Luna, The Story of a Forgotten Catalina 30.

[DArcy]

For making a large hole a bit larger I have used a sanding drum in a drill. I have a kit with various sized drums and chose the largest one that will fit the hole. I find the larger diameter easier to control getting a rounder hole as a result. When sanding or grinding fiberglass remember to wear an appropriate mask.

 

[Hayden Watson]

When I need to make a hole bigger and if I have the correct size hole saw, I cut the desired hole size in a piece of plywood and place that over the old smaller hole as a guide to hold the hole saw in the correct location. Once it gets the ring started into the base material it can be removed to finish the cut.

 

[mikeracca]

Thank you for the tips guys! The sanding drum method is what I’m going to be using. The area I need to make bigger is just a small area that isn’t round to begin with. I could prolly do it with a dowel and some 60 grit sand paper too. It’s only slightly too small.

 

[mikeracca]

So the rain made working on the boat a no go today. But I still did some work on the boat, just not at the boat. Today was a TinkerCad day. I have not had much luck finding what I want for an engine panel so I decided to make my own. I hope this works, there is a bit of an overhang and the slicer didn't seem to help much when I requested supports, it pretty much made the area under the overhang completely solid... not going to work that way very well. So I am taking a slight risk here but I have done a slight overhang in the past that has worked just fine. I just have the holes for the gauges cut out and not printing, and I will drill the holes for the 2 switches and key when it gets done.

My printer cannot print this as one whole unit, so I have it split in half and tabbed in to lock together. It should work out just fine. Here is what it will look like when it is assembled.

 

[kappykaplan]

Can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[mikeracca]

Can't wait to see the finished product!

Me either… first print failed, the print came up off the table. Going to revisit it after making some changes.

 

[mikeracca]

Well things are progressing pretty good at the moment. The fuel tank is installed again and I have the fuel line routed under the deck to the engine bay. I found all the fittings to install the fuel filter/water separator, I also got the filler hose and static protection wire installed. I still need to replace the return line, and the 5/16th lines from the filter to the engine. I sure hope my fuel pump is good… *crosses fingers*.

I have also been working on my cable brackets, they are no longer rusty, but they need some serious help in the paint department, so I will do that once the rain and wind go away. Next up is installing them in the boat and making the required adjustments for length and throw.

Update on the control panel… it failed. I need to adjust the printing parameters or the overall print position before trying again. I will here soon.

 

[DArcy]

You have been making some great progress!
The engine panel looks like an awkward part to print. Have you considered building it with more traditional method, cutting out UHMW parts?

 

[Hayden Watson]

You have been making some great progress!
The engine panel looks like an awkward part to print. Have you considered building it with more traditional method, cutting out UHMW parts?

I don't have a 3d printer so my thought always to cutting down from solid stock. Starboard machines so nicely that it looks to me like I could make a panel from that with my router table and drill press.

 

[mikeracca]

I don't have a 3d printer so my thought always to cutting down from solid stock. Starboard machines so nicely that it looks to me like I could make a panel from that with my router table and drill press.

If those were tools I had at my disposal… I have a router but no table, my drill press is of the jewelers type which is much too small for a job like this. It works great for model railroad stuff tho….

I have considered laying some fiberglass over a wooden plug. I have made parts for Corvettes and other things using that method, but I was hoping this would work. I’m gonna give it another try tonight with some different temp settings and see what happens. If this one also fails, I will go with fiberglass.

 

[mikeracca]

Well tonight was a mixed bag. When I left the house the 3D printer was working on another attempt at the control panel, this time I tipped it up 5 degrees to allow a different printing method and so far it was working. The print lifted again in the exact same spot as before, but this time the area that lifted was just risers and not the part itself. It should be done around noon tomorrow. We will see how this one turns out.

Next up is some bad news... and good too. So the bad. My starter doesn’t engage the flywheel. Good news the starter does turn. I’m guessing the drive gear is rusted to the armature. I didn’t have the tools onboard to remove it, I will have to try again next time I head out here. The good news is I was able to rotate the engine manually. So I know my engine is free. Also as I turned the engine a few degrees, water was also trying to move from my raw water pump so even though I know I need a new impeller, at least the old one is trying. And lastly I installed the new fuel pre filter and water separator. It fit nicely in where the old one was. I just need some 3/16th fuel hose for the fuel return, and a couple feet of 5/16th and my fuel lines will all be new.

And lastly, tonight is my first night sleeping onboard! I decided to camp out on Luna tonight. I just wanted to see how comfortable the cushions are. Well enjoy the pics of the fuel tank and new filter. I know it’s not much, but it’s still progress.

 

[Hayden Watson]

Well tonight was a mixed bag. When I left the house the 3D printer was working on another attempt at the control panel, this time I tipped it up 5 degrees to allow a different printing method and so far it was working. The print lifted again in the exact same spot as before, but this time the area that lifted was just risers and not the part itself. It should be done around noon tomorrow. We will see how this one turns out.

Next up is some bad news... and good too. So the bad. My starter doesn’t engage the flywheel. Good news the starter does turn. I’m guessing the drive gear is rusted to the armature. I didn’t have the tools onboard to remove it, I will have to try again next time I head out here. The good news is I was able to rotate the engine manually. So I know my engine is free. Also as I turned the engine a few degrees, water was also trying to move from my raw water pump so even though I know I need a new impeller, at least the old one is trying. And lastly I installed the new fuel pre filter and water separator. It fit nicely in where the old one was. I just need some 3/16th fuel hose for the fuel return, and a couple feet of 5/16th and my fuel lines will all be new.

