Hello Mads, I'm watching your playlist "Project Athena (DIY sailboat restoration)" and this video is missing. You should insert it in 73th position, between "Sail Life - Preparing the engine compartment for paint & Bosch GEX 150 turbo + GAS 35 - DIY boat" and "Sail Life - Removing the rudder from my sailboat - DIY sailboat repair". Thanks a lot for all your sharing about your boat restoration, it's amazing! Hope the best for the next!
19:00 "don't get upset, it is my boat, it is my tank" perfect response ! You made me laugh with that !! You are a master of detail so they deserved that !
You are not the first nor will you be the last guy to cut tanks in half to get them out. Keep up the good work and ignore the people that have nothing better to do than comment on something they know nothing about.
LOL! “My boat”. Perfect response. Some years ago someone was giving me crap about something on my boat and my response was “This is Mike’s Island. I’m Mike” Loving your style and the way you attack each of these issue sans emotion. I tend to agonize over all of these decisions. So this is very good for me.
Wish I could meet you Mads but I am disabled and can't travel out of my home . I live vicariously through your adventures and its great to see your boat progress , and happy that you found a nice girl like I always teased you about finding ! Thumbs up !
Mads, it IS your boat, and you are a grown man, you do what you want! Cutting the tanks IS really the easiest way to get them out and handle them. Hope you're back's feeling alright!
HI Mads, just a word of caution. I noticed that there is a lock and hasp on the lid to your cockpit lockers. It is a good idea to tie the lid in the open position whenever you crawl into the locker. If the wind or boat movement should cause the lid to slam shut while you are down in the locker, the lock and hasp can join together and trap you in the locker. This has happened and the guy was trapped in the locker for hours until someone hear him yelling for help. He was pretty bruised when he finally got free. Keep up the great work! Love your videos!
If someone wants to recycle the cut tanks just let them reweled the seam. No big deal. Glad to see there were no nasty surprises waiting in the aft compartment. Replacing all the old lines, cables, exhaust and bilge hose will insure trouble free future sailing. All the best.
You’ve taken on a massive task of refitting your yacht from bow to stern and your knowledge and craftsmanship is pretty dam good. Regarding some of the negative responses ...your absolutely right it’s your yacht and you do what you want
Mads, Consider two smaller fuel tanks. They are easier to find places for them to better fit. Access to the engine for maintenance is critical. Also consider a double set of diesel filters. You can switch from one filter to the other on the fly if one gets clogged and if you use them both together, they polish the diesel.
Cheers to you Mads. When you finish all your projects you are going to know your boat literally from top to bottom. You are doing a proper refit! When you start cruising you can set sail with confidence in your boat and knowledge of all her systems. Now to get your GF up to speed, or is she a experienced cruiser..... I think I can speak for many fans we are eager to learn more about her :-)
I can't wait to get up to speed on his GF. I'm so nosy I just want to know all about her sailing credentials/experience and how serious she is about cruising and DIY boat repair. Maybe someday she will be featured in these videos. I'm happy for Mads and hope she is super awesome for him.
Not sure why anyone would want to criticize you for cutting a stainless steel water tank in two...but then, I didn't read all the comments. Still, I agree with you. It's your boat. Do what is easiest! By the way...once again...your video made my Sunday! Thanks...love the progress...although it seems like it's three steps forward and two steps back. Those nasty surprises always mean more work. Thanks for posting this!
It's so nice to see that engine compartment decluttered. All of those hoses and wires were crazy in there. And it's a good thing you did decide to take the engine out, what with all of the grime and what not. I can't wait to see it spiffed up and ready for the motor.
Hi, the cable you had running to your SSb is called ship wire, very high grade marine cable, rubber type outer and the inner cores are normally marked 1 & 2, strip the outer core of the cable and have a look. The cable conductors are normally quite stiff as there not a fine strand cable.
Hi Mads, I’m a keen ham radio operator and electronics engineer and I can tell you there is nothing special about a power cable for an SSB other than it must be thick enough to handle all the amps with minimal voltage drop. An SSB will draw from 20 to 30 amps peak when transmitting so you need to size that cable apropriately considering how long the cables will be. Other than that, plain cooper cable will do, tinned will be better in a boat. Good terminals and you’re good to go. Kudos for cutting those tanks, I did the same on my boat. You’re right, it’s your boat, so no one should be telling you what you should and should not do. When in doubt, just cut it and trash it! Cheers, Luis.
I can't imagine anyone getting snotty with you, you're such a nice easy going person. It's ashame that people just can't be nice. You taking your valueable time to share this rebuild with us so we all can learn something and someone gets rude. I hope you didn't take to much offense, thank goodness there's more people like you then people with dumb attitudes out there! I want you to know how much I enjoy and look forward to your videos. I wait every Sunday night eagerly for the next installment!!! I hope to meet you in person some day too! Unfortunately, I just gave up on my sailboat when I just finished it, (well 98%) due to health reasons. I bought a Grand Banks trawler in hopes of continuing my boating adventures next year, but I'll always be a sailor at heart. God Bless you for what you do and I can't wait to meet Ava! Thanks again! Bill
Too late now but if you had taken just a few inches off one end of the tank then it still would have been able to be removed. Then you could have got someone to weld the lid back on, minus the few inches, then it would have fitted back in through the front opening. Mind you i think you may have had problems getting it out of the boats main door (not sure what that door is called). Very entertaining and probably even more enjoyable the way you did it. Especially if you were thinking of the reaction of the critics of the water tank downsizing at the time you were cutting the fuel tank. :) Absolutely love your channel, it is even child friendly so i can watch it with the kids. You are a fantastic example of time + effort = reward. Well done.
