Captain's Blog

     Vacuum Gauge      As our time left for departure is coming to an end, so is the time for any last-minute projects. There really isn't much more I can do. But one very simple project but pretty important has to do with one of the most likely engine failure issues. Fuel, more specifically, fuel filtering.      I blogged about this in  The Importance of Clean Fuel  when I was going over the engine early on. I now wanted to take it one step further. With a single engine, clean fuel is even more important. If an engine is going to fail, you can be sure it will happen at the most inopportune time, like in rough seas or during docking. I wanted one more level of security.      You cannot always tell if a fuel filter is ready to change just by looking at it or by the amount of time it has been installed. The surest way is with a vacuum gauge. Installing this gauge should pay for itself by not wasting money replacing filt...

  Well after 22 years, the Acrylic windscreen on the flybridge broke. Of course dropping the Bimini top on it didn't help! Smooth move. I read on the Camano Facebook Group where others had them replaced and at a cost of $800, although a fair price for custom work, I felt I could get the same results for less. Being an old "Shop Teacher" from the 80's, we used Acrylic frequently and always fabricated it by hand. The techniques are a little different but most of the same tools are used.  Materials. I secured a sheet of 1/4" Acrylic. 1/4" Acrylic is really .220 thick. I couldn't get Smoke colored but did get a Gray color #XA-2064 from RS Supply in Port Richie, Florida.  A tool I didn't have was the special Acrylic Point Drill Bits. You cannot use a standard wood twist bit, as they tend to "grab" the material as the bit passes through and most of the time will crack the Acrylic.  Step 1: I labeled each piece with "BOW OUT" and "...

  Battery Charger & Separator What you think you have might not be what you actually have. That's what a friend of mine told me when discussing the setup in my boat...and he was right. The Camano was built with a Battery Separator. Instead of a mechanical battery switch, the separator is tied to the engine battery and the house battery bank.  The unit does 2 things. 1. Assist in engine starting:  When the engine starter is activated, the separator compares the voltage of both battery banks. If the start/engine battery is lower than the house battery bank, the Battery Separator will engage allowing the house battery to "aid" in starting. 2. Protect the starting system: The Battery Separator monitors the battery system to determine if the batteries are being charged. When the engine or house batteries reach 13-13.5 volts, indicating that charging is taking place, the Battery Separator will engage, joining the two battery banks. If the drain on the charging system by ei...

       I needed some custom canvas work, so e arlier last year I purchased  Sailrite  Ultra-Feed LSZ-1 heavy duty sewing machine  for my Mom. 1. because she always wanted a good "walking foot" machine that could handle heavy fabric, and 2. because I needed some canvas work for Pau Hana. My Mom is a great seamstress and very accomplished with sewing large quilts so this was a pretty easy learning curve for her. Of course I was being a good son but I also had other motives 😁. Sailrite Ultra-Feed LSZ      T he front windshield had a canvas cover which was great for storage but was getting a little "ratty" and I didn't like the fact that although it gave us some privacy and kept the heat down in the summer, we couldn't get any light or a view from the front at anchor. I wanted something that could provide some privacy and knock down the heat that can tax the AC in the summer.  The port & starboard window side covers that came with ...