And lastly, tonight is my first night sleeping onboard! I decided to camp out on Luna tonight. I just wanted to see how comfortable the cushions are. Well enjoy the pics of the fuel tank and new filter. I know it’s not much, but it’s still progress.

View attachment 205503View attachment 205504

Well tonight was a mixed bag. When I left the house the 3D printer was working on another attempt at the control panel, this time I tipped it up 5 degrees to allow a different printing method and so far it was working. The print lifted again in the exact same spot as before, but this time the area that lifted was just risers and not the part itself. It should be done around noon tomorrow. We will see how this one turns out.

Disclaimer, I do not have a 3d printer but my brother-in-law has told me about similar problems on his. He found that on large projects they would cool at different rates which causing curling and the part to pop free. He built an insulated box which helped a great deal.

 

[mikeracca]

Disclaimer, I do not have a 3d printer but my brother-in-law has told me about similar problems on his. He found that on large projects they would cool at different rates which causing curling and the part to pop free. He built an insulated box which helped a great deal.

I have noticed that phenomenon myself, but this is one particular area of the platter that always does this. I’m thinking there must be some dirt or something between the heater and glass that is causing that one area to be cooler and thus lift. I’m gonna look into it.

But on the other side, the print turned out pretty ok. There are lines in it from the print angle but it’s workable. Now I need to get the stand layer off and we will see. I opened up the gauge holes by 1mm over the last print and they are just a hair too small still, but way less sanding this time. I can actually start pushing a gauge through this one. Pics soon.

 

[mikeracca]

So I got the starter out of the boat. That was actually pretty easy. I was correct, it’s all sorts of rusty. I got it soaking in EvapoRust right now, but just by looking at it, I’m prolly going to be buying a new one. Good news is I found one. The alternator was not installed properly, so if they were having belt tension issues, yea I figured out why! I will need a schematic for this alternator, as the wiring was butchered on the engine well before I got here. The bearings sound and feel really dry so I’m going to take it apart and re-grease the bearings.

I found the correct wires for the interior lighting, and 4 out of 6 fixtures still worked perfectly. One was totally rusted beyond usefulness, and the other prolly just has a dead bulb. I got 3 of the 6 replaced with LED fixtures that are slightly brighter and have a red mode too.

And the report on the control panel… it’s striped but it turned out just fine. I found a wood chisel works great for getting the risers off. I will start the right side piece tomorrow.

 

[mikeracca]

Starter is toast, found one online at a reasonable price. It was amazing how much difference it was in price when I looked it up as a Kubota Z500 starter over a Universal Marine Starter. And yes it has the spark arrester. The alternator didn’t fair much better, the bearings are rusted to the armature, and the feed wire from the brush pack to the regulator is so corroded it pretty much doesn’t exist any more. Bad news on that is the wire disappears into some potting material so it isn’t serviceable. So I’m now 100% in the market for a new alternator. While I would love a Balmar alternator, I just don’t have pockets that deep right now. I may have found one locally, but it’s wiring is a bit different. It should work, but if anyone knows a good source lemme know here or on my alternator thread.

So the pics of the panel. Here ya go! Here is the left half. I don’t like the lines, and I will have to order more filament to print a different idea I have that should remove the lines.

And here is the right hand side, still printing. It should be done around 1pm tomorrow.

So the 5 degree angle removed the warped corner issue but it caused the lines. I really don’t want to sand them off, but it is an option. The next method I’m going to use is adding some screw bosses underneath which will raise the entire panel a few mm and will allow the print to be level but still have the risers underneath which will absorb the warping and leave a nicely finished product.

 

[pipedream]

So I got the starter out of the boat. That was actually pretty easy. I was correct, it’s all sorts of rusty. I got it soaking in EvapoRust right now, but just by looking at it, I’m prolly going to be buying a new one. Good news is I found one. The alternator was not installed properly, so if they were having belt tension issues, yea I figured out why! I will need a schematic for this alternator, as the wiring was butchered on the engine well before I got here. The bearings sound and feel really dry so I’m going to take it apart and re-grease the bearings.

I found the correct wires for the interior lighting, and 4 out of 6 fixtures still worked perfectly. One was totally rusted beyond usefulness, and the other prolly just has a dead bulb. I got 3 of the 6 replaced with LED fixtures that are slightly brighter and have a red mode too.

And the report on the control panel… it’s striped but it turned out just fine. I found a wood chisel works great for getting the risers off. I will start the right side piece tomorrow.

 

[pipedream]

There used to be an alternator repair shop up on Pearl street near the park. The owner fixed my old volvo alternator when I couldn't find a replacement.

the owner is a boater and has a lot of marine stock.

Good luck

 

[mikeracca]

The print finished and it looks pretty ok. I’m not a fan of the stripes so I’m going to try one more method before calling it done. But in the mean time whadda ya all think? Oh, I will be drilling the holes for the switches by hand. Holes for the gauges are volt, water temp, oil pressure and fuel level.

 

[kappykaplan]

Stripes notwithstanding, that's a nice looking panel!

 

[mikeracca]

So the Wilson alternator I found was an exact match, and it was also brand new. Wilson said it was remanned, but it’s clearly never been used, the armature and case are freshly machined. Good to go here. No word on the starter as of yet.

I bought a piece of 3/4“ maple ply to fabricate my table out of. I was going to originally make a inlayed compass rose out of black walnut and oak. Well I have never done woodwork that intricate, and while I believe I can accomplish the task, I really loved how this piece of maple ply looks. So compass rose may be built still, but used in the chart table instead. I also got some 1/2” birch ply for the counter tops. This will have white formica on it with the teak edging. i still need to get the countertop under the cockpit out, that is proving harder than it looks. Oh well. I will get it.