I think we just saw Mads get angry there for the first time. It was almost as glorious as sanding! Cut whatever you want on your boat my friend. Good video!
Great video as usual!!! I am amazed at how this has become a part of my Sunday activity. Keep up the great work, and thank you!!! You are correct... it is your boat, and I am so happy that you allow us to come along as you make these decisions and do these things with your stuff on your boat on your time for your own enjoyment!!! I would love to be in LA, but will be on the other side of the US unfortunately. By the way, I sure would like for you to come help me refit my boat... you would have no negative comments from me!!! Thanks again for the level of detail and care you put into each one of these videos. I hope your back feels better.
Mats Du gör ett toppen jobb !! I love how you purchase a really good sound built boat and then actually take your time and go through the whole ship and restore it to probably better than new. Keep up the good job. Peter
I would have preferred more footage of the tank cutting to satisfy the grumpy sailors out there. Your boat, your privilege Buddy. She's starting to look pretty spiffy.
On the question of the SSB power cable, the typical 100 watt SSB transceiver will draw about 25 amps @ 13.8 volts DC. See the transceiver manufacturer for their specific power requirements. In general the power cable should be a size rated to carry the amps needed. Usually that is a #10 size here is the US. The cable should be short as possible to the power source. Longer runs could cause some power drop due to wire resistance, but generally, the power source is close enough to not be a issue on most sailboats. You may want to provide enough power cable at the radio end to put a RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) choke at the SSB. The RFI choke is a ferrite device that usually clips to the cable or allows a cable to loop through the choke. The intent is to help block electric noise the is generated on the boat from entering the SSB radio. This is common on many electronics, for instance, your laptop power cord may have a round RFI choke about the size of you thumb at the end that plugs into your PC. Also, there are quite a few amateur radio operators in your area, and most would be able to help with any questions. Most amateur supply firms will offer a selection of RFI chokes.
Unlike others, I am in no way upset that you cut that tank in half... actually, I think Its awesome. As much as I love stainless because I am a welder, I think a plastic diesel tank is better. Don't use a sight tube in your new tank, no having any fittings at all near the bottom means no potential for leaks. Besides, with a plastic tank you can just see through it anyway. If your fuel level sender ever fails just install a strong LED light behind the tank, then if you need to 'manually' check the fuel level just flip on the light while looking into the engine compartment; ta-dah!
And yeah, people thinking they've got some sort of say, or are entitled to criticize your decisions about your own boat...they can go to hell. You're the authority on all things Athena. Don't sweat the trolls.
I've always been a fan of small cell fuel storage over monolith tanks. - if there is an issue with a given tank there is a natural limit to its impact. But I'm also a geek and love tinkering with sensors, control systems, and safety interlocks, so I'm possibly biased.
Hi Mads tenacity and perseverance you have them both in abundance. Always enjoy what you have to say. I’m looking forward to meeting you in LA, my home town. Keep me posted.
I am glad that someone has the time, effort and energy to take on such a project. it is very educational to me to watch your work. I am still shopping for my boat and have a few that I want to go see as soon as the weather cooperates. just be careful pulling and tugging on those very heavy items you don't want to re-injure that back.
I think that your best bet right now with the companionway stairs is to just take them out for the duration of this project, and build yourself a lightweight ladder that is easy to remove and set up again. You are super handy and I'm sure you could be able to fabricate something clever for the couple of weeks/month or so that you are working in the engine room. You will be climbing in and out of the boat a lot and having to replace the permanent companionway steps each time and move it back away soon after will waste a lot of time, plus there is no place to store the steps out of the way. You might as well take them home and refinish them as a homework project when you are not at the boat. If you want to get REALLY fancy you can make a semi-permanent alternative ladder out of a lightweight folding or telescoping stainless steel swim ladder maybe, which you can install quickly for whenever you need to do a lot of work in the engine compartment in the future. Build in a quick-release snap-in mounting bracket so it pops in and out in an instant, but then stows away when you don't need it and you can re-install the big heavy permanent stairs again after the project is done. The hole in the cockpit sole looks like it could have been where a manual bilge pump was mounted in the past. Whale makes a whole line of these that bolt right through a sole or bulkhead and can be operated from above with a removable lever directly from the cockpit, even while at the helm in the case of total electric bilge pump failure in an emergency. Without the handle attached it is just a flat plate in the sole you can walk on. It may have been built into the boat when new or soon thereafter but when the new engine was installed it could have been in the way of that, or the last owner had so much trouble with it that they figured it wasn't worth messing around with and eliminated. We have one in our boat and it gets "stuck" inside when the little flapper within the pump flips the wrong way and it stops pumping water. It needs to be totally disassembled and put back together again before it will pump water again. Fail. This has happened about 3-4 times to us just pumping the nuisance water that accumulates in the bilge from our stuffing box. The electric bilge pump is too big to get out that last 2 inches of water in the deep but narrow wet bilge. This doesn't inspire confidence in a piece of emergency equipment so I can see how it might be removed and not replaced. The way they patched the hole is a little janky. I'm sure you will make it all spiffy again. Hopefully the core of the cockpit sole isn't totally ruined because of that. The nice thing about DIY is that you can just rip it all out and fix it. You know how to do that now. :D Let's hope your new re-coring skills are not required here.
