). Nevertheless, it doesn't leak.

When we first engaged the heater, it cycled through 5-6 starting attempts without firing. Removing the fuel line revealed there was fuel at the supply end but not the demand, so we figured either the pump was faulty or just needed primed. We ran it with the end submerged in a cup of diesel and it started spraying fuel out the tube just fine. Connected it all back together and the thing fired up on the second try.

Once it did, it quickly got hot. Very hot. Exhaust started pouring out the hose connection at the base of the heater, and my infrared thermometer showed temperatures approaching 400 degrees. An inspection of the exhaust hose clamp revealed the problem - it had snagged around a stud on the heater and didn't properly close. With the clamp tightened down, the unit fired up and ran for a while. I did see a little more smoke by the connection, but we're not sure if it was exhaust leaking or burnoff from the Permatex high temperature gasket compound we used to enhance the exhaust seal.

The unit shut itself off about 5-10 minutes into running, showing "OVERHEAT" on the display. I believe that's because our outflow ducting currently exits the heater and makes two immediate 90 degree bends about 4 inches apart, to dodge a cockpit locker and turn into the cabin. That creates, I think, a higher pressure and temperature at the outflow end, causing the heater to shut itself down.

Current plan is to test with the duct removed and if that resolves the problem, route the ducting through the cockpit locker instead of around it. I'll lose some storage space, but oh well.

So in summary, we're able to cross most things off our list, with only minor work remaining to be done on a few of them. Hurrah!

I installed the new shore power system yesterday. Got the inlet plug cut out (installed it in the starboard wall of the footwell), the panel wired, galvanic isolator for the ground, and the new battery charger wired.

Plugged in the power and it all works!

I also have been able to test the Espar without the outflow duct attached - works just fine, no overheating issues. Looks like my problem is the pair of 90 degree bends, which should be an easy fix.

Now that I've installed them, I can tell you that they tolerate the curve just fine. It takes a bit of effort to close them, but they seal perfectly.

I wired the head and it works beautifully. The only catch is that I ran 16 gauge to the unit, and after I installed it I read the instructions (that's the arrogance of a nerd there, installing something before reading the manual) and it specifies 8 or 6 gauge should be used. There's no way I'm running that thick a wire to and from my panel, and that doesn't make sense when the panel's wired with 12 gauge anyway. Instead, I'm going to run 6 gauge from the battery directly, controlled by a solenoid which is actuated by the switch on my panel.

One problem I had to solve was that the new panel does not have built in fuses (I did this on purpose) and is significantly larger than the old. At the same time, I'm adding more electronics (AIS receiver, thermostat, refrigerator control, etc) that needs somewhere to live. To address this, I decided to hide all the electronics in one of the J/30's four main cabin cupboards, behind sliding plastic doors. So my dad built a backing wall within the space, and I mounted the electronics on one side and the fuse boxes on the other, with all loads terminated at the fuses. It's starting to look pretty nice:

This weekend was a very productive one for me!

On Saturday I ran ducting for the Espar under the main cabin seating on the port side. The duct exits the cockpit locker, snakes down under the galley shelf, and passes through the wall under the galley sink. From there it dives down a few feet and passes through another wall into the space under the seating there. It connects to a Y fitting where the main flow passes through to the vent, and a smaller offshoot will carry air forward into the head and v-berth compartments.

My hole saw was a little too small for the 90mm ducting, so this is how I drilled out bigger holes:


Duct passing into the compartment under the galley sink:


The run under the sink. This is a very useful space - it also contains the battery charger, audio amplifier, and freshwater demand pump and filter. I've since resected a lot of the wiring and it looks a lot cleaner than this:


Sunday I turned my attention back to electrical, and passed an important project milestone.

