Winter14 Miles

Last week I serviced my first Onan genset and v8 8.2 liter four stroke Detroits. As stated many times before, I really like familiarizing myself with engines and equipment I haven't worked around before. It's always a learning experience. I also have been doing a lot of parts locating and cross referencing. In the case of the picture below, I was unable to locate the paper gasket I needed for a Sureflow seawater pump in a reasonable amount of time so I just carefully traced and cut out a custom gasket. And of course, it didnt leak ;)

w: 38

t: 415.5

Winter14 Miles

Last week I did some odds and ends on a boat we have been working on for a while. I fabricated and mounted a bilge pump float switch, plumbed and wired the bilge pump and installed an additional Rule switch for it on the dash. Also on the same boat, I diagnosed a malfunctioning bilge pump. I had to trace wires back to rats nest of butt connectors then proceeded to fix the problem by running a new section of wire, eliminating the unnecessary connectors and incorrect wiring. On the same boat, I learned more about servicing Volvo DPH sterndrives and the different malfunctions that can occur and what causes them.

w: 35.5

t: 377.5

Winter14 Miles

Last week, consisted of basic maintenance projects on a couple different boats. One piece of maintenance I did on a sail boat was replacing the shaft strut. It was a simple but new procedure to me. The Port purchased a larger travelift (105 ton) and was delivered last week. Here is the link to an article from the Skagit Valley Herald: http://www.goskagit.com/all_access/marina-s-weight-limit-lifted/article_41457c33-fb17-5b48-85af-f13446edcd31.html   

w: 32

t: 342

Finishing taping off for fresh caulk around the windows

Winter14 Miles

Last week I was able to practice load testing batteries like we learned in school. It always nice to put the things I learned in class to use in the industry. I also helped hook up a new Volvo in a sport fishing boat. I specifically hooked up the power steering system and was able to familiarize myself with the plumbing of that system. I also modified the raw water pickup circuit to have a sea strainer integrated into it. 

w: 34.5

t: 314

Load testing 8D's

Sea strainer I mounted, plumbed and grounded.

Winter14 Miles

Last week, the production manager at Maritime walked me around a new Scania we received for a seiner we are building. He educated me about a few modified or new components on this particular engine but one component I had not heard of before was an oil centrifuge. He explained how it worked and gave me a little history on how the component has been modified to be applicable on these smaller engines. Overall it was a very informative education lesson.

w: 36

t: 279.5

Fabricated and mounted a bracket for a large bilge pump

Winter14 Miles

Last week we took in a European made boat (Viking) to do some maintenance on. It has two v12 1250 Mans in it, is 72 feet long, and can do about 40 knots! I am replacing about $1,800 worth of raw water and exhaust hose along with pulling shafts and some other odds and ends. I always like familiarizing (learning) myself (by working on) with different manufactures products. 

w: 43

t: 243.5

V12 Man

The Viking

Some people don't know how to mount zincs....

Found a burnt block heater plug while I was servicing a Pacific Mariner

Winter14 Miles

Last week I reinstalled the sailboat engine I took the transmission off of and rebuilt. Along with installation was aligning the engine to the shaft coupler. I got the faces within 0.003". I will have to recheck the alignment when the boat gets launched.  I learned a little bit about wiring and adjusting external voltage regulators but will hopefully learn more on that topic this week.

w: 37.5

t: 200.5

Checking alignment with a feeler gauge