A swing-away ladder would be nice, but something too heavy or elaborate might become cumbersome if you can't crawl out of the boat without having to shut it every time unless it is very easy and fast to open/close when doing a lot of work inside. The companionway stairs are usually the only easy way in and out of the boat other than scrambling through a hatch so when one is doing a lot of work just inside the stairs/access to engine and coming and going a lot it is nice to not have to mess around with a bulky steps arrangement all the time. In our boat it isn't too tough to just step on the nav desk seat and then up and out of the companionway without the stairs even there, but the stairs are not too big and heavy and can be stuffed right under the table in the main saloon and out of the traffic/work area.
Another great video. As far as some that may post a negative comment it's just part of it I suppose, and as you said it's your boat you can do as you please. I enjoy Sunday watching the progress and look forward to each one so a big thumbs up from me!
If love to come and meet you and visit in March, I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah. I've learned so many things about repairing your boat that is helping me on my boat. Thanks very much! Kim
Hey Mads, when I watched this a few months ago, I noticed water coming out before the oil - see 2:27. I have officially watched all of your videos, and I have not seen any other mention of the lower unit. You stated there was no water because the oil was not milky, but I believe the oil would have separated from the water in just a few weeks of sitting idle. If that is the case, the water would have been at the bottom and the first to come out when the plug was removed. I really enjoy your videos!!!
Good call with the tank, it makes no sense to build around a thing like that so they aren’t removable in the future . Go slightly narrower an the soundproofing can run down the sides of the tank which will stop it resonating with the engine when the fuels low. Also look into getting a decent fire system both detection and suppression.
Great Job in the Engine room overhaul. Your right your tank, your boat. On other You Tube channel those people think they are working on something they own, not something you own. Again Great Job as others have sad your work is attention to detail. So will be watching for your next video in a very clean brand new engine compartment.
Mads, given the construction of most of Athena, I wouldn't trust anything you haven't been able to thoroughly inspect. Replacing the tanks is a sound decision, don't worry about the nay sayers - keep cutting away. Thanks for another great video :)
Great video. You are doing a great job of dealing with all the legacy issues. This should provide you with a reliable boat for your cruising plans. Looking forward to seeing you in Sydney Australia. John
Well one way to make sure you don't get a bunch of surprises out in the ocean is to see all the parts of the boat. Looks like you are well on the way to that.
Hey Mads. Great video and looks like Athena is making progress. I would store the companion way steps away in one of the aft cabins and just use a small set of aluminium steps you can easily move around. All of course imho. Cheers
For access, a four foot step ladder has already been invented . Can’t understand about the cut tank issue. I would say don’t use steel tanks for anything. They are much more likely to create condensation than a plastic tank. Also plastic about a quarter of the weight and could be designed to fit the space to maximize fuel storage. Sure you wouldn’t rather go to Seattle instead? Really enjoy your videos. Your very diplomatic in your responses and that says a lot . Thanks lk
Mads, consider installing a maintenance hatch in the cockpit floor for easier access to engine room and the sail drive. Could be handy sometimes and it can be also well screwed in place to secure the water tightness.
Thank you for all the work in documenting your efforts. I'm learning a lot about what I want in my own boat when I get one in a few years, so this is very useful. You're really reinforcing my desire to have a power pack focus engine bay with lots of big easy access points.
Build separate foldable stairs and replace the crumpy door with one with easy access to filters and stuff and with bigger one for maintenance for the engine.
Great job mads. I would have cut the tanks too and I do not understand people who start to think this is their project or they can say certain things. Opinions are fine as long as they realise it is your boat as you said. Fitting plastic or at least a smaller tank that you can always take out another time makes huge sense plus being able to now get in and clean and paint is a big win. As you say the space is looking so much better already and looking forward to all your spiffy cleaning and tarting up. Interested to hear what you use for sound deadening as I need to do some on my Rival but guess you will use what was used on Obelix. Cheers. Andy UK
Also, all radio power leads should go directly to batery (especially HF radios, maybe not as much VHF/UHF). Do not hook power to a bus with other electronics. The battery acts as a RF filter for HF radios..
Lots of time to plan the engine reinstall and buy now the various new components. Maybe plumb an oil change valve into the oil pan? Better than the dipstick suction way. Strongly consider adding oil bypass filtration, essentially a second oil filter circuit for removing the smallest particles, which cause the most wear. I can supply part numbers for a very affordable oil bypass filter system. How about hydraulic engine mounts, such as Mitsteun? Really quiets engine vibration through the hull. Vetus has those, and you, lucky duck, only need two. I hope that’s enough suggestions for now.
