Flight #1007

Safe Cove Boatyard

This flight was ….just because.

The wind was swinging 90 degrees East to North. I set up and was ready to go before I noticed the first swing and thought I had it figured, twice, before it finally settled down and blew a steady 4 mph from the East. This was probably a good thing because while I was setting and resetting the wing I had time to find and loose the 30 or so fire ants I’d picked up while putting up the wing sock. Eventually I was able to launch without drama.

The wing continues to pull to the right. Planning to check with Terry Lutke about lowering the right hang point or moving one of the power loops to compensate for the torque. Also….. It needs a bit of one wrap at the reserve bridal (top left).

Flight #1005

Woke without alarm at 5:45 from a flying dream. Out of the house at 6:10 and in the air before 7:00. There was 5mph breeze from the East and bumpy air up to 300 ft where it smoothed out. I flew over to Gasparilla Marina climbing to 2200 ft where the winds had increased to 20 plus. There was a big cell offshore and some boomers up toward Naples.

The Lift EZ was pulling to the right and I flew with right trim out 2 inches to compensate for torque and wind. Crabbing back toward the locks the wind continued to build. I overflew the old RC air park and made a big circle over safe cove before heading back to the LZ. By this time I was barely penetrating and had to descend to get back. The wind had shifted 45 degrees off the runway so I set down in the grass stopping right at the truck. The wing draped the passenger mirror. :). It’s a good day to be alive.

45 minutes

Max altitude 2200

Think I’ll go sailing.

Refitting Glory

The plan was to find an inexpensive boat to sail around the harbor.  

Nothing fancy just a nice cheap day sailor.  

Eight months and several thousand dollars later we have the most pimped out Hunter 28.5 in America.  I think the plan changed that first week, in the boat yard.  When I had the option of either touching up the existing bottom paint or a complete new one, I chose to bead Blast down to the gel coat and start over. Needed done anyway and it was the right choice because the previous owner had put on a new bottom every two years but never stripped off the old one. Best I can tell there were 15 layers paint. It was so thick that it had huge foot wide sections where water was trapped between layers. Probably two nickels thick.

Well anyway, once it had a first class bottom job it deserved new standing rigging. Then running rigging. And…As long as the mast was down, might as well run new wire to go with the new instruments and antenna. On and on. From October through June my goal was to get something accomplished on the boat every day. A new coat of varnish on the sole, a part fabricated for the binnacle…. something.

and today …. after having given up on ever getting the speed thru water on my MFD.

(Letter to the electrician)

Hi Ed!

I can’t believe it.  Over the last couple of months I’ve probably spent a dozen hours trying to fix or replace the old speed transducer.  I spoke with the techs at Standard horizon who sent me to the techs at Airmar who ran me through a bunch of hoops.  I sent them measurements and pictures, they responded with the model number and said there was no replacement for that size anymore.

I took the old transducer to a small electronics repair who tried, and failed, in splicing the stump.  I finally investigated rebuilding the transducer using the old body with new sensors and paddle wheel.  Air Mar wasn’t willing to help me get a new sensor … “wouldn’t support it”.  Eventually I gave up and was resigned to wait until I hauled the boat next year to install a new thru hull.

So… I’ve pretty much finished the refit.

We’re racing in the moonlight regatta tomorrow, I spent the day doing final little detail stuff and cleaning up the shop.  I was sorting through all the junk I was taking to the marine consignment store.  And there…. in a box of miscellaneous stuff was a brand new (20 year old) paddlewheel speed transducer with 30 feet of cable! The original owner must have bought it years ago and forgot all about it.  It felt like a mini miracle.

Anyway,,,

Would you confirm for me how I connect it to the ITC-5 analog to digital converter.

The cable is only one wire (white) with a screen of silver wire shielding it.  Like a small coax cable.

It looks like I connect the white wire and the shield to two of the 5 connectors on the speed/temp bar inside the ITC-5.  All the diagrams I’ve found show a modern triducer with 5 wires .

Don’t do a bunch of research,  I can call Ray Marine Monday.  I only ask if you know off the top of your head.

Take care. …. Let’s go for a sail again sometime when there is a bit more wind and let me know how the delivery job is going.

There it was … the last piece of the puzzle. From here on it’s mostly just embellishments. There are still plenty of jobs and parts to acquire but for the most part…she’s done.

Here are some pictures

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Flight #1004

Better and better. I was noticeably more comfortable in the air this morning. It just took awhile to get back in the game. The launch was slightly crosswind. The APCO LIFT EZ is still pulling to the right under power.

So…I should adjust the hang-points before the next flight, also, I need to fix the mirror/power panel where the mount has come loose.