Iron Bark's wanderings
Trevor Robertson
Sam Stone
Trevor Robertson
Good to hear from you, and good to hear you have bought a boat. I think the Alajuela 38 is basically a very good boat, with a strong, sensible hull and a sturdy rig but the interior layout could have been done much better. The interior seems to have been designed to look like a small cottage as possible and has far too many open spaces and far too little stowage. That is fine in a marina and poor at sea. This criticism of course can be directed at most production boats from 1977 to 2022, and is perhaps unfair as by far the most common use for sailboats is to sail (or more commonly motor) between marinas. They seldom spend more than a night or two at sea and then only in fair weather, nor do they need to be self-sufficient for more than a few days.
My requirements of a sailboat are not typical as I want a vessel to go voyaging, sometimes to areas without much or anything in the way of services so many of my needs do not apply to a more typically used boat, which is used as a motor boat with auxiliary sail hopping from marina to marina.
I have not written anything of substance on the refit of IBIII, but will put together a list with comments and send it off to you when it is done.
I'm in NW Iceland at present, hoping to get to Greenland soon. The ice along the east coast of Greenland started to open up about 4 days ago so now what I need is a fair wind for 5 days to get me across the Greenland Strait. Being single handed in a GRP boat makes me cautious about proceeding. I can handle a bit of bad weather or a bit of bergy water (nothing more than 2/10 cover) but not both. Also I am more cautious in marginal situations than I once was, which reduces the amount that I can accomplish.
If the weather lets me sail from here soon I will be slow getting the refit summary off to you as it may be a month of two before I get back in the internet. However it looks as if there will be strong headwinds between Iceland and Greenland for a few days, so I'll probably get it done before sailing.
Best wishes
Trevor
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Carl Gaines
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Trevor Robertson
A short summary of the refit of Iron Bark III
Things removed and not
replaced:
Removed the hardtop over the cockpit. It was designed for harbour living but made sailing the boat difficult and also I thought it ugly so removed it. This is not a standard Alajuela item so not relevant for most vessels.
Removed the entire 110v AC system – inverter/charger and the maze of wires that goes with it. I pulled it out because it is only useful when plugged into shore power, something I seldom do.
Removed the air conditioner/reverse cycle heater, for the same reasons plus it allowed the removal of a through hull, electric water pump and a whole lot of hose all below the water line where any failure could sink the boat.
Removed the deck wash – another below the waterline pump plus a lot of vulnerable pipes and wires whose function was easily and more safely replaced by a bucket.
Removed the autopilot – using the autopilot means running the engine several hours per day to keep the batteries charged. I wanted a sailboat, not a motor-sailer.
Removed the fridge – ditto.
Removed the speed log – it tells me nothing that cannot be had by glancing at the wake and getting rid of it let me glass over another hole in the hull.
Removed the hot water system – no use unless plugged into shore power or running the motor for several hours per day, neither of which I intend to do.
Removed the sink in heads. I can walk 3m to the galley to wash my hands. Removing it got rid of another through hull and its associated piping plus the fresh water piping.
Removed SSB radio. If one needs long distance comms, a satellite-based system is better. I do not want to talk with the rest of the world when at sea so have not replaced it with an Iridium or similar, but an updated weather forecast can be comforting at times.
Systems removed and replaced with a simpler option:
Removed the teak butterfly hatch amidships – there is no way to make such a hatch watertight to a heavy, breaking sea. It is a decorative feature best left to marina-based boats that never intend to go to sea in more than 25 knots of wind. I filled in the hole and and fitted a conventional aluminium and perspex hatch in its place.
Replaced the teak forward hatch as it was heavy, cumbersome and leaky. Removed it and replaced it with an aluminium framed acrylic hatch (Lewmar, from memory).
Replaced the forward cabin headline as it was water damaged from the leaky fore hatch. While replacing the headliner, I also lowered it 20mm and put some insulation behind it.
Removed the electric toilet, plus two associated electric pumps and a lot of hose. Replaced it with a manual toilet raised on a platform so the top of the bowl is above sea level. I attached the loops of the inlet and outlet hoses to the athwartships bulkhead so they are above sea level when the boat is heeled. The installation previously had the hoses looped up under the side deck, which allows back flooding when heeled.
Got rid of the toilet holding tank system that could only be emptied at a pump-out station. I replaced it with a system that can be emptied overboard at sea or pumped out if that option is available. It is not hard to design and build a system that allows both pump out or self-discharge at sea so there is no reason not to have such a system. Pump-out stations are rare away from the established yacht centres and since leaving Tampa in 2019 I have not been in any harbour with this facility.
Removed the shower. Without a hot water system, the shower makes little sense, so I replaced it with a portable garden spray which can be filled with warm water. I use this to shower in the galley with the water draining into the bilge and pumped out from there (and giving the galley floor a wash on the way), or in warm weather, in the cockpit. Getting rid of the shower meant I could dump yet another electric pump and through hull.
Removed the pressurised water pump and accumulator and replaced with a foot pump in the galley. Once all the fresh water plumbing to and from the head is eliminated, there is no reason to clutter the boat with a pump, accumulator and so on.