Two basic approaches on smaller diesels. First, tap into pressurized oil supply either at the oil pressure sender by adding a t connector, or secondly by adding a sandwich plate adapter at the oil filter mounting flange. The sandwich plate diverts some oil under pressure to an outlet with threaded ports. Then run oil lines to a bypass oil filter mounted on a flange, and route the lines back,to,the crankcase at a low pressure port or tsp into the valve cover. I am sourcing right now to add this filtration to my 3gm 30f using wix filters and mounting flange. However, I have to use another brand for the oil filter sandwich adapter, still undecided who’s to buy. I have part numbers that I will supply in next reply.
A gas strut hinged access to that engine would be an awesome project. Pretty easy and inexpensive modification if you have the room for it to sweep upward.
A lot of boats around here have a hole in the cockpit floor in that vicinity. I forget exactly what for but it was some kind of engine monitoring measure. Usually there is plexiglass fixed in the hole. Most guys changed the setup at some point snd rather than glassing over just painted over the glass. So most older larger boats have that scar in my experience. It’s supposed to be so you can see something in the engine bay underway. I THINK maybe an old school fuel gage. Pretty sure it was from before the days of engine panels.
Nice work! Your tank, your boat-> your rules! As far as I know you, following your adventures for a long time, that engine room will look like a clean op-room, when it`s done! Have fun&thx for the vid! :-)
Hi Mads - I am impressed by the special cold air breath effects!! Not sure how you did it but it was good - ha ha! Another great video and amazing progress.
The smaller mystery hole in the cockpit looked like it could have been an old fill port for the fuel tank. The other two look like someone started with a hole saw but then gave up. Nice work cleaning up that engine space. It'll look great with a fresh paint job.
Fantastic video mads 😀⛵ and those walkway steps ,you should think of a hydrolic or gas lifters like a car boot door or hatchback door ,would lift it up and create more space for working and even hinge the steps halfway so they fold a bit while lifting 😀
Another great installment and how dare you do something to your boat without prior approval of the youtube commenters?!!!... Yeah right, anyway... I had a thought on the campanionway steps problem. There is probably a lightweight aluminum swim ladder lying around somewhere in the yard or perhaps you even have one. While you are working on the engine compartment for the next month or whatever take the actual steps and store them somewhere out of the way such as the forward compartment and use the swim ladder. After you climb below you can easily put the lightweight swim ladder in the cockpit where it will be out of the way and close to hand when you are ready to climb back out again.
Mads, your videos are wonderful and I look forward to seeing them each week. One of my most usefull tools is a Multi Cutter made by Craftsman (other companies make similar tools) and it is great for cutting through ropes and hoses. It is not very expensive and might be a good addition to your toolkit.
Hello Mads. I am going to try and come out to see you. I have watched your videos and I would like to meet the man behind the videos. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
Jeez, man any boat would be happy to have you as its owner. I don't know too many people who would clean up their engine compartment just because it looks nice to do so. Good work again! Also I've been wearing my Sail Life t-shirt and I've go to say that the shirt material is very nice.
![41] OLD SAILBOAT ENGINE: Fixing THE BIG PROBLEM With Our Volvo Penta](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/elnIhgGRy_Y/mqdefault.jpg)
Hello Mads, I'm watching your playlist "Project Athena (DIY sailboat restoration)" and this video is missing. You should insert it in 73th position, between "Sail Life - Preparing the engine compartment for paint & Bosch GEX 150 turbo + GAS 35 - DIY boat" and "Sail Life - Removing the rudder from my sailboat - DIY sailboat repair".
Thanks a lot for all your sharing about your boat restoration, it's amazing! Hope the best for the next!
Shoutout from TAT Express out of Hutchins, TX
19:00 "don't get upset, it is my boat, it is my tank" perfect response ! You made me laugh with that !! You are a master of detail so they deserved that !
You are not the first nor will you be the last guy to cut tanks in half to get them out. Keep up the good work and ignore the people that have nothing better to do than comment on something they know nothing about.
LOL! “My boat”. Perfect response.
Some years ago someone was giving me crap about something on my boat and my response was “This is Mike’s Island. I’m Mike”
Loving your style and the way you attack each of these issue sans emotion.
I tend to agonize over all of these decisions.
So this is very good for me.
Wish I could meet you Mads but I am disabled and can't travel out of my home . I live vicariously through your adventures and its great to see your boat progress , and happy that you found a nice girl like I always teased you about finding ! Thumbs up !
Mads, it IS your boat, and you are a grown man, you do what you want! Cutting the tanks IS really the easiest way to get them out and handle them. Hope you're back's feeling alright!
Your boat, your decisions, your rules (other than maritime and insurance rules).
We're just enjoying the show.
HI Mads, just a word of caution. I noticed that there is a lock and hasp on the lid to your cockpit lockers. It is a good idea to tie the lid in the open position whenever you crawl into the locker. If the wind or boat movement should cause the lid to slam shut while you are down in the locker, the lock and hasp can join together and trap you in the locker. This has happened and the guy was trapped in the locker for hours until someone hear him yelling for help. He was pretty bruised when he finally got free. Keep up the great work! Love your videos!
Joao Carlos d'Almeida that is a great tip!
I usually stick a cockpit pad in the way so I can't get shut in, but yeah, important safety tip.
