Publish Date: Saturday, December 11, 2010
Location: Stuart, Florida
Coordinates: 27° 12.425′ N 80° 15.760′ W
You homeowners out there know that a house is anything but static: There are always things that demand to be maintained (e.g., clean the gutters, paint the railings), and always things that you really want to improve (e.g., upgrade the kitchen faucet, install motion-detectors on the flood lights). Well, I’m here to report that a boat is no different, so I thought I would share a few of my recent repairs and upgrades.
Hydraulic Stabilizer Repair
I’ll begin with a big repair. When we made our passage from Rhode Island to North Carolina we developed a leak in a hydraulic hose on our port stabilizer: hydraulic fluid was dripping from one of the crimps between the hose and the fitting. After we arrived in New Bern I called the people at ABT/Trac to discuss the situation, and they told me that I could probably replace the hose myself. The procedure sounded intimidating to me, but I’ve learned during the last two years on the boat that I can’t let the fact that I’ve never done something keep me from trying it.
So off I went to the “hydraulic store” — apparently every town, large and small, has at least one hydraulic store to service farms and factories — to get the caps and plugs that would allow me to remove the faulty hose and keep the hydraulic fluid from leaking out all over the place. With floorboards up, drawers removed, and a bit of body contortion, I was able to detach the hose at each end and plug/cap the openings. Because the hose snaked its way through several bulkheads, I attached a rope to one end before I pulled it out — this rope would theoretically allow me to pull the new hose into position without having to disassemble the boat. Phase one complete.
So now I went back to the hydraulic store with the faulty hose in hand. Apparently all of these hoses are custom fabrications, created specifically for the installation. This hose was therefore created in China when the boat was built four years ago, and it just happened to have a weak crimp that eventually started leaking. The hydraulic store was able to build a replacement hose in about twenty minutes. Because there are four of these hoses exactly alike on our stabilizer system, I decided to have two fabricated so we could carry a spare. $250 lighter, I was on my way back to the boat with new hoses.
With Kathryn pulling on one end of the rope, and me wiggling the new hose from the other end, we soon had the hose tunneled into place. Needless to say, there was duct tape involved in this procedure to hold the hose and the rope together. I removed the caps and plugs, and attached the new hose to the system, which sounds easier than it was given the tight spaces. I topped up the reservoir with hydraulic fluid, and fired up the system to test it (the Trac people told me that bleeding the system wasn’t necessary — any air in the system would simply get pushed out into the reservoir during operation). With system pressure at it’s normal level, I ran it for about 15 minutes and all seemed to be well. The real test came last week when we cruised offshore from New Bern to Stuart, Florida, and everything worked great. As usual, a project like this looks easier in the rear-view mirror.
WiFi Network Upgrade
I have previously written about our Internet access on the boat (Internet and E-mail at Sea). Although I was pretty happy with our system, I came across a newer device that would allow me to upgrade out WiFi capability. The Ubiquiti Bullet is a commercial grade WiFi device that can be used as either a hot-spot (transmitter) or a receiver (station), and when we use it as a receiver it acts as a network bridge, converting the WiFi signal into a wired ethernet signal. This is better than our current solution because I can plug the converted ethernet cable directly into our on-board router. Our old setup went through a computer via USB, which I then shared via ethernet to the router, which added another network segment to the whole setup (occasionally causing problems).
The most interesting thing about the Bullet device is that it is powered via the ethernet cable (POE), which means you don’t have to plug it in. And because it’s an outdoor device, I can mount it directly to our antenna on top of the boat. Why is this good? Well, there is absolutely no signal loss between the antenna and the device that is using the signal, which means we should be able to connect to more remote WiFi signals, and the connection will be less susceptible to on-board interference. It works GREAT so far, and I’m really happy to have made the switch.
Sound System Upgrade
Now for something totally frivolous: The original speakers in our salon were very small, and not of very good quality. We spend a reasonable amount of time listening to music, and we also watch downloaded movies on our television. We appreciate good sound, and our salon definitely did NOT have good sound.