The old wiring system used a hot wire for every circuit and then a shared common ground. All the wires were bundled together and ran in a loop around the boat - from the panel on starboard aft back to the transom, across the transom and forward along the port side all the way to the v-berth. I wanted independent common and hot wires for each circuit, which makes it much easier to replace wires, add new circuits, etc. I also wanted to avoid the long loop back to the transom, which meant passing several of the wires through the engine compartment. This was a pain, as every time I wanted to run one of these wires I would have to remove the engine cowling.

Yesterday I ran the last of these circuits (chartplotter, instruments, audio, and amplifier on switch). It was a great moment because it meant I could finally bundle up the loose wires I had snaking around the engine and tie them down properly.

First I wrapped them up nice and tight with electrical tape:


Then covered them in corrugated conduit (slightly too large for the bundle, but used for chafe protection against the mounts):


They're tied down with three wire ties to ensure they don't go anywhere. I'm so happy to get this part of the project done - I only have a few more circuits to run at the panel. The biggest part of the remaining wiring are all the navigation lights. Those run to a waterproof switch panel to be installed in the cockpit, so all navigation lighting can be controlled independently without having to leave the cockpit and find the right switch to set in the dark cabin.

Hey all! Work has been slow since the girlfriend's been in town for a month or so, but still things are coming along.

Previously in the boat, those were controlled at the panel in the cabin, which is not ideal when switching between power and sail at night. I really wanted to have control over the nav lighting from the boat's exterior, so I mounted a waterproof switch panel next to the engine controls:


I've removed the traveler track and end control hardware. Under a turning block on the port side I found the worst water intrusion into the deck core that I've seen yet. The balsa here was so saturated that compressing it while digging it out caused it to dump water like a sponge. Yuck! I drilled a pattern of holes to follow the rot and excavate the saturated material. They'll be filled with epoxy before the KiwiGrip coat goes over top:


Location of the old turning block which caused the whole mess. You can still see some of the caulking - this was causing significant amounts of water to drip into the quarterberth below, and the previous owner just covered the tops of the bolts in caulking instead of fixing the problem for real:


The rest of the traveler track was in much better shape, and the starboard side had only minimal water intrusion in the same location:


My new traveler setup is going to be much bulkier. Here's the new car next to the old. It clearly doesn't fit in the groove, of course. The groove will be filled with a length of teak and the new track mounted on top. It will extend further outboard, almost to the edge of the cockpit. I'm doing this to recover length lost due to the larger car and end controls:
.

Here is the electronics hub currently, with about 80% of circuits wired:


I thought I would take some pictures of my Espar setup for you all since I don't think I've shown any before. The heater is mounted on a beam that spans between the transom and an aft bulkhead. Exhaust exits in the sleeved tube and loops in front of the unit, passing overhead to meet the transom fitting at a downward angle:


Transom fitting is sealed with high-temperature gasket sealant and is a good 2' above the waterline at neutral heel.


The fuel pump is mounted on the bulkhead at an upwards angle per the instructions:


I've also hired Gianola Canvas out of Sausalito to make all-new interior cushions. They're going to be done in a material called Ultraleather, which will be a significant improvement from the burlap sack interior I have now.

In other good news, my dad arrives next week for phase 2 of the renovation! Our list is much shorter this time (with a few new items):

• Finish up miscellaneous plumbing, wiring, and mounting tasks.
• Engine oil change and routine checkup.
• Re-bed all stanchion bases to ensure watertight seals. No leaks on the new cushions.
• KiwiGrip!
• Potentially mounting a radar unit on a self-leveling pole off the transom.
• Potentially mounting a retractable bowsprit on the foredeck.
• Going sailing!
• Going sailing some more!

ALX,
I mounted Raymarine radar on a 10' Edson mast just forward of the transom on port side. The mast requires two bracing rods.
The Edson mast runs through the deck and the mast base is supported on a built up teak wedge.

Could you tell me roughly what it cost to do up your cushions?

Rob

Hi Rob,

I'm looking at a Scanstrut 8' mast with a self-leveling mount. It through-bolts to the deck and has two support struts, one mounted on the deck and the other on the pushpit.