Installed a diesel fuel header tank that gravity feeds the engine. This let me bypass the complex fuel system between the keel tanks and engine. I left the main fuel tanks unchanged but plumbed them to feed a day tank instead of directly to the engine. The original fuel feed had a long, complex system between the keel tanks and the engine lift pump with change-over valves, filters, and over a dozen hose clamped connections. All were on the suction side of the pump so any leaks were of air into the fuel system. There were numerous places where this could and did happen. These leaks were very hard to find and stopped the engine at unpredictable intervals. With a header tank, minor air leaks between the keel tanks and day tank do not matter. The route from the header tank to engine is short and easily inspected and any leak is a fuel leak outwards, easily seen and dealt with. In the meanwhile it will not stop the engine.
Fitted proper battery boxes, water and acid tight with batteries properly held down, electrically separated by a voltage sensitive relay and protected by appropriate fuses and circuit breakers and sited so they can be easily accessed for servicing. I reduced the size of the battery bank to half its former size (420ah, from 840ah previously, plus starter battery). When the time comes to replace this set of batteries, I will further reduce the size of the bank to 210ah.
Replaced all incandescent lights with LED
Fitted two 50 watt solar panels wired in series with a MPPT regulator. This set up is more efficient than one 100 watt panel when the panels are partially shaded.
Did away with the wind generator. It is noisy, mechanically complex and unnecessary once I had reduced the boat's electricity usage to a more sustainable level.
Built a new folding main hatch closure to replace the slide in-boards. When fitted, the new hatch closure raises the height of the entry by 20cm. This is high enough to keep any small seas from slopping in and low enough to step over easily. It is the equivalent of having the lowermost of the 3 hatch boards in place and can be quickly and easily removed. Attached to this board is a hinged section that folds up and is held closed by a pair of dogs and can be opened or closed in a second or so. More importantly, it is always in position ready for immediate use, unlike the old 3-board system. This hatch can be closed or opened instantly so is much more likely to be properly used in bad weather.
Alterations to make the
boat capable of putting to sea for more than a short coastal passage
in fine weather
The Alajuela 38 has a very poorly designed bilge system. The bilge well under the forward bunk does not seem to have any way of draining aft, nor was it fitted with a pump. I glassed a water-tight false floor over this well that is high enough to let any water drain back into the midships well.
I replaced the midship bilge well's electric submersible pump with a hand pump as I regard electric pumps to be at best an unreliable convenience for removing small amounts of water. A hand pump is more reliable and works when the electrics are out. Relying on electric pumps only is a potential disaster, but is far too common.
Removed the Whale hand bilge pump fitted to the cockpit well bulkhead and replaced it with a better quality hand pump in the well under the companionway. The Whale pump was nearly impossible to service where it was originally fitted so of course was inoperative when I bought the boat. I left the electric submersible pump in the aft well but gave it and the new under-floor hand pump with a new, single outlet for both pumps sited well above water level. That of course required the pumps be separated by non-return valves.
Raised the floor of the anchor locker and made it self draining directly overboard. Previously it drained into the bilge.
Built new anchor rollers with a built-in chain pawl. The standard rollers are too flimsy to survive a bad storm with the boat plunging significantly at anchor (assuming the anchor is holding). Of course if using a CQR the odds are that the anchor will drag before the roller fails, but this is merely a condemnation of plough anchors.
Replaced the 45lb CQR plough anchors with a 33kg/73lb Vulcan and added a Fortress aluminium anchor (FX-37) and a Manson Supreme (35 lb) as kedges.
When it became necessary to install a new windlass, I took the opportunity to change to a 10mm DIN766 chain, which is available world-wide, unlike the various US chain types, where chain of the same nominal diameter varies in pitch when produced in different alloys, even by the same manufacturer. I also increased the length of the chain from 75m to 100m.
Removed the platform on the bowsprit, or more accurately removed its remnants. A not very large wave destroyed it on the trip south from Florida.
Made a much larger cranse iron. That little ring over a turned down end on the bowsprit is inadequate for anything other than coastal sailing. The new one encompasses about 40cm of the end of the bowsprit.
Replace the aft feet of the pulpit which were screwed down to the toe rail with a bracket bolted through the bulwarks. Three screws into a bit of teak is not going to hold that sort of structure in place for long in a seaway.
Ditto screwed down feet on pushpit.
Shortened the pulpit to about half size. There is no reason for it to extend around the forestay. The shorter one is stronger, lighter and safer for working on the bowsprit and does not chafe the sail when running free.
Added a servo-pendulum wind vane. IB3 is a sailing vessel, not a motor boat and does not need an electronic autopilot. I bought a Monitor because I was in the USA and needed a wind vane self steering system urgently. That was a mistake. I should have waited and got an Aries which is stronger, more sensitive, more reliable and cheaper.
Got rid of the dorade vents. They really do very little good as ventilators and preclude carrying a hard dinghy amidships. Dorade vents let in less air and more water than anything else that I know of that purports to be a ventilation device and are best reserved for marina vessels. In fact both dorade vents on IB3 had previously been permanently blocked off (presumably because they leaked) which meant they were nothing but elegant snares for jib and staysail sheets.
Removed the stainless steel cross bar in the forward strong post. It too was nothing but a tangle point for sheets and unnecessary for belaying rope or chain provided one knows how to make a tug hitch.
Fitted a drip fed diesel heater, which provides heat without requiring electricity, unlike the electronically controlled Eberspacher type. Having no electronics, it can usually be repaired if it fails. However it is more prone to down drafting and less useful under way when compared to the Eberspacher type. Decide on your usage and pick accordingly. A drip fed heater needs a good drip catcher under it in case the float valve sticks. Make one.
Replaced the wooden rudder cheeks with a 6mm stainless steel fabrication. The wooden cheeks are not strong enough for anything more stressful than temperate latitude sailing.
