| Restorations work on Madwenowe continues . . | | | | galley sink was located over the doghouse (a |
| . | | | | term many used to describe the compartment |
| | | | that houses the engine) so access to the |
| After a long hot summer and our usual retreat | | | | engine compartment was very limited. Only the |
| to Martha's Vineyard to escape the heat of | | | | front panel could be removed,so working on |
| San Carlos we returned home to continue the | | | | the engine was almost impossible. |
| work on Madwenowe, our 42' Ed Monk design | | | | |
| ketch. | | | | (to see pics of work in progress, visit: |
| | | | webtiller.com) |
| Madwenowe is currently on mooring #4 in the | | | | |
| bahia at Marina San Carlos, in the State of | | | | From past experience, when something breaks |
| Sonora, Mexico. Working and living fulltime | | | | or doesn't start, conditions are never |
| on the boat has its advantages and | | | | favorable. It's either very cold, very hot, |
| disadvantages. | | | | very dark, very rough seas, very wet, etc. so |
| | | | accessibility to the engine is a must. With |
| On the down side, things take a little more | | | | this in mind I relocated the sink to the port |
| time because of having to unpack tools | | | | side of the galley. This eliminated the |
| (generator, sanders, cords, etc.) at the | | | | plumbing that was running down over the |
| beginning of the day, then cleaning up at | | | | engine and I re-designed the top and side |
| days end. | | | | panels to be removed for easy access to the |
| | | | engine compartment, battery banks, filter |
| On the plus side, a clean work environment, | | | | systems, bilge pumps and water valves. |
| and living quarters takes the edge off of not | | | | |
| having the clutter as well as the dust from | | | | Another modification that I did with great |
| sanding and scraping. The galley and living | | | | hesitation is to cut out a portion of the |
| quarters are always presentable at the end of | | | | interior portside bulkhead. I used a jigsaw |
| the day. | | | | to cut out the panel. Doing this opened up |
| | | | the area between the galley and living area. |
| This makes it very relaxing when sitting | | | | This allows more natural lighting to the |
| topside watching the morning sunrise, | | | | galley and living area and improved |
| drinking a hot cup of coffee or in the | | | | ventilation throughout the interior. I used |
| evening watching the seals, dolphins, | | | | the mahogany piece that I cut out to built a |
| pelicans, fish, the dance of the sailboats | | | | cabinet and storage area. This added another |
| and their reflection on the water and the | | | | foot of counter space to the galley |
| beautiful Sea of Cortez sunsets with Tetakawi | | | | |
| as a backdrop. | | | | For a power source I installed an 80-watt |
| | | | solar panel and 3 deep cell marine batteries, |
| Another big plus living fulltime on a | | | | a 1200 dc/ac converter to run our laptops and |
| sailboat is No Yard Work! | | | | printer. This will also power the navigation |
| | | | equipment once installed. Between the solar |
| That being said, the few weeks spent away | | | | panel, engine and the almost year round |
| from the boat allows you to reassess | | | | sunshine that we get in this area of the Sea |
| priorities and plan of action. | | | | of Cortez, we should have a sufficient energy |
| | | | supply. I will have photos and details on |
| First and foremost was the attempt to get the | | | | this when I complete this phase. |
| old 1975 Volvo Penta MD3B running again. Two | | | | |
| years before I bought the boat, the injection | | | | Since our return from the Vineyard (October |
| pump, and various parts had been disassembled | | | | 2006) and while waiting for parts etc. I |
| so the engine was in bad condition. Rust and | | | | began work to redo the topside of the cabin. |
| corrosion had covered everything. | | | | It had to remove various old coats of paint |
| | | | and some bondo that someone had used to patch |
| Before the summer began I had the engine | | | | several holes and soft spots. The old top was |
| hauled out and the plan was to rebuild. An | | | | too weathered to repair or patch so I decided |
| overhaul was done. New rings, bearings, valve | | | | to tear off the old fiberglass laminate down |
| job, starter and alternator rebuilt, | | | | to the original plywood top. |
| injection pump and injectors cleaned and | | | | |
| tested. Then had it hoisted back into the | | | | Aside from once owning an "85" Corvette, this |
| bilge. | | | | was my first experience in working with |
| | | | fiberglass. Because of age and condition of |
| Once the engine was again in place it took | | | | the old material it took about ten minutes |
| several more weeks to get it started. Due to | | | | total for both sections to be stripped to the |
| existing problems with the injector pump and | | | | original wood. A much easier task than I |
| injectors I decided to give it up. It just | | | | anticipated. The original top is 1" laminated |
| was not going to be dependable enough for me. | | | | plywood. |
| I made the decision to purchase a new Yanmar | | | | |
| Diesel 3JH-E 38 hp engine. Madwenowe was | | | | I then cleaned and prepped the wood using |
