Dog Days, 1981 Islander Bahama 28
October 1998 - August 2000
Maintained by Wally (David) Bryant, second owner.
Weekly: Yanmar 2GM engine, run in gear at 2800 RPM, 15-30 minutes once a week, sailing or not.
10/30/98 Removed Shroud covers, scrubbed shrouds with vinegar, rinsed and dried. Replaced Rigging Tape.
11/15/98 Leak onto cabin sole. Replaced foot pump for galley sink, replaced hoses, replaced filter from water tank.
11/15/98 Repaired Icebox Lid. Built jig around rim, filled with epoxy. Faired it down and painted.
2/20/99 Replace water tank. This was the cause of all the water on the cabin sole. New tank has no output feeds at bottom of tank, fed from top with flexible pipe inside that reaches to the bottom.. Tank compartment sealed with fiberglass and epoxy. Drain added to compartment. Compartment padded with Ensolite foam to reduce chafe on new tank. Added clear deck hatch to top of tank, repaired bench top with glass. 2-month project.
Replaced chain anchor rode with Stainless Steel chain to eliminate rust streaks on the bow.
2/23/99 Engine maintenance. Changed oil, air filter, oil filter. Replaced raw water impeller (old one was fine, I could have just checked it.) Changed fuel filter. Changed Racor filter.
3/14/99 Haulout.
Bottom paint. One coat Petit Black, two coats on leading edge of keel and bow and rudder. Was black before, no major growth after two years of quarterly scrubs and regular sailing.
Repacked stuffing box.
Reseated raw water intake, was loose in the hull. Thu-hull is fine but old, could be replaced but would require hull work. Better to live with the one that fits.
Replaced cutlass bearing. Added new set-screw, drilled and tapped to fit.
Replaced depth gauge. Drilled and mounted gauge, replaced transducer.
4/17/99 New main sheet. Increased size to 7/16. Replaced jam cleat with Ronstan cam cleat, teak block required to hide jam-cleat hole mounting damage. Backing plate installed, required removing and replacing headliner.
4/17/99 Added shelf (false bottom) to compartment under quarter berth to protect depth transducer and cables. If somebody had done this years ago the water tank fittings wouldn't have broken.
5/13/99 Added DC VoltMeter. Added Halogen reading light above starboard bench. Added molding to hide wires in head.
5/15/99 Filled rudder shaft with grease. Didn't solve wiggle in rudder. Turned out to be loose nut at top of shaft. Greased tiller/rudder joint and tightened down hard.
5/20/99 Pulled tiller. Added cross-bolts and sealed with epoxy around tiller extender mount. 8 new coats of varnish on tiller. Bought spare tiller, added 8 coats of varnish. Doesn't fit well, but will do in an emergency to get home on the bay...
5/20/99 Added sump for icebox. Sump is 3/8 marine plywood sealed w/ 2 coats epoxy, 5 coats laminated into bottom. No leaks allowed. 500gph pump. Pump is computerized, not float driven. Caused problem during testing when I dumped 2 gallons of water into icebox -- once pump turns off won't turn on again for 2.5 minutes, water kept draining. Will work fine for melting ice, but not for massive water influx when cleaning. Must remember that, and keep turning pump on when rinsing out box.
6/23/99 New Standing Rigging all around (port shrouds were cracked on top.) Svendsen's did the work. Rig tuned well. Rigger enjoyed standing on my brightwork, prefers it to the deck.
8/1/99 Caulked around chainplates. Noticed that port front was leaking yesterday after beating into heavy seas out the Golden Gate. Previously filled with silicone, it was a pain to pull out. Some silicone remains, but deep. Pulled deep into leaking chainplate to examine for corrosion. None found. Sealed with liquid life-caulk. Port front leaked liquid life-caulk down chainplate and onto teak bulkhead. Idiot. Pulled as much off as possible using mineral spirits. Could be worse. Thinking about it. Next time will seal around underside of deck with putty before filling with caulk.
9/99 Stripped handrails to bare teak. Cleaned, Bleached. Two coats Petit sealer. 7 coats Epifanes. Sanded smooth, removing about 3 coats. 4 more coats Epifanes. Made Sunbrella covers. Too much varnish seeped under tape due to non-skid, have to pick it out with a tiny little pick once it gets hard. Next time should fill non-skid with plumbers putty before taping.