Replaced the tiller with a composite wood/metal fabrication. The first 60cm or so of the new tiller is a fabricated ss square section into which slots a wooden T section. The standard tiller is too weak to stand up to a sea of any significance.
Added a Jordan type series drogue and built a locker at the back of the cockpit to store it and allow it to be deployed easily. IB3 had chain plates for such a drogue already fitted when I bought her, which worked well until one of them failed in heavy weather due to crevasse corrosion of the mounting bolts. I replaced all the mounting bolts as soon as I could.
Shifted the complex, high friction, low power mainsheet from the cabin top to the aft end of the cockpit and did away with the sheet traveller. This meant building a ss pipe structure on the aft deck to raise the sheets above the level of the lifelines. Attaching the mainsheet to the end of the boom is kinder to the boom and means there is no need for a winch to haul in the mainsheet. It also allows a decent-sized hard dinghy to be carried amidships.
Having got rid of the autopilot and its hydraulic lines, I could seal the gas locker from the engine compartment. There were dozens of holes between the two, including one with a 20cm fan in it. I can see no reason to connect the engine space to the gas locker or to have a fan between the two.
The gas locker originally drained via a non-return valve and skin fitting with no seacock that was on the waterline at anchor and submerged when sailing. It was ineffective as a gas drain and could easily sink the boat. I got rid of that drain, glassed the locker floor so it was water and gas tight and gave the locker a pair of drains that go directly overboard. One of these drain holes is always above sea level regardless of heel and boat speed.
Raised the cockpit sole and reversed its slope so that it drains aft. This allowed me to fit new through hulls and seacocks in a position where they can be readily accessed and are unlikely to be leaned on when working on the engine. The previous installation was vulnerable to damage and it was hard to access the seacocks.
Discarded the secret deck scuppers that drained the deck via a set of hoses led to a through hull just above the water line. I modified the deck scuppers to drain directly over the side and got rid of yet another set of deck fittings, hoses and through hulls, the failure of any of which can sink the boat or at least let in a lot of water.
Got rid of the genoa track. There was no way of using it to control sail twist without shifting the sheets around the stanchions and lifelines every time the sheets were adjusted. This also got rid of another 40 bolts going through the deck, any/all of which can and will leak. A lizard/barber hauler works at least as well to adjust the twist of the jib.without chafing the sheet as the track and car system did.
Shifted the engine start controls into the cabin from their previous very vulnerable position in the cockpit well. Did away with the key start and replaced it with a pair of normally-open push switches, one for glow plugs and one for starter solenoid. Protected their wiring with a suitable size of circuit breaker. Moved the stop control from the cockpit well to below decks.
Fitted a clear roll-down screen in front of the switch panel to protect it from spray when the main hatch slide is open.
Interior joinery:
New deck head and insulation in the forward cabin – see above.
Converted the forward berth to something a bit more useful. A triangular berth 2.2m wide at the head is impossible to sleep in at sea and a waste of space in harbour. I boxed in the head of the berth with a pair of clothes lockers so the aft (wide) end of the bunk is parallel sided and the width of a standard double bed. I raised diagonal bulkheads (about 30cm high) along the tapered foot section of the bunk to keep the mattress away from the hull which gets wet from condensation and to provide open-topped stowage for blankets etc without making the bunk any smaller. I built a pair of fiddled lockers above this to use the space where the hull flares out.
Raised most of the fiddles. As built they were mostly about 25mm high, which is high enough to make cleaning the surface behind them difficult without being high enough to hold anything in place in a seaway. A much more reasonable minimum in 60mm, and I made some a lot higher than that.
Got rid of a singularly useless sink and replaced it with a much smaller one. This sink was not original so it is unlikely to be a problem on other Alajuela 38s. I can see no reason to have a sink with a volume of greater than 5 litres unless the water tank is far bigger than generally fitted or the vessel never leaves the marina for more than 2 days.
Fitted turn button catches on all locker doors and hatches, including the ones under bunks and screwed down the floorboards. All locker doors must remain closed in a knock down and friction catches will not do that.
Discarded a huge folding saloon table (not original equipment) that was too flimsy to take the weight of a person thrown against it. Replaced by a small, sturdy table with built-in hand holds and fiddles high enough to be useful in a seaway, similar in design to the original factory installation.
Fitted numerous false floors and shelves in lockers to change them from dark, chaotic holes to something more useful. Enlarged/replaced most of the locker doors. Some lockers were so badly designed that I simply removed them and started again. The lockers in the toilet compartment were in this category.
Stripped the varnish from the cabin sole and sealed it with teak sealer – much less slippery at sea.
Rebuilt the galley giving the stove a crash bar, a lot more lockers, drawers and more counter space adjacent to the cooking area. The new counter space is divided up with fiddles to keep things in place when cooking at sea and is topped with ceramic tiles, which are heat proof and easy to clean. Added a proper garbage disposal, readily accessible, easily emptied and cleaned.
,
Major jobs that probably will not be required on most vessels
Cut down genoa to a size that is useful for an ocean going vessel. As bought, the genoa on IB3 was too big and too low cut to be considered seaworthy or even useful in any sort of a breeze.
Put a deep reef in the mainsail. As it was, the main could not be used in more than 25 kts of wind.
Replace all running rigging.
Replace all standing rigging, upgrading where required (increased the lower shrouds from 8mm to 10mm, did away with the insulators in the backstays etc). I used Sta-Lok fittings, which can be field replaced and the wires inside the fitting periodically inspected for fatigue. Vessels that have no ambition beyond (say) a Trade Wind circumnavigation could use swaged fittings and save the cost of wedge lock fittings.
