Saturday, March 31, 2012

Finally it all works...RO

Here is the final installation of the fittings and low pressure pump for the RO water system. Found 3 leaks on the actual high pressure pump, one required tightening a hose clamp, one putting Marine-tek epoxy on a plug and re inserting it, and the last one was simply putting Marine-tek around it after it was cleaned and warm (propane torch, easy does it). All seems OK...it makes around 20-30 gphr. Marine-tek is sorta like JB weld but better.
The other wires, black looped up and the white ones, are wires to the autopilot that I use (Raymarine with yaw control). Had to mount that unit away from the engine...sorta in the center of the boat...etc. Works great. Installed two boom brakes...one for the main, a "ServoBrake" (I got it from KISS...but now it is handled elsewhere) and a 8 descender for the Mizzen boom. Not sure if I have it all right...but we will test and adjust once we get going. Picture will appear later. Almost ready to go to Hilo.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just a thought about the Servobrake: I'm a great fan of these, and have installed at least three that I can remember, with no unhappy owners. The fingertip control during a gybe is unparalleled in my experience.
I was acquainted with the designer, a highly talented engineer.
However, there's one thing I have long pondered: have you considered how to safeguard your boom in the situation where you are running at speed, and dip the boom?
Given that you're (by inference) a ketch or at least a yawl, this may be unlikely.
If you're concerned, I'd suggest attaching the control lines to the pair of control sheaves (the ones which constrain the larger diameter brake lines) with a breakable link of lighter cord. In the case of dipping the boom or sustaining a horrific inadvertant gybe with much too much sail up, the breakage of this would not permit unrestrained slewing of the boom, as the brake would still exert considerable retardation, but it would no longer try to prevent it altogether, possibly breaking the boom due to bending moment, or the gooseneck due to the forward thrust.

On my installations, I had concerns about this which I addressed by screwing rather than bolting the turning sheaves to the deck (the ones which lead the control lines aft). However I think on reflection this was a more dangerous layout: the block would flick towards the cockpit in the event of failure, whereas my more recent idea would keep the consequences of any failure lateral and towards the front of the boom.

10:36 PM  

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