Sea Water Cooling pump

                                                              Sea Water Cooling Pump

After the boat went into the water and all overboard valves were checked as well as hose connections, the mud boxes were filled up and before the engines were started ,to prevent that the sea water pump would run to long dry, although prepared with acid free Vaseline,  I filled up the pump with water through one of the plugs above the pump.
With one engine there was not issue but the other engine the water ran straight out of the pump through the mechanical seal.
Although I'm familiar with these type of pumps they are not all the same and especially the older pumps from around 1970 are not the same as build as these days.

To know which pump type was installed on the engine, engine manual does not informs you which pump actually is installed, I had to remove some paint from the cover and was able to check for the correct type. The one installed on my engines is a 1" type of pump.
I was a kind of lucky to find this information since from the other pump the original cover was removed and replaced by a stainless steel cover.

Going through the internet to find the correct drawing, which took me some time I found a Johnson manual with drawings and spare part numbers.
Going through this manual I also noticed that quite some parts are not available anymore which created some concerns from mys side, since I expected that the mechanical seal was broken.
The found drawing in the manual gave me an better idea how the pump was build together.
See below drawing.

Taking the pump apart after having removed the pump from the engine I directly noticed that the circlip , part of position 4, was not installed therefore preventing the mechanical seal rotating part being pushed against the stationary part.

As can be seen from the next picture of the other engines sea water pump the cir-clip is clearly visible.

To be able to run the engine and not filling up the bilges a rubber O-ring was placed between the housing and the stationary part of the mechanical seal and by installing the impeller the mechanical seal was compressed and in such way there was no leakage, although I know this is not the correct way of repairs it fits it purpose and in the man time I was able to search the internet for the correct parts.,

The idea was to completely overhaul the pump and replace all wear and tear parts, items 2, 4, 6, 8 on the drawing. Reason was that I have no idea how many running hours the pumps do have and if they are still able to give enough cooling water to the engines on long runs.
There the challenge started as I could not find any company in Holland who as able to supply all parts I required.and  I ended up in the USA with a company who was able to supply all required parts.

After the new parts were received  the first step was to remove the pump again from the engine and check the condition of the pump shaft to see if there was an issue to install the circlip. As can be seen from the below picture the groove for the circlip to keep the mechanical seal in place was completely filled with rust, most likely an incorrect type of material was used for the circlip when the last overhaul was performed.

After cleaning the rust and debris out of the shaft the groove became visible again.

The next step was to check if the circlip would fit in the groove and would remain in position after being installed, this was the case and the circlip was removed again.

The following step was to take the pump further apart and to check the dimensions of the old parts and the new parts, the wear might be less than I would expect and there might be no need to exchange the parts and safe the new parts for the future.

The cover as can be seen from the picture showed quite some wear actually the thickness of the old cover was 2.2 mm while the new cover is 2.5 mm.

The covers was replaced on both pumps.

The next part which was removed was part No. 2 the guidance piece for the impeller, it's simple to remove just unscrewing from outside.

On both pumps this part was not stuck. Checking the measurements at the thickest part I noticed quite some wear, old one 4.5 mm new one 6.3 mm and this was a good reason to replace this part on both pumps. On the picture this wear is also quite visible.

I do not think that this wear will reduce the capacity of the pump since the impeller will still be able to close the suction from discharge side.

The next part which was changed was item 8 the bottom wear plate where the impeller runs over.

The plate removed was 1.7 mm and the new plate 1.8 mm not much wear but one could see the area where the impeller had ran over.

The mechanical seals were inspected and I could not see any damage to the running surface nor excessive wear and therefore they were reinstalled and not replaced.

What I noticed that when i put all new parts in the pump housing that item 2 was slightly sticking out above the surface of the pump housing. This was solved by cleaning the bottom surface of the pump housing since over the years time some debris and corrosion had been building up preventing that the bottom wear plate item 8 could be completely going in its place.

Below picture shows all new parts installed including the ring between circlip and mechanical seal which was not found when taking the pump apart, might be that at earlier overhauls this ring was not installed but according to the drawing it is a part of the pump and therefore I did install the ring.

Pump installed on the engine and the circlip installed on the shaft, this went relatively easy and therefore I think that the ring between circlip and mechanical seal is a part of the original installation of this pump. The circlip is not from steel or stainless steel but from brass , therefore it does not stick out on the below picture, but can be seen.

The pump was further build together impeller installed and new cover with new screws completed the overhaul . A test run was done with the engine and although difficult to see it looks like that some more cooling water is running through the engine and I also have the impression that the pressure is a bit higher.

Completed inside pictures

                                                        Inside Pictures..

Although one never is finished with restoring an old boat and the small items takes the longest time to complete, I would like to share some pictures of the completed inside of the boat.