Replaced the roller furler for the jib. I will replace the one on the staysail at a later date, and beef up its attachment to the hull.
Sanded off the hull and decks above the waterline to remove substandard automotive fairing compound that was causing the paint to blister. This fairing compound was approx 3mm thick and sanding it off was a big job. Repainted with 400microns DFT of epoxy and 50 microns of polyurethane on the hull and 400 microns epoxy and Kiwigrip on the deck. The fairing was not original.
Major jobs left to do:
Get rid of the fully-battened mainsail. They are fine for daysailers who start the motor for most/all sail evolutions. I do not want a motor sailer so I do not want a rig that requires the motor to be started to bring the vessel head to wind in order to raise the sail.
In the longer term, replace the bermudian rig entirely and re-rig as a gaff cutter. A gaff rig is stronger, simpler and more robust that any comparable bermudian rig as well as being easier to handle. It does not perform as well to windward as a bermudian rig but more than makes up for that when the wind frees. Of course not all hull designs are suitable for gaff rig, but the Alajuela 38 is; indeed Bill Atkins' design originally called for the Ingrid to be rigged as a gaff ketch. I know of an Atkins Ingrid that is rigged as a gaff cutter and another as a gaff ketch. Each works well, but the clutter of a mizzen mast seems unnecessary on a vessel of this size.
Build a new rudder. IB3's rudder is rather flimsy and the pintle straps' design is poor, causing unnecessary turbulence. I can do better.
For tropical and temperate use (not in ice), fit a feathering propeller.
Finish the job of rebuilding the cockpit to convert it from an in-marina entertainment station to something more suited to a seagoing vessel. The cockpit well needs to be narrower (it is too wide to brace across when heeled), the seats need to be higher so they drain directly onto the deck instead of via internal drain lines. The coamings can then be brought inboard and raised.
Of course I have done a lot of other work on IB3, such as replacing the stove, giving her a new windlass, replacing the engine controls, reupholstering all cushions, repainting the entire interior and so on, but these are maintenance or replacement jobs, not changes to the vessel, so irrelevant to this discussion.
Best regards
Trevor
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/alajuelaboats/8A063AEC-5D3F-43D2-9E2B-FB7AEB64560E%40yahoo.com.
Carl Gaines
On Jul 18, 2022, at 5:48 PM, Trevor Robertson <trevir...@gmail.com> wrote:
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/alajuelaboats/CAP6248Sy%3DmB%2BCfa5BYDJG47YNGhwZBuSbhzhNm9WP7PzPdocww%40mail.gmail.com.
Trevor Robertson
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/alajuelaboats/EDB693AE-28A6-41F3-B96A-964E38CBE4F3%40yahoo.com.
Ryan MacDonald
Thank you for this list, it is one of the more concise and insightful I have found on the topic of hardening a classic cruising vessel for serious voyaging. Would you be able to provide a sketch or reference for your folding main hatch design? That is something I have thought about as well and is of considerable interest.
Your choice of a 38 is what prompted me to begin seriously looking for a 33, although I note that it shares many (if not more) of the design deficiencies which you have altered here. Great respect, as reading your travels are what inspired me to begin sailing myself.
Warmest Regards,
Ryan.
Sam Stone
May I suggest that if you are so inclined to keep your inquiries to Trevor on the list as it might keep him from answering the same or similar questions multiple times. On personal note, I might find your questions and his answers informative.
Thanks
Sam Stone
Sent from Proton Mail mobile
-------- Original Message --------
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Sam Stone
I just want to echo Ryan and Carl's appreciation for this write-up. It
sounds like you have started what will in the end be a very thorough
done of "hardening" (to borrow Ryan's apt phrasing) the Alejuela for
ocean voyaging. I will find this list and subsequent discussion
invaluable. You are doing the type cruising that my wife and I
aspire/plan/are determined to do.
I am currently at my boat, Ligaya, having just spent the last two days
removing the leaky pressure water system and nonfunctional 12 gallon
(~45 liter) hot water heater. When I got your email, I immediately
printed it out, sat down with a pen, highlighter and small pot of coffee
and started to take notes. There's a lot good ideas and hard won wisdom
in that write-up.
Thanks a lot for the time and effort you put into this and for being so
generous with time and experience.
Sam
On 7/18/22 16:48, Trevor Robertson wrote:
> Sam, Carl and anyone else who is interested
>
> Here is a list of the main work I have done on Iron Bark III (hull 64,
> ex Diva, ex Blue etc). The list is not comprehensive.
>
> A short summary of the refit of Iron Bark III
>
> Things removed and not replaced:
>
> Removed the hardtop over the cockpit. It was designed for harbour
> living but made sailing the boat difficult and also I thought it
> ugly so removed it. This is not a standard Alajuela item so not
> relevant for most vessels.
>
> Removed the entire 110v AC system – inverter/charger and the maze
> of wires that goes with it. I pulled it out because it is only
> useful when plugged into shore power, something I seldom do.
>
> Removed the air conditioner/reverse cycle heater, for the same
> reasons plus it allowed the removal of a through hull, electric
> water pump and a whole lot of hose all below the water line where
> any failure could sink the boat.
>
> Removed the deck wash – another below the waterline pump plus a
> lot of vulnerable pipes and wires whose function was easily
> and more safely replaced by a bucket.