Aww, it was so cute seeing the engine tucked away for the night with blankets.
If someone wants to recycle the cut tanks just let them reweled the seam. No big deal. Glad to see there were no nasty surprises waiting in the aft compartment. Replacing all the old lines, cables, exhaust and bilge hose will insure trouble free future sailing. All the best.
You’ve taken on a massive task of refitting your yacht from bow to stern and your knowledge and craftsmanship is pretty dam good.
Regarding some of the negative responses ...your absolutely right it’s your yacht and you do what you want
anyone who complains on your channel probably does not even own a boat let alone do the work them selves.. great job man :) look forward to my sundays
GREAT ENTERTAINMENT. I’m so fond of Sail Life videos! My Sunday just wouldn’t be complete without your episodes.Thank you for sharing the refit!
Harold Hofmann here here 😀
Cutting old tanks in half...works for me. Looks like fun. Getting a compartment cleared out must leave one with a sense of satisfaction.,
Mads,
Consider two smaller fuel tanks. They are easier to find places for them to better fit. Access to the engine for maintenance is critical. Also consider a double set of diesel filters. You can switch from one filter to the other on the fly if one gets clogged and if you use them both together, they polish the diesel.
so nice now Sunday is fully complete
Cheers to you Mads. When you finish all your projects you are going to know your boat literally from top to bottom. You are doing a proper refit! When you start cruising you can set sail with confidence in your boat and knowledge of all her systems. Now to get your GF up to speed, or is she a experienced cruiser..... I think I can speak for many fans we are eager to learn more about her :-)
I can't wait to get up to speed on his GF. I'm so nosy I just want to know all about her sailing credentials/experience and how serious she is about cruising and DIY boat repair. Maybe someday she will be featured in these videos. I'm happy for Mads and hope she is super awesome for him.
Not sure why anyone would want to criticize you for cutting a stainless steel water tank in two...but then, I didn't read all the comments. Still, I agree with you. It's your boat. Do what is easiest! By the way...once again...your video made my Sunday! Thanks...love the progress...although it seems like it's three steps forward and two steps back. Those nasty surprises always mean more work. Thanks for posting this!
Ahh bliss Sunday is now complete. Absolutely love your vids. Looking forward to seeing the end result mads
It's so nice to see that engine compartment decluttered. All of those hoses and wires were crazy in there. And it's a good thing you did decide to take the engine out, what with all of the grime and what not. I can't wait to see it spiffed up and ready for the motor.
Hi, the cable you had running to your SSb is called ship wire, very high grade marine cable, rubber type outer and the inner cores are normally marked 1 & 2, strip the outer core of the cable and have a look. The cable conductors are normally quite stiff as there not a fine strand cable.
Hi Mads, I’m a keen ham radio operator and electronics engineer and I can tell you there is nothing special about a power cable for an SSB other than it must be thick enough to handle all the amps with minimal voltage drop. An SSB will draw from 20 to 30 amps peak when transmitting so you need to size that cable apropriately considering how long the cables will be. Other than that, plain cooper cable will do, tinned will be better in a boat. Good terminals and you’re good to go. Kudos for cutting those tanks, I did the same on my boat. You’re right, it’s your boat, so no one should be telling you what you should and should not do. When in doubt, just cut it and trash it! Cheers, Luis.
I can't imagine anyone getting snotty with you, you're such a nice easy going person. It's ashame that people just can't be nice. You taking your valueable time to share this rebuild with us so we all can learn something and someone gets rude. I hope you didn't take to much offense, thank goodness there's more people like you then people with dumb attitudes out there! I want you to know how much I enjoy and look forward to your videos. I wait every Sunday night eagerly for the next installment!!! I hope to meet you in person some day too! Unfortunately, I just gave up on my sailboat when I just finished it, (well 98%) due to health reasons. I bought a Grand Banks trawler in hopes of continuing my boating adventures next year, but I'll always be a sailor at heart. God Bless you for what you do and I can't wait to meet Ava! Thanks again! Bill
Too late now but if you had taken just a few inches off one end of the tank then it still would have been able to be removed.
Then you could have got someone to weld the lid back on, minus the few inches, then it would have fitted back in through the front opening.
Mind you i think you may have had problems getting it out of the boats main door (not sure what that door is called).
Very entertaining and probably even more enjoyable the way you did it. Especially if you were thinking of the reaction of the critics of the water tank downsizing at the time you were cutting the fuel tank. :)
Absolutely love your channel, it is even child friendly so i can watch it with the kids.
You are a fantastic example of time + effort = reward. Well done.
I think we just saw Mads get angry there for the first time. It was almost as glorious as sanding! Cut whatever you want on your boat my friend. Good video!
Looks great! Your going to have a brand new used boat when your done. Can't wait to see the final photos and vids when she's complete.
Great video as usual!!! I am amazed at how this has become a part of my Sunday activity. Keep up the great work, and thank you!!! You are correct... it is your boat, and I am so happy that you allow us to come along as you make these decisions and do these things with your stuff on your boat on your time for your own enjoyment!!! I would love to be in LA, but will be on the other side of the US unfortunately. By the way, I sure would like for you to come help me refit my boat... you would have no negative comments from me!!! Thanks again for the level of detail and care you put into each one of these videos. I hope your back feels better.
