After 10 Years a CD27 again nears the ocean.

[Peter Baumgartner]

After a winter of work we are within 2 weeks of launching "London" (nee "Loon") a 1977 Cape Dory 27 Hull # 35. This boat had been out of the water and neglected for 10 years.

I have only a few remaining questions/problems: (esp. thanks to all the help I have gotten here)

1) Every other boat I've sailed with a diesel engine has had some kind of kill switch - usually a knob you pull to kill the engine. My new CD 27 has no such device - just an ignition key which the former owner says she just switched off to stop the engine (Yanmar 8). Aren't I in danger of frying some diodes?

2) I have the fuel tank out of the boat. I pumped out about 7 gallons of foul looking diesel. It got thicker and dirtier as I got to the bottom. The bottom of the tank looks like the top of a badly burned caserole. I am going to try and get it steam cleaned. Will this be enough or should I chuck it and buy a new one?

3) The boat had no anchor light. I have purchased one and the wire - anyone have a clever way of stringing this through the prone mast. Do I have to take off the masthead to accomplish this? The existing 3 strand wire only goes to the lights near the spreader.

4) I am having a heck of a time getting the stains off the mast. I have tried all the usual aluminum cleaners - Duro, 3M, Brasso etc.
Any other ideas?

5) Finally; there are white vent hoses which lead from an opening behind the engine into the bilge and on up to deck vents to the port and starboard of the lazerette hatch. What are these for? Mine were full of leaves and mice nests and I wonder if they are worth replacing?

Thanks again to all for your help and advice.

London will be in the Boston area for a month of so of additional commisioning and then move to her permanent mooring at Fairhaven,MA on Buzzards Bay in early June.




pjb@napsys.com

[Jerry Albright]

After a winter of work we are within 2 weeks of launching "London" (nee "Loon") a 1977 Cape Dory 27 Hull # 35. This boat had been out of the water and neglected for 10 years.

I have only a few remaining questions/problems: (esp. thanks to all the help I have gotten here)

1) Every other boat I've sailed with a diesel engine has had some kind of kill switch - usually a knob you pull to kill the engine. My new CD 27 has no such device - just an ignition key which the former owner says she just switched off to stop the engine (Yanmar 8). Aren't I in danger of frying some diodes?

2) I have the fuel tank out of the boat. I pumped out about 7 gallons of foul looking diesel. It got thicker and dirtier as I got to the bottom. The bottom of the tank looks like the top of a badly burned caserole. I am going to try and get it steam cleaned. Will this be enough or should I chuck it and buy a new one?

3) The boat had no anchor light. I have purchased one and the wire - anyone have a clever way of stringing this through the prone mast. Do I have to take off the masthead to accomplish this? The existing 3 strand wire only goes to the lights near the spreader.

4) I am having a heck of a time getting the stains off the mast. I have tried all the usual aluminum cleaners - Duro, 3M, Brasso etc.
Any other ideas?

5) Finally; there are white vent hoses which lead from an opening behind the engine into the bilge and on up to deck vents to the port and starboard of the lazerette hatch. What are these for? Mine were full of leaves and mice nests and I wonder if they are worth replacing?

Thanks again to all for your help and advice.

London will be in the Boston area for a month of so of additional commisioning and then move to her permanent mooring at Fairhaven,MA on Buzzards Bay in early June.

My 1977 CD27 utilizes the throtle control as the engine kill switch, you have to move the throtle control forward to start and run the engine.When you return the throtle control lever in line with the neutral position it activates the kill switch.
As for the anchor light wiring, I drilled a hole at the head and foot of the mast large enough to get a bicycle chain thru, the chain is easily feed thru the hole at the head of the mast and has enough weight to pull the wire or a small messenger line down the mast,to keep the wire from slapping the mast you can use use 3 or 4 wire ties cinched tight to the wire, but don't trim the excess, spread them to form a "Y" or an "X" .Space the series of wire ties about 3' or 4' apart.
The vent hoses should be replaced, they are breather or fresh air intakes for your engine, I supose you could use cheap dryer vent hose to replace them.
You picked an excelent boat to pull out of moth balls,I hope you are as happy with your new boat as I am with mine.

