Days 269-270, New Mainsail, Variable speed fresh water pump, Water tanks cleaning, Water tanks fill automation.

 

Is it not nice? 

Geometrically, the sail fit very well, but the slides that came installed were 16 mm instead of the required 19 mm.

That turned into a pretty significant problem because the sail simply would not work with my mast track.

I contacted FarEastSails, and to their credit they responded quickly. They asked me to get a repair quote from a local sail loft and confirmed they would cover the cost of the modification.

In hindsight, I have to take some responsibility as well. I carefully checked all sail dimensions, measurements, and specifications before ordering, but I never thought to verify what size slides would be installed. I assumed they would match the information provided for the boat.

Mistakes happen. What matters to me is how a company handles them, and so far FarEastSails has been professional and willing to make things right.

One other issue I noticed is that the sail is chafing on the outhaul track opening in the boom. This appears to be related to my particular boom setup rather than the sail itself, so it's something I'll need to address on my end before it causes any long-term wear.

  

Sailing always fun.

After spending nearly two hours rigging, adjusting, and playing with the sails, we decided it was time to stop working, put old one and actually get out on the water.

The conditions were lively. You know that feeling when it seems like you're sitting inside a washing machine? That was one of those days. The boat was constantly moving, pitching, and rolling.

Fresh water 

Last time I noticed a fishy smell coming from my freshwater tanks, so it was time for a proper sanitation.

This time I chlorinated the entire freshwater system. The treatment was 300 ml of bleach in approximately 80 gallons of water, flush all water lines with it and left in the system for about 20 hours. After that, I completely drained and refilled the tanks three times with city water to flush everything out.

Filling the tanks is never the fun part. A while ago I designed and made a "Water Fill Controller" but had been too lazy to actually install it.

 Water fill controller PAGE link 

 Today I finally did installed it.

The controller has a simple interface and controls a solenoid valve in the water supply line. After power-up, it opens the valve and allows the tank to fill. An inductive level sensor detects when the tank is full and automatically shuts off the water.

It also works as a reminder device. While filling is in progress, it emits a short beep every five seconds so you don't forget the water is running. Once the tank is full, it switches to a much more annoying pattern — a half-second beep every second — to get your attention and remind you to disconnect the dock water hose.

Why go through all the trouble of building electronics instead of installing a simple float valve?

A few reasons.

First, I can design and build electronics myself, make it reliable, and keep the cost reasonable.

Second, an internal float valve would live inside the tank. If it fails, the tank has to be opened to replace it. It would also take some effort to adjust it so the tank fills completely without overflowing.

An external float valve has its own drawbacks. It would require additional sensing plumbing, and on a sailboat there is always the possibility of water finding its way into the bilge when the boat heels underway.

The electronic solution keeps all serviceable components accessible (at least for me ;-) , allows the tank to be filled nearly to capacity, and gives me automatic shutoff plus an audible reminder that the water is connected and i need to disconnect it.

 Additional fuse panel in HVAC compartment.

Navpod (dasboard)

It is dry fit and sea trial, not final installation. Front panel will be painted and button redone.

Bilge pump

My main bilge pump is a pretty serious unit — a 3800 GPH pump. Unfortunately, there was one small problem.

The discharge line has an inline check valve to prevent water from flowing back into the bilge after the pump stops. The hose run is quite long, and this arrangement was installed by the previous owner.

I found that from time to time, especially after my small "dry bilge" pump had removed every last bit of water,and then water get collected up to bilge pump switch ON level, the big pump would become airlocked. When that happened, the pump would run perfectly fine but wouldn't move any water because it couldn't prime itself.

That's not a failure mode I like. It means that at the exact moment the pump might be needed most, it could sit there spinning without removing a drop of water from the bilge.

I considered two possible solutions.

The first was to remove the check valve entirely. That would eliminate the airlock issue, but every time the pump stopped I would get roughly two gallons of water draining back from the hose into the bilge. There is also some risk of seawater finding its way back through the discharge line when the boat heels aggressively.

The second option was to provide a way for trapped air to escape before the pump starts moving water. The downside is that a small amount of pumped water would be returned to the bilge through the vent.

I decided to go with the second approach.

I drilled a small air-bleed hole in the discharge line between the pump and the check valve. To keep things tidy, I designed and 3D-printed a small cover that directs any bleed water back down into the bilge. The cover will be secured to the hose with a zip tie.

Simple, cheap, and hopefully one less thing waiting to surprise me when I need it most.

.

You can see the small hole in the hose I drilled.

It is how cover looks like. it just divert water flow back to bilge