Mats
Du gör ett toppen jobb !! I love how you purchase a really good sound built boat and then actually take your time and go through the whole ship and restore it to probably better than new.
Keep up the good job.
Peter
I would have preferred more footage of the tank cutting to satisfy the grumpy sailors out there. Your boat, your privilege Buddy. She's starting to look pretty spiffy.
On the question of the SSB power cable, the typical 100 watt SSB transceiver will draw about 25 amps @ 13.8 volts DC. See the transceiver manufacturer for their specific power requirements. In general the power cable should be a size rated to carry the amps needed. Usually that is a #10 size here is the US. The cable should be short as possible to the power source. Longer runs could cause some power drop due to wire resistance, but generally, the power source is close enough to not be a issue on most sailboats.
You may want to provide enough power cable at the radio end to put a RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) choke at the SSB. The RFI choke is a ferrite device that usually clips to the cable or allows a cable to loop through the choke. The intent is to help block electric noise the is generated on the boat from entering the SSB radio. This is common on many electronics, for instance, your laptop power cord may have a round RFI choke about the size of you thumb at the end that plugs into your PC. Also, there are quite a few amateur radio operators in your area, and most would be able to help with any questions. Most amateur supply firms will offer a selection of RFI chokes.
People really start to argue what you have to do with your tanks? Seriously? Oh, my! Your boat, your tanks and your fricking choice, I'd say! :)
Unlike others, I am in no way upset that you cut that tank in half... actually, I think Its awesome. As much as I love stainless because I am a welder, I think a plastic diesel tank is better. Don't use a sight tube in your new tank, no having any fittings at all near the bottom means no potential for leaks. Besides, with a plastic tank you can just see through it anyway. If your fuel level sender ever fails just install a strong LED light behind the tank, then if you need to 'manually' check the fuel level just flip on the light while looking into the engine compartment; ta-dah!
And yeah, people thinking they've got some sort of say, or are entitled to criticize your decisions about your own boat...they can go to hell. You're the authority on all things Athena. Don't sweat the trolls.
I've always been a fan of small cell fuel storage over monolith tanks. - if there is an issue with a given tank there is a natural limit to its impact. But I'm also a geek and love tinkering with sensors, control systems, and safety interlocks, so I'm possibly biased.
I'm a life long sailor. Love your videos! Im in South Orange County, count me in for the meet up!
Hi Mads tenacity and perseverance you have them both in abundance. Always enjoy what you have to say. I’m looking forward to meeting you in LA, my home town. Keep me posted.
Hurray! I agree with your choices of cutting up the tanks. 🙂
Oh My God he cut another stainless tank! Just kidding bro ... keep it coming your patience is an inspiration to us all.
Well... That's all I've got to say about that.
I love watching you do what you do.
I am glad that someone has the time, effort and energy to take on such a project. it is very educational to me to watch your work. I am still shopping for my boat and have a few that I want to go see as soon as the weather cooperates. just be careful pulling and tugging on those very heavy items you don't want to re-injure that back.
I hope you will paint the engine bay white. This improves the early identifications of any issues
I think that your best bet right now with the companionway stairs is to just take them out for the duration of this project, and build yourself a lightweight ladder that is easy to remove and set up again. You are super handy and I'm sure you could be able to fabricate something clever for the couple of weeks/month or so that you are working in the engine room. You will be climbing in and out of the boat a lot and having to replace the permanent companionway steps each time and move it back away soon after will waste a lot of time, plus there is no place to store the steps out of the way. You might as well take them home and refinish them as a homework project when you are not at the boat.
If you want to get REALLY fancy you can make a semi-permanent alternative ladder out of a lightweight folding or telescoping stainless steel swim ladder maybe, which you can install quickly for whenever you need to do a lot of work in the engine compartment in the future. Build in a quick-release snap-in mounting bracket so it pops in and out in an instant, but then stows away when you don't need it and you can re-install the big heavy permanent stairs again after the project is done.
The hole in the cockpit sole looks like it could have been where a manual bilge pump was mounted in the past. Whale makes a whole line of these that bolt right through a sole or bulkhead and can be operated from above with a removable lever directly from the cockpit, even while at the helm in the case of total electric bilge pump failure in an emergency. Without the handle attached it is just a flat plate in the sole you can walk on. It may have been built into the boat when new or soon thereafter but when the new engine was installed it could have been in the way of that, or the last owner had so much trouble with it that they figured it wasn't worth messing around with and eliminated. We have one in our boat and it gets "stuck" inside when the little flapper within the pump flips the wrong way and it stops pumping water. It needs to be totally disassembled and put back together again before it will pump water again. Fail. This has happened about 3-4 times to us just pumping the nuisance water that accumulates in the bilge from our stuffing box. The electric bilge pump is too big to get out that last 2 inches of water in the deep but narrow wet bilge. This doesn't inspire confidence in a piece of emergency equipment so I can see how it might be removed and not replaced.
The way they patched the hole is a little janky. I'm sure you will make it all spiffy again. Hopefully the core of the cockpit sole isn't totally ruined because of that. The nice thing about DIY is that you can just rip it all out and fix it. You know how to do that now. :D Let's hope your new re-coring skills are not required here.
