Relocate Holding Tank and Batteries (Nov-Apr 2001/2)

“A piece of cake”

We had sensed, for a long time, that the boat sailed with its bow down in the water. This was also obvious from the pictures of the boat sailing. This, we deduced, was due to the fine entry of the hull and the location of the holding tank in the v-berth area of the hull. Whenever the holding tank was empty, we could measure a better performance level.

We examined the possible spaces in the boat that could be used to relocate the holding tank to a more rearward location. We found an “under- utilized” space on the port side, aft and below the bunk board and forward of the stove compartment. This space was about half consumed by a too-large battery box. The other half was empty and used to store the hatch boards while we were underway. We carefully measured this space and found that an available holding tank would, probably, fit in this space. This tank, a Kracor, PN 2-73821S, 21 gallon capacity, seemed to be designed to fit this space.

The installation of a tank in this space is dependent upon relocating the two batteries to another location. We found a smaller space, below the stove compartment, with a door, that is large enough to slide a battery through. On the left is a view looking down into the space with the stove compartment removed. This space is adequate for the two batteries. We built a suitable floor and installed two battery trays, with hold down brackets, in his space. We also relocated the battery cables.

On the right is a view looking aft into the new battery compartment. During installation, one battery is slid inside the compartment, clamped in place and the cabling is attached. Then the second battery is slid into its mount, secured and the cabling is attached. Each positive terminal is protected by a red plastic boot. 

Having found a place for the batteries, we carefully studied the space to assure that there is enough space for the chosen holding tank and its fittings. This included making a foam core mockup of the tank, based on the dimensions given by Kracor and fitting it onto the space. With the assurance that it would fit, we ordered the tank.

The space required some modification to accept the tank and its fittings. The fore and aft centerline rib is cut down so that it supports the bottom of the tank and lateral ribs are added for further support. The ribs are bonded to the hull with 3M 5200 adhesive. The forward athwartship rib was cut down to allow insertion of the tank and to clear the fittings on the front of the tank. The inside surface is painted with Interlux Brightside Polyurethane paint.

The bunk board that covers the tank space had been supported by the fore-aft and athwartship hull ribs. To provide this support, a new frame work is built over the tank space. This frame work, constructed of oak is mounted with fasteners so that it can be fitted after the tank is installed. The picture below shows the tank and frame installation. The frame accommodates the tank vent hose, tank access port, tank inlet and drain ports. We did install a Sealand vent filter to satisfy our olfactory receptors.

The space forward of the holding tank is still used for storage. See lower picture. The inlet and drain plumbing, which runs through this space, does not interfere with its use. This space also contains the thru-hull fitting and valve for the head supply water. The inlet pipe continues through the main bulkhead and connects to the hose in the head compartment. The drain, pump out, hose continues forward, past the head compartment to the old fitting in the anchor well because we did not wish to create another hole in the deck. This tank and plumbing have performed well since it was installed. 

Once all the bunk boards are back in place there is no evidence of this major renovation.

All of this effort did cure the bow-down problem and improve performance. We did see the boat sail better to windward and through choppy seas on other points of sail. “Keep the weight out of the ends” is still good advice. Also, we said good bye to the old, stinky tank.

{Lessons learned:

1. Make sure that you have measured the space correctly and have good dimensions from the supplier.
2. Make mockup pieces. They are a lot easier to deal with. Measure again.
3. Take time to dry fit all the pieces before you apply any glue.
4. Painting the space makes it more pleasing.}

Rework Electrical Panel (July 2000)

The original electrical panel had the following installed items: the Columbia panel, a stereo radio and a basic 110 Vac panel. In addition, this panel only provided access from the aft side.

We reworked this panel and its mounting system to allow access to the wiring and components by pivoting the panel forward. We made a new plywood substrate, resurfaced with matching laminate. We revised the lengths of and rerouted several wires. We also acquired and installed a new Blue Star, 110 Vac electrical panel with circuit breakers for cabin lighting, battery charger, GFCI outlets and three spare positions. We scrapped the old car stereo installation in favor of a nice boom box. The ammeter was relocated to this panel as part of the engine controls project. Below, on the left. is the view inside the cabin and on the right, the top of the panel is pivoted forward and downward.

