First trip under Creeky's own power

Well I'm making a bit more progress, little by little.  One of the exciting things that happened this week was Creeky's maiden voyage under her own power.  It wasn't exactly planned, and I wasn't exactly ready, but it worked.  I got a call on Monday afternoon from the marina telling me that I needed to move to another dock because they needed to do some construction on my dock.  I asked when they needed it moved by.  They said "this afternoon."

Eff...  The steering still isn't hooked up and the prop still drives the boat in reverse when the transmission is in forward.  Not to mention the fact that the boat has never moved under its own power.  Also, I have never maneuvered a boat anywhere near this big, let alone around other more expensive boats.  All I could think about was the unwelcoming greeting I got when I arrived at Admiral's Hill Marina under tow.

Upon seeing me for the first time, Jim the dock master just said "Oh no, what the hell is this shit?  Boats here have to arrive under their own power, and you signed a form saying that this thing was seaworthy.  Why the hell are you being towed in?!"  I told him the boat ran and drove, but I got towed because the steering had issues and when I got the transmission connected to the prop the thrust was in reverse.  Also, the boat wasn't registered at the time.  He still shook my hand and told me the codes, but I sensed his frustration and disbelief when he stormed off the dock.

So before I hung up the phone on Monday afternoon I cautiously promised to try to move the boat when I got out of work.  Part of me wanted to ask for a tow, but I really wanted to prove to Jim that I wasn't lying when I first met him.

The next step was to find some help for the big move.  Brian was headed to New Orleans with Bryan to visit David on his epic motorcycle trip to Panama, but Nikolas was free.  When we got to the boat I checked the engine connections, reconnected the battery, and the engine started right up.  We were off to a great start.  After she warmed up for a bit and all the gauges were in the green, Nikolas cast us off.  I popped the transmission in forward so we could back out of the slip and we were on our way.  Then, just as we got far enough away from the dock for it to count the engine died and Creeky became a 30,000 lb. wrecking ball.

I leaped into the cabin and grabbed my wrenches to see what I could do while we were still out in the open.  I went over every connection and tried to diagnose as quickly as I could.  The engine didn't seem to be getting any fuel.  Maybe there was an air lock in the system again, I thought.  So I started bleeding the fuel line, but it still wouldn't start.  As we drifted closer to some nice shiny powerboats on a neighboring dock, I remembered reading in the book Dave gave me that you can run a diesel engine on WD-40.  Off came the air filter, in went a steady stream of the wondrous fluid, but still no dice.

At this point we came to rest against my neighbor Mike's boat, which Nikolas managed to fend us off from.  After about 20 minutes of fighting the wind and the current we managed to get Creeky back to where we started from, but facing the other direction.  After an elaborate and nerve-racking adventure, all we had managed to do was turn the boat around.  Not quite what we were going for...

But I was determined to overcome this challenge and prove to Jim and myself that Creeky could drive and steer without assistance.  So I dove back under the cockpit to do some more wrenching as Nikolas reminded me that we only had another 45 minutes before we had to leave so he could watch the hockey game.  With the pressure on I got back into turbo diagnosis mode and then noticed that the fuel line had a kink in it, which was just obscured by a cooling hose.  After straightening out the hose and bleeding the fuel line again we made a little progress, and with just a spritz of starter fluid the fuel system primed itself.

With the engine running smoothly again we made the trip flawlessly, and even did a two point turn to dock into the wind.  I have to say that she handled better than I thought she would given her size and weight.  I can't wait to be able to take her out on her first real shakedown sometime soonish.

The videos below are from Friday morning when I moved Creeky back to her slip.  Jennilee noticed that some people were walking on the boat so I popped up to see what they were doing.  It was Jim and some other guys getting ready to tow the boat over to the other slip.  I asked if they just wanted me to move it and Jim, surprised, said "sure, if you think you can do it.  I didn't think that thing ran."  Now with an audience, I fired up the 30 year old diesel and let it come up to temp.  When I gave the go-ahead the guys cast us off and we cruised around the corner to my slip.  No surprises this time.  Just a nice, smooth, nose in docking followed by a "nice job cap'n" from Jim.  Boom, vindicated.

You may notice that I am steering with the shortened emergency tiller.