>
> Removed the autopilot – using the autopilot means running the
> engine several hours per day to keep the batteries charged. I
> wanted a sailboat, not a motor-sailer.
>
>
> Removed the fridge – ditto.
>
> *
> Removed the speed log – it tells me nothing that cannot be had by
> glancing at the wake and getting rid of it let me glass over
> another hole in the hull.
>
> Removed the hot water system – no use unless plugged into shore
> power or running the motor for several hours per day, neither of
> which I intend to do.
>
> Removed the sink in heads. I can walk 3m to the galley to wash my
> hands. Removing it got rid of another through hull and its
> associated piping plus the fresh water piping.
>
> Removed SSB radio. If one needs long distance comms, a
> satellite-based system is better. I do not want to talk with the
> rest of the world when at sea so have not replaced it with an
> Iridium or similar, but an updated weather forecast can be
> comforting at times.
>
>
> Systems removed and replaced with a simpler option:
>
> Removed the teak butterfly hatch amidships – there is no way to
> make such a hatch watertight to a heavy, breaking sea. It is a
> decorative feature best left to marina-based boats that never
> intend to go to sea in more than 25 knots of wind. I filled in the
> hole and and fitted a conventional aluminium and perspex hatch in
> its place.
>
> Replaced the teak forward hatch as it was heavy, cumbersome and
> leaky. Removed it and replaced it with an aluminium framed acrylic
> hatch (Lewmar, from memory).
>
> Replaced the forward cabin headline as it was water damaged from
> the leaky fore hatch. While replacing the headliner, I also
> lowered it 20mm and put some insulation behind it.
>
> Removed the electric toilet, plus two associated electric pumps
> and a lot of hose. Replaced it with a manual toilet raised on a
> platform so the top of the bowl is above sea level. I attached the
> loops of the inlet and outlet hoses to the athwartships bulkhead
> so they are above sea level when the boat is heeled. The
> installation previously had the hoses looped up under the side
> deck, which allows back flooding when heeled.
>
> Got rid of the toilet holding tank system that could only be
> emptied at a pump-out station. I replaced it with a system that
> can be emptied overboard at sea or pumped out if that option is
> available. It is not hard to design and build a system that allows
> both pump out or self-discharge at sea so there is no reason not
> to have such a system. Pump-out stations are rare away from the
> established yacht centres and since leaving Tampa in 2019 I have
> not been in any harbour with this facility.
>
> Removed the shower. Without a hot water system, the shower makes
> little sense, so I replaced it with a portable garden spray which
> can be filled with warm water. I use this to shower in the galley
> with the water draining into the bilge and pumped out from there
> (and giving the galley floor a wash on the way), or in warm
> weather, in the cockpit. Getting rid of the shower meant I could
> dump yet another electric pump and through hull.
>
> Removed the pressurised water pump and accumulator and replaced
> with a foot pump in the galley. Once all the fresh water plumbing
> to and from the head is eliminated, there is no reason to clutter
> the boat with a pump, accumulator and so on.
>
> Installed a diesel fuel header tank that gravity feeds the engine.
> This let me bypass the complex fuel system between the keel tanks
> and engine. I left the main fuel tanks unchanged but plumbed them
> to feed a day tank instead of directly to the engine. The original
> fuel feed had a long, complex system between the keel tanks and
> the engine lift pump with change-over valves, filters, and over a
> dozen hose clamped connections. All were on the suction side of
> the pump so any leaks were of air into the fuel system. There were
> numerous places where this could and did happen. These leaks were
> very hard to find and stopped the engine at unpredictable
> intervals. With a header tank, minor air leaks between the keel
> tanks and day tank do not matter. The route from the header tank
> to engine is short and easily inspected and any leak is a fuel
> leak outwards, easily seen and dealt with. In the meanwhile it
> will not stop the engine.
>
> Fitted proper battery boxes, water and acid tight with batteries
> properly held down, electrically separated by a voltage sensitive
> relay and protected by appropriate fuses and circuit breakers and
> sited so they can be easily accessed for servicing. I reduced the
> size of the battery bank to half its former size (420ah, from
> 840ah previously, plus starter battery). When the time comes to
> replace this set of batteries, I will further reduce the size of
> the bank to 210ah.
>
> Replaced all incandescent lights with LED
>
> Fitted two 50 watt solar panels wired in series with a MPPT
> regulator. This set up is more efficient than one 100 watt panel
> when the panels are partially shaded.
>
> Did away with the wind generator. It is noisy, mechanically
> complex and unnecessary once I had reduced the boat's electricity
> usage to a more sustainable level.
>
> Built a new folding main hatch closure to replace the slide
> in-boards. When fitted, the new hatch closure raises the height of
> the entry by 20cm. This is high enough to keep any small seas from
> slopping in and low enough to step over easily. It is the
> equivalent of having the lowermost of the 3 hatch boards in place
> and can be quickly and easily removed. Attached to this board is a
> hinged section that folds up and is held closed by a pair of dogs
> and can be opened or closed in a second or so. More importantly,
> it is always in position ready for immediate use, unlike the old
> 3-board system. This hatch can be closed or opened instantly so is
> much more likely to be properly used in bad weather.
>
>
> Alterations to make the boat capable of putting to sea for more than a
> short coastal passage in fine weather
>
> The Alajuela 38 has a very poorly designed bilge system. The bilge
> well under the forward bunk does not seem to have any way of
> draining aft, nor was it fitted with a pump. I glassed a
> water-tight false floor over this well that is high enough to let
> any water drain back into the midships well.