The cushions came in around $4,500. It wasn't the cheapest of the options I considered, but going with a local company meant they could visit the boat and pattern everything directly. I also had the option to re-use my existing foam (which would have lowered the price) but mine is too far gone to be salvageable.

Awesome Job!
Looks like you've added a lot of wattage consumption. What have you done for batteries? I need to add some improved "house" battery storage and I'm looking at ideas.
:Doug

Hey Doug, sorry for the late reply.

Batteries are actually an unsolved problem for me. Currently the boat has two identical dual purpose FLA batteries that are physically on the small side (car battery form factor, 2 of them fit into the battery box), but labeled as 140 Ah each. Based on testing and common sense, this seems ridiculous. In my research I haven't been able to find anything close to that capacity in such a compact form factor. The current ones do need replacing though - even after full charging cycles they're putting out 12.06 V each :-/

I'm looking at doing a split house/engine battery, with a 200+ Ah deep cycle for the house and a separate starting battery. I have an ACR for combined charging when running the engine and isolation during normal operation. I also installed individual battery switches so I can run the entire boat off of either battery individually if needed.

With Team Dad & Son reunited, the (hopefully) final sprint to the finish has officially begun.

On Saturday we met early with the A-sprit inventor who promptly measured the bow and drilled the mounting holes for the sprit. It felt kind of like piercing the boat's nose. As the piercings passed through the cored part of the hull, we dug out the core and added a seal of MarineTex to keep water from ever making it to the core. The core came out completely dry, thankfully - no water intrusion issues in the hull itself.



A fiberglass ferrule fits through the holes, and a smaller tube slides into it to form a hinge. The sprit frame then bolts to the inner tube. We should have the whole thing assembled and rigged in a few days and I'll post some more pictures as this part of the project progresses.

Mounting the new battery charger was the next project. Actually - I don't think I told you guys about that. My shiny new Blue Seas P12 battery charger failed after a couple weeks of operation. I got on the phone with the customer support department who walked me through checking a few of the more common failure modes before agreeing that the unit was defective and shipping me a new one. So I switched all my wiring over to it and got it mounted, and it's working flawlessly.

Next we removed the temporary board from the missing 4th window and bolted the new one in place. It feels really good to have all four windows in:



Excess MarineTex went to fairing some of the deck holes in preparation for Kiwigrip operations, which begin next weekend. To that end, I also mixed up a batch of thickened epoxy to replace the rotten core on the port side of the traveler:



I'm very much looking forward to the Kiwigrip - the deck will look so nice afterwards! I'm planning on having my GoPro on and filming the gripping operations for a timelapse.

We pulled the starboard stanchion bases out in preparation for re-bedding, as well as some nearby pad-eyes. The backing plates were in mostly horrible condition - thin acrylic plates that were warped or in some cases completely cracked.

As night fell we headed inside and worked on mounting the Raritan electric toilet controls. I used a teak light switch plate from West Marine to avoid drilling a large hole in the formica around my head sink, and we caulked behind it as a precaution in case splashing in the sink causes water to drip down over the plate. I think it looks pretty good:



I've got some work to do to tidy up the toilet electronics before crossing that project completely off my list.

Sunday morning we crossed the Golden Gate as the sun came up and landed in the West Marine parking lot by 9am. After a quick run to the hardware store and across the Richmond bridge to another West Marine (needed two pad eyes and each store only had one) we finished our tour of bridges by crossing the Bay Bridge back into San Francisco and got to work by noon.

Most of the work Sunday was spent re-bedding the stanchion bases, including manufacturing new backing plates from 1/4" G10. The new plates are at least thrice as sturdy as the old ones. Plate cutting operations:



And the result:


This is one stanchion that's not going anywhere:


Placing the base with sealant applied:


And here's my dad being a master of detail work with the sealant:


One base in particular was most painful, as it was mounted behind the electrical box we built into a cabin cupboard. To access it, I had to remove one Raymarine box and pull the board out just enough to reach behind. My arm is red with scratches and cuts from wedging it between the boards to tighten nuts, but all the bases are firmly in place. The port side only has three bases to re-bed, thanks to the lack of a lifeline gate.

