Successful Engine Use!!!!

[Mo]

Took the boat down the SW shore of Nova Scotia for a ways this past weekend.

No wind on Friday when I left. Motored 5 hrs @ 6 kts to a pretty good little Hurricane Hole. During the way down I used my infra-red thermometer to monitor my engine. Did this 4 times on the way down, the first about an hour in then 2 more times over the next hour....no change at all...rock steady at these temps....so I stopped after that.
-block temp 142 F
-head temp 104 F (no t-stat and by valve open 1/2)
-coil temp 162 F
Didn't have a hit of trouble with the old girl.

Saturday around 11am headed out and down the coast for another 10 miles or so. Wind and sea came up significantly and my wife (normally doesn't get seasick) and Aaron were seasick...I turned it around for the spot we spent the night before and motor sailed for 3 hrs. Not a hit of trouble with engine...so cool. Pulled into a very tight little passage and damned if someone I knew wasn't on the community dock (and has clout)... told us we could stay there as long as we like etc etc...even went and picked me up some more beer....outstanding. The wind was blowing 25kts on the beam in this protected cove with a crop of rock between us and 12 footers...constant roar of the waves breaking just out of sight. I put out my fender board and put it between my fenders and the dock...see pic.

Sunday off the dock at 9 am and headed home. Motor sailed another 4 hrs in light wind by then it came up...arrival at dock 1430...no issues.

As Dave Neptune would say "the little beastie did OK".

[ndutton]

Great report Mo but please tell me more. The coil temp reading is most useful but can you also provide the ignition setup measurements:

• Ign system voltage at cruising RPM
• Coil internal resistance
• Supplemental resistor if any

It would be great to tie this to a coil temperature. I'll do the same in about 10 days, have a Catalina trip planned and the morning trip over there is nearly always under power for 4 - 5 hours.

[Skywalker]

Sounds great, Mo.

I had a real gut reaction to the picture - the trees, rock ledge, very different environment from my home waters on Long Island Sound. Very "northern", maritime. Looks beautiful.

That A4 of yours sounds like she's living the good life, as are you!

Enjoy.

Chris

[Mo]

Chris,
There are metal rings in the rock-face there from WWII. It was a hiding spot for our warships in case our major harbors were under attack. With camo and fog it was very unlikely that enemy planes would see attack boats tied between the rock face. Water is 25 feet deep at low tide and good water all the way in there. It was also used as a MTB (same as American PT boat) launch point to attack German Navy...they learned early not to come cruising through here...it is "some spot"!

Met a friend at Prospect yesterday that I hadn't seen in 10 yrs. He brought his Pacific Sailcraft 44 in there during Hurricane Earl. Said he and his wife were in the cockpit having a Scotch and the zodiac was twirling upside down, then right side up (with motor on it) as it was tied off at the end of the boat...at the height of the storm. The boat didn't move but the zodiac took a beating!!

Home in Halifax the sun shone all weekend...where we went it was pretty much fog. That spot is not well know except for the locals there but it beats being piled in with 10 other sailboats in the " Roost". It is protected in every directions....best hole I know of.

[Mo]

Great report Mo but please tell me more. The coil temp reading is most useful but can you also provide the ignition setup measurements:

• Ign system voltage at cruising RPM
• Coil internal resistance
• Supplemental resistor if any

It would be great to tie this to a coil temperature. I'll do the same in about 10 days, have a Catalina trip planned and the morning trip over there is nearly always under power for 4 - 5 hours.

I'll have to look at it Neil. There is a additional resistor and I think it is 1 ohm...remember putting that on but only bought a 1ohm as that was about the ballpark for the external at the time...now it might be 2 ohm. Will have to check on the resistance on the coil as well...will get to it asap.

My voltage at cruising read 14.8....I know that is high but I also use no deep cycle batteries...only deep cycle / starter combination. It will drop out a bit to around 14.5 after everything is charged.

Fog was so thick that I had that raytheon 40xx radar going the whole time and it sucks major power....you don't run this radar without the engine going.

Coast Guard Traffic called me at one point and asked if I had a target 1 mile off my bow...told them I had an intermittent target...when I caught up it was a kayak...crazy bugger out that far. They sent an inshore rescue rib to shadow him....unreal! Couldn't believe they picked him up... I thought it was a buoy or something going up and down with the swell...he was in a traffic channel as well....and has right of way over everything...until he is run down.


.... So, getting back on track here...I may have been charging more to keep up with the juice sucking radar.

[ndutton]

I understand your strategy but have a concern you may be affecting the long term health of your battery at that charging voltage. I've mentioned his name before, in discussions with Dan Pires, owner of Lewco Electric, he advised that prolonged charging voltages over 14.4 or so hammer the living Hell out of conventional deep cycle batteries. When I told him my alternator put out 14.7 volts he shot me a look like this saying at that voltage I was pretty much guaranteed to boil he batteries. He recommended a 14.2V maximum, we went for 14.0. A week later he performed a regulator-ectomy for me.

I'm only passing along info from someone far more knowledgeable on the subject than me.

[smosher]

Mo Alt maybe putting out 14.8 volts but whats the voltage at the battery ?. My Alt, a 55 amp has a sensing wire that I connected to the common on the ab switch. What this means is that the common will be at 14.2 but the alt in my boat is putting out 14.7 at the alternator to compensate for the voltage drop across the loop.