>
> I replaced the midship bilge well's electric submersible pump with
> a hand pump as I regard electric pumps to be at best an unreliable
> convenience for removing small amounts of water. A hand pump is
> more reliable and works when the electrics are out. Relying on
> electric pumps only is a potential disaster, but is far too common.
>
> Removed the Whale hand bilge pump fitted to the cockpit well
> bulkhead and replaced it with a better quality hand pump in the
> well under the companionway. The Whale pump was nearly impossible
> to service where it was originally fitted so of course was
> inoperative when I bought the boat. I left the electric
> submersible pump in the aft well but gave it and the new
> under-floor hand pump with a new, single outlet for both pumps
> sited well above water level. That of course required the pumps be
> separated by non-return valves.
>
> Raised the floor of the anchor locker and made it self draining
> directly overboard. Previously it drained into the bilge.
>
> Built new anchor rollers with a built-in chain pawl. The standard
> rollers are too flimsy to survive a bad storm with the boat
> plunging significantly at anchor (assuming the anchor is holding).
> Of course if using a CQR the odds are that the anchor will drag
> before the roller fails, but this is merely a condemnation of
> plough anchors.
>
> Replaced the 45lb CQR plough anchors with a 33kg/73lb Vulcan and
> added a Fortress aluminium anchor (FX-37) and a Manson Supreme (35
> lb) as kedges.
>
> When it became necessary to install a new windlass, I took the
> opportunity to change to a 10mm DIN766 chain, which is available
> world-wide, unlike the various US chain types, where chain of the
> same nominal diameter varies in pitch when produced in different
> alloys, even by the same manufacturer. I also increased the length
> of the chain from 75m to 100m.
>
> Removed the platform on the bowsprit, or more accurately removed
> its remnants. A not very large wave destroyed it on the trip south
> from Florida.
>
> Made a much larger cranse iron. That little ring over a turned
> down end on the bowsprit is inadequate for anything other than
> coastal sailing. The new one encompasses about 40cm of the end of
> the bowsprit.
>
> Replace the aft feet of the pulpit which were screwed down to the
> toe rail with a bracket bolted through the bulwarks. Three screws
> into a bit of teak is not going to hold that sort of structure in
> place for long in a seaway.
>
> Ditto screwed down feet on pushpit.
>
> Shortened the pulpit to about half size. There is no reason for it
> to extend around the forestay. The shorter one is stronger,
> lighter and safer for working on the bowsprit and does not chafe
> the sail when running free.
>
> Added a servo-pendulum wind vane. IB3 is a sailing vessel, not a
> motor boat and does not need an electronic autopilot. I bought a
> Monitor because I was in the USA and needed a wind vane self
> steering system urgently. That was a mistake. I should have waited
> and got an Aries which is stronger, more sensitive, more reliable
> and cheaper.
>
> Got rid of the dorade vents. They really do very little good as
> ventilators and preclude carrying a hard dinghy amidships. Dorade
> vents let in less air and more water than anything else that I
> know of that purports to be a ventilation device and are best
> reserved for marina vessels. In fact both dorade vents on IB3 had
> previously been permanently blocked off (presumably because they
> leaked) which meant they were nothing but elegant snares for jib
> and staysail sheets.
>
> Removed the stainless steel cross bar in the forward strong post.
> It too was nothing but a tangle point for sheets and unnecessary
> for belaying rope or chain provided one knows how to make a tug hitch.
>
> Fitted a drip fed diesel heater, which provides heat without
> requiring electricity, unlike the electronically controlled
> Eberspacher type. Having no electronics, it can usually be
> repaired if it fails. However it is more prone to down drafting
> and less useful under way when compared to the Eberspacher type.
> Decide on your usage and pick accordingly. A drip fed heater needs
> a good drip catcher under it in case the float valve sticks. Make one.
>
> Replaced the wooden rudder cheeks with a 6mm stainless steel
> fabrication. The wooden cheeks are not strong enough for anything
> more stressful than temperate latitude sailing.
>
> Replaced the tiller with a composite wood/metal fabrication. The
> first 60cm or so of the new tiller is a fabricated ss square
> section into which slots a wooden T section. The standard tiller
> is too weak to stand up to a sea of any significance.
>
> Added a Jordan type series drogue and built a locker at the back
> of the cockpit to store it and allow it to be deployed easily. IB3
> had chain plates for such a drogue already fitted when I bought
> her, which worked well until one of them failed in heavy weather
> due to crevasse corrosion of the mounting bolts. I replaced all
> the mounting bolts as soon as I could.
>
> Shifted the complex, high friction, low power mainsheet from the
> cabin top to the aft end of the cockpit and did away with the
> sheet traveller. This meant building a ss pipe structure on the
> aft deck to raise the sheets above the level of the lifelines.
> Attaching the mainsheet to the end of the boom is kinder to the
> boom and means there is no need for a winch to haul in the
> mainsheet. It also allows a decent-sized hard dinghy to be carried
> amidships.
>
> Having got rid of the autopilot and its hydraulic lines, I could
> seal the gas locker from the engine compartment. There were dozens
> of holes between the two, including one with a 20cm fan in it. I
> can see no reason to connect the engine space to the gas locker or
> to have a fan between the two.
>
> The gas locker originally drained via a non-return valve and skin
> fitting with no seacock that was on the waterline at anchor and
> submerged when sailing. It was ineffective as a gas drain and
> could easily sink the boat. I got rid of that drain, glassed the
> locker floor so it was water and gas tight and gave the locker a
> pair of drains that go directly overboard. One of these
> drain holes is always above sea level regardless of heel and boat
> speed.