This week Dad is focusing on sanding and fairing the deck in preparation for Kiwigrip. I'm going to be working on getting the new traveler mounted and rigged. Hopefully by Saturday we'll be taping the deck and mixing us some non-skid!

if at some time you can separate out the sprit story ... with its own subject line [so it will pop in a google search] ... there are a lot of people out there that would be interested in how you did it. and eventually how it runs.

v

Will do! I'm excited to see how it works. I'm in conversation with my sailmaker currently about the asym design.

What does a bowsprit and an asymmetrical spinnaker do to the j/30's phrf rating? Im guessing it's not one class legal? The refit looks fantastic, it gives me some encouragement for the spring.

-josh

I don't even race PHRF, so I have no clue what it would do to my theoretical rating. Reading the NorCal PHRF rules there may be a -3 penalty for having a sprit (depends on the length but won't actually know the real numbers until I mount it). And I highly doubt it's class legal, but Ananda is so class illegal that I'm surprised they let me belong still

Meet my new engine! A Beta Marine 20hp 3-cylinder.

I've been wrestling with the decision to repower for over a year now, and looking at several replacement options including the newer Yanmars, Volvo, and Beta Marine. No one reason forced me into this decision, my old engine still starts and runs. But after examining the situation I felt the case for a repower was strong enough:

• The old engine is 35 years old and raw-water cooled. It has parts with structural rust, a broken engine mount, cracked exhaust manifold, temperamental throttle/transmission linkage, poorly performing alternator, and a number of other mild-to-moderate issues.
• Major parts are no longer made for it - I bought a spare engine and have already been cannibalizing it for things like a new raw water pump.
• It has occasionally overheated during normal operation even with good impeller flow, leading me to believe it has hot spots or blockages in the internal cooling channels.
• The zincs have not been changed in likely several decades and are frozen - removing them would probably take a pneumatic impact wrench.
• The new engine is way lighter, 100 lbs or so.
• I am wary of pushing the engine hard or for long periods of time for this reason - I don't consider it a reasonably reliable backup.
• The cost of maintenance over the next 5 years (with possibly a rebuild) at this point is a significant portion of the replacement cost with a nonzero probability of unsatisfying results anyway.

So I'm biting the bullet and repowering. I've chosen the Beta for its small size, design for easy maintenance, and overall positive reputation among sailors I've found in my research. H&M Marine out of Sausalito will be doing the repower. I'm opting for a 20hp as by my calculations (and experience) my current 15hp is on the low end of what my boat could use in terms of power. My 2-blade feathering Max prop will be adjusted in pitch to accommodate the increase in horsepower.

With this change it occurs to me that I've replaced or upgraded almost every major system aboard the boat! But I also know that Ananda is going to fulfill her mission and be everything I want her to be for me for for the next 10 years.

This is our last weekend of work before my dad heads back to the cold... I mean, back home. We've spent the last few days fairing, sanding, and scrubbing down the deck, and tomorrow we're hoping to tape and begin the Kiwigrip operation.

So far things have been going well though! The new nav station is really coming together:



All switches are wired now to the fuse panel now, with only a few loads remaining to be hooked up (autopilot and radar I believe). The electrical cabinet is looking quite full:



I've made a second electrical cabinet in the cupboard behind the head, which holds both the controller for the head itself as well as connections for the navigation lighting, both running lights at the bow and all lights on the mast.

On deck work continues as well. Here's the new Scanstrut radar pole partially installed:



Also, I finally installed the bowsprit today:



It looks awesome. I can't wait to rig up the bobstay and actually fly my asym from it.

Kiwigripping has begun!