Smooth Sailing,
Jerry Albright
s/v"DOLPHIN"



nauticalw@aol.com

[Joe Brown]

Hi, Peter: As for your question No.2, regarding fouled diesel in your tank, this happened to me on a former boat which had been out of the water for several years. The sludge finally gummed up the fuel system and the engine stopped dead. One common problem is algae forming in the fuel. The best bet is to pull the tank and have the sludge removed. In my case the yard had to cut a hole in the tank (It was stainless) and then re-weld after removing the sludge. There are some diesel additives on the market to prevent sludge building up that you might check into. -Joe Brown, CD28 "Caprice," Rockport, Maine



joebrown@mint.net

[Tom]

After a winter of work we are within 2 weeks of launching "London" (nee "Loon") a 1977 Cape Dory 27 Hull # 35. This boat had been out of the water and neglected for 10 years.

I have only a few remaining questions/problems: (esp. thanks to all the help I have gotten here)

1) Every other boat I've sailed with a diesel engine has had some kind of kill switch - usually a knob you pull to kill the engine. My new CD 27 has no such device - just an ignition key which the former owner says she just switched off to stop the engine (Yanmar 8). Aren't I in danger of frying some diodes?

2) I have the fuel tank out of the boat. I pumped out about 7 gallons of foul looking diesel. It got thicker and dirtier as I got to the bottom. The bottom of the tank looks like the top of a badly burned caserole. I am going to try and get it steam cleaned. Will this be enough or should I chuck it and buy a new one?

3) The boat had no anchor light. I have purchased one and the wire - anyone have a clever way of stringing this through the prone mast. Do I have to take off the masthead to accomplish this? The existing 3 strand wire only goes to the lights near the spreader.

4) I am having a heck of a time getting the stains off the mast. I have tried all the usual aluminum cleaners - Duro, 3M, Brasso etc.
Any other ideas?

5) Finally; there are white vent hoses which lead from an opening behind the engine into the bilge and on up to deck vents to the port and starboard of the lazerette hatch. What are these for? Mine were full of leaves and mice nests and I wonder if they are worth replacing?

Thanks again to all for your help and advice.

London will be in the Boston area for a month of so of additional commisioning and then move to her permanent mooring at Fairhaven,MA on Buzzards Bay in early June.

As far as pulling wires through a prone mast, a electrician's "snake" works well. It's a stiff piece of wire that comes on a spool and is used to pull wire through conduit in houses. Your local hardware store sells them. I think the mast head is the worst place for an anchor light, but if you insist, remember that the wires are going to slap against the mast at anchor and drive you nuts. Put foam around them every so soften or something to cushion them or you'll be sorry.

Those white vent hoses not only bring fresh air to you engine intake, but remove heat, smoke, i.e., CO if you get a leak, smells from the bilge. They're important to have working.

Steam cleaning usually does it for fuel tanks, but the important thing is that nothing is left that can later chip off and stop the engine. A careful inspection after the steam cleaning should tell you if it's OK to use. I put biobor in every time I fuel up at home and always run it through a Baja Filter at fuel docks. Almost the only thing that goes wrong with diesel engines is bad fuel. Cleanliness is next to Godliness These are my humble opinions........



TacCambria@thegrid.net

[Lyn Heiges]

After a winter of work we are within 2 weeks of launching "London" (nee "Loon") a 1977 Cape Dory 27 Hull # 35. This boat had been out of the water and neglected for 10 years.

I have only a few remaining questions/problems: (esp. thanks to all the help I have gotten here)

1) Every other boat I've sailed with a diesel engine has had some kind of kill switch - usually a knob you pull to kill the engine. My new CD 27 has no such device - just an ignition key which the former owner says she just switched off to stop the engine (Yanmar 8). Aren't I in danger of frying some diodes?

My 1980 CD27 has a cable which attaches to the engine air path from the air cleaner which starves the necessary oxgen for continued combustion in the cylinders. This was a part which was originally available (and still is) from Yanmar. I do not have the CD27 where I am presently, but my shop manual gives the part number and connection points. I expect to be where it is after Mother's Day and would send info if requested. ( e-mail is lheiges@compuserve.com) You probably won't blow any diodes except if you shut off the battery switch as the "ignition switch" is just to get the starter to have power when you push the "start" button and the lights and buzzers in case of malfunctions.

