Captain's Blog

    Volvo TAMD41P-A One of the reasons I started this blog was to provide information about the Camano 31 that I learned through the repairs and renovations we did.     Here is a list of engine part numbers I that I have put together. These work for my boat and may not work for yours.   Below is a list of zincs.     Hope this helps.

          The rear deck has a very nice custom aluminum cover. We have a full set of curtains for it but it is easier to access the boat without them so we have them removed & stored.     The access to the flybridge is through a hole with a canvas cover. The problem I have with the canvas cover is that it is difficult to open or close it without hanging on from the outer gunnel.  I decided to make a hatch that would be easier to open & close as well as secure when we are away from the boat.     I started by making a template out of 1/4" plywood. Making a template is always a good idea as it gives you the opportunity to adjust the design, especially when you have an oddly shaped piece like this will be.     I decided that making it out of plywood & fiberglassing it would be the best way to go.  I used a piece of 1/2" plywood so that the final hatch would not be too terribly heavy.      With the 1/...

 What can at the very least be a small nuisance and at the most be the nail in it's coffin disaster is a raw water restriction or flow decrease and engine overheat in a diesel engine. It can be very preventable just by constantly scanning your gauges. But it only takes a few seconds for some type of raw water flow reduction or impeller destruction to turn your engine into toast. A project I had planned from the beginning was High Temperature Alarms. I installed them on a previous boat, a Luhrs 320. I know they work like they are supposed to because not long after installing them (2 engines) my port engine must have sucked up a plastic bag or something & instantaneously the Raw Water Alarm went off. I pulled back the throttle, shifted to neutral and the alarm shut off & the engine temp dropped. At 25 mph and a butt load of seawater being cycled  through the engines, this small event could have been cataclysmic but instead it was a hiccup.  The Camano moves much slo...

      Well I thought my AC problems were behind me, but unfortunately they were not. Each time we get to the boat the first thing I want to see when it is hot outside is a good stream of water coming from the AC. Last weekend in 95 deg. (feels like 105 deg) heat, the first Mate & I strolled to the boat only to see no stream! My worst nightmare had come true!.  Our system is over 21 years old, was this the end? Stepping inside the boat the fan was running, but neither the compressor nor the water pump were running and the thermostat posted 98 deg. "We ain't stayin' here tonight!" We went to work to troubleshoot the system. First was the water pump. It gets it's direction from the main system. An AC pump can at times run continuously so my first thought was that it had failed. It is a 500 gph March submersible pump. These are pretty hardy magnetic type pumps and last virtually forever. I disconnected the pump and tested it. It was fine. That meant we had anoth...

For the summer we made a deal with a gentleman who was taking his boat North, to rent his slip in Tampa at Westshore Yacht Club  for 6 months. Our trip down here in April took 2 days (see "Movin' on up...or Down" ). We make the short 1 hour 27 minute drive as many Fridays as we can & then make our way back to Crystal River Monday morning. Most weekends we  run the dinghy around, explore the area by bike or just hangout at the pool & on Pau Hana. We have met some great folks here in the marina. This particular Saturday was just too darn nice to sit around so we decided to cruise down to St. Petersburg. St. Pete is about 1 hour 10 minutes away. We straightened up and stowed everything, performed engine checks, started the gen set & engine & pulled out of the slip. We glided easily at 9 kts across a glassy Tampa Bay. The only waves were from passing boats and we saw numerous Dolphins swimming. At about the half way point we saw the victims of the current Red ...

 My Camano has 2 stations, one on the flybridge & the other down below in the main salon. The helm steering is a Sea Star 1.7 pump, which means it takes 7 turns of the wheel lock to lock. So in other words, if you turn the wheel completely one direction, then spin it 3 1/2 times in the opposite direction, the rudder will be midship.  A very small leak developed, a slight inconsistent drip really at the upper station. I decided to install a new seal at both helms. It never fails, as soon as you repair one the other will start to have problems so might as well do it now. I ordered 2 kits. The kit comes with a new Lock Nut, woodruff key, 3 stainless steel screws, seal cover & rubber seal. I really could have just used the rubber seal itself but could only find bulk quantities so the kit was the easiest way to go.   Starting with the upper station, the first thing was to remove the wheel cap. There is a 3/32” set screw to back out & then gently pry the plastic cov...