9 Jun 2011 ... I just purchased a used sail boat that has a Volvo MD7B diesel engine. Before
and after the purchase I used the skills of recommended ...
Editor: Rose Williams
[email protected] Volume XXXV,I Issue 6 June 2011
SOUNDINGS
(
[email protected])
Commodore, Bull Walker+ Vice Commodore, Jim Ronay+ Rear Commodore, Tony Taylor
A View From The Bridge Thanks to all who volunteered for the RYC Nautical Flea Market:
Commodore- Bull Walker Vice Commodore- Jim Ronay
Bill & Jeff Coxwell
Maryann & Ozel Cox
Rear Commodore-Tony Taylor
Dave Davis
Trish & Will Eldredge
Serena & Roger Frank
Barbara Gurtner
Jean Goggi
Linda & Merlin Hartdegen
Chris Houghton
Felix Keeley
Amanda & Ken Kellar
John Liberti
Barbara Mathis
Nancy & Rich Moeller
Barbara & John Morran
Valarie Nowell
Shirley & Jim Paxton
Martha & Todd Pearson
Bonnie & Vic Popiwny
Jude Powell & Jim McBurney
Fran & Charlie Powers
Patty & Pat Rios
Treasurer- Todd Pearson Secretary- John Morran Director of Admin- Charlie Powers Director of Facilities Felix Keeley—790-3535 Director of Public Relations Valarie Nowell 361.235.1519 Past Commodore- Steve Morehead Director of Fundraising-Butch Engle Director of Planning and Finance-
Elaine & Monte Swetnam Darlene & Tony Taylor
Pat Rios
Jennie & David Taylor
Dusty Walker
Rose & John Williams
Dee & Gary Ytreeide
Marsha & Jack Lawrence
Rockport Yacht Club/722 Navigation Circle/ Rockport, Texas/ Members USSA/TSA/YCA Texas/Members USSA/TSA/YCA >>> >>> >>>
A special thanks goes out to Butch Engel, who organized the entire event – well done (BZ)!! We also need to thank Trip Hunt for playing music all afternoon Saturday, sure helped beer sales… It looks like we’re going to net approximately $8,000 from the Flea Market – down a bit from previous years which only makes our financial situation a bit more serious. Any suggestions/ideas to boost income are welcome. Please feel free to drop me a note. We have the Texas Mariners Cruising Association (TMCA) coming next month, June 8-12. This is a fantastic 4 days! There will be a shrimp boil and Sunday brunch. They will converge on our Club about 80 strong arriving by boat and land yacht. Please come out and meet these folks, they are a gas!! Be sure to look at the calendar, there is lots to do that week at RYC! Have a great month! Bull Walker—Commodore 1
CALENDAR OF EVENTS HAPPY HOUR EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT….. Beautiful Sunsets!!! JUNE2 RYC Board Meeting 5:30pm 3 Happy Hour/ Race #1 4 Two-handed Race 9 RYC Monthly Members Meeting-‖Western Night‖ 10-12 TX Mariners Cruising Assoc Visit —-10 Happy Hour/ Race #2 ―Burgers on the Barbie‖ —-11 TMCA Shrimp Boil —-12 TMCA Sunday Breakfast Brunch 17 Happy Hour 20 Game Night 24 Happy Hour / Race #3 JULY– 4th Boat Parade TBA Lighthouse Regatta & Party AUGUST-5-6-7 Navy Regatta Aug 13 Tiki Beach Party at Mud Island (boat ride required)
Spring Races are Happening! Come watch off the back deck during Friday Night Happy Hours...hope to see you there! JUNE—start of the Summer Sunfish series held at the Rockport Beach Park—watch for details in the emails—bring your lawnchairs & ice chests!
F.Y.I——any club member interested in placing an ad in the monthly Soundings can do so by contacting Rose at 361.332.9669
2
JUNE MONTHLY MEETING & DINNER Thursday June 9th, 2011 Break out the denim, spurs and hats——it’s Western Night! Bar opens at 5:30pm …… Dinner served at 6p.m. Catered by Stevie Lew’s Bar-B-Q: Serving of Brisket & Sausage, Cowboy Beans, Potato Salad, Bread, sauces/pickles/onions/jalepenos. Desert will be either German Chocolate or Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese icing. $12.00 per person
Reservations must be made by JUNE 6th (noon) please……
CONTACT JAN GARCIA @ 729-9189 or———>>>>>>>
[email protected] (preferred) Sooo...saddle up and come join us, love to have y’all!!
THE CART STORE Golf Car Sales, Service, & Parts 361-727-1500 4211 S. Hwy 35 Rockport TX Don Arnold- Owner Come check out all the custom carts!