2) I have the fuel tank out of the boat. I pumped out about 7 gallons of foul looking diesel. It got thicker and dirtier as I got to the bottom. The bottom of the tank looks like the top of a badly burned caserole. I am going to try and get it steam cleaned. Will this be enough or should I chuck it and buy a new one?

Steam cleaning may not be enough. This can be a real mess! Talk to a reputable marine shop about what they think is best to try. A new tank is not for free, however, being aluminum, the external appearance can be misleading as to the integrity of the tank, so have it checked by an expert.

3) The boat had no anchor light. I have purchased one and the wire - anyone have a clever way of stringing this through the prone mast. Do I have to take off the masthead to accomplish this? The existing 3 strand wire only goes to the lights near the spreader.

With the mast on its side, the easiest way is to use an electrician's "fish-tape" which is stiff enough to go down the mast with perserverance! It is not unusual to drill a small hole in the side of the mast near the end usually considered the top of the mast to run the CABLE through the mast to the other end of the mast where the step takes place. You will also have make a small hole at the end of the mast which is stepped to exit the cable to the deck. Make sure that you use a two (2) conductor cable as you should not rely on the ground through the mast itself (although it should be grounded both by Cape Dory's usual technique and a safety issue) for the lighting.
The anchor light is a nice feature, however I use an ACR Automatic Anchor light which hangs from the jib halyard and is tied off to by a second line to the bow pulpit. Don't forget some day you may have to replace the bulb and it is a long way up the mast in the dark!

4) I am having a heck of a time getting the stains off the mast. I have tried all the usual aluminum cleaners - Duro, 3M, Brasso etc.
Any other ideas?

Have you tried some diluted muriatic acid? Sometimes this will work well in stain removal. FSR also is worth a shot.

5) Finally; there are white vent hoses which lead from an opening behind the engine into the bilge and on up to deck vents to the port and starboard of the lazerette hatch. What are these for? Mine were full of leaves and mice nests and I wonder if they are worth replacing?

These are very important items and required by federal law. They can save your life and also are important to the safe operation of the Yanmar YSM-8! One of the 3-inch Nicro-Fico air scoops should face forward and be the supply feed for the engine, bilge, etc. The second air scoop should face aft (over the stern) to serve as an exhaust for carbon monoxide fumes, other fumes and heat from the engine and this should be the lowest of the two (2) hoses. It is important that they be as free of kinks as possible to promote maximum airflow with least resistance.

Good Luck!
Lyn Heiges
CD27 Guillemot (186)
CD28 Moon Child (307)

Thanks again to all for your help and advice.

London will be in the Boston area for a month of so of additional commisioning and then move to her permanent mooring at Fairhaven,MA on Buzzards Bay in early June.

lheiges@compuserve.com

[Richard]

Peter,

As long as the mast is down, have you thought of a tri color with an anchor light included? The greater visibility of running lights up high can be helpful in a sea with a swell. You might also think of putting a bail and block for a spiniker or drifter at the top of the mast while it is down. This way it will be there if you ever decide to add either of those sails to your inventory. It is a lot easier to do now and probably not that much of an investment.

One other opption might be to add a combination steaming light/deck light fixture in place of the single steaming light that you have now. The tricolor/anchor light and the steaming/deck light fixtures will require 3 wire cable. I think that I used 14/3 for each. Two hot wires and on common ground for each fixture. I ran out of switches in my pannel and added two 20 amp breakers for the tricolor and anchor light. One for each.

Also, if you don't have one, a wind vane is most useful and again easy to add while the mast is down.

I second the information on the electrician's snake and the placement of foam every foot or so to dampen the wires from banging against the inside of the mast.

My boat is "Johnny G" CD 27 Hull #66 home port of Marina del Rey, CA

Best of luck, I love my boat.

Richard



Aldajon@aol.com

[Neil Gordon]

>>London will be in the Boston area for a month of so of additional commisioning ...<<

Where about? We're at Marina Bay.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Peter Baumgartner]

Neil,

The address is 666 Southern Artery. This is where my boat hauler puts in. I used the hauler who owned the stands under the boat when I bought it - he seems to be descended from Continental Marine.

Pete

>>London will be in the Boston area for a month of so of additional commisioning ...<<

Where about? We're at Marina Bay.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167

pjb@napsys.com