Glory''s Projects and Progress

Archives
1

Posted by lance_ryley (lance_ryley@…>)

Hi folks,
it’s been a while since I’ve written about the recent projects on
Glory, so I figured I’d highlight some of them.

Early spring was replacing some of the electronics. I’ll bet there are
a lot of early to mid 90s Freedoms that were built with ST-50
instruments. Our radar still says “Raytheon” on the side, as did our
ST7000 autopilot. We needed to replace the tri-data display because
the backlight no longer worked, and we needed to replace the autopilot
head because occasionally, usually when you needed it most, you’d hit
“auto” and the unit would beep at you until power was turned off and
restored. Not fun, especially single-handing.

For those of you not aware, the ST-50 and 60 instruments are
compatible with each other; however, there are a few things to keep in
mind.

First, ST50s use a round connector with three pins or sockets from
instrument head to instrument head, which is Seatalk (and power) and
is compatible with ST60 seatalk. The difference is that the ST60s use
a flat connector. You can buy an ST50-60 converter cable for both the
male and female ends. I bought mine at Jackrabbit for about $26 each.

Second, the ST-50 transducers are compatible with ST-60 heads;
however, you will need to cut the round connector off and crimp on
small blade connectors (included with the heads). This is more of an
annoyance than anything because the wire colors do not coincide from
the 50 to the 60, so - at least with the depth - we did a little
guessing until we got it right.

Third, the 50s use posts with knurled nuts that are vertical (for
surface mounts). The 60s need a larger cutout, and the holes are
diagonal. the overall display size is the same, but it’s worth taking
this annoyance into consideration when setting up the system.

At the same time we did the new tri-data display, we also added a
wireless autopilot controller. the transmitter (Seatalk) is mounted in
the seahood with the tridata and wind displays, plugged into the back
of the new tridata. We bought the controller that allows you to see
any of the network data on it, so from anywhere in the boat you can
get wind speed, depth, course and gps information, and of course
autopilot control.

the ST7002 head fit exactly where the old St7000 head fit, but needed
one of the round to flat cables. The previous setup had the autopilot
only attached to the fluxgate compass, so you were limited to setting
a course and setting the pilot. I added a Seatalk junction box
(included with the remote pilot kit) and a seatalk cable from the
chart plotter at the helm to the autopilot head, so now theoretically
we should be able to steer to a pre-charted course, the wind, or any
other data that is present on the network. With the exception of the
cables, the Raymarine equipment was ordered through Defender, which
seemed to have close to the best prices, at least for my area.

We made some modifications to the reefing this year as well. On the
45, the first reef as designed works well. There is a shuttle in the
boom. One line goes from the end of the boom, through the shuttle,
back to the end of the boom, up to the cringle, back down and tied
around the end of the boom. The other end goes from a point on the
mast, up to the reefing tack, down to the boom, through the other end
of the shuttle, back to the mast, and then back to the cockpit. this
works pretty well; however, the second reef doesn’t work because the
boom isn’t long enough to accomodate the deepness of the reef. We
decided to put two controls on the second reef, one for the tack and
one for the clew. This necessitated adding another rope clutch on the
port side and a bullet for it. we also had reinforced rings added to
the sail so we can use blocks at the clew end instead of going
straight through the clew rings to lower resistance while raising the
sail (idea garnered through this group). We haven’t tried it yet, but
will in the next couple weeks.

Down below, we made a late decision to ‘re-commission’ the aft head.
the PO told me that the valve was jammed in the ‘overboard’ position.
He was right, but it was only half the story. when I started
disconnecting hoses to get at the valve, I found that the hoses -
nearly 15 feet of 1 1/2" diameter white hose - were completely choked
with ‘sand.’ the toilet could barely flush the bowl because the hoses
were so choked up, and I estimate that when I pulled them out, they
weighed about 10 lbs more than they should. Needless to say, all of
the hose was replace. The diverter valve and vented loop were
rehabilitated. While removing the hose, I found that where it came off
the toilet and went up to the valve, the angle was so severe that it
kinked the hose down to allowing almost nothing through, which is why
I think it was so easy for the system to fill with uric acid crystals.
I replaced this shoddy piece of workmanship with a 90 degree elbow,
and after many many hours of struggling, cursing, praying, weeping,
and bashing (standard operating procedure for head jobs, isn’t it?), I
finally got the head re-commissioned last night.

I have one more job to do of importance this year, and this one goes
out to the F 45 owners on the group. We had some thunderstorms in
boston over the past two weeks, and I found that the outside starboard
lazarette was full almost to overflowing (actually it did overflow -
through the walls and into the aft cabin) because the little overflow
scupper in the hatch had clogged with detritus. I’ve always thought
that was an unsatisfactory approach, and I’m considering trying to
engineer the same kind of drainage that the propane locker has. Has
anyone else had this problem with the lazarette, and if so, how’d you
fix it?