FORTRESS STORAGE CENTER A PLACE FOR ALL YOUR STORAGE NEEDS 205 S. Hwy 35—Rockport TX 361-729-9747
3
New & Used
From the Vice Commodore—Jim Ronay
Engine Survey and Analysis The time to look for engine gremlins is before you buy that new or used boat. But then again those same gremlins can creep into your engine environment at any time during ownership. I just purchased a used sail boat that has a Volvo MD7B diesel engine. Before and after the purchase I used the skills of recommended mechanics to check things. Our initial departure from Kemah, Tx began the 6 hour trek to reach the south end of Galveston Bay just before entering the Gulf. For safety and wind conditions, I elected to motor. Even with all the checks and double checks, we still had an engine failure 5 hours out. That failure required sailing up to a unfamiliar fueling dock without power and without damage. We did it using sunfish techniques. Scary! This may not be the best place to share the details of what happened next but it may be the proper place to review steps you can take regarding the health of an engine whether buying or taking care of your existing engine. If you’re considering the purchase of a boat, either new or used, the onus is on you to make certain that the engine is properly installed and operating at maximum efficiency and reliability. I’m frequently surprised at the lack of attention paid to engines, even by professional mechanics, during a survey, sea trials and ownership. The watchwords in this case are testing and compliance: The engine must be thoroughly tested, and it must be assessed to ensure that its installation meets with all of the manufacturer’s requirements just as I did when owning various aircraft. While there are many experienced and capable independent mechanics out there, in the case of pre-purchase assessment and analysis, it pays to choose one who has access to the engine manufacturer’s written installation requirements and latest service bulletins. Often you must tell the mechanic exactly what you’d like inspected. While this may sound superfluous, many mechanics won’t scrutinize an engine installation thoroughly enough, particularly aboard a new boat or one that appears to be well maintained such as mine. However, many seemingly neat and clean engine compartments are afflicted with potentially fatal flaws, so don’t be fooled by appearances. Although the following may seem boring to read, the short list contains items you can consider at any time in the life cycle of your gas or diesel engine. During any inspection, Your mechanic should: • Ensure that the wet exhaust system has the specified drop or slope to the muffler and rise before the discharge. • Determine that the cables used for the positive and negative electrical supply to the starter are the correct size. • Inspect the motor mounts to make sure that they’re tight, secure, and not overextended or rusted. • Determine that the installation meets the manufacturer’s specifications, then ensure that the engine doesn’t overheat and achieves the rated wide-open-throttle rpm by operating it under way at 80-percent rpm for a minimum of one hour and at 100-percent throttle for 10 minutes. • Check the cylinder compression, if it’s a used engine. • Test the exhaust-system components for proper temperature while under way. No part of an exposed exhaust component should exceed 200 F, and the water-cooled portions of the exhaust, and especially the hose, typically shouldn’t exceed 150 F. • Check during the sea trial that the engine-compartment temperature doesn’t measure 30 F above the cabin’s air temperature. During the sea trial, except for observations, the engine compartment or box should be closed. The mechanic tests by placing a remote thermometer in the compartment adjacent to the engine air intake. If the temperature difference exceeds 30 degrees, the engine requires additional ventilation. • Test the exhaust-gas back pressure during the sea trial. • Send samples of the crankcase oil, transmission fluid, and coolant for laboratory analysis. The value of fluid analysis can’t be overstated, and it’s a bargain, with analysis kits costing about $30 each. Our boat has a fuel “polishing” system meaning it has three filters one of which is the Racor fuel filter/water separator. I added an oil filled pressure gage on top of the Racor that gave us clear indication that we were having some fuel flow restriction since the pressure gage observes
negative pressure. However, I was not clear on the meaning of various readings so I missed the initial clews.
As you know, the engine and compartment should be as clean as your kitchen floor. You should have various replacement parts (filters, belts for example) on board and know how to change them out. Temp, fuel consumption, and sound are initial clues to engine health status but mostly of value at the last moments of good health. Pay me now or pay me big time later. Jim Ronay
4
REAR COMMODORE’S REPORT FOR JUNE SOUNDINGS TONY TAYLOR, REAR COMMODORE’S REPORT FOR JUNE SOUNDINGS The summer series sailboat races start this month. The Skippers meeting for this series was held May 25 and the first race is scheduled for June 3rd with subsequent races on 6/10 and 6/24 for the month. Everyone check the club’s calendar for one of our largest events. TMAC will be held June 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. A lot will be going on during this weekend with burger night and Sun. breakfast. For more detailed information please check the club’s web site and calendar. Sailors and all interested plan ahead and check dates for the Light House Regatta in July. This is an “open” regatta for even non RYC members to sail in, so please spread the word to friends and acquaintances who may be interested. This regatta is a lot of fun for all whether you sail or watch from shore, all are welcome to participate in the activities both land and sea. One last note, June is the start of Hurricane season. Don’t forget to take care of your boats. Following are a few notes to help. •
Identify hurricane holes and safe harbors in the area in case you are caught at sea.
•
Have a plan worked out with your marina operator so there are no questions or confusion when the time comes to tie up or pull the boat from the water.
•
Ensure your vessel is as watertight as possible. Use duct tape and plugs to seal hatches, ports, windows, doors and vents.
•
Remove all electronics, valuables and non-essential items.
•
Have your insurance policies, boat registration, a recent photograph and description of the vessel, gear inventory, marina or storage lease agreement and important telephone numbers (local harbormaster, U.S. Coast Guard, National Weather Service, insurance agent) in a secure place off of the boat.
•
When you are through, help your neighbor. It only takes one poorly tied boat in a marina to destroy an entire dock.
Do not stay on the boat. Enjoy the water and be safe. Tony Taylor, Rear Commodore ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FYI—reminders of events coming up this summer!
July 4th Boat Parade in Little Bay
Lighthouse Regatta in July 5
Don’t forget to make your plans for the 2011 Tiki Beach Party at Mud Island——August!
