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Project Log:  Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The three old Barient #10 winches I'd selected for the main and mizzen mast halyards were good solid winches, but had suffered from years of poor maintenance.  The net result was that the pawls and bearings were caked with heavy grease, affecting the function of these winches.  I'd first noticed the problem when I installed one of the winches on the mizzen mast, but the other two were in similar condition.


Starting with the mizzen winch, I removed the works from the mast (leaving the base in place) and cleaned the pawls and bearings thoroughly, and removed the heavy grease from all areas.  I found that the two top pawl springs were either missing or damaged, so I pirated a fourth copy of the winch that I had on hand to steal its pawl springs, since I didn't have any spares on hand.  Afterwards, I lightly greased the shaft and bearings, and reassembled the winch, which now worked well.

Meanwhile, I soaked the other two winch bases and their parts in solvent, then cleaned these up and regreased them appropriately.

         

The original mainmast setup had a pair of slightly-raised bases for the winches, which were in good condition and could accommodate the "new" winches.  The design allowed (required, actually) the winches be installed first, before the base was installed on the mast, so I prepared the bases by reinstalling the phenolic cover places with new fasteners, then marked, drilled, and tapped for the new winch bases before bolting them in place.

         

         

Continuing mast work, I set up and installed the main control line for the lazy jacks, the bare minimum required before the mast could be stepped.  I hoped to do more layout later, but at least the main lines were in place and ready for the next steps.  This control line ran from one side of the mast, through a cheek block above the spreaders, down to an adjustable block on the front of the mast (secured with a line near the gooseneck with a cleat), then back up to the opposite cheek block and down.  The bitter ends of these two lines would eventually form the main leg for the lazy jacks leading to the boom.

    

In other important works, I assembled three new fenders with new lines and Polarfleece covers.


To prepare the mast wiring for its entry into the boat once stepped, I drilled a hole in the forward side of the mast, through which to lead the wires.  I'd eventually install a fitting here to accept a flexible conduit (the other end of which would connect to the mating fitting on deck, leading into the junction box).  I chose the forward side of the mast because should the mast be converted to a tabernacle in the future, the wiring exit would need to be clear of the tabernacle sides.  I led the wires through, and would continue work here soon.

    

I bunged the old screw holes in the teak cockpit seats, and when the glue had dried I pared off the excess bungs and installed the seats one last time.

    

    

Meanwhile, I took care of sundry items, including a wiring issue with the shower sump pump.  When I'd finished its wiring the other day, it wouldn't operate, and I traced the issue to the fact that I'd led its main feed to the wrong breaker in the panel.  After correcting the issue, the pump worked as expected.

In the afternoon, the required cable for the windlass installation arrived, so it looked like I'd be busy with that in the immediate future.  With ample conservatism, I selected 1/0 cable for the job, and to prepare for its installation I took the time to preinstall a number of wire tie holders along the proposed route for the cable so they'd be in place and ready to hold the cable.  I was awaiting various new windlass parts to rebuild the old Ideal windlass, but could begin the main cable installation at once.

 

Total Time Today:  6.25 Hours

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