10/5/99 Changed Oil, Oil Filter, Clean Water Strainer, Cleaned Air Filter
10/31/99 Replaced Head. Old head was Groco HC model, rebuild kits are no longer available, so I installed an HF head. Double clamped everything. Really Nice Guy at West Marine said that HF head would fit into same mounting bolt holes that HC head fit into. Really Nice Guy at West Marine was wrong, but I'm sure he meant well.
11/99 Liquid Gold applied to some of the interior teak.
New lifelines. Old ones were rusting pretty bad, and stretched out. New pelican hooks.
Great weather window! Stripped companionway teak to bare wood, sanded and refinished. First coat of Petit Sealer, then 4 coats of Epiphanes. This will hold until spring, when I can add more. Due to cold weather, I built a tent over the boat with tarps and left the companionway open with the heater on full. It worked fine, though I'll hate to see my electric bill. It's worth it to get the job done.
Refinished companionway steps. Sanded them down, 6 coats of varnish. Put non-skid on the steps.
2/00 Sanded and cleaned teak trim around the galley area. 4 Coats High-Gloss Varnish, topped with one coat of Rubbed Effect Varnish.
Scrubbed interior teak where required to clean. Oiled well with Liquid Gold, let it soak in then oiled it again. Used almost 2 cans of the stuff.
3/19/00 Cleaned black plastic trim at bow and stern, sealed with Penetrol. Added new telltales to shrouds. Put on my Summer Main and hanked the 90 Blade up to the forestay in the foredeck bag. Added new telltales on the leech of the main. Cleaned scuffed up Winch handle holders with Petit Brush Cleaner.
4/2/00 Changed Oil, Filter and Tightened stuffing box.
5/14/00 Replaced Bilge Pump. Wired with Shrink-Fit butt connectors, and covered connector with adhesive lined shrink fit tube. Connectors not replaced were covered in Silicone (marine grade), then shrink-wrapped, then bundled with tie-wraps and covered with another layer of silicone.
5/24/00 Adjusted stuffing box, again.
6/11/00 Packed Rudder post with Marine Grease. Changed transmission oil. Changed Fuel filter and bled system. Washed Air Filter -- it had a thin layer of carbon, which I've never seen before. Must think about that. I noticed an unusual sound while running the engine in gear at dock (to prove that my fuel system is free of air bubbles), and after 1/2 hour of staring at the engine and touching things to see how adjustments affected the sound -- while the engine was running, don't wear loose clothing -- discovered the problem. Starboard Front Engine Mount Nut was Loose! Sure am glad I listen to the engine!
7/2/00 Hand scrubbed bilge from bow to stern with scrubber, hose and wet-vacuum. Removed quite a few years of dirt. Hosed it all down, washed deep under the cabin sole. Cleaned out all limber holes, then wet-vacuumed the bottom of the bilge to remove any particles that could foul the bilge pump.
Discovered source of carbon in the air cleaner. One bolt on the mixer elbow was broken, apparently has been for some time as there's a broken bolt extractor in there too. Replaced mixer elbow and resealed gasket. Broken bolt is impossible to remove, but I may consult a mechanic. It appears to have been working fine without the bolt for as long as I've owned the boat, so I replaced the gasket and resealed with new gasket sealer. It bears watching.
7/22/00 Four more coats of varnish on cockpit/companionway teak.
7/29/00 Haulout. Replaced prop! New 12RH15 Two Blade, I can comb my hair in it! Replaced galley sea cock and thru-hull, as it didn't look good to me. Painted bottom. Waxed topsides.
8/18/00 Replaced exhaust hoses.
September 2000 - present
Maintained by James Williams, third owner.
Weekly: Yanmar 2GM engine, run in gear at 2800 RPM, 15-30 minutes once a week, sailing or not.
Bimonthly: Bottom cleaning and zinc inspection (and renewal if necessary), by Fastbottoms, Inc.
9/4/00 Changed oil and filter.
10/15/00 Polished stainless steel.
11/1/00 Repaired canvas umbrella fasteners for forward hatch.
11/14/00 Tightened engine mount bolts, renewed engine exhaust gasket, replaced one zinc plug in engine, replaced seawater inlet hose, replaced sea water pump, replaced alternator v-belts, replaced air filter. Work completed by Bay Marine Diesel.
2/1/01 Polished stainless steel.
5/10/01 Cleaned and waxed topsides.
7/10/01 Polished stainless steel.