>
> Raised the cockpit sole and reversed its slope so that it drains
> aft. This allowed me to fit new through hulls and seacocks in a
> position where they can be readily accessed and are unlikely to be
> leaned on when working on the engine. The previous installation
> was vulnerable to damage and it was hard to access the seacocks.
>
> Discarded the secret deck scuppers that drained the deck via a set
> of hoses led to a through hull just above the water line. I
> modified the deck scuppers to drain directly over the side and got
> rid of yet another set of deck fittings, hoses and through hulls,
> the failure of any of which can sink the boat or at least let in a
> lot of water.
>
> Got rid of the genoa track. There was no way of using it to
> control sail twist without shifting the sheets around the
> stanchions and lifelines every time the sheets were adjusted. This
> also got rid of another 40 bolts going through the deck, any/all
> of which can and will leak. A lizard/barber hauler works at least
> as well to adjust the twist of the jib.without chafing the sheet
> as the track and car system did.
>
> Shifted the engine start controls into the cabin from their
> previous very vulnerable position in the cockpit well. Did away
> with the key start and replaced it with a pair of normally-open
> push switches, one for glow plugs and one for starter solenoid.
> Protected their wiring with a suitable size of circuit breaker.
> Moved the stop control from the cockpit well to below decks.
>
> Fitted a clear roll-down screen in front of the switch panel to
> protect it from spray when the main hatch slide is open.
>
>
> Interior joinery:
>
> New deck head and insulation in the forward cabin – see above.
>
> Converted the forward berth to something a bit more useful. A
> triangular berth 2.2m wide at the head is impossible to sleep in
> at sea and a waste of space in harbour. I boxed in the head of the
> berth with a pair of clothes lockers so the aft (wide) end of the
> bunk is parallel sided and the width of a standard double bed. I
> raised diagonal bulkheads (about 30cm high) along the tapered foot
> section of the bunk to keep the mattress away from the hull which
> gets wet from condensation and to provide open-topped stowage for
> blankets etc without making the bunk any smaller. I built a pair
> of fiddled lockers above this to use the space where the hull
> flares out.
>
> Raised most of the fiddles. As built they were mostly about 25mm
> high, which is high enough to make cleaning the surface behind
> them difficult without being high enough to hold anything in place
> in a seaway. A much more reasonable minimum in 60mm, and I made
> some a lot higher than that.
>
> Got rid of a singularly useless sink and replaced it with a much
> smaller one. This sink was not original so it is unlikely to be a
> problem on other Alajuela 38s. I can see no reason to have a sink
> with a volume of greater than 5 litres unless the water tank is
> far bigger than generally fitted or the vessel never leaves the
> marina for more than 2 days.
>
> Fitted turn button catches on all locker doors and hatches,
> including the ones under bunks and screwed down the floorboards.
> All locker doors must remain closed in a knock down and friction
> catches will not do that.
>
> Discarded a huge folding saloon table (not original equipment)
> that was too flimsy to take the weight of a person thrown against
> it. Replaced by a small, sturdy table with built-in hand holds and
> fiddles high enough to be useful in a seaway, similar in design to
> the original factory installation.
>
> Fitted numerous false floors and shelves in lockers to change them
> from dark, chaotic holes to something more useful.
> Enlarged/replaced most of the locker doors. Some lockers were so
> badly designed that I simply removed them and started again. The
> lockers in the toilet compartment were in this category.
>
> Stripped the varnish from the cabin sole and sealed it with teak
> sealer – much less slippery at sea.
>
> Rebuilt the galley giving the stove a crash bar, a lot more
> lockers, drawers and more counter space adjacent to the cooking
> area. The new counter space is divided up with fiddles to keep
> things in place when cooking at sea and is topped with ceramic
> tiles, which are heat proof and easy to clean. Added a proper
> garbage disposal, readily accessible, easily emptied and cleaned.
>
> ,
>
> Major jobs that probably will not be required on most vessels
>
> Cut down genoa to a size that is useful for an ocean going vessel.
> As bought, the genoa on IB3 was too big and too low cut to be
> considered seaworthy or even useful in any sort of a breeze.
>
> Put a deep reef in the mainsail. As it was, the main could not be
> used in more than 25 kts of wind.
>
>
> Replace all running rigging.
>
> *
> Replace all standing rigging, upgrading where required (increased
> the lower shrouds from 8mm to 10mm, did away with the insulators
> in the backstays etc). I used Sta-Lok fittings, which can be field
> replaced and the wires inside the fitting periodically inspected
> for fatigue. Vessels that have no ambition beyond (say) a Trade
> Wind circumnavigation could use swaged fittings and save the cost
> of wedge lock fittings.
>
> Replaced the roller furler for the jib. I will replace the one on
> the staysail at a later date, and beef up its attachment to the hull.
>
> Sanded off the hull and decks above the waterline to remove
> substandard automotive fairing compound that was causing the paint
> to blister. This fairing compound was approx 3mm thick and sanding
> it off was a big job. Repainted with 400microns DFT of epoxy and
> 50 microns of polyurethane on the hull and 400 microns epoxy and
> Kiwigrip on the deck. The fairing was not original.
>
> Major jobs left to do:
>
> Get rid of the fully-battened mainsail. They are fine for
> daysailers who start the motor for most/all sail evolutions. I do
> not want a motor sailer so I do not want a rig that requires the
> motor to be started to bring the vessel head to wind in order to
> raise the sail.