In the bow new mattresses were made with special covering for boats which are anti allergic and resistant against mildew.
The bottom of the mattress was covered in an open structure to be able for the mattress  breath and not hold humidity in them.  This was done for all mattresses and cushions in the boat.
Although with the above knowledge and keeping the boat in the winter in the water the mattresses and cushions have been removed.
New mattresses were bought, the foam and my neighbor was able to cover them.
Foe the new foam the old mattresses were used as template which came out very well, everything fitted tight as it should be no large gaps.
This method works better in my opinion then making templates for example from carton.
The forward bulkhead was renewed as well in the restoration process but the doors to the anchor bin are the original doors.

The Main cabin kitchen as mentioned in one of the blogs was taken completely apart sanded and        re-varnished. The sliding doors of the cabinets are original and were just cleaned, they are still in a good condition.

I kept the original cutting boards in place. New faucets were installed as well as new potable water lines from tank to the faucets in the kitchen area and bathroom.

The storage area for plates and cups was taken apart again since the present seize of cups and plates did not fit in the spaces for them, some minor new arrangements were made with the vertical supports and all fits now as it should be.

When I bought the boat there was no cover over the stove, old fashioned Taylor cooker which actually works well, and since this did not looked good as can be seen from the following picture a cover was made and placed over the stove, cover can be seen in earlier pictures.

Below picture shows the stove in view

The dining table which I think is not original was varnished and new wood pieces placed on the side to prevent that when the boat list slightly all is sliding of the table.,

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Also here in the sitting area the cushions were 100 % renewed as well as the aft wood support to the back cushions which was painted as well to protect the wood from humidity. 

Original this was not done and the wood support for the cushions was unpainted.

Since this Storebro 34 is a Deluxe Storebro  we do not have a U-Couch but an L-couch with at the end a closet and a so called Captains chair.

This captains chair was completely stripped and re varnished after the wood was stained with a color close to mahogany. Comes out always more red than one hopes for.

The bathroom which also can be used as a shower area was as mentioned in an earlier blog completely stripped and re varnished in a two component epoxy varnish to withstand water in case we are planning to take a shower here, which for sure at this moment is not in the planning. 

The original toilet was removed, since it is not allowed in the Netherlands to discharge black water in inland  waters, therefore a chemical toilet was installed which actually sits nice and high.

On the right upper side one can see a gauge and two switched, the gauge is for checking the water level in the potable water tanks which is switch activated while the other switch is for the potable water pump which stops when a certain pressure is reached, a pressure vessel for potable water is installed in the engine room spaces.

The aft cabin same as in the forward cabin the mattresses of the beds were completely renewed.

Further all wood work was sanded and re varnished as described in earlier blogs.

The steering area as described in earlier blogs was also completely sanded wood replaced where required and varnished.

The steering stand was kept original no changes in gauges or switches just wood sanded and material around the gauges cleaned and polished.

The foot supports, port side and starboard side were installed again, although I'm pretty tall  one never knows when one needs them again.

The chairs, as far as I know original were re-upholstered and we choose for white seat, do not know if this is original but I think it looks nice with the wood in he steering area.

Electrical Upgrade

                                                  Main  Electrical system.

As with many older boats, cars etc. owners are modifying and running over the years new cables for their own purpose but in some cases this becomes a hasty job, especially when the cables are not in sight and this can result in not proper guiding of the newly installed wires/cables.
I understand  that we are working with low voltage but still in case of failures blown fuses it is important that cable runs can be followed, especially with the battery cables which will have a high amperage in a short circuit.
With the above in mind you already understand that I did not found the boat up to my standards.
From below pictures it can be seen that loose wires although connected were hanging around in the engine room spaces and fuse cabinet. Additional, battery cables were not seized correctly.

First attempt was made in removing the wires which were in my opinion obsolete and could be removed without jeopardizing the original installation. This was done around the batteries and in the fuse cabinet, this took some time but the result was that all looked already better.

To be honest I have done this several times with the cables around the batteries, also due to changing the position of the batteries in the engine-room space.

Eventually the final version was installed.

For example the main switches for the battery system were placed under the small hatch aft of the steering cabin near the doors of the aft cabin in the engine room space, long cables runs especially since the batteries were placed ports side under the steering console.

Moved the switches forward under the floor but that was not ideal.

Therefore I made a small cabinet next to the steering console where these switches were placed in.

Short cables between the batteries and steering console.

The batteries were place in between the engines in line forward to aft and I invested in Optima batteries as starting batteries and an additional house battery.

What I noticed was that each engine it's alternator was connected to one battery with no regulating system to check which battery was empty or full.

I therefore invested in a regulator which is fed by both engine alternators and checks which battery is the lowest in amperage, first starting to load the starting batteries before the house battery, also this unit was placed in the new cabinet.

This unit can feed 4 batteries but for the moment  I have connected 3 batteries; two starting batteries and one house battery, of which one start battery can also be connected as house battery to the electrical system, while the other one is solely a start battery. This way I should always be able to start one engine.

Further with this unit it gives me the opportunity to sail low speed with one engine on line while at the same time charging all batteries.

Picture of cabinet with charger unit and main switches.

The above picture shows also a charger for solar panels although old solar panels they still do charge the house battery.