Sooooo nervous.

Forward motion (figuratively)

Well I finally got in touch with Konrad at West Mekan in Norway and got a little more information on the controllable pitch propeller, mostly in Norwegian.  The Adobe PDF text recognition didn't work, so I need to manually type all of the text in the first document into google translate, which I haven't had time to do yet.  The schematics are useful conceptually, but Konrad made sure to point out that they may not apply to my particular situation.  He did confirm that the blades are rotation-specific, so if the ones I have are RH blades (which I am now confident they are) they will need to be replaced with LH blades.  It sounds like they need to custom manufacture them and that they will cost between $1,000 and $1,500.  I have no idea what the time frame is on getting them though...

 Apparently "Monterings - Og Smorings Veiledning For HV Anlegg Og HVS-Anlegg" translates roughly into "Assembly - and Lubrication Guide For HV-Set and HVS-Set"

 Exploded diagram of the HV reversing mechanism, which is what actually rotates the blades.  There is a manual hydraulic pump that moves a push-rod inside of the propeller shaft.

I also found the following diagram for the current version of the HV system on the West Mekan website.  It is useful in the sense that it looks similar to the setup I have, but that's about it.

Searching google images for "west mekan," I stumbled across this Norwegian forum with some very useful pictures (see below): http://baatplassen.no/i/topic/59867-utskifting-av-propellblader-west-mekan-fr/
It looks like a slightly different setup than mine, but the mechanism of action looks the same.

If you look closely you can see that each blade has a slot in it.  The triangular piece in the last picture is connected to the push-rod that is hydraulically controlled from the cabin.  It has 3 "keys" that slide along the slots to control the pitch of the blades.

In my boat I measured the distance that the push-rod assembly moved on the prop shaft and it was about 1 inch (~2.5 cm).  I did this with and without the engine running and it seemed to be enough travel to rotate the blades to the point that the engine almost stalled out when in gear.  I assume the blades were fully feathered at this point, but I wasn't able to visually confirm.  According to Konrad that seemed to be too short a distance for a sailing propeller, but that they may have been different 30 years ago.  He said that a sailing prop should be able to rotate up to 100-110 degrees and that a power boat prop would max out at 40-50 degrees.

Below are actual pictures of the assembly I have.  In the first picture you can see the triangular sliding "key" for the blade pitch.  You can also see that there is no adjustment nut on the end of the push-rod like there is in the other pictures above.

Picture of the prop shaft prior to installing the blades found on the previous owner's Flickr account

Picture of the installed prop found on the previous owner's Flickr account

Picture of the installed prop found on the previous owner's Flickr account

Picture of the installed prop found on the previous owner's Flickr account

 Prop shaft and reversing assembly.  The part that moves is the large brass cylinder to the right of the hydraulic piston with the lines going to it.

 Prop shaft and reversing assembly

Manual hydraulic pump


So in summary, it looks like replacing the prop blades (at ~$1,500 + haul out fee) may be slightly more cost effective than replacing the V-Drive (at ~$3,200), but I am concerned about how long it will take to get the blades.  My other concern is that I really only want to haul the boat out of the water once because I don't think it's going to be cheap.  Konrad's responses so far have been somewhat less than inspiring.  I hoped that asking for information about a 30 year old system that has never been used might stir up some interest in doing some archival digging, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  My biggest concern is that I'll get the new blades, pull the boat out of the water, get everything taken apart, and they will be the wrong fit.  I guess I'll find out soon enough...

In the meantime I think I'll focus on getting the steering set up finally and making the boat more livable.  There is still a holding tank that is filled to the brim with someone else's shit in it and no way to pump it out since the boat isn't exactly mobile.  I think I'll start there.  

Another brief distraction - the Midwest

Wow, summer hasn't even really started and it already feels like it is half way gone.  I can't believe how quickly any hope of free time disappears once the weather warms up.  Since I last posted an update I have been fairly productive and had a bit of fun.

The weekend after my last final I took a much needed break and went out to Bismarck, ND to visit some friends and confirmed what I have long suspected about the Midwest: the news has not reached them that the American colonies have made it and we are no longer at risk of being wiped out as a people.  The Midwest is continuing to make babies as if America's last stand is approaching and we need to build a new army.