>
> In the longer term, replace the bermudian rig entirely and re-rig
> as a gaff cutter. A gaff rig is stronger, simpler and more robust
> that any comparable bermudian rig as well as being easier to
> handle. It does not perform as well to windward as a bermudian rig
> but more than makes up for that when the wind frees. Of course not
> all hull designs are suitable for gaff rig, but the Alajuela 38
> /to be rigged as a gaff ketch. I know of an Atkins Ingrid that is
> well, but the clutter of a mizzen mast seems unnecessary on a
> vessel of this size.
>
> Build a new rudder. IB3's rudder is rather flimsy and the pintle
> straps' design is poor, causing unnecessary turbulence. I can do
> better.
>
> For tropical and temperate use (not in ice), fit a feathering
> propeller.
>
>> Let's hope the current surger of Covid cases does not
>> restrict our sailing.for the rest of this year.
>>
>> Trevor
>>
>> --
>> Trevor Robertson
>> trevir...@gmail.com
>> www.iron-bark.blogspot.com
>> <http://www.iron-bark.blogspot.com>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Trevor Robertson
>> Yacht /Iron Bark/
>> trevir...@gmail.com
>> www.iron-bark.blogspot.com <http://www.iron-bark.blogspot.com>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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> --
> Trevor Robertson
> Yacht /Iron Bark/
> trevir...@gmail.com
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Trevor Robertson
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sv...@pm.me
A couple of questions:
First, do you have any experience and or opinions regarding composting heads particularly in regards to high latitude and or rough seas? My initial thought when I brought the boat was to put in a composting head and remove the holding tank and use that space for spare anchors, kedges, mooring chains and the like.
Second, during your refit did you ever need to remove strongpost? If so, was it difficult? Also regarding hole where it penetrates the deck, do you recall if deck core was exposed or were the edges of the hole glassed or epoxied over in any way? I have leak on the forward edge of the strongpost deck hole interface.
Sorry I guess that's more than a couple of questions.
Thanks
Sam
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Trevor Robertson
The folding hatch has a lower section of 195mm and an upper section of 335mm. However very small differences in the ratio of the height of the opening to the height of the sill will change this.
To get the dimensions for any installation you will need to solve the equations:
x + y =ht of hatch opening
x – y = ht of sill
simplifies to:
2x = ht of opening + ht of sill
Where: x is the height
of the upper hinged panel and y is the lower slide-in section.
In the case of IB3 the hatch opening is 520mm, the ht of the sill (in the middle of the deck crown) is 150mm, so 2x = 670mm, making the ht of the upper section about 335mm. With a total hatch height opening of 520mm, the lower slide-in section is 185mm, but I made it a bit bigger to allow for the slope on its lower edge. The lower bit can be made higher without any adverse effect other than needing to step over a slightly higher sill.
I will attach a couple of photos of how I did it, but there are lots of other ways to get the same general result. The upper bit is much better with a window in it. I did not do this because I could not source any acrylic sheet of the appropriate thickness, but I will do that job when a bit turns up.
Happy wood planing
Trevor
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Trevor Robertson
Good evening Sam
I have almost no experience of composting heads. Those that have them swear by them with evangelical zeal, so presumably they work. For the sort of sailing that I do there is very little reason to have one so I have never pursued the matter.
My holding tank is in the head, under the side deck and bolted to the bulkhead so the bottom is above sea level. The inlet enters the top of the tank and iIt has an outlet at the bottom that leads to the through hull and seacock. the bottom of course needs to be slopes so there is no dead space in it below the outlet. There is fitting in the top for pumping out. In open water the seacock is open and the toilet discharge flows through the holding tank directly into the sea. The tank is effectively a large bubble in the pipe. Closing the seacock converts it into a holding tank. This can be emptied either by pumping out from the top at a conventional pump-out station or, once at sea, opening the seacock and letting gravity empty it.
I have never been anywhere with a pump out so have never used the top opening. I made the tank of plywood, glass and epoxy. This was the easiest way to make the irregular shape that I needed. The tank of course needs a breather led overboard. This also acts as a siphon breaker for the outlet hose.
I have not taken the strong post out but it does not look to be a major project, though it will be a messy one. I raised the floor of the chain locker and bulkheaded it off from the rest of the boat so that it is self draining, so I do not know (or particularly care) if the strongpost leaks. I would be surprised if it did not. I have seen no evidence of rot in the plywood core when I have removed leaking fittings elsewhere so the strongpost should be no worse. Indeed it will probably be better as the water leaking in will likely be seawater, not rainwater. Some water is certainly going to get into the anchor locker via the chain pipe in anything more than moderate sea so a few more drops from the strong post will hardly be noticed. I would just seal the endgrain area with epoxy then use a mastic to stop the leak as best I could and accept that a bit of water will get in in heavy weather.
Cheers
Trevor
Trevor Robertson
Hello all
The ice on the Greenland coast seems to be opening up so I will sail from Iceland tomorrow morning to see if I can find a way through. I will probably not have access to emails for a month or two but will reply to anything that comes in when I can. Please be patient.
Cheers
Trevor
sv...@pm.me
Look forward to hearing about Greenland. I wonder how much it has changed since you were there last?
Stay safe.
Fair winds,
Sam
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Ryan MacDonald
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--
IRATA 2 Technician / Wind Turbine Technician
Vancouver, BC, Canada