On my 2000 Bavaria 40 the 3 short steps are hinged upwards held in place by a hydraulic ram. This does overcome the problem to a certain extent.
A swing-away ladder would be nice, but something too heavy or elaborate might become cumbersome if you can't crawl out of the boat without having to shut it every time unless it is very easy and fast to open/close when doing a lot of work inside. The companionway stairs are usually the only easy way in and out of the boat other than scrambling through a hatch so when one is doing a lot of work just inside the stairs/access to engine and coming and going a lot it is nice to not have to mess around with a bulky steps arrangement all the time.
In our boat it isn't too tough to just step on the nav desk seat and then up and out of the companionway without the stairs even there, but the stairs are not too big and heavy and can be stuffed right under the table in the main saloon and out of the traffic/work area.
Another great video. As far as some that may post a negative comment it's just part of it I suppose, and as you said it's your boat you can do as you please. I enjoy Sunday watching the progress and look forward to each one so a big thumbs up from me!
i will definitely show up to the meetup in LA Can't Waittttttt
If love to come and meet you and visit in March, I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah.
I've learned so many things about repairing your boat that is helping me on my boat. Thanks very much!
Kim
I was certain you were gonna prank everyone with a mushroom cloud when you cut the propane line. 😂 great videos. I can’t stay away.
I'm looking forward to seeing how well you reorganize the engine compartment. I'm sure it will look great.
Hey Mads, when I watched this a few months ago, I noticed water coming out before the oil - see 2:27. I have officially watched all of your videos, and I have not seen any other mention of the lower unit. You stated there was no water because the oil was not milky, but I believe the oil would have separated from the water in just a few weeks of sitting idle. If that is the case, the water would have been at the bottom and the first to come out when the plug was removed. I really enjoy your videos!!!
Good call with the tank, it makes no sense to build around a thing like that so they aren’t removable in the future . Go slightly narrower an the soundproofing can run down the sides of the tank which will stop it resonating with the engine when the fuels low.
Also look into getting a decent fire system both detection and suppression.
Great Job in the Engine room overhaul. Your right your tank, your boat. On other You Tube channel those people think they are working on something they own, not something you own. Again Great Job as others have sad your work is attention to detail. So will be watching for your next video in a very clean brand new engine compartment.
Mads, given the construction of most of Athena, I wouldn't trust anything you haven't been able to thoroughly inspect. Replacing the tanks is a sound decision, don't worry about the nay sayers - keep cutting away.
Thanks for another great video :)
I no longer have a sailboat . . . haven't had one in years! Odd how much I enjoy your videos and look forward to the next one!! Big fan!!
Great video. You are doing a great job of dealing with all the legacy issues. This should provide you with a reliable boat for your cruising plans. Looking forward to seeing you in Sydney Australia. John
be great if he could make it down our way
Great progress! The days are getting longer and spring closing in... happy days👍😃
Well one way to make sure you don't get a bunch of surprises out in the ocean is to see all the parts of the boat. Looks like you are well on the way to that.
Looking forward to meeting you March 18th in LA.
I'd love to attend your March meetup in LA, Mads. Please keep us posted!
You are not being rude ...your boat your choices and for me am loving our journey together
Hey Mads. Great video and looks like Athena is making progress. I would store the companion way steps away in one of the aft cabins and just use a small set of aluminium steps you can easily move around. All of course imho. Cheers
A solution to the cut tanks. Welding. If someone values them enough, they could be fixed.
I’m loving the videos by the way
Mr Mads you are an inspiration. looking forward to next sunday already!
one heck of a job with a bad back as well, I love all the work you do on the boat and with the videos, as allways thanks for shareing..
For access, a four foot step ladder has already been invented . Can’t understand about the cut tank issue. I would say don’t use steel tanks for anything. They are much more likely to create condensation than a plastic tank. Also plastic about a quarter of the weight and could be designed to fit the space to maximize fuel storage. Sure you wouldn’t rather go to Seattle instead? Really enjoy your videos. Your very diplomatic in your responses and that says a lot . Thanks lk
Mads, consider installing a maintenance hatch in the cockpit floor for easier access to engine room and the sail drive. Could be handy sometimes and it can be also well screwed in place to secure the water tightness.
Thank you for all the work in documenting your efforts. I'm learning a lot about what I want in my own boat when I get one in a few years, so this is very useful. You're really reinforcing my desire to have a power pack focus engine bay with lots of big easy access points.
Quite right it's your boat thanks for the videos
Now that you started getting in there I can't wait till next weeks video!!
Hello Mads, looking forward to meeting you on the 18th.
I admire the hard work
I've been waiting all week for this! Cheers!
I'm going to bid my schedule to go to the meetup, so as long as I get the day off, I'll be there.
Build separate foldable stairs and replace the crumpy door with one with easy access to filters and stuff and with bigger one for maintenance for the engine.
Great job mads. I would have cut the tanks too and I do not understand people who start to think this is their project or they can say certain things. Opinions are fine as long as they realise it is your boat as you said. Fitting plastic or at least a smaller tank that you can always take out another time makes huge sense plus being able to now get in and clean and paint is a big win. As you say the space is looking so much better already and looking forward to all your spiffy cleaning and tarting up. Interested to hear what you use for sound deadening as I need to do some on my Rival but guess you will use what was used on Obelix. Cheers. Andy UK
Keep up the great, work you are a lot of fun to watch. Thank you for all of your great camera work.