Dear Midwest,

We made it.  Thanks for all your support in repopulating our nation over the past century.  Now that we have a formalized government structure, electricity, running water, heat, etc... the threat is over.  We no longer need to focus all of our resources into reproducing for fear that the next winter may wipe us out.  Please feel free to dial it back a bit and consider focusing on things like acceptance of non-white races, cultural enrichment, and basic political education.  I fear that we may have missed you in our original mailing in 1908.  Our apologies for this misstep.  

Lastly, we just wanted to let you know that Obama is not going to come and take any of your guns or ammo.  So you don't need to spend all of your life savings on arming yourselves to the teeth.  We heard there was concern about this and just wanted to set the record straight.  

Sincerely,

The East Coast

That being said, all of my friends' kids are freaking adorable, and I totally get it.  It's pretty wild to see your hoodlum college friends turn into responsible adult parents.  I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.  Frankly, I didn't even think it was legal for people like Clif and Jeff to reproduce...  Playing with all those babies did make me feel a bit older than I'd like to.  I look forward to taking that adventure in the not too distant future, but not this week.

Clif, Jeff, Dave, Tim, Rachel, Bella, if any of you guys are reading this, thanks again for an awesome long weekend.  It was great to see all of you, and the next time we get together better be sooner than in 7 years.

Now where was I?

Wooooohooooo!!!  Finals are DONE, papers are DONE, presentations are DONE, and it is officially summer!  There was a period there where I didn't think I would make it.  The past several weeks have involved some long, long nights at the library, but it paid off.  I found out that I aced my big final and I feel good about the papers I wrote and presentation I gave.  I should have my grades in a few weeks, but I feel like I did alright in both classes.

So now that I am done with finals I can finally focus on Creeky a bit more.  Last week I sold my bed, which was a big step towards moving aboard.  I have started packing some things up, and as soon as I have my motorcycle back from the shop I plan to start spending most nights on Creeky.  The next big goal is to have everything else that I don't need sold or given away by the end of June (if anybody needs/wants any stuff please let me know).  Pretty exciting.

Unfortunately, the issue with the propulsion persists.  I have triple confirmed what I already knew about the transmission; that it cannot be run in reverse.  I also found out that the V-Drive can be run in either rotational direction based on the input, but that doesn't help me very much.  As for the prop, I still have not been able to get any information from West Mekan, but I did manage to get in touch with Gunner at Scandia Propeller Service, where it looks like the system originally came from.  He is working on doing some more research on the system but was able to give me at least some valuable information in the meantime.  He confirmed that the prop blades can only be installed in one direction and that they can't just be flipped around, which makes sense.  He also thought the easiest thing to do would be to replace the V-Drive to get the right rotation at the prop.  He thinks that will be cheaper than getting new blades, but is looking into whether or not they are available just in case.

So it looks like I need to do some hunting for a used V-Drive that will fit the bill.  I can't afford to drop $3,200 on a new one right now, and I don't think it would be right to put something new and fancy in with the current setup.  I'm going to try to find a rebuilt Walter RV-20 with the opposite rotation and see if that takes care of everything.

Despite all this seemingly productive research I am still in the same place I was a few weeks ago.  Let's not forget the other major mechanical projects like the steering, diesel tank installation, permanent control mounts, etc...  Then there are also the critical things to make the boat inhabitable, like getting the deck plate put on for the forward head (which is disgustingly over-full), getting water sorted out, and getting the propane system installed.  Obstacles or not, progress will continue!

Home stretch!

I'm in the home stretch!  One more night of studying, a final tomorrow evening, and then I am free!  I can't wait.  Almost there...

I am not good at waiting

I have to admit that while I do like to do a lot of things the old fashioned way, I am not very good at being patient when that's what the old fashioned way requires.  Being spoiled with having all the information you could ever need on most topics available at your fingertips makes it really hard to do things like wait for marine specialists to get back to you about outdated boat parts.  I got in touch with a woman at Scandia Propeller Service earlier this week, who it looks like sold Henry the West Mekan setup, and she said that Johann would almost definitely know about the system.  She took down all the details and asked me to email her what documents I have, which I did.  No response as of yet.  I also emailed West Mekan twice and made the long distance call to Norway speak with Konrad.  He said that he got my emails and was sure he could find some more details on the setup I have and would send them to me via email.  Nothing from him yet either.  Now it's Friday evening and I don't expect that I'll get much more news over the weekend.  Efffff...

