C-27 Refit/Refurb

[philwsailz]

I know, I have been noticeably absent the last few months. Another sailing season has come and gone, without hitting the water... Maybe this spring?

It is not that I haven't been busy. I am being kicked out of my office in the house; we need the room. So I have been busy building an office out in my shop. You guys are a resourceful lot so I thought I would share my progress... I know you will appreciate it.

It is 12 x 30, and will have both my recording studio and CAD computers installed. There is 5-channel surround sound pre-wired into the walls, and a plan to hang a big TV on the wall opposite the computer work station. Hopefully a fridge, a small entertaining bar, and a futon for guests, (or when my wife says I am snoring too loudly).

Scrambling to get it done prior to Dec 14, when our office Christmas dinner is scheduled to take place. I want to be able to have friends come by after the dinner and hang out for a while.

 

[philwsailz]

I hadn't written in a while, but thought this pic was worth plenty of words. The water around here is quite hard today, thank you. This in north central Oklahoma!

Glad L.L.attitudes II is on the hard inside today.

 

[Dodsonn]

I hadn't written in a while, but thought this pic was worth plenty of words. The water around here is quite hard today, thank you. This in north central Oklahoma! Glad L.L.attitudes II is on the hard inside today.

Same here Phil. I'm just north of you in Clearwater, KS and it was -2 at 6:30am this morning! How is restoration of the C-27 coming?

 

[philwsailz]

Same here Phil. I'm just north of you in Clearwater, KS and it was -2 at 6:30am this morning! How is restoration of the C-27 coming?

It is at a stand-still at the moment. I am close though. I need to finish buffing and polishing port-side topsides. Then I need to buff and polish and wax the deck. Painting the non-skid in the cockpit floor should be the last mechanical or cosmetic item.

Beyond that, it is just a waiting game for water... Step the mast, launch and go.

 

[philwsailz]

My office I was working on above looks like this now

 

[Merlin Clark]

Office huh?

 

[philwsailz]

Office huh?

Well I do audio recording and post production stuff. A good listening environment is a must.

I just went a little further than necessary.

Here is what the other end of the room will look like

 

[philwsailz]

As you can tell I do CAD work too....

Both computers will be built into my "desk"

 

[philwsailz]

'Still here. Waiting on water....... If only to wash 4 years of accumulated dirt and dust off of the top of L.L.attitudes.... :cussingang it, I want to go sailing, on MY boat, from MY dock....

Any way...

'Been working on electrical for the wife's underground "life-raft" AKA our storm shelter. We had a new patio poured last year and we had a flat-top tornado shelter installed under it prior to the pour.


The TV coverage of tornados and radar returns is particularly good in our area. Heck, Reed Timmer from STORM CHASERS is on staff at the TV station we watch for weather... SO, it only made sense to be able to watch storm coverage, with 110V power or not, while hunkered down in the shelter. I have been installing 110AC conduit and circuits as well as conduit for a TV antenna cable pull. Last night I got the "shore power" 12-volt charging and power system temporarily wired up.

The charging is covered by a Progressive Dynamics PD9245 45A charger/power supply. It has three charge modes, (rapid, normal, float) plus a timed desulfation phase to keep the battery from aging.

The TV is a Skyworth AC/DC unit with DVD player built in.

The lighting is "plain old" LED strip lighting. Right now it is on a switched 110 circuit but that circuit will get a plain old socket and bulb soon, as the LED lights will be moved to the 12-volt system within the week. I milled some birch plywood into strips so that the LED strip could be instaled in a recessed uplight manner. It lights up the shelter good, without the harsh glare of naked LED elements.

I guess the old 110v beer fridge can simply stay plugged in to the wall. NO need to buy a 12V unit... My wife reminds me that I probably will drink any beer in that fridge long before it has much of a chance to get warm in the event of a power outage....

 

[philwsailz]

Here is my "desk" I alluded to in my "office"

 

[caguy]

Wow you've got more electronics under your desk than Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon!

 

[The Garbone]

Wow you've got more electronics under your desk than Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon!

Lolz. Nice.

 

[philwsailz]

Don't call me a stink-pot boater, just call me a boater... The continued drought in my neck of the woods has delayed launch of L.L.attitudes II for at least another year.

My dock is the only one floating on the lake.

While the dock is usable, I have decided to put it to use. Just picked this gem up. 1997 Monterey 256 Express Cruiser. Hot and cold pressure water, electric/alcohol stove, shore power AC, wet head, (with NASTY Jabsco toilet that needs rebuilt/replaced).

She is not perfect, but she is mine and she drafts shallow enough that we can use her, at least for a while until the lake closes again...

Hopefully hitting the water Friday for a long weekend....

 

[Stu Jackson]

Very nice, got any "down below" pictures? Boating is boating, good idea. Use it or lose it.

 

[philwsailz]

Very nice, got any "down below" pictures? Boating is boating, good idea. Use it or lose it.

I have a couple.

I am not a fan of how they installed the AC. It works fine, just like what I put in L.L.attitudes II but why use the accordion frame? Tacky tacky tacky.... Building a new trim bezel is up on the list of things to do, removing the accordion frame that came with the AC and replacing it with a precision-hole, foam lined vinyl wrapped bezel to cover up screw holes and form fit to the AC frame.

The other pics is of the aft cabin, basically a full matterss in a compartment. It is surprisingly comfortable though, and would be a great place to sneak in a nap. This pic was taken during inspection at the previous owner's place. It has since been cleaned out.


I need to take a few more pics of the interior; it has really been pretty well maintained.