{Lessons Learned:

1. Study features that are shown either at boat shows or in magazines.
2. Always include features that will make any future maintenance task easier to perform.}

Fresh Water Tank (August 1999)

The fresh water tank story is based on another mystery. At this point in time we had been sailing the boat for about twelve years. Almost every time that we sailed, involving a port tack in a good breeze, we would find fresh water, at most a gallon, in the bilge. We searched, many times, for the source of a leak. The evidence pointed to the starboard side of the boat, at the point of maximum beam. We checked this area of the hull and deck and could not find a source.

For some reason, perhaps to check the water tank, we had removed the bunk board under

the starboard cabin seat cushion. The water tank is directly
underneath this board. We saw that the water tank had damage to the outboard side, mid tank, near the top of the tank. This damage penetrated the tank and made it possible to leak water from inside the tank. We assumed that this damage had occurred before or during the construction of the boat. So, when we were on port tack and heeled, water would leak out and head for the bilge. Mystery solved! Since we did not want to attempt a repair to the polyethylene tank. we searched a found a new Kracor water tank with a capacity of 25.75 gallons that fit the space exactly. (see photo) We acquired and installed this tank. We have been pleased with this tank since 1999 and it has never leaked!

While we were replacing the water tank we thought that the space forward of the tank could be better used if the bunk boards were modified. We cut the bunk board at the bulkhead shown in the picture above and added an athwartship support for the aft section and a new forward section.

We also added support for a small, loose panel for access to the water tank clean out port. The forward section was replaced with a larger, loose panel; with finger hole. The gave much greater access to the forward space. This forward, loose, panel was also supported along its forward edge. The forward space was used to store the tool bag, engine oil containers and spare parts. These boards were painted, in the brown color, after fitting was complete

Cabin Curtains (June 1998)

The Columbia 8.3, original cabin curtains were attractive. However, they had some unsightly tracks, were difficult to adjust and keep clean (especially liked by spiders). This is a scan from the Couimbia sales brochure.

 We searched for alternatives, including blinds of all types, and found nothing to be satisfactory. We came up with the idea of inserting translucent plastic panels on the inside of the window lites. We obtained some white, translucent, acrylic material 1/8th inch thick and cut out pieces to fit each of the four cabin lites. We added small, teak blocks at the top and bottom of the window frames. The panels are slid between these blocks and the window glazing. The panels are flexible so they easily slip between these blocks and the window glazing.

These pictures show the panels during and after installation. We use a small suction cup, shown in the picture, to pull the panel from the frame so that it can be slid back.

Later, we cut a small slot in the top edge of each panel, a couple of inches forward of the center and

wide enough to clear the block. This allows the panel to be set against the window and reduces the sliding to this dimension.

These panels reduce the sun load, cabin temperature and fading of interior components. They also maintain privacy while docked. If vision is desired, they can be removed in few seconds. For stowage, we keep them between the v-berth cushions and the hull.

Fuel Tank (May 1998)

We had a scary night in May when we discovered that the original, steel fuel tank was dripping gasoline into the bilge. Fortunately, we were safe in our boat well. We went and bought some gasoline jugs and pumped the fuel into them from the inlet fitting of the fuel tank. Later, we emptied the jugs into the fuel tank of our vehicle. The fuel tank is located below the cockpit sole in one of the least accessible areas of the boat. We managed to disconnect the fuel and vent lines and the straps that secured to tank. We removed the tank to a safe place and finished draining fuel into the jugs. Most of this effort was completed in the dark of night under the light from a flashlight. We were concerned, properly, that any lights that we turned on might cause a big explosion. We soaked up the remaining fuel in the bilge. We left boat to “air out” for a while, thankful that it had not blown up. The next day, we found that the root cause of the leak was a rusted through weld seam on the end of the fuel tank.

