Installing an Isaksen Drip Edge

The following is from John Mackie, John William 37VT68:

I am currently installing Isaksen drip edge over the windows out of PVC

Trim board. I was fitting the pieces when our rain started last week, 2 1/2

Inches per hour for 5 hrs and they worked great. No window leaks from the track filling and spilling over. Also have them over the aft pilot house windows which eliminated a problem leak. 

I removed the teak half round and am now priming that area and painting prior to final installation. 

Tug Spotting: Lucy 49VT03

Bob Ewing, Salty Paws 37VT66, took this picture today while visiting NYC.

Tug Spotting--Callisto 37VT19

Heading into Westport NY on September 24, 2017.  Shot from sailboat Bellamare [video by James Reinhard].  Beautiful boat.

Keeping the Rain Out

Bill Irwin, Callisto 37VT19

wbirwin@comcast.net

Our LNVT is number 19, it seems in the earlier boats the four forward ports were built with a shallow lower sill which allows water to drip in when it rains and the ports are left open. 

I recently found a solution. Seaworthy Goods makes a high-quality hood that keeps the rain out when the ports are open. The Port Visors come with 3M self-adhesive tape already attached to the Visor. They install around the outside of porthole trim rings. Installation is simple; no drilling, cutting, or special tools are required. 

The ports are made with Lexan XL102UV (formerly XL-10) it is a tough polycarbonate with a UV-resistant surface on both sides. They say it filters out UV and has excellent clarity, it is used where high impact strength is needed outdoors, e.g. hurricane shutters and vandal-resistant windows. It is attached with 3M VHB (Very High Bond) tape, an extremely strong all-weather adhesive, with UV and chemical resistance. It is formulated for permanent uses, such as attaching road signs and aircraft wing components. The tape holds up well to salt, heat, cold, water, and solvents. 

It is important to note that the proper sizing for our ports is 14-R not 15R.  They have  have a wonderful customer service that you can call with with any questions. CONTACT:  Sea Worthy Goods (941.448.9173) http://seaworthygoods.com 

Tug spotting

6 am sunrise over Ocean Point. Last morning for Salty Paws 37VT66 on her
Linekin Bay mooring. Headed south to NJ for the Winter. [Photo: Bob Ewing].

Tug Spotting

October tug spotting at Sucia Island Marine Park in Fossil Bay.  Hiaqua 37VT#3 and Wally 41VT#2

Tug spotting

Saltwater Joys 37VT19 looks beautiful in tbe fall colors.

[From Matthew Brown]

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Nellie D. Thru-hull replacement

From Bicki Howell, Nellie D. 37VT63

We decided this year to replace all of our below the water seacocks and thru-hulls. 

The project also included the removal a legacy thru-hull which serviced a depth sounder that was no longer in use and was buried in an awkward location under our genset.  Repairing the 1-1/2 hole in the hull let from the thru-hull required grinding the exterior fiberglass to create a sloped 12" circle.  The ground area was then filled with gradually increasing circular layers (small to large) of fiberglass cloth and resin.  Approximately 24 layers were needed in total.  

Many boat owners recommend the use of a thru-hull sea strainer, especially for the engine's raw water intake.  After a lot of research and discussion, we decided not to install any sea strainers.  Last year, we experienced reduced water flow caused by zebra muscle growth in the engine's raw water sea strainer.  Even with the boat hauled we could not get adequate access behind the strainer to clear the growth.  One solution, since we were replacing the seacocks and thru-hulls anyway, was to purchase sea strainers that could be opened for cleaning (see photo below).  For us the major drawback is it requires diving over the side or hauling the boat in order to open the strainer.  Another consideration is that we have internal strainer baskets for the engine and genset raw water intakes which sufficiently screen out any unwanted debris.  Most importantly, foregoing sea strainers meant we would be able to flush or poke any blockages out of the thru-hulls while the boat was in the water.  We are happy with our decision and have cruised more than 2,000 miles without the sea strainers with no problems.  

Winterizing tip

From Hansen's Harbor 

Allen Hansen

A tip about when you install household faucets on your boat.   When they are installed they have a check valve or back flow preventer.  Which means when you are winterizing and vacuuming the whole system to the hot water heater, those faucets will not drain because of the back flow preventer.  So you have to go to the faucet head and vacuum there.  If you fill your system full of antifreeze and pump than no worries it all goes through.  

Pressure flushing a thru-hull

From Joe Glinski, Our Villa 37VT56

Joe created a handy tool (R) that connects two garden hoses to a PVC fitting.  The fitting is placed into the 1-1/4” raw water  hose on the Groco sea strainer and then the water is turned on for both hoses.  The high water pressure is often enough to flush out anything trapped in the thru-hull.

Thru-hull emergency kit

From Barb Robertson, Whimsea 37VT64

With all the talk of Sea Cock failures and the thought of loosing my boat due to such a simple failure I decided to do some research.  For LNVT owners not in a position to do a haul out, I thought the attached photo and recommendation (see insert right) for a simple emergency Plan B might be helpful and provide some peace of mind. I plan to replace  Whimsea's seacocks next spring but might buy a couple of these plugs just in case.

Be prepared for thru-hull emergencies with wooden plugs

Article from: thevirtualboatyard.com

Just as an additional safety note; invest in a set of those wooden tapered plugs you see hanging in the plumbing isle of your marine store.  Screw a small eye I. The top of each one and tie the appropriate size plug to the thru-hull.  Keep a hammer where you can find it and make sure you have room to use it.  While the thru-hull may be marine rated and strong enough, the hose could also fail.  Having the plug ready to drive into the resulting hole might well save your boat.  

Tug Spotting ~ Cruising the Potomac

Thistle 37VT46 and Victory 37VT02 out cruising.

Thruhull Replacement on John William 37VT68

Groco Tri-Flange Seacock

To remove the old thru hull out use a die grinder to cut the seaside of the 

I do not use backer blocks with the flanged thru hulls but I do grind the inside and outside smooth. I have replaced a lot of thru hulls with blocks of wood, fiberglass and aluminum and usually find them to be loose, split or rotten. I also use 5/16 flat head SS machine screws and countersink the heads. 

John Mackie
John William 37VT68