Despite no pics of the head, know I already have a replacement Jabsco pump on the way, now with locking handle, in order to help with "those" odors. It will help that no backflow gets back in the bowl when I drive down a hill... :cussing: I am also on the hunt for a 12v macerating head. It is easier to explain to guests to push a button.... I am going to get to build my own portable pumpout system; there are no pumpout facilities at our lake.

The third pic is the replacement stainless cupholder at the helm. Much of the plastic including the upholstery has had more than their fair share of UV exposure. Bilge pump thru-hulls, inspection ports, cupholders, all are getting upgraded and much of this stuff is on the delivery trucks for today thru Friday.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nice. Those "aft cabin" berths are very comfortable, my friend with a Sea Ray 34 has one for his guest room, and I've enjoyed many nights tucked in there. Looks like the forward cushions pop up with a table underneath?

Have fun, looks great.

We'll still talk to you.

 

[philwsailz]

Nice. Those "aft cabin" berths are very comfortable, my friend with a Sea Ray 34 has one for his guest room, and I've enjoyed many nights tucked in there. Looks like the forward cushions pop up with a table underneath?

Have fun, looks great.

We'll still talk to you.

Correct on the forward cushions. There IS a table in there.

Thanks Stu- Glad to know I can still communicate with my fellow blow-boaters...

 

[philwsailz]

So, I have been busy with life instead of boat projects, and my power cruiser is at the mechanic's shop for some service I deemed necessary. Preventative stuff based on things I have learned about the previous owner's marine maintenance aptitude...

As a brief update, I have found lots of little things I was unhappy with on the boat. The shower sump circuit had been moved to a bilge pump installed next to the shower sump. The shower sump was full of liquid, but un-powered. I was grossed out enough to simply buy a new shower sump and install it, while pulling a proper 12V circuit to the bilge pump and restoring the shower sump to its original circuit. I removed several WIRE NUTS in the process.... :cussing::cussing::cussing:

Additionally, the bulkhead AC install was tacky looking, with the accordion side pieces just screwed in place. I have been down this road before with the sailboat before, so a new frame was installed. See the pic below. This really cleans up the AC install. I wish I had followed the contour of the ceiling; if I redo this I will do so...

The AC compressor is locking up after running a while, no doubt due to excessive heat buildup in the anchor locker. The walls of the locker are getting excessively warm. I am going to duplicate the air exchanger system I have in the sailboat for this boat, with two clamshell vents, a 95CFM squirrel cage blower and some flexible hose. We will see if getting rid of the hot air fixes the compressor lock. If not, I guess I will go ahead and buy another LG 8k BTU air conditioner like is in the sailboat and re-do the frame. This is getting too easy... If the 8k unit comes, I WILL make a better fitting frame around the AC unit.

Lots more updates to follow on the cruiser, but this is a sailing post and I should be posting about the Catalina, so I will just leave you with this one picture.

More later....

 

[philwsailz]

So. That preventative service on the cruiser I was alluding to????? Turns out it was not so preventative. Chasing down gremlins on this boat has become a specialty of mine. The previous owner really sold me a bill of goods. I don't know how he hid this one....

The motor was running rough. We thought it was ignition. After fighting with it and fighting with it out came the compression tester. 4 holes...... bad. The motor was running on 4... So between #4 and #6 there was a blown head gasket, and it had been bad so long, there was about a 3/4" by 3/16" gap in the head where it had been flame eroded between those two cylinders. Similar story on the other side, except the head gasket had JUST gone between 3 and 5.

I called a local marine propulsion expert who is a dear friend of my mechanic to see if he had any heads for a 97 Mercruiser V8. He said he did, so I drove out to see about buying a set. He took one look at my heads and said: "Those didn't come off of a '97 motor." Hmmm... I thought. He goes on: "Those didn't even come off of a boat. Those are TBI heads off of a car or truck. Built between 86 and 1995."

So I go look at pics I took, again... I notice the stampings on top of the cylinders. Turns out they are Sealed Power .030"-over rebuild pistons... This boat has been repowered with a rebuilt motor.... Things are beginning to add up, going along with the melted cooling tube from the outdrive. This motor is a rebuilt motor, possibly the original block, but the top end, heads, intake, carb, etc are all non-Mercruiser parts.... The found symptoms of overheating become ever more tied to the total story.

At this point I am so furious with the previous owner I want to just get him on the phone and chew him up one side and down the other. But something clicks... I didn't find this boat. It found ME....

This boat would have no better care in literally ANYONE elses hands. Lower unit lube and water pump impeller are already changed days after taking possession. I have already started installing the replacement canvas on the bimini bows, I already sorted out and fixed the shower sump issue... I have re-hung the AC and am about to give it the proper ventilation it needs to breathe and work... New stainless thru-hulls are in process of being installed, I have my gelcoat guy lined up to repair some screw holes in the gunwales... Polishing is in process... I even have a new throttle/shifter assembly going on, with new shift cables, just because I was annoyed by the screw holding the trim switch on the throttle handle... She is stored indoors....

Any other Joe would have eventaully found the same issues I did, but likely would have let the boat sit. Outdoors. And rot. Not here baby!

I did get lucky; I found a set of rebuilt TBI heads for a reasonable fee and core exchange. We think the block, piston, crank, rods, cam, etc are fine. It is going to end up costing me less than $600.00 I think to put this motor back together. I got the A-team on it. I am not stressed at all. And top top it off, we have gone so far to fix everything, there is not much else to go wrong with this boat. I find myself excited about the opportunity to finally take it for a long, relaxed reliable cruise. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here are some pics of the iron genny all disassembled...

 

[philwsailz]

We're not done!

Just raising a crew of two now, one just turned 3, the other just turned 10-months. Great wife who loves sailing too, (I shared that right?)

Somehow this is gonna work. Just need some time...