To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.

Team Red Cruising

2024 Commissioning

Mr. Lehman's feeling poorly.

To tell the whole story, let's roll back the clock. There are two kinds of end-of-season layup:

  • Wet Slip Winterizing. Put in antifreeze, take in the sails. Take in the running rigging. Maybe rearrange the stuff on deck so it doesn't collect puddles of water and leaf detritus.

  • Hurrican Preparation. Everything off the deck, even the dorade vents, the dodger and the bell. Strap down every halyard to reduce windage. (When a line is vibrating, that big sine wave is the surface area pushed by the wind.)

This means commissioning after hurricane prep involves a lot of work. A lot. Some things are big. Some things are very small.

Home Handicrafts

Here's a picture of my home handicrafts for today.

Bell Bracket
Bell Bracket

Yes, that's a chunk of PVC that's had slots cut into it so it can slip over a cleat. The bell is a legal necessity. Cheap, used bells don't seem to come with the bracket. Nor am I interested in adding yet another set of holes to the mizzen mast.

So. I hang the bell on a cleat.

Previously, I tried to lash it there.

Also, we forgot to remove it as part of Hurricane Prep.

You can see the scars from where the hurricane bashed it around before it fell off. (I've got to touch up the Awlgrip there.)

This simply lifts out. Like it's supposed to.

This is fun, satisfying work. It's done. It will last until the line dogging it down to the cleat rots in the sun and needs to be replaced.

And then, there's Mr. Lehman.

Mr. Lehman's Affliction

A few years ago (2021), we had the starter rebuilt. See The Starter.

After the knockdown (2023), we did test Mr. Lehman. See Dodger and Power. Mr. Lehman started, and ran. Much to our great delight.

Oil looked clean, 1/2 tank of fuel. Things looked good.

This trip? Two things (so far) are not working properly:

  • Power.

  • The Solenoid with the Bendix.

Power

When I turned off the shore power charger, the voltage levels from the solar array were suspiciously low. Barely squeezing up to 13V. Nowhere near the 14.2V initial burst of power that's more typical.

Turning the switch on the panel tells me the starting battery is at 9V. Which is essentially dead.

Gat a new group 31 battery with (almost) 1000 CCA and we're back in business. (I really want over 1000 CCA, but they can be hard to find.)

It's about 60 pounds. I'm not attempting the ladder with this in my hand. Block and tackle is the only safe way to get this 10' off the ground and onto the deck.

Battery Hoisting
Battery Hoisting

New battery. Give it a night on shore power to fully charge.

Next day?

Nothing.

Well, not nothing.

Click from the cascade of solenoids.

Whir from the starter spinning.

The Solenoid

The Ford Lehman marine installation has a cascade of solenoids.

There's a small primary solenoid that provides a lot of current to the solenoid on the starter.

The solenoid on the starter sucks down mountains of current to do two things:

  • Pull back a piston that operates a tiny lever that pushes the drive gear into the flywheel. This is the Bendix. It's buttoned up in a little cylinder atop the starter.

  • Close the circuit to allow full power to the starter motor via a short run of 1/0 gauge wire from starting battery directly to the starter motor. (Yes, 0 gauge. Your house 15A circuit might have 14 gauge wire. A 30A dryer or stove might have 10 gauge. The starting battery can push out 1,000 A.)

We hear the click from the solenoids. No click usually means the little primary has failed. A tiny click means the big bendix solenoid has failed. A big click and a spin means the bendix can't push the drive gear.

The solenoid can be sticky if it's not used. The housing is not weather-tight. It's not packed with grease. It's merely dust tight.

Sometimes a good sharp rap with a hammer will unstick it.

No luck for me. A lot of tapping and rapping here and there. Both ends. The side. The other side.

Nothing.

Okay. After some doom and gloom, it's time to get the starter off.

Starter Doctor

Back in 2021, I got a mechanic to do the whole thing. Here in Safe Cove, that whole package of services is not so readily available. On short notice, I could get a mechanic to get the starter off the engine.

I've never tried to remove it.

It's held on by three bolts. You have to take off three wires. It's not impossible.

But it weights 50 pounds. And it's on the back side of the engine, nearly inaccessible.

Troy wrestled it off. Here it lies.

Starter Motor
Starter Motor

You can see the little drive gear in the opening. It did not move.

I spent some quality time with a pry-bar and some silicone lube spray. Eventually, it moved.

After some more work, it moved pretty freely.

Decision Time:

  • Install it?
  • Have it rebuilt?
  • Have it rebuilt and order a spare?

We got the names of Alternator/Starter shops in the area. They're a relative rarity around here. In big cities they used to be everywhere. The Annapolis, Baltimore, Washington area has some. Norfolk has some.

Newer starters and alternators aren't made to be serviced. They're made to the chopped up and thrown away. A real sin.

This old Lucas-brand starter was made to last forever, with rebuilds as needed.

I talked with the proprietor of Southern Automotive. He made it very clear that these older starters will never wear out. He said it was the saltwater or splashed-around oil that kills them.

Southern Automotive

Southern Automotive's sign has no area code. 
They've been in business -- in that location -- 
for so long their ancient sign only has a 
7-digit phone number.

He twisted the drive gear and said the drive gear assembly needs to be replaced, also. Since it spins, it's the mechanical bits that need work, not the coils or windings.

Status

We're waiting. Doing other jobs.

Visiting friends down here.

The Whole List

I know you don't care, but. This is the base list we start with.

Day 1: 
- [ ] rig bimini
- [ ] apply 303 to bimini
- [ ] wash deck teak
- [ ] wash deck
- [ ] wash solar panels
- [ ] wash port lights and lubricate gaskets
- [ ] inspect running rigging
- [ ] clean fresh water tanks 
- [ ] paint numbers on Scout
- [ ] change engine oil (Filter and 9qt 30W)
- [ ] change outboard lower-unit lube (90W) and crankcase oil (15W-40)
- [ ] Check outboard lifting strap 


Day 2:
- [ ] rig main and mizzen (Can be deferred at Safe Cove)
- [ ] rig foredeck solar panels
- [ ] rig anchors
- [ ] rig fenders
- [ ] rig whisker pole
- [ ] rig life sling and throwable
- [ ] check hose clamps below water line
- [ ] clean raw water strainer


Day 3:
- [ ] clean port fresh water tank
- [ ] check expiration date on flares
- [ ] Touch up paint
- [ ] Fill tanks
- [ ] Change engine zinc
- [x] replace prop zinc

Day 4 (at dock):
- [ ] clean starboard fresh water tank
- [ ] fill water tanks
- [ ] wash shore power cord before stowing. 
- [ ] clean port fresh water tank

(We started with prop zinc already done because the bottom was painted after we got knocked down.)

The list is evolving as we rethink order and priority.