End of Season Haulout, Remembering Friends

  The end of our boating season always seems to come too quickly and this year was no different, made poignant with the loss of old friends.

 As most of you know, it was a bit of a whirlwind for us when we searched for, purchased and ultimately brought our new-to-us Sea Ray 370 Sundancer back at the beginning of this year. Given all the literal running around - sometimes between two countries - plus all the upgrades I worked on throughout May and June and it's no wonder time flew by so quickly.

 All that aside, it was an adventure and I'm happy to have had the opportunity to do it, but it's still hard to put the boat away for the winter. But as the old saying goes "There's always next year". Hopefully so.

 Irrespective of my ever growing list of small(ish) projects I am looking at for the Spring, we're going to make sure to spend as much time aboard in 2023. Having very recently lost a couple of good friends from our earlier boating days, it once again brings home how incredibly precious our days on the water are. Going forward, I'll do my best to dedicate new memories to our old friends who sadly will only be with us in spirit.

 Don't worry, I'll be sure to hoist a drink in their honour. Making the most of our time. . .

 As for myself, it was been a long three months of pondering my next moves on various social media platforms. This past summer brought an incredible number of folks who were eager to approach us during our extended cruise as they "Just wanted say Hi". There's no problem with that and I've always appreciated the positive feedback and well wishes, but this year it became was somewhat overwhelming at times, with sometimes three, four, five or more (!!) folks approaching us at a marina or at a lock on any given day. Again, I always appreciate hearing how much the videos and boating tips are enjoyed, and I am grateful that so many continue to be inspired by my ramblings.

 Keeping in mind that if you see us out on the water, we are there on OUR days off. Despite the perception that some have that we are on the boat 24/7, non stop, I actually do have a job and work full time, making OUR time aboard and relaxing very precious. Hopefully in the future we can look forward to just a simple smile and wave when out on OUR cruising days. . .?

 With that in mind, I've decided to stay off of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the foreseeable future with my efforts mostly concentrated to YouTube. This Blog will be more of filling in the blanks kind of affair, so to speak. Each time I review the video clips I captured, I get to thinking that I wish I had included more boring details ;-) With lots on my mind when it comes to boating, this Blog should help me to share more fun, projects as well as other insights from our boating life. 

 That all said, let's get to the latest - and long awaited - video, taken during our end-of-season haul out;

:-)

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Boat Safety Grab Handles - Easy Install

 One of the features we were looking for when up-sizing to our 1998 Sea Ray 370 Sundancer was the higher radar arch so that I could stand up comfortably at the helm. This model ticked that box nicely and I'm very happy with how it feels, but that extra height presented an issue that we hadn't considered - safely climbing onto the side decks when underway.

 As this first photo shows, there were a couple of factory installed grab rails on both port and starboard sides of the boat. The one mounted to the side glass adds security when walking alongside, and the larger one on the radar arch is very handy. However, as we travel through many locks each season - we did that 100 times in the 2022 boating season - we felt that climbing in and out of the boat when it is moving would be made much more comfortable by adding another grab rail to the inside of the radar arch. 

Factory installed grab rail on radar arch.

 A somewhat of an easy fix, as we ordered a pair of 16" stainless steel grab rails (*paid link) off of Amazon. They came with studs already installed, as well as nuts for fastening.

New 16" grab rail.

 First step to install was to mark where I wanted them mounted. The two important considerations here were having it placed where it would be most comfortable to reach, as well as access to the inside of the arch so that I could put the nuts on the studs.

Using tape to mark the mounting holes.

  Once I had that figured out, it was time to once gain drill holes in my boat ;-) Note the speaker has been removed to access the hollow part of the radar arch.

Just start drilling!

 

 When drilling into the boat's gelcoat, it's always a good idea to countersink the hole to avoid surface cracks. This is especially true when installing wood screws into the fibreglass.

Countersink the holes in the gelcoat.

 

  Tada! Looks good. The most difficult part of this job was reaching the underside through the radar arch. Ours is only about 2-3" wide on the inside and working in a contorted way was a bit of a struggle.

Looking good!

  Testing out the systems ;-) As this project was done prior to our summer cruise, we had lots of time to test it while underway and I'm happy to say that it worked out perfectly.

Safety first. . .

 An extra benefit of this location was that we could coil up the aft dock line while it wasn't in use. Perfect! 

Dock line storage.