We searched and located, at Boat US, an 18 gallon, rotationally molded, polyethylene fuel tank that fit the available space below the cockpit. This tank has fittings and a fuel gage sender that matched those on the old tank. This made installation a lot simpler. We adapted the mounting area to accept this tank used a set accessory hold-down brackets to retain the tank. Acquisition, Installation and testing of the new tank was completed within 10 days. This picture shows the connections to the new tank.

Lazy Jack System (April 1998)

We first bought a Schaefer lazy jack system which has many component parts and requires attachments on the mast and boom. A schematic of the system is on the left, below. The right sketch shows the special pull back hook that is used to stow the lines inside of the sail cover.

1. Port and starboard, braided lines are attached to pad eyes about two thirds of the way up the mast.  These have elk hide, leather sheathed blocks at the lower end. 
2. This system uses a single, 1/4 inch diameter control line, about 60 feet in length. One end of the control line is spliced to a small pad eye that is attached to the forward quarter of the boom on the starboard side. This line is fed through the upper starboard block, then back to a pad eye near the rear of the boom, then around under the boom to another pad eye on the port side. The line continues up and through the port block the down through a the eye of a cleat mounted on the port side of the boom. 

When hoisting or dropping the main sail, the control line is cleated so that there is tension in the lines and the sail is controlled within the lazy jacks. When sailing, the control line is set so that the lines are loose and do not interfere with the shape of the sail. 

When its time to install the sail cover, the control line is released and all the standing parts are led back to and through the two-sided hook on the end of the boom. The free end of the control line is adjusted to tension the lines and then cleated.

This all sounds easy and handy in theory. However, there are many friction points in the system. Because of all this friction, usage and stowage of the lazy jacks became a two person operation.

Four months after installation (August 1998), we abandoned parts of the system and substituted four lengths of bungee cord for the lower parts between the upper blocks and the boom. We maintained two sections of line, about eight feet long, that runs through the upper blocks, the fore and aft bungee cords are attached to this bridle line. The lower ends of the bungee spliced through the eyes of carabiners for attachment to the pad eyes on the boom.

There are three positions for the four bungee cords:

Stowed: The carabiners are attached to the eye of a short length of one quarter inch line that is attached to the end of the boom. The eye is tied so that it encircles the topping lift. The bungees are stretched somewhat to control their motion and being constrained by the topping lift, their motion is limited. They are out from under the sail cover and no sail cover alterations were required.

Hoisting and Sailing  The four carabiners are moved to pad eyes that are located forward on each side of the boom, a few inches aft of the gooseneck. The bungees are still tensioned, somewhat, so that their behavior is well controlled and they do not interfere with or affect the sail shape.

Sail Dropping: The four carabiners are moved to pad eyes that are located in the original positions on the boom. This “soft” lazy jack system then replicates the original. This operation is performed by first moving the two port carabiners and then the starboard ones. When the sail is to be dropped, we head upwind, release the halyard and the sail drops in neat folds to the top of the boom. The sails ties are attached and we are in control.

Each movement of the bungees is easily accomplished by one person, in a few seconds. In our opinion, this is one of the most convenient and quick lazy jack system extant.

Although they do not show themselves in the above pictures. There are small plastic balls attached to the upper bridle line near the block. These balls limit the travel and prevent the bungee sections from moving out of reach.

The bungees do last for quite some time. They were replaced, for the first time, in 2004. This new bungee cord has a black sheath which resists ultraviolet radiation. The upper bridle lines were replaced in 2007. The elk hide leather sheaths and bungee cords were replaced in 2014.

{Lessons learned:

1.Sometimes new equipment is too complicated and takes more effort to use than it saves.

2. With enough thought, a simple system will be found that performs better and uses less effort.

Engine Oil Filter (March 1997)

The original Atomic 4, was not equipped with an oil filter. Indigo Electronics made available a by-pass- flow oil filter kit, #AT-4F, for this engine. We obtained and installed this kit and have been satisfied with its performance. In our usage the oil stays clean for a complete season. We change the oil and filter yearly, even though it may not be required.