8/01/01 Water not draining from icebox. Cleaned drain hose from icebox to sump.
11/10/01 Timing cover oil leak. Replaced all gaskets and seals. Performed annual service on engine. Work completed by Bay Marine Diesel.
1/01/02 Polished stainless steel.
5/02 Repaired port outdoor Bose speaker, which had corrosion in the driver.
Re-caulked port front chainplate, which began leaking again. Pulled out old life-caulk, found no corrosion, cleaned with Acetone, and sealed with liquid life-caulk. Same repair made on 8/1/99.
Waste deck plate cap frozen. With help from two other sailors managed to loosen the deck plate cap. Had new deck plate and cap installed. Repairs completed by David Howie, local boat craftsman.
Knot meter not working. Traced sensor line from knot impeller to knot meter, found break in line splice and re-spliced.
Cleaned bilge.
6/02 Cleaned, waxed, and polished topsides. Had hull cleaned and waxed. Polished stainless steel.
8/1-4/02 Cleaned and lightly sanded hatch cover boards, GPS & VHS speaker holder, and top step into cabin and applied two full-strength coats of Epifanes varnish.
8/2-8/02 Haul-out. Work completed at Mariner Boat Yard.
Repaired ding in keel. Power wash and wet sand with 60 grit paper and brush on two coats of Pettit Trinidad SR paint. Replace zincs.
Re-beded and refastened bow pulpit and rubrail/deck at bow and water test for leaking.
Replaced one keel bolt. Should check others in two years or so and consider replacing the five remaining accessible bolts.
Inspected and tuned rig. Note spiraling rust up wires. Normal for age.
Removed propeller shaft from coupling, replace packing gland hose, repack gland, connect shaft, and inspect cutless bearing. Check thruhulls and valves.
8/12-15/02 Maintenance at slip.
Two coats Epifanes high gloss varnish on all exterior teak, including tiller.
Polished exterior stainless steel.
Replaced interior carpeting with new.
8/22/02 Cleaned drain hose from icebox and bilge sump.
10/5/02 Polished stainless steel.
11/23/02 Repaired tear and batten in 90 percent headsail. Work done by Hogin Sails.
1/10/03 Oiled interior wood; cleaned bilge.
4/19/03 Polished stainless steel.
5/21/03 Replaced exterior Bose speakers with less expensive West Marine speakers. The Bose were installed in November 1998. The driver corroded on one of them after three and a half years and was repaired (see entry for 5/2/02). The second speaker's driver went out in January 2003. Since any speakers is bound to give out in a marine environment, especially when mounted outside, less expensive speakers seem to make sense.
5/25/03 Thorough cleaning of lifelines.
7/8/03 Cleaned bilge and pumped and vacuumed dry.
7/23-24/03 Cleaned, waxed, and polished topsides.
7/24/03 Annual engine service: changed oil and filter, changed Raycor filter, installed new raw water impeller, cleaned raw water strainer, and adjusted belt tension. Transmission has been slipping in forward, and inspection suggests it is not linkages or a problem with the propeller shaft. Scheduled to have transmission repaired (or replaced) within a month.
7/26/03 Changed engine zinc, replaced batteries, renewed o-ring in raw water strainer and sealed from minor leaking, nd cleared growth from knot meter impeller. Began removing old varnish spills from around base of teak deck handrail; tedious job, chipping and scraping from the nonskid. Finihsed removal around four rail posts in about one and a half hours -- about one-sixth of the job. Will continue project over the next month.
8/13/03 Unclog main bilge pump line, checked bilge pump for proper operation, and cleaned out bilge.
8/18-29/03 Removed and reconditioned transmission by putting in new cone, shims, and seals. Replaced exhaust manifold gasket. Work completed by Michael Lord. Runs smoothly and quite a bit more quietly.
9/26-27/03 Completed removing old varnish spills from around teak deck handrails. Polished stainless steel, full wash down and coat of Teflon polish on cockpit, applied Penetrol to bow and stern rub rails, and applied 303 Fabric Guard to canvas covers.
11/23/03 Replaced jib sheets with 7/16" Endura Double Braid (red), and replaced traveler control lines with 3/8" Sta-Set (blue fleck).
11/27/03 Washed down with Roll-Away deck soap and polished stainless steel. Properly whipped ends on new Endura jib sheets.