How did anybody get anything done in the 80's?!

Not that I have any time to do anything on the boat this weekend, but I was hoping to at least spend a few hours on it if I make enough progress.  Beyond that it would just be nice to get some definitive info for the sake of closure.  Now I will continue to be consumed with trying to mentally figure out something that is impossible to understand without some more information.  Oh well, at least I have studying to keep my mind mostly occupied until next week.  Maybe I'll try to get in touch with Henry and Birgitta this weekend and see if they remember anything about the setup.

One thing I was able to get some info on was the V-Drive.  I emailed Walter Machine and explained to them that I have an RV-20 V-Drive from the 80's with zero hours on it that I would like to trade with them for the same model with the opposite output rotation as the one I have.  I thought maybe they would have some dusty ones lying around in their shop somewhere or a rebuilt one or something.  This is the response I got:

"Your RV-20 V-Drive would be replaced by current production model RV-26; cost with Idler Gear Assembly is $3,224.00 plus $118 for new #25 prop shaft coupling (if required in your installation).  The new RV-26 would come with new mounting brackets and a 12" long #27 splined connecting shaft."

Not quite what I was hoping for, but it was worth a shot!

The end of the semester is in sight!

Well, the semester is almost over and I can't wait.  I have two ~20 page papers to write by May 7th, one presentation to give, and one final on May 14th.  After that I can set my sights back on making some serious headway with Creeky.  However, despite my efforts to focus on school and work, Creeky keeps creeping into my train of thought.  It's kind of a problem.  Where I intend to spend 5-10 minutes researching things online between homework assignments or meetings I end up spending at least an hour.  I'm just trying to put some dots together in my head so that when my schedule opens up I have an action plan to complete projects rather than taking more measurements and spending more time researching things online.

The main thing I have been researching is the engine and drivetrain configuration.  To recap, the issue I am having is that when the transmission is in forward the thrust is in reverse.  Right now I am chasing down as much literature as I can find on the various components involved (see below).  I have managed to find quite a bit of information on just about everything except for the controllable pitch prop system, which is Norwegian.  I have emailed West Mekan a few times, but have not received a response to date.  I plan to call them tomorrow morning.

Engine: Westerbeke W80
Transmission: Velvet Drive C71 (Model 10-17-004, Ratio 1:1) 
both of these are reverse mounted with a driveshaft going into an independently mounted V-Drive
V-Drive: Walter RV-20 (Ratio 2.56:1) 
which goes into a controllable pitch prop
Prop: West Mekan AS Type 40 HV3 Controllable Pitch Prop System

What I know so far is that looking from the stern of the boat the engine rotates in the RH direction.  When the transmission is in forward the driveshaft going into the V-Drive also rotates in the RH direction.  This is reversed by the V-Drive and the output of propshaft is in the LH rotation.  From what little bit of information I have been able to find online about the West Mekan system it appears that the prop is likely a RH prop.  I have tried adjusting the pitch of the prop all the way in both directions, but it does not go past the feathered position to allow a reversal of the thrust while maintaining the same rotational direction.

It seems like the issue may be that the V-Drive is the incorrect model (they made the same model with an idler gear to keep the rotational direction) or the prop is incorrect.  However it seems extremely unlikely that Henry (the original owner of the boat) would have made such an oversight given all the thought he put into everything else.  Another possibility is that when the prop was installed the blades were put on facing the wrong direction, but I don't even know if that is possible.  Since the prop is underwater, this is the one thing I can't visually diagnose, at least not easily.  A final possibility is that everything is correct and I just need to use the reverse gear to obtain forward motion, but I am almost certain that is not the case.  From what I have read this will kill the transmission in a hurry, but there are a few sources that also disagree with this.

What I really need is a free weekend to really go through all of the possibilities while I am on the boat!  For now I will just have to keep digging for more info and try to be patient, which is not one of my strong suits.

It doesn't help my brain that the prop is feathered in this picture because I don't know which way the blades rotate.