 As this kit came as a pair, I had intended to install the second grab rail on the starboard side of the radar arch. However, the hollow part of the arch on that side is considerably tighter, with virtually no access to where the uppermost stud/nut would be located, so I didn't install that one yet. 

 My current workaround idea might be to epoxy that top one in place, only using the lower stud with the provided nut. I'm thinking that the lower one would take most of the stress anyway, so the epoxy on the top stud should work fine . . .? I'll let you know how that works out when the time comes.

* Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Emergency Engine Hatch Opening - Sea Ray Sundancer

  A number of years ago, a friend/fellow boater had to do some quick repairs in his boat's engine room that required him to be down there with the engine hatch closed. His First Mate stayed above decks, waiting for him to call her to have the hatch opened again. While waiting, she asked herself what would have happened if the electrically operated hatch lift failed while hubby was down there?

 Fortunately for them, there was no issue when it came time to operate the lift, with a simple push of a button at the helm once again magically lifting the hatch. All good.

 Of course, that conversation led to the realization that a back-up plan would be prudent. In case the electrical system failed, or if there wasn't enough power in the batteries to allow the system to function, some sort of manual operation would have to suffice. Happily, most (if not all) boat manufacturers have figured out a workaround for just such a scenario.

 When we originally got our 1998 Sea Ray 330 Sundancer, I investigated to see how I - or potentially one of my rescuers - would perform this function in case of a loss of power.

 On that model, there was a screw out inspection plate (*paid link) on the engine hatch that simply unscrewed if needed. That allows one to both look into the engine room, and more importantly, reach below to access a manual release.

Open-able plate to access the engine room.

 Here's a closer look at the plate, removed for access.

 So, how does one open the hatch? Pictured below is a look at the ram that operates the power lift. The green arrow is pointing at a removable clevis pin (*paid link). By reaching through the removable plate, that pin can be easily pulled out of the ram. Once that has been removed, the entire hatch can be lifted up (on its hinges).

Removable Clevis Pin 

 The only word of caution I'd mention is that the hatch on this boat was quite heavy, so an extra pair of hands might come in handy when lifting. Of course, be very careful if you have to perform this function, as dropping that thing on hands or feet would definitely result in injuries - and that's the last thing any of us wants when enjoying time on the boat...

 * Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Holding Tank Vent Filter

  This being the first year of owning our new-to-us 370 Sundancer, I had spent the majority of my 'Repairs and Upgrades' time working on the pressing matters that I wanted to complete before our summer cruise, but hadn't even thought about the holding tank vent filter. For the first little while, we didn't notice any smells coming from the tank, but about halfway through our 5 week cruise, the telltale smell was starting to be apparent. Luckily for us - and surrounding boaters - this only occurred a few times, but I was eager to replace the vent filter as soon as we got back to our home port marina.

 Looking online to compare prices and options, I discovered a listing on Amazon for a replacement filter (*paid link), but was concerned about the low price more than anything! Having purchased the OEM units for our previous boats, I was a little skeptical as to how well an inexpensive unit might perform, but figured that with Amazon's great return policy, I'd give it a try. 

Comparing unit size before installation.

 The original 'SeaLand' (now part of the Dometic company) brand was what most Sea Rays - as well as many other boat manufacturers - of this vintage came factory equipped with and they have been widely available through aftermarket vendors and marinas. A decent product, but considering that these things are not much more than a plastic tube with charcoal filter, I was hoping that another manufacturer might have been able offer a more reasonably priced solution.

 What I was able to find was this filter (*paid link) offered through Amazon at a very attractive price, so decided to give it a try. Although I'm not familiar with the manufacturer - yachtZmarine - the unit was delivered quickly and swapping it out was simple and straightforward. The old unit was removed by merely unscrewing the two ends from the filter lines, unsnapping it from the plastic mounting brackets and putting the new one in by reversing the process. No more than a few minutes of work and it was all done!

New filter installed in just a few minutes.

  How has it performed? I installed this at the end of August and we've had no more smell after six weeks of regular use. Most manufacturers will recommend replacing these filters annually, but I have found that, in our case, we usually get at least 2 seasons before having to change them. Bear in mind that our boating season generally lasts from beginning of May to middle of October, so keep that in mind for your own situation. That said, we use the facilities on the boat exclusively, never going to the public marina washroom, so our onboard toilet system gets a good workout every year ;-)

* Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.