The main electrical system was not fitted with main fuses between the batteries and the ships electrical system, therefore main fuses were installed as close as possible near the batteries.

With the changes by installing the charging unit, fuses and main switches the amount of cables increased but by using silicone cables the cable runs were not that difficult. Although it looks from below pictures a lot of cables.

The fuse cabinet was cleaned up as well light added and the fuse covers were marked with the fuse position behind the covers this way when a fuse blows it can be quickly replaced.

Inside Lights

                                                                 Inside lights

During the last years of restoring the boat and when all was accessible the electrical wiring was inspected at the same time.
During these inspections I came to the conclusion that hardly any wiring needed to be exchanged, did not find any discolored copper wires in the cabling nor was the outside of the cabling damaged, therefore a minor amount of new cables needed to be pulled for the lights, in the most cases new to be installed lighting.
With regards to the cabling for the batteries and cables around the engines most of them were replaced.
One of the reason to replace them was to install main fuses which are not a part of the original design of the boat. Other reason was that I wanted to use silicone cables which are no as stiff as normal battery cables and which are easier to install.
With regard to the lights are were replaced except a few in good condition the round ceiling lights in the most forward and aft cabin.

                                                                 Aft Cabin
In the aft cabin new lights were installed as bed/reading lights.
These light fixtures were fitted with LED lamps to reduce the power consumption, as with most lights installed where possible the halogen lamps were replaced by LED lamps.

The storage shelf port and starboard looked a bit dark to me and since I was running several new wires I installed LED strips to make the shelf more visible and at the same time create some more light in the aft cabin.

The aft cabin storage cabinet was a kind of dark to my onion and since I had some LED strip left and switches a part of the LED strip was installed in the cabinet.

The LED strip is relatively cheap and when one looks on the internet one can buy rolls of 10 meter, 20 meter or even longer. The advantage of these led strips is that they can be cut to length and directly be connected to the 12 volt circuit no additional transformer or anything else is required.

                                                     

Original ceiling light as far as I know.

Main Cabin

What I noticed that with the original light the main cabin is rather dark therefore some additional light have been added. When I bough the boat the center round light was removed and replaced by some smaller lights which in my opinion did not looked that nice.

A new concept was made from Mahogany with 3 individual lights which now do give more than enough light around the dining table.

Other lights were on the walls when I bought the boat but in my opinion not positioned in such a way that they would be good reading lights.

Therefore some investment was made and two flexible spots were bough and positioned on the cabinets this way creating lights on the corners of the couch. 

The same was done here as in the aft cabin with placing LED strips above the shelf behind the couch cushions.

The space behind the cushions is divided in an aft larger space as per above picture and a smaller forward space behind the small back cushion.

Since we have these days all telephones etc. which need to be charged through an USB behind this smaller cushion I placed USB ports for charging, as well as a lighter outlet for any other connection and a volt meter showing the voltage of the house battery.

For the kitchen area a light was placed on the wall above the sink and the original light above the stove was left in place.

The kitchen cabinets looked a bit dark as well and with keeping in mind all what I found when taking the kitchen area apart I thought it was a good idea to place also LED strips in the storage cabinets.

The larger storage cabinet next to the couch was also outfitted with a small light which becomes very handy since this cabinet is rather deep.

The bathroom has only one light which I did not changed since it is a fluorescent light which gives enough light for a bathroom.

                                                     Forward cabin, bedroom.

The original round ceiling light was kept in place to keep the boat as original as possible.

new bed light were installed against the cabinets in the forward cabin.

Bit classic look to try to match it with the age of the boat.

These lights do give more then a enough light for reading and checking the cabin in the dark if required.

In the port side larger cabinet was also a LED strip placed, in the small starboard side cabinet this was not done since it is so small that the light would not have any effect.

Further also here two USB ports were installed for charging.

Original ceiling light as far as I know, next to the ceiling light a small fan which works on solar power which I hope will create some circulation while the boat remains in the water during the winter months.

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Steering Cabin.

In the steering cabin one larger light is positioned between the window wipers this way when one is docked or at anchor giving enough light in this area to move around without tripping.

Also here on the right hand of the console an outlet has been made for 12 volt, this allows for plugging in for example a navigation computer.

What I noticed was that the cabinet which holds all fuses was a kind of dark and especially when one needs to replace a fuse, which always can be done with a flash light in the dark but it is nice to have two hands free when changing a fuse.

Also here a LED strip was placed with a switch which activates the light when the doors are opened.

Sometimes I do get the question why keeping the old fuse system in place and not replace it with a more modern system.

One of the reason is that I wanted to restore and not rebuild the boat to as much as possible original condition the other one is that changing the amount of fuses to a new system would require more space and would become a kind of expensive.

The good part of the present system with this large amount of fuses is that the electrical system is set up in such a way that when a fuse blow that non of the cabins will be totally in the dark, which I think due to my work on board on ships is a major advantage.

For example there is one fuse for the port side aft bed light and starboard forward bed light, so if his fuse fails there will be still light in both areas.