To answer some of the questions asked about the physical placement of our Gen (the Generator), the following pictures may help explain…
Travelling Position
Travelling Position, Captain Seat Up
Swim Ladder Down
Even without moving Gen we can easily access the swim ladder
…but should we need more space, Gen can easily be removed ‘en masse’.
…and set aside on one of the cockpit seats.
Engine Up
With the engine up the prop still trails in the water but the Gen platform can be trimmed an inch or two which will allow more tilt to the engine. It was hard to design during the winter months to know exactly how wide to cut it. It will remain as such for now.
Filling Water Reservoir
While we were at the service dock snapping pictures for you I thought I would show just how easy it is to refill our three water jugs.
We are very close to departing for our summer adventure and installing the generator is THE last project yet to be completed…for now. We’ll be using it only when needed while at anchor but the main reason for the gas beast was a ‘just in case’ there was a repeat of last summer when cranking battery died and we had to enter an unfamiliar marina under sail (story here)
We had hoped to secure a piece of marine starboard for the transome support but there wasn’t enough time to order, receive and cut to fit, so marine plywood was used as a stop gap measure. Two layers of primer and two layers of epoxy paint to protect.
Prepping the Base
Because we are now living on the water, a couple of saw horses borrowed at the club to paint and our tow beast trunk to stow the piece while it dried to keep free of dust became the workshop of choice.
Transome Brackets
These two ‘starboard’ pieces are actually salvaged from my daughter’s cutting board but they will make the perfect bracket for the transome support.
Perfect Fit
One last check to make sure fit was perfect and mark the height to apply the brackets.
Brackets in Place
The brackets were smeared with 3M 4000 them screwed in place each side of the transome.
Eyelets for Securing Straps Sealed with Butyle Tape
Travel Position
Captain Seat Closed
Running Position
Wrapped and Strapped
…and ready to GO!
Hard to imagine that all this gear was necessary to apply 4 screws but it actually was. It’s going to take an organizational wizard to make this work. (wink! wink!)
Water supply onboard R.E.D.has always been an issue...not just in amount available but in ease of access...one hand washed at a time. Last year the original faucet started giving us problems during our trip away. Francois did his best to fix it but by the end of the season it was clear the poor thing wouldn't last much longer(story here).
We've put a lot into our little chalet on the water to make her safer for this year's adventure and galley improvements were not on our list of upgrades. A simple and inexpensive solution was to replace our two 2.5 gallon water jugs with three 5 gallon jugs, add a length of tubing so we could run water from the rear bilge back to the galley sink. Problem was the old faucet wouldn't hold the prime. Could be all those little black bits that kept falling out of it was the reason. So I made an executive decision and ordered a new faucet. Still hand pump version but that upgrade will have to wait till next year.
Attaching the New Faucet
Out with the old and in with the new was an easy fix.
Through the Galley
The 10 feet of tubing was run through the existing access made for the AC/DC Dometic converter.
Cropped Jug Tap
Francois cut off the tap top of the jug cap so we could run the tubing through.
Adjusting the Length
Electrical tape marks the right depth for the tubing inside the jug...
Taped Snug Fit
...and also acts to tighten the seal once the cap is in place.
Port Side Rear Bilge
Now all three jugs have a secure place port side just behind the companionway stairs.
Free Flowing
Fifteen gallons of free flowing water. Faucet holds it's prime. All is good in the galley. It's not the perfect solution but for now it will give us a better water supply for this boating season. I still dream of the day when I can wash both hands at once.