Here's the lovely Crystal helping me tape off the deck fixtures (on Valentine's day no less, how awesome is that! I'll be taking her out to a lovely dinner tonight of course:



Test patch applied:


My dad working on the bow while Crystal supervises to make sure he doesn't drip anywhere:


I also got a picture inside my forward electrical cabinet for you guys. Ignore the one wire that's connected backwards - I was debugging whether the anchor light at the masthead was installed backwards. It's not lighting either way, so it looks like a trip to the top of the stick is in order for me:

So disaster struck overnight - dew condensed on the boom and deck and ruined 2 of the 4 Kiwigrip sections we'd applied yesterday evening. It was runnier this morning than it was going on. We got it cleaned up though, and re-taped the sections and re-applied. We did the entire cabin top today:



Look closely, and you can also see my new radar on its pole in place. I still have one support for the Scanstrut to mount, but it's looking good so far! I can't wait to plug it in.

would like to see larger photos of Sprit.
v

Vic - I edited the posts and added links to the original photos. Click on the two pictures above with the sprit in them.

Today was my dad's last full day in town. We accomplished three major tasks:

• Last night the Espar heater refused to start, at a time when it was much needed thanks to a cold front rolling in with some fog. Investigation this morning revealed that the fuel line had slipped out of the fuel pump intake compression fitting! Turns out it was flared improperly. We corrected that and got the pump primed again.
• We installed the traveler track! Complete with the board in the old trough. It looks so badass. I can't wait to rig it!
• Finally, we finished painting the whole deck with KiwiGrip! The transformation is incredible, I barely recognize the boat. I know it won't stay this clean for long, but just wow.

So here's some pictures of the finished product! We're still debating what to do with the stripes - I thought they would look good au natural but now I'm leaning towards painting them with a smooth white, perhaps with some gloss.







(I liked the idea of linking to the pictures so I did the same for the new ones)

We went out for margaritas to celebrate. When I got home, I had four packages at my door - a SeatalkHS switch to connect the radar to my chartplotter in a more reasonable way, more FRP for backing plates, etc, bolts, and more hatch sealing strips (that won't be used on my windows, but will in fact come in handy for other purposes). Work is never done!

I've accomplished a few more things in the last few days:

• Rigged the new traveler system.
• Replaced the old mainsheet blocks with the new ones and reeved them.
• Installed the bobstay U-bolt on the bow, a short distance above the waterline.
• Cut my final section of heater ducting to length and installed the louvered vent.
• Re-ran the radar cable under the starboard quarterberth instead of over it, and connected it to power.
• Installed a high speed "Raynet" switch under the starboard quarterberth, into which the chartplotter and radar now plug.
• Loaded new firmware on my chartplotter and used it to update the software on every device on board.
• Took all my lines off the boom (stored for KiwiGrip) and ran them on the deck again.
• Re-mounted VHF remote mic port in the cockpit (moved to make room for the nav switch panel).
• Sheet bag mounted under the traveler to hold the mainsheet & traveler control lines.
• Ran power from the autopilot computer to the plug for the tiller drive and tested the system steered correctly.
• Programmed the VHF with my MMSI number and connected it to my instrument network. This allows it to get GPS position from the receiver outside, enabling a DISTRESS button call to the Coast Guard via DSC/Rescue21 as well as easy readout of coordinates if needed.

New sheet bag in the cockpit:


GPS showing on the VHF:

Picture from the folks over at Gianola Canvas - one side of the main settee from my new interior cushions:



Can't wait to get the boat cleaned up enough inside to justify putting these in.

I've commissioned Pineapple Sails of Alameda, CA to build me a new asymmetrical spinnaker. We're going with AIRX 700, an epoxy-impregnated nylon fabric which they describe as light enough to fly in less than 10 knots but strong enough to flog in 25. It will set and douse from a spinnaker sock.

