Progress

burgundyben

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A few months ago I posted saying that Playtime was out of the water for a few jobs to be done and that I would regularly post progress, well I
didn't.

Anyhow, she is now back afloat and up and running.

I have fitted new head gaskets to both engines, the ones fitted were perkins genuine parts, they are a laminated copper and steel affair and are known to be prone to leaking oil, my port one was chucking a pint of oil out between Hamble and Cowes so something had to be done. Payen the gasket makers do a composite gasket for the 6.354 engine which does not suffer form the leakage issue, two sets were £190 which is not too bad I spose although less would be better. I can say that the heads with manifolds on are bloody heavy, a 3 man lift in fact. I did not hand crank the engines and so when I fired one up three of the pushrods which I had not located properly got bent, I got the replacement from Hindle (see other post).

The fuel tanks are located under the aft cockpit floor, they are the original GRP ones and did not have an inspection hatch, I knew that there was a lot of crud in them and the internal plastic pick up pipe on the port side had a hole in that meant less than half full all I got was air, so with the aid of a mate who works in sheet metal I put inspection hatches in each of the three sections, a stainless frame with 25mm pitch M6 threaded inserts sits inside the tank, a rubber gasket cut from sheet and a poly carb window and 220 bolts with washers fits the whole lot together, I reckon I drilled over 1000 holes in total. I'd now like new pre filters to comlete the overhaul of the fuel system, the inspection hatches are fab I can see clearly how much fuel there is. I also now have filled the tanks from empty and know that they are 40 gallons each.

When I bought the boat I got two new moulded windscreens, these had been made over a former in an oven from a big sheet but required cutting to shape, I did this as close as I dared with a jigsaw and then the final trimming with a angle grinder, all the plastic made a huge mess everywhere but the now look dead good, I still need to put all the screws in the frame and fit the little mast though.

I could see what looked like evidence of a leak through both of the exhaust outlets in the transom, I took them out and in both cases the sikaflex had let go, one of them had a pin prick hole by one of the tack welds so I had this welded up and the bloke charged me £4 which was dead cheap. The transom was showing signs of the paint flaking and so I took it back to bare wood, it then had 4 coats primer, 2 undercoat, 2 half and half and two topcoats, the signwriter could not do it for weeks so I got Wet and Wild to do some letters in satin gold, it looks very like the gold leaf but is loads cheaper, I emailed them at 9 am and they were ready to collect at 11 am, good service and hints and tips on application were useful, then I refitted the exhaust.

Did some antifoul and epoxied the spray rails back on where loose, fitted a few new 14*2 inch silicon bronze screws underneath where old ones were failing, fitted a new anode.

Fitted new float switch for bilge pump.

Put the boat in the river added antifreeze, and ran both engines up (this is when the push rod debacle happened), re-torqued both heads, did oil and filter changes, ran through tappets, fitted new fan belts. Stuck rocker covers on with copious tubes of blue hylomar (seems to have worked), have now run a few hours and they seem oil and water tight. The rocker covers are shit though.

Went to Osborne Bay Saturday evening and had roast chicken with crustybread and champagne and profiteroles (6) with Lorna (profiteroles 6), watched sunset whilst trundling gently back to Hamble at 20 knots, v romantic.


Next job is to get on top of the varnish and then its new galley and then new cockpit floor……the five year plan continues.

<hr width=100% size=1>I didn't knacker TCM's copper it was Trazie
 

Scarron

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Had a fairly lazy summer so far then.

The clear Lexan inpection panels sound great, I was wondering about doing that with Le Scarron and you've made my mind up for me.

The windscreen also sounds good, I'll be needing to do something similar as mine has had one half of the curved toughened glass screen replaced with plastic at some time [now badly aged], which is a bit of a bu**er. Don't s'pose anyone knows where I can get toughened glass curved?

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Freebee

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Progress or was it?

For some years I tested fuel filters in clear lexan tubes, the wall thickness of the tubes varied from 6mm to nearly 30mm with the same result. I have to report that for some reason the plastic if its in constant contact with fuel seems to stay clear.

But once the fuel has dried out susbequent air contact causes it to craze or maybe its the fuel vapour, this does take some months to happen and after about 3 years needs changing because the crazing weakens the plastic.

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PaulF

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20 Feb 2004
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Hi Ben,

You told me you were busy doing housey things!!! Thank goodness you weren't wasting your time!

Tank inspection hatches vital.My tanks and inspection hatches are aluminuim and I obviously cant see through them. I drain and clean both tanks every 3rd season, and yes they do need it. I buy fuel from the normal main outlets but the junk that gets in is amazing. I have fitted extra filters/separators before the main engine filters. Since doing that I have had clean fuel delivered to the motors without getting blockages or starvation.

Good luck with the varnishing, God I hate that job!

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