Summer in Baltimore

July 25 thru July 29

—Blogpost written by Bob

Thursday, July 25

We drove to Annapolis in the morning to get more pipe fittings for our water maker installation (another $100!) and to run some other errands.  I purchased new nylon pipe fittings for the fresh water lines while I'm using old (repurposed) bronze fittings for the salt water side of the system.  (I will be using marine water hose for all the salt water lines and vinyl hose for the fresh water lines.)

An assortment of old bronze pipe fittings that I
previously removed from the plumbing
system.  Some of these will be
repurposed for the salt water
lines to the water maker.

Before we left Annapolis, we stopped for lunch at Italian Market and I was able to try the sausage and banana pepper combination that the guys at Maritime Plastics like so much.  It was very tasty but I still like pepperoni pizza better.

Pizza with sausage and banana
peppers was very tasty but I
still prefer New York style
pepperoni pizza!

When we got back to the boat I did some more planning for the water maker installation, focusing on specific parts of the system, like getting the salt water to the water maker and getting the fresh water to our tanks.  In my opinion one can't do too much planning on a project like this.

Friday, July 26

I started work early on the installation of the salt water line leading from the seacock under the galley sink to the compartment under the starboard settee (a distance of about 6 feet) where the water maker will be located.  First, I installed the fittings for the hose and installed a plug on the opposite end of the tee that is mounted on top of the seacock.  I had to drill a 1-5/8-inch diameter hole for the hose to come through the fiberglass under the floor in the galley.  This went rather smoothly for a boat project!

The 1-5/8-inch diameter hole (center of
image) through the 2-1/2-inch
thick rib in the bilge.

However, when I got to the point of routing the hose to the water maker compartment, I realized that I had to drill the same size (1-5/8" diameter) hole through a major structural rib in the hull.  The rib was about 2-1/2 inches thick and it was constructed of several layers of marine plywood encased in fiberglass.  It took me 2 hours to drill through this rib using a small portable battery operated drill (the only tool that would fit into the space).

A close up view of the 1-5/8-inch diameter hole through
the rib in the bilge.  I coated the inside surface of
this hole with epoxy and allowed it to cure
before routing the hose through it.

By 3 PM (3 hours later) the epoxy had cured sufficiently to route the hose through the hole and into the water maker compartment.  Once the hose was completely routed I reinstalled the floor boards in the galley and put two hose clamps on the hose at the seacock connection.  We then tested it for leak tight integrity.  (We held the opposite end of the hose above the waterline so that no salt water entered the boat when we opened the seacock.)  There were NO leaks!

The confined area where the connection
to the seacock was made.

The seawater connection for the water
maker under the galley sink.

As usual, by 4 PM my work day was done and it was time for Happy Hour.  Tomorrow I plan on putting all the water maker components into the water maker compartment and arranging them so that hose runs are minimized before making equipment supports.  (I hope everything fits!)

By the way, today, Maggie filled the forward fresh water tank while I looked for leaks below the tank with a flashlight.  There were NO leaks!  This is great news because we had gone through the 40 gallons of fresh water in that tank very quickly.  (Of course, the bad news is that we went through 40 gallons of water in a few days legitimately.)

Why do I feel so beat up this evening?  Working in tiny spaces really takes a toll on your body, at least it does on mine.

Saturday, July 27

I slept in a little later than usual this morning.  We had a light breakfast at the marina's boaters lounge before Maggie departed for a week at Bethany Beach DE for a family reunion.  (I am so glad that my presence was not required!)

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This morning Lola fell off the stern of the boat and into the dinghy--she high-tailed it back onto the boat and immediately went below (with a wet tail from the little bit of rain water that was in the dinghy).  I think she was embarrassed.

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So, I got a very late start to the morning (well after 11 AM) for my water maker installation project.  My first task was to put the major water maker components into the planned compartment under the starboard settee in the manner that they will be connected to make sure everything fits.  It seemed like everything would fit easily and still allow space for removal of the filter housing for filter cartridge replacements--that's good news.

The two largest components of the water maker
placed in the intended compartment
under the starboard settee. (The
shortened tank to be used as
a day tank is on the left

Before I started any assembly I drilled a 1/2-inch diameter drain hole in the water maker compartment.  Every time I change a filter cartridge water will end up in the compartment--it must have a way to drain into the bilge.

I added a 1/2-inch diameter drain hole in the
water maker compartment before
starting any assembly.

Next up was to design a support for the salt water strainer and the water maker, incorporating a way to mount the filter housing on the same support.  (I'm OK with mounting the filter assembly horizontally.)  When I tried to assemble the 3-way intake valve to the filter assembly it would not tighten--so I need to get a new fitting for this application before progressing on the assembly and the mounts.  Most of the fittings are 3/8 inch and smaller--I don't stock such small fittings onboard.

However, I still have a lot of related work I can do on mounting the fresh water transfer pump and running the fresh water transfer lines.  I disassembled the settee, removing the platform under the settee cushions so that I could have sufficient access to run these lines but all of this will all have to wait until tomorrow since it is already 4:30 PM.

I put the settee platform back
in place for the night.

Sunday, July 28

After my bowl of cheerios with a sprinkling of blueberries for breakfast, I started to make subassemblies for major parts of the water maker so that I could start assembling something--anything to show some progress.  However, I kept running into situations where I needed a special size fitting that I didn't have onboard.  Most of the lines around the water maker are less than 3/8-inch in diameter--most are either 1/8", 3/16" or 1/4", much smaller than I have ever used.

This mess on top of the platform is a good
illustration of my frustration with not
having the necessary very
small plastic fittings.

The largest diameter hose (for the sea water inlet to the water maker) in the above photo is 3/8-inch but the size of the discharge from the sea water strainer is 1/2".  So, even the sea water system needs an adaptor (1/2" male NPT to 3/8" female hose barb) that I don't have.

I made a rough design of the support for the water maker and then sanded the paint from the fiberglass where it will be mounted.  (First thing tomorrow morning I will cut the major pieces for the water maker support from 1/2" thick marine plywood and affix them to the hull before heading to Annapolis to get all the small pipe fittings I need--I have a very specific list.)  Without a lot of progress to show for it, my work was done for the day at 4 PM.  I believe this project will take all week and then some...

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I was very disappointed to hear of Trump's recent comments about Baltimore "being infested with rats" since we spend hurricane season here and Baltimore is like our second home. There is no reason for this kind of rhetoric from a president of the United States!  I have decided to forego the Bahamas in late 2020 to do my part in defeating him.  I will do whatever I can, including driving people to their voting locations.

Monday, July 29

When I got up this morning I cut a few of the pieces of marine plywood needed for the water maker support and then drove to Annapolis to get more hose fittings.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Fawcett's had all the very small fittings that I needed.  (I turned in some of the larger fittings I bought last week that I couldn't use and my total bill for the new ones was less than $3!)

The very small hose fittings I
purchased today at Fawcetts.

When I got back to the boat I started making the water maker support by using 5-minute epoxy to make the initial assembly because it cures fast and then using a normal epoxy thickened with #407 filler to make large filets on the inside corners.  (I was able to do this work on our dining table where it was nice and cool.)  

The water maker support is positioned upside
down for making the filets on
the inside corners.

When the filets cured (about 3 hours later), I sanded them smooth and applied a layer of fiberglass cloth in the corners to strengthen the assembly. I allowed the fiberglass cloth reinforcement to cure overnight.  Tomorrow morning the support will be ready for being epoxied to the hull.  Stay tuned for the results...


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