Based on a bowsprit length of 2'1" past the stem, I estimate the new sail will come in around 850 square feet.

I can't wait to try it!

I passed a major milestone yesterday. With the addition of two padeyes for jib sheeting blocks, Ananda is fully rigged for sailing once again.



Also accomplished was the permanent installation of the radar cable with a Scanstrut deck seal:



I also rigged the bobstay, although I don't really like the sheeting arrangement:



This does work, but the fact that the distance from the top block to the bow changes as the line is tensioned caused some unexpected problems. It means for any given length of bobstay, there are two stable positions for the sprit, deflected above or below the horizontal position. The fact that I don't have a block on the bow yet just complicates this problem.

I think I need to reverse the blocks, and have the turning block on the sprit and the becket block on the waterline fitting. Then the bobstay can follow the bow up and turn on the pulpit or something - I haven't quite figured that part out yet. I'll have to play around with it.

I couldn't resist testing out my old spinnaker, even though the wind was on the beam, shifty and gusty, and dusk was falling:





I spent the rest of the time in the cabin, working on routing electrical lines through the tight spaces around my new panel. I'm making progress on getting it all cleaned up.

Why mount the radar dome on an independent spar instead of the mast? Just the weight up high changing the center of gravity?

Exactly - the J/30 is a fairly light boat to begin with, and on top of that San Francisco gets pretty breezy and I'm usually shorthanded with not a lot of weight on the rail. I thought it would be prudent to minimize weight aloft - every pound counts and 25 lbs of radar counts a lot. The pole is only 8' off the deck.

The pole at the stern will have other uses as well. I plan on adding a floodlight to light the cockpit at night, and possibly a davit for general use. I might even move the stern light onto it for better visibility.

I mounted a floodlight on the radar mast for my J/109. It's a fairly bright LED model that draws almost no current. I usually leave it on when we are at the dock or on the mooring while cruising as it makes it easy to find the boat in a mooring field. The "cocktail light" is bright enough to perform an appendectomy on someone in the cockpit.

Rather than moving the stern light to the radar mast for visibility, you are better off putting a tri-color LED at the top of the mast. You get better all round visibility from others. I have the deck lights and tri-color on a DPDT switch. You aren't supposed to have both illuminated at the same time. In shore, the deck level lights are better for visibility. Off shore the masthead is better.

Attached is a picture of the radar mast on my J/109. It is easily removable for racing. This was taken last summer during an off-shore doublehanded race. You can see it holds everything including the loudhailer speaker (for the fog horn), the radar reflector, the deck light and the class flag. I snapped this picture of my crew member Eric on the New England Solo-Twin regatta.



ps - nice looking asym there. Where did it come from?

My trip up the mast proved less than fruitful. My intention was to replace my steaming/foredeck light with a new one, but the wires inside the mast were too secure. I couldn't pull the wire out enough to splice on the new light. I need to regroup and figure that one out.

The view from the top was pretty great though:





The AIS transceiver install was more successful, and I managed to take a screenshot of the MarineTraffic app AIS view on my phone:

Alex,

When I had to change the steaming light bulb on Rhapsody, I found the socket was toast so bought a new one. Then went back up and found the wire was all brittle. I ended up running new marine grade tinned wire to the base of the mast and installed a small circular connector that fits into a hole in the mast when it is pulled.

They had this "thing" back then to run the coax for the VHF and the 12v wires into a foam sleeve and tape the hell out of the ends, and every so many feet. Said foam was to keep the wires from slapping against the inside of the mast while at anchor and crew trying to sleep.

So if the coax is original ... probably you should pull the whole harness and do both at the same time. Coax is not so great after 20 years or so at VHF.

The resistance you may be getting is that wire being held up by the coax to the antenna. Of course if you don't have an antenna at the top of the mast ... another story.