The ssb power cables should have some shielding on them to prevent humming from the alternator and other spinning parts of the engine.
Also, all radio power leads should go directly to batery (especially HF radios, maybe not as much VHF/UHF). Do not hook power to a bus with other electronics. The battery acts as a RF filter for HF radios..
Awesome job Mads !!!!
Lots of time to plan the engine reinstall and buy now the various new components. Maybe plumb an oil change valve into the oil pan? Better than the dipstick suction way. Strongly consider adding oil bypass filtration, essentially a second oil filter circuit for removing the smallest particles, which cause the most wear. I can supply part numbers for a very affordable oil bypass filter system. How about hydraulic engine mounts, such as Mitsteun? Really quiets engine vibration through the hull. Vetus has those, and you, lucky duck, only need two. I hope that’s enough suggestions for now.
Wallace Grommet bypass system details please? Seems Amsoil thinks they invented it and price their stuff like gold
Two basic approaches on smaller diesels. First, tap into pressurized oil supply either at the oil pressure sender by adding a t connector, or secondly by adding a sandwich plate adapter at the oil filter mounting flange. The sandwich plate diverts some oil under pressure to an outlet with threaded ports. Then run oil lines to a bypass oil filter mounted on a flange, and route the lines back,to,the crankcase at a low pressure port or tsp into the valve cover. I am sourcing right now to add this filtration to my 3gm 30f using wix filters and mounting flange. However, I have to use another brand for the oil filter sandwich adapter, still undecided who’s to buy. I have part numbers that I will supply in next reply.
I’ll be there Mads!!! Looking forward to meeting you
Chop chop away! LOL Lots of work/fun for you and us. Stay strong!
That's the new watchword, Spiffy. Thanks for sharing.
Your boat , do whatever you want buddy. Classic Mads. Ross
Feel free to cut up whatever you want.
I'll still like every video Mads!! :D
A gas strut hinged access to that engine would be an awesome project. Pretty easy and inexpensive modification if you have the room for it to sweep upward.
A lot of boats around here have a hole in the cockpit floor in that vicinity. I forget exactly what for but it was some kind of engine monitoring measure. Usually there is plexiglass fixed in the hole. Most guys changed the setup at some point snd rather than glassing over just painted over the glass. So most older larger boats have that scar in my experience. It’s supposed to be so you can see something in the engine bay underway. I THINK maybe an old school fuel gage. Pretty sure it was from before the days of engine panels.
Nice work!
Your tank, your boat-> your rules!
As far as I know you, following your adventures for a long time, that engine room will look like a clean op-room, when it`s done!
Have fun&thx for the vid!
:-)
And everyone knows that they keep clean op-rooms "pretty dang spiffy"
Meet and greet - two of us!! Can't wait...
Hi Mads - I am impressed by the special cold air breath effects!! Not sure how you did it but it was good - ha ha! Another great video and amazing progress.
I will see you at the meet up. Looking forward to it
The smaller mystery hole in the cockpit looked like it could have been an old fill port for the fuel tank. The other two look like someone started with a hole saw but then gave up.
Nice work cleaning up that engine space. It'll look great with a fresh paint job.
Fantastic video mads 😀⛵ and those walkway steps ,you should think of a hydrolic or gas lifters like a car boot door or hatchback door ,would lift it up and create more space for working and even hinge the steps halfway so they fold a bit while lifting 😀
Automatic thumbs up from me. Haven't even watched first 30 seconds. Love your videos Mads.
love the videos Mads! You are an inspiration!
Another great installment and how dare you do something to your boat without prior approval of the youtube commenters?!!!... Yeah right, anyway... I had a thought on the campanionway steps problem. There is probably a lightweight aluminum swim ladder lying around somewhere in the yard or perhaps you even have one. While you are working on the engine compartment for the next month or whatever take the actual steps and store them somewhere out of the way such as the forward compartment and use the swim ladder. After you climb below you can easily put the lightweight swim ladder in the cockpit where it will be out of the way and close to hand when you are ready to climb back out again.
Mads, your videos are wonderful and I look forward to seeing them each week. One of my most usefull tools is a Multi Cutter made by Craftsman (other companies make similar tools) and it is great for cutting through ropes and hoses. It is not very expensive and might be a good addition to your toolkit.
Another productive weekend dude. Count me in for the meetup in LA, I'll be there!
thanks for the videos Mads
Hello Mads. I am going to try and come out to see you. I have watched your videos and I would like to meet the man behind the videos. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
Jeez, man any boat would be happy to have you as its owner. I don't know too many people who would clean up their engine compartment just because it looks nice to do so. Good work again! Also I've been wearing my Sail Life t-shirt and I've go to say that the shirt material is very nice.
He's doing everything just the way I would except I don't know how to do all the stuff he does. He is smart for sure. :)
Hi,
Very interesting, i am buying a Dufour 31 (1976) soon, with air/pressure issues with the fueling. So it helps to see the engine :)!