Steve

[Mo]

Needs to be evaluated on my boat.

Guys,

I will have to wait until I get my friend to look at the voltage system. Neil, I know you are right. I have a 90 amp alternator (might even be 100 or 110). I put that on when I got the boat in 2007 and it has always read 14.7- 14.9 on start-up and if I ran the batteries down...it will drop down to 14.4 or 14.5 after that. I've never seen it below that though.

I'll have to get my friend Darrel to bring his gear and have a look.

[Skywalker]

What a great spot, great history.

The south shore of Long Island has some WW II history, but as far as I know, he Germans didn't venture into the Sound.

One day I ope to have the time (and money) to explore, but until then, thanks for the glimpse...

Chris

[Mo]

Impressed with fuel usage

So, over the weekend I used the engine 12 hours. Friday was no wind conditions is ground swells...5 hrs; Saturday was 3 to 4 meter pushing for 3 hrs. Sunday was 2 meter swells for 4 hrs. Filled the boat up today and it took 7 gallons. I be thinking she's tuned in pretty good. I'm impressed.

[Mo]

What a great spot, great history.

The south shore of Long Island has some WW II history, but as far as I know, he Germans didn't venture into the Sound.

One day I ope to have the time (and money) to explore, but until then, thanks for the glimpse...

Chris

A few pics: It was actually a very trying weekend navigation wise. Wife and kids are not happy once they loose visability....all seem to be more on edge. A few pics I shot along the way...I took 200 pics....while taking one I nailed a plastic buoy and knocked it over like a punching bag...never marked the boat. LOL...camera distraction...oh well. I knew it was there,,,knew it was plastic, just took a few too many and didn't alter ...oh well

Pics are Prospect NS....first one is Doug Pacific Seacraft 44....SMOKING NICE BOAT!!! Second is the entrance to Prospect village. Passage it the opening on the Rt as you look out (pic is taken from the hbr looking out)...those are 9 foot seas just past those rocks...I know because I came in through them. Pic of Prospect from ocean side that was taken as I headed out about 11am...we turned around and came back later in the afternoon...wind and seas came up and wife and Aaron were sick. It was my first time taking it into Prospect Village but I just needed to get them out of the weather so I went for it...piece of cake!

Dog's name is Radar...he wore that outfit during 1 hour of rain we had Saturday afternoon when that blow came up....he didn't mind a bit.

[Sony2000]

Mo its a shame the seas were heavy. Just a little further and you would have been impressed with the modern castle of Owl's Head, Northwest and Southwest Cove. They are all close together at the mouth of St. Margaret's Bay.

[Mo]

Been down there Sony...a few years back. There's a little spot called Aspotagon...real nice to anchor or grab a mooring but there are no stores or anything...just a small fishing village. Not sure where we will go this weekend but will have something in the works. Weather is not looking great for Saturday but it is what it is...Sambro at the very least.

Mahone Bay and LaHave are great spots but you need a full week to 10 days to do it right. It's about 10 hrs down one way and just too much for a weekend. My wife has a 3 day weekend coming up again so we will likely spend it on the boat. We heard a commotion on the radio re: Great White on Saturday. Just a mention on channel 16 ... wind was howling at the time and we were on our way back in...the shark incident was about 10 miles from where we were at the time. When I made it back into sheltered Prospect I was met on the dock by a couple of old friends...they had already heard about the "shark attacking a fishing boat"....turns out the real story was a little different.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1145826-shark-encounter-just-like-jaws

Edit: I might take off early Friday morning and head further down and haul it in someplace. Melinda and kids could drive down and meet the boat...that's the other option.

[Skywalker]

9 foot seas! Not in the Sound! I only encounter them when I make the trek to the ocean, which is a days sail either east or west.

Visibility is nice! I know my wife and kids would get edgy too. I like the possibility of variability where you are. Sounds like you can experience everything, maybe in the same day!

Sometimes I forget we sail in a bathtub around here.

Last Thursday we had 15-20 kts out of the north northwest, blowing right into the harbor entrance. The mouth had 4-5 foot rollers and everyone ran for shelter!

Around here, 5-10 kts , 1-2 foot seas is the norm during the summer.

And 12 hours, 7 gallons. Wow. Who needs a diesel! I forgot, do you have an adjustable main jet?

I've been focused on rigging issues lately because the A4 has been running so well. Starts smoothly, purrs aalong, 160 degrees, 35-40 lbs, I wouldn't know she was running if it wasn't for my prop noise. I still need to time at cruise rpm, adjust idle jet. Haven't checked my fuel consumption.

You've given me something to shoot for.

Chris

[Mo]

No adjustable main jet Chris...She's just tuned in just right I think. As for the ocean, well...it's right there for me. I leave the yacht club and go around McNabs Island and it's ocean. When we leave the harbour for a trip it is on the ocean. Sometimes I venture further off if the sea is running...as the sea comes in over shallow bottom it starts the well-up and not uncommon to have large waves in not so trying conditions...sometimes better to be off a bit.

I was surprised that she took only 7. I brought down 10 gallons yesterday morning and she wouldn't take even half the second one. To be honest I am so impressed with that!! Must be doing something right. Granted on Friday I motored in no wind and just a ground swell running...just chugging along at 6kts.