1/23/04 Mechanic Michael Lord checked shaft alignment and genral operation to determine cause of what seemed to be excessive vibration in gear at idle speed. Shaft okay; mounts tight; appears just to be low idle speed. Adjusted and will watch; if necessary check prop balance on next haul out.
2/07/04 Clean and wax hull.
2/21/04 Clean nonskid, polish stainless steel, and replace chafing guards on shrouds.
2/27/04 Repair leech tear on UK 120 Genoa (work completed by Rooster Sails).
3/17-24/04 Haul out and sand bottom, strip rudder, and apply two coats Pettit Trinidad SR bottom paint; inspect, clean and lub thru hlls and valves; grease rudder post; inspect cutless bearing and replace two zincs on shaft. Work complete by Mariner Boat Yard.
4/17/04 Short sail with George Benson to tune rig and check out sail trimming.
5/8/04 Scraped, sanded and spot varnished several small nicks on port handrail and companion ay teak. Needs coat of varnish on all exterior teak.
5/15/04 Replaced worn fender.
5/29-30/04 Taped, sanded, and put a coat of Epifanes wood finish on exterior teak.
6/5/04 On starting engine at beginning of a sail, discovered oil coming off the bottom of the oil filter in a small, steady stream. Removed filter (after having to go out and buy a wrench -- it was on much too tightly), and discovered a pinhole through which oil leaked only under pressure. Replaced filter, cleaned up oil spill in engine compartment, replaced soiled soaker sheets with new, and tested her. No more oil leak. Glad we checked the engine. Went on to top of batteries (all were down), check the engine zinc, and pump the head and wash her out; then took a short, well-deserved sail.
7/12/04 Replaced two shock cords on forward hatch canvas umbrella. Polished stainless steel with Bright Boy, rmoving and replacing speakers and other accoutrements on rails. Replaced rubbedr tips on swim ladder. Applied coat of Penetrol to bow and stern rub rails.
7/25/04 Annual engine service: changed oil filter, inspected Raycor filter (ok), inspected engine zinc (ok), installed new raw water impeller, cleaned raw water strainer, and adjusted belt tension. Work performed by Michael Lord.
7/31/04 Check and topped off batteries. Cleaned ice box with vinegar and will let stand open for three weeks while we're on vacation.
8/28/04 Thorough deck cleaning after three weeks neglect. On our return, we did a routine pump of the bilge (generally, there is nothing in the bilge to pump out), and to our surprise a gallon or more of water pumped out. Deborah remember thinking she smelled dampness in the morning, and on further investigation we found the remnants of water with oily residue floating in the bilge. Checked the bilge pumped (working), forced fresh water with hose pressure through the bilge line and blew out some obstructions, pmpe the bilge once the line was cleared, and then cldeaned and repumped the bilge.
8/29/04 More water in bilge in the morning, and we agreed that we had not heard teh icebox drain pump functioning during the night (it automatically pumps every fifteen minutes). Discovered that the bilge witch had been in the off, not automatic position. Consequently, the icebox drain pump was not functioning, and th icebox sump had overflowed, the wate being trapped in the lowest corner of the cockpit locker just beneath the sump. This may have been the source of the water in the bilge. Since the icebox pump was working, I drilled a 3/16th water excape hole at the lowest corner of the locker, allowing any standing water to drain beneath the galley drawer cabinet, thence to the bilge. Had to open up a hole patched with silicon between the drawer cabinet and the forward edge of the engine compartment to permit the water to continue draining to the bilge. In doing this, discovered that the water passed over oil residue from an earlier oil spill, picking it up and transporting it to the bilge. Generally mopped up remaining oil residue, cleaned and pumped the bilge one more time.
10/2-3/04 Washed and degreased motor, cleaned bilge, shampooed carpet, polished stainless steel.
10/9-10/04 Replaced old Harken and Schaeffer blocks with new Lewmar 60 mm racing blocks on mainsheet and boom vang, waxed hull with Marine Teflon Polish, and cleaned hull stripe with Penetrol.
10/24/04 Waxed topsides with Marine Teflon Polish.
10/26/04 Oiled interior teak with Liquid Gold.
12/19/04 Discovered that the Rule Platinum 500 gph computerized pump in the icebox sump (see entry for 5/20/99) was no longer working. Rule has discontinued this model, but West Maine found two of them in Toledo, Ohio. No other quite comparable pumps, and since the life of this pump seems to be about five years, ordered both, one as a spare.