Yesterday I got the news that my engine had arrived at H&M in Sausalito, ready for installation, and that I could bring the boat over whenever. My schedule is pretty busy for the next couple weeks, but lucky I'd decided to work from home that day. I took the afternoon off and with the help of my friend Tim, we slipped the lines at 2:30 and motored out across the bay.

Leaving San Francisco astern:


The engine ran just fine wide open for the hour-long trip (delayed a bit by the passage of a car carrier that we decided not to challenge for right-of-way).

Entering the Sausalito channel:




As we came into the Sausalito channel a row boat came out of one of the marinas, heading across our path. I throttled back to idle to let them pass, and I noticed white smoke (steam) coming out the exhaust. This is normal I presume (hot engine + less cooling water = more energy transferred to that water). However, the water coming out had turned a blackish color, which I wasn't expecting. I mentally went over how we would drop anchor if the engine quit on us, and powered up to 50% throttle for the 3/4 nm remaining. The exhaust water turned back to clear, and we had no further problems all the way into Clipper Yacht Harbor and the H&M dock. I've never seen that discoloration in the exhaust water before.

But, I don't have to care, as this will be in the boat by next month:




There was no coax in the mast when I bought the boat, and all running light 12V there has been replaced as well. No foam, either - the yard put the cables in a flexible sleeve/conduit in the mast.

I have a theory: there's a small line tied to an eyelet at the bottom of my mast. I thought it was a messenger line, now I realize it could be used for tensioning the wires in the conduit to keep them from slapping, or something. So I'm going to ease that and see where it gets me.

Inspected the engine installation this afternoon! What follows are far too many pictures of it:









The new Racor filter:


And raw water strainer:


The engine control panel is all digital:


And the throttle/shift control is much nicer too:


Unfortunately, when trying to align the propeller the engine shop discovered that the cutlass bearing was pretty much shot, so tomorrow I'm taking the boat across the bay to the boatyard for a haulout and fix.

so jealous, I will have to be content with a rebuild of the old tractor engine. Yours certainly is shiny...

Yeah, hopefully I can keep it shiny!

Ananda lying contentedly at rest at the KKMI docks after stretching her legs (sails up for the first time in 6 months):



Our track for the day, as logged by AIS:



We raised sails off of the Sausalito ferry terminal and sailed pretty much the entire day without tacking or gybing. We had one stop at Pier 1.5, the public dock in San Francisco to pick up a tardy crew member who missed our morning ride up to Sausalito.

I did have one thing go wrong - while trying to figure out the rigging for the new bowsprit with the spinnaker partially hoisted in its sock, it got sucked into the water and we came to a dead stop mid-bay as it became a sea anchor. We got it hauled back aboard though, with the only casualty being one of the blocks on my bobstay actually came detached.

All in all, an excellent day!

I notice you have one of the engine air ducts closed ... how are you handling air to engine.

Nice plot. Good to see your input to site.

v

Actually only one seems to be connected. The intake on the port side is open and connected to a duct that leads to the engine space. The symmetric hole on the starboard side is covered with a deck plate and has no duct underneath (it's been closed since I bought the boat).

roger, roger ...
the original goal was for one vent to face forward to channel fresh air into the engine compartment ... and the duct was wire tied so that it fed low into the compartment.

the other vent was facing aft with the duct wire tied to something high to vent the hot air out of the engine compartment.

I am thinking that perhaps the aft vent doesn't really need a duct in the original model. The engine cover is a lot smaller in the 500 series.

But the idea was to get forced cool air in, and then vent the hot air aft.

Vic is correct. It also keeps diesel and oil smell out of the boat by circulating air through just the engine compartment.

I'm jealous, Alex! really nice job. I'm looking at a similar rewire on Koesh 'though I probably won't add the radar. With all the additions, what are you doing for "house" batteries? Did you add some capacity?
Doug
Koeshtkah #380

Doug,

Indeed. I'm upgrading to 2x200Ah AGM batteries. I had a lot of trouble finding batteries with that capacity which would fit in the boat. Eventually I discovered Mastervolt makes a "Slimline" battery which is narrow, and thus I plan to lay these on their side, one on port and one on starboard, back under the quarterberths.