Last summer I picked out some Polk Audio speakers that sounded great, and they also looked like they were made to fit in our salon. Kathryn and Ayla were thoughtful enough to give them to me for my birthday. Once I got around to installing them (late summer), we have been enjoying significantly upgraded sound ever since. In fact, the first time I put on some great music and turned them up, my reaction was, “We’re going to need a bigger boat.” 🙂
• • •
These projects were each satisfying in their own way, and I suspect most homeowners can appreciate the feeling. Of course, my list of projects is as endless as yours, but I will keep chipping away at them…
The title was disturbing. I’m glad you are only speaking of Home Improvements. I would love to be aboard listening to the Messiah with a milk punch in hand. Merry Christmas to the the Besemer family.
Hello David; sounds like you are becoming a great High Seas Captain/Engineer. Well Done, on the repairs and upgrades. We send our love to you and the family and want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Holiday Season.
Tell me about it we just purchased a preowned mainship 400
it has got on it every toy known to man and i at my are am not ready for this .
Even i find my apple computer challenging.
Every week some one comes out with new stuff like blue tooth and such like , my teeth are white.
so ! David what is the message here , well sir look at it this way, this is where common sense comes in also have some one read the manual to you as you fix stuff.
It mall functions*
it don’t work any more*
It is broke*
* How can you break something a second time that is already broke.
All you can do is get on with it, there are two things in life yes or no
yes you can.
Send the bill to Ray at Nordhavn.
Oh the joys of owning and maintaing a hole in the water, or one with wheels, or even one that is attached to mother earth! It sounds like you are staying ahead of the game.
Don’t forget if your travels take you across the Caloosahatchee River this year we can arrange a mooring and a mug of grog.
Art
Hell David (and family),
Once again enjoyed the article entry. I was curious to know if I understand this correctly though…
When your docked your either getting your wifi for free or pay a small amount for access…I am more concerned with lets say when your in motion in lets say the USA. Are you using a service like ATT&T (shameless plug) via USB??
As you may remember the wife and I are getting ready to do the great loop, and we will NEED the internet for so many reasons it goes without saying. I think if we both (the wife and I) had to wait till our daily 40- 60 mile run was over to check emails or be without our internet radio stations…we’d both go insane 🙂
Let me know your thoughts on this please
Captain Paul
Wings of Love
David,
I live in the PNW and hope to own a N-43 within the year. How do you find she ‘Drives” on the canels and intracoastal waterways? The reason I ask is that many larger Nordhavn owners talk of running almost exclusively on auto pilot. I am hoping with the N-43 to have some chance to actually enjoy wheel time as I travel the Inside Passage To Alaska.
Best Regards,
David Evans
Thank You!!!
Good to hear from you guys! What are your cruising plans for the near future?
Hi Captain Paul,
When we are not underway (at anchor or at a dock) we connect to a local WiFi hot-spot using the Bullet device described in the blog. Sometimes we connect to a paid service at the marina, and sometimes we area able to find an unsecured router in somebody’s home or business. If we are connected to somebody’s open router, we do our best to limit our usage and be respectful.
When we are underway we use a cellular broadband device to provide connectivity to the boat. In our case, we have a Verizon MiFi card that creates a small hot-spot. We actually connect the Bullet device to the MiFi hot spot, and this works quite well. It is very convenient because we never have to change our network configuration — we just have to change which hot-spot we are connected to (somebody else’s, or our own MiFi card). We are able to use the MiFi broadband connectivity up to about 5 miles offshore, so this would work well for your Great Loop trip.
Happy cruising!
David
Hi David Evans,
Don’t worry: You will have plenty of wheel time on your Nordhavn. It’s true that we run on auto-pilot when we are out in the ocean or in a broad inland waterway. It is very convenient to be on auto-pilot for these long stretches.
But when we’re on the Intra-coastal Waterway or other narrow inland waterways we are almost always driving the boat by hand. This can get quite tiring if you’re cruising all day, which is one reason we like to get out into the ocean, even if we stay relatively close to the coast.
Happy cruising!
David
Hi David
It was a real pleasure meeting you and your family last Friday afternoon in Stuart. Your story is an inspiration to all of us who dream of living a life that we design ourselves. I look forward to one day do what you guys are doing and take my family to see the world by boat.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us
Safe travels
Craig Spodak
Hi Dave, Kathryn, Ayla !
Sounds like another great trip !
Did you get your mechanics shirt yet ?
Smooth Sailing !
Brian, Sheryl, Erin, Geneva.