| hauled back to the marina and the old Volvo | | | | 80-grit sandpaper. I cleaned out all of the |
| was hauled out for the final time. | | | | soft spots and use a plastic bondo to fill in |
| | | | the holes and low areas. |
| I had the new Yanmar shipped from Wisconsin, | | | | |
| USA, to Tucson, Arizona. From Tucson I hauled | | | | Once the wood was finally prepped I used West |
| it down to San Carlos in the back of my | | | | System Epoxy 105/205 along with 6-mil |
| pickup. The decision to replace the engine is | | | | fiberglass cloth to reinforce the top. |
| one that I should have made when I first | | | | |
| purchased the boat. Having contentment and | | | | Before applying the West Systems I cleaned |
| peace of mind is worth every dollar spent for | | | | the wood top using a clean paint brush and a |
| a reliable engine. When you turn the key it | | | | solvent we have here in Mexico called thinner |
| must start. It could mean the difference | | | | (pronounced teener). I applied a coating of |
| between life and death. (to see pics of work | | | | West System, let set to a tacky touch, then |
| in progress, visit: webtiller.com) | | | | applied the 6-mil fiberglass cloth. All |
| | | | together I applied 3 more coats of epoxy. |
| Second plan of action is to continue on the | | | | (Note to self: never again do this on a windy |
| woodworking. Much sanding and scraping still | | | | day. The feeling of sticky fiberglass and |
| had to be done on the deck, rails, cabin top | | | | epoxy hugging my face, attempting to mummify |
| and trim. In fact the entire topside of the | | | | me was an embarrassing experience. I hope no |
| boat needed to be completely stripped. | | | | one was watching.) |
| | | | |
| (to see pics of work in progress, visit: | | | | For the final sanding of the top I again used |
| webtiller.com) | | | | 80-grit sandpaper. |
| | | | |
| The deck had been painted over 3 times prior. | | | | This will allowed the paint to adhere |
| Thus I removed 3 coats of paint, 1 coat of | | | | properly. Because of heat and the UV factor |
| primer, and a very thick and hard layer of | | | | here in Mexico I will use white Topside |
| old varnish. I used several packs of 80 grit | | | | non-skid paint for the final finish. |
| sandpaper and some paint stripper only when | | | | |
| necessary. | | | | Lessons Learned: |
| | | | |
| I now have the majority of old paint and | | | | We have had Madwenowe since February 2006 and |
| varnish removed. Once I replace a couple of | | | | have made a considerable amount of progress. |
| pieces of weathered mahogany I will be ready | | | | Finding materials takes longer than usual. |
| for final sanding before applying paint, oil | | | | The Internet is a great resource for research |
| and varnish. A very handy tool to have | | | | and purchasing materials. This past summer |
| available is a paint scraper. Once you learn | | | | Marina San Carlos opened a chandlery called |
| the technique it makes the job much easier. | | | | Star Marine. This makes finding materials |
| It allows you to get into tight corners and | | | | much easier, especially when it comes to |
| edges and looks very tidy once cleaned. | | | | locating stainless steel nuts, bolts and |
| | | | other needed hardware. |
| This tool saves a tremendous amount of time. | | | | |
| I use it to take off the majority of old | | | | When I first mentioned to sailing friends |
| paint and varnish. Then I finished up with | | | | that I was considering buying an old wooden |
| the sanding. Without it I would have spent | | | | hull sailboat, their first words were, "It's |
| many days and hours trying to sand off old | | | | a lot of work". While it is true, it is a lot |
| layers of paint and varnish. I highly | | | | of work, my reply to that is "I'm not afraid |
| recommend it. | | | | of hard work." As of yet I have not grown |
| | | | tired or have any regrets of our owning the |
| Prior to all this, the living quarters needed | | | | boat. |
| to be put in order. When we first bought the | | | | |
| boat, below deck needed much work. The former | | | | Both my wife and I are enjoying the many |
| owners lived aboard for about three years. | | | | benefits of fulltime living on Madwenowe. The |
| They were heavy smokers and had a dog and | | | | wonderful experience of sailing and living on |
| cat. I'm not saying that you can't live | | | | board, being outside the majority of the day |
| aboard with pets. I know many who do and have | | | | and night has added years to our life and |
| no problem with it. In this case however, | | | | health. The physical work has also kept me |
| combination of stale tobacco smoke, tobacco | | | | great condition for a man of 57. |
| stain, dog and cat odor and stains made it | | | | |
| necessary to gut the inside, clean and | | | | As of December 20, 2006 this is a journal of |
| refinish. | | | | the work thus far completed on Madwenowe. If |
| | | | you have question or comments, feel free to |
| (to see pics of work in progress, visit: | | | | email me at: I will be happy to respond. |
| webtiller.com) | | | | |
| | | | (to see pics of work in progress, visit: |
| This gave us the opportunity to do some | | | | webtiller. |
| needed modifications in the galley. The | | | | |