I actually picked up the batteries on Saturday. Here is one of them:



They weigh about 120lbs apiece - not easy to move around! I still need to figure out how I'm going to strap them down.

I also took delivery of another new piece of equipment for the boat that I'm looking forward to trying out:

Thanks! I hadn't thought of laying down an AGM...I'll look up the specs on those. Might be the ticket!
:Doug

Yeah, I was quite happy to find them.

I also considered LiFePO4 batteries, but they're still a little too DIY for my taste. I don't really want to spend a lot of time troubleshooting my battery setup or figuring out the optimal way to hook up a charge controller.

Alex, do you need a charge controller to control charge from a solar or wind turbine setup? I guess I'm just curious about what it does and why it is important... (I'm updating my battery bank and currently do not have one).

I don't have solar or wind charging. "Charge controller" is a misleading term, what I should have said is "Battery Management System".

LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) is a new battery technology that offers much higher charge densities, over 2x that of conventional lead acid, AGM or gel batteries. A 200Ah LiFePO battery for example weighs about 55 lbs, compared to the ~120 of the Mastervolt. They can also be deep discharged down to 20% or so without any problems, and unlike lead batteries they provide a stable 12.8V continuously until discharged.

LFP batteries are much more stable than the LiCoO2 batteries used in cell phones, etc (you know, the ones that on rare occasion catch fire in people's pockets). The downside is that the danger of overcharging or over-draining is high, and thus they require a Battery Management System, a controller that regulates charging and equalizes charge between all of the individual cells that make up the battery, and also ensures the cells never drop below a critical level of charge beyond which they can be damaged.

At the moment, these BMSes are fairly DIY, and the batteries themselves are a little pricey as well.

It felt so good finally bringing Ananda back to her home in Pier 39:



My day began meeting my friend Bryan up at Pier 39, where we dropped off my two new AGM batteries. A short water taxi ride later (30 knots up the Richmond channel - whee!) and we were at KKMI. On getting the boat ready I found I had a dead house battery (putting out 10.5 volts). No worries - my setup allows me to manually disconnect the house battery, close the ACR and run the whole boat off the engine battery.

I ran the new engine up to 3,000 rpm and we motored out of Pt Richmond at a good clip. After clearing the channel, we set a double-reefed main and proceeded upwind at 5.5-6 knots, west to Angel Island before tacking and sailing south towards the city. A couple tacks later and we were pulling into Pier 39:



A few things still remain on the list, the most important of which is finalizing the boat's wiring. I'll have to redo some of it as the new batteries will be split between port and starboard, so my battery switches will have to be redone. Whee...

Are you distributing the batteries due to weight? I'd love to thank the genius who put my battery bank and diesel tank on my starboard side... we're always sitting just the slightest bit tipped to starboard on the mooring... I can't decide whether it is worth it to fill my water tank to balance it out and carry the extra weight or not

Weight and space - each battery is ~110 lbs.

I've tried to roughly balance the additions I've made to the boat, but I accept that it's never going to be perfect.

After a long day yesterday (okay, well, we showed up at the boat at 4 after margaritas at a nearby bar, but worked until 10!) and an early morning this morning, the new cushions are installed in the boat! Here are some pics, including some not-perfect panorama shots that try to capture the overall view a bit better.









Things are slowly coming together. Bins have been cleaned out and lifevests stowed under the main salon seats, tools are off the boat, the dinghy is back in its rightful place...

I stil have a ton of electrical work I want to do yet (not least of which is wiring in the new batteries) but that will have to wait until after our Vallejo trip on the 20th.

On the downside, the Isotherm holding plate refrigerator seems to have called it quits - while the compressor runs continuously the plate temperature doesn't drop at all. Probably a coolant leak. So one more item on the list of things to fix.

classy.