1/17/05 Replaced icebox sump pump. Cleaned bilge and checked pump. Lubricated traveler with silicon spray.
3/14-15/05 It's time to do the varnish on Dog Days, and today I began the process by sanding off two or three layers of old varnish on the handrails. Was going to do the same to the eyebrows, but the varnish was too far gone, so I used a heat gun to strip all the old varnish. Put a coat of Penetrol on the eyebrows and on the handrails where I had to sand down to bare wood.
4/4/-4/5/05 Rain, out-of-town visitors, and a cruise-out in Spindrift kept me away from varnish work for two weeks. This week I taped, sanded with 320 paper, applied a prep-coat of 50% Epifanes Wood Finish and 50% Penetrol to the eyebrows and spots on the handrails. Twenty-four hours later I applied a coat of very slightly thinned wood finish to the handrails and eyebrows. The handrails came right back to life and will only need another good coat of wood finish. The eyebrows will need at least three more coats.
4/9-4/11 and 4/14/05 Lightly sanded rails and eyebrows on Saturday afternoon. Applied second coat of wood finish on Sunday, on Monday sanded and applied third coat to eyebrows, and on Thursday sanded and applied fourth coat to eyebrows. Topped off batteries as well.
5/2/05 Re-stitched the seams on the canvas rail covers and front hatch awning.
5/10/05 Washed down deck and polished stainless steel.
6/24/05 Cleaned and waxed topsides and hull.
10/27/05 – Had annual engine service completed by Michael Lord. No problems discovered.
10/29/05 – Put together a foredeck tie-down system for new tender. John Tuma completed the removable chocks. Tied down tender.
1/12/06 – Replaced general group 24 batteries with deep cycle group 24s. Need to put in upgraded charger.
2/2-3/06 – Washed, dried, and treated all canvas covers with 303 High Tech Fabric Guard. Replaced shock cords on canvas.
4/24-5/4/07 – Stripped down varnish around companion way entry to bare wood. Applied six coats of Epifanes Wood Finish and then two coats of Epifanes high gloss varnish. Applied a coat or two of wood finish to the tiller, rails, interior step, and interior trim, as well as two coats of high gloss varnish to rails and tiller.
5/11/07 – Swapped out Realistic VHF radio for ICOM VHF. New radio works but cannot get signal. Wondering if antenna and cable are not compatible.
5/17-5/19/07 – Washed, cleaned, and polished topside gelcoat. Re-stitched canvas rail covers and hatch cover canvas.
5/21/07 – Cleaned clog out of icebox drain line, and cleaned sump and screen on pump.
7/5/07 – Serviced engine (a biannual service, since I've not used her a lot). Changed oil filter, Racor fuel 110, zinc and gasket, valve cover gasket, and changed oil (2.5 quarts). Fuel very clean – I was worried about sediment build up in the tank clogging the filters after the bash down the Petaluma River, but no problems. Service performed by Michael Lord, Alameda.
7/8/07 – Cleaned life lines with Jabsco Brush Cleaner (remarkable), polished stainless, and painted horseshoe with Krylon Fusion paint. The horseshoe was truly worn from exposure, and the Krylon seems to have renewed it pretty well. In any case, it's cheaper than buying a new horseshoe just for appearances.
8/3-14/07 – Peeled bottom, stripping off several old coats of bottom paint, dealt with a couple of small blisters, applied four coats of epoxy sealer followed by two coats of bottom paint. Completed by Svendsen's Boat Works, Alameda.
8/12/08 - Annual engine service (oil change, filters, impeller, zinc) completed by Michael Lord.
1/8/09 - Repaired batten tear in Hogan working jib (completed by Rooster Sails).
1/31/09 - Rob Bastress (Bastress Boats) checked out the batteries for me while I was on the eastern seaboard ... they had gone dead. He discovered the shorepower had been turned off, tightened up everything and on rechecking found they'd charged back. He suggested they had a couple of years left on them.
6/09 - Mark and Karen Brunelle are subletting Dog Days this year, and they did a nice job waxing the hull and topsides.
7/15-8/6/09 - Any Neuvecelles-Buckles refinished the exterior teak. Removed old varnish on handrails, eyebrows and hatch-entry mouldings. Sanded, taped and applied sealer. Applied six coats of varnish plus two finishing coats to hatch boards. Repaired chipped edge of one hatchboard. She does truly wonderful work. The varnish is bristol.