Sailing season is here, and vacation is almost upon us. We’ll be in BI
sound, MV, and buzzards bay throughout July 10 - 24, so if you see a
dark blue Freedom 45, please hail “Glory” - we love getting a chance
to meet with other owners.

Lance

2

Posted by Herman and Gail Schiller (hschiller2@…>)

I hope that 90-degree elbow was of the “sweep” elbow type as used is
houshold drain plumbing. Sweep elbows have a more gradual way of
accomplishing the right turn, and therefore, ease the water’s passage. Herm

At 02:02 PM 6/28/2008, you wrote:

Hi folks,
it’s been a while since I’ve written about the recent projects on
Glory, so I figured I’d highlight some of them.

Early spring was replacing some of the electronics. I’ll bet there are
a lot of early to mid 90s Freedoms that were built with ST-50
instruments. Our radar still says “Raytheon” on the side, as did our
ST7000 autopilot. We needed to replace the tri-data display because
the backlight no longer worked, and we needed to replace the autopilot
head because occasionally, usually when you needed it most, you’d hit
“auto” and the unit would beep at you until power was turned off and
restored. Not fun, especially single-handing.

For those of you not aware, the ST-50 and 60 instruments are
compatible with each other; however, there are a few things to keep in
mind.

First, ST50s use a round connector with three pins or sockets from
instrument head to instrument head, which is Seatalk (and power) and
is compatible with ST60 seatalk. The difference is that the ST60s use
a flat connector. You can buy an ST50-60 converter cable for both the
male and female ends. I bought mine at Jackrabbit for about $26 each.

Second, the ST-50 transducers are compatible with ST-60 heads;
however, you will need to cut the round connector off and crimp on
small blade connectors (included with the heads). This is more of an
annoyance than anything because the wire colors do not coincide from
the 50 to the 60, so - at least with the depth - we did a little
guessing until we got it right.

Third, the 50s use posts with knurled nuts that are vertical (for
surface mounts). The 60s need a larger cutout, and the holes are
diagonal. the overall display size is the same, but it’s worth taking
this annoyance into consideration when setting up the system.

At the same time we did the new tri-data display, we also added a
wireless autopilot controller. the transmitter (Seatalk) is mounted in
the seahood with the tridata and wind displays, plugged into the back
of the new tridata. We bought the controller that allows you to see
any of the network data on it, so from anywhere in the boat you can
get wind speed, depth, course and gps information, and of course
autopilot control.

the ST7002 head fit exactly where the old St7000 head fit, but needed
one of the round to flat cables. The previous setup had the autopilot
only attached to the fluxgate compass, so you were limited to setting
a course and setting the pilot. I added a Seatalk junction box
(included with the remote pilot kit) and a seatalk cable from the
chart plotter at the helm to the autopilot head, so now theoretically
we should be able to steer to a pre-charted course, the wind, or any
other data that is present on the network. With the exception of the
cables, the Raymarine equipment was ordered through Defender, which
seemed to have close to the best prices, at least for my area.

We made some modifications to the reefing this year as well. On the
45, the first reef as designed works well. There is a shuttle in the
boom. One line goes from the end of the boom, through the shuttle,
back to the end of the boom, up to the cringle, back down and tied
around the end of the boom. The other end goes from a point on the
mast, up to the reefing tack, down to the boom, through the other end
of the shuttle, back to the mast, and then back to the cockpit. this
works pretty well; however, the second reef doesn’t work because the
boom isn’t long enough to accomodate the deepness of the reef. We
decided to put two controls on the second reef, one for the tack and
one for the clew. This necessitated adding another rope clutch on the
port side and a bullet for it. we also had reinforced rings added to
the sail so we can use blocks at the clew end instead of going
straight through the clew rings to lower resistance while raising the
sail (idea garnered through this group). We haven’t tried it yet, but
will in the next couple weeks.

Down below, we made a late decision to ‘re-commission’ the aft head.
the PO told me that the valve was jammed in the ‘overboard’ position.
He was right, but it was only half the story. when I started
disconnecting hoses to get at the valve, I found that the hoses -
nearly 15 feet of 1 1/2" diameter white hose - were completely choked
with ‘sand.’ the toilet could barely flush the bowl because the hoses
were so choked up, and I estimate that when I pulled them out, they
weighed about 10 lbs more than they should. Needless to say, all of
the hose was replace. The diverter valve and vented loop were
rehabilitated. While removing the hose, I found that where it came off
the toilet and went up to the valve, the angle was so severe that it
kinked the hose down to allowing almost nothing through, which is why
I think it was so easy for the system to fill with uric acid crystals.
I replaced this shoddy piece of workmanship with a 90 degree elbow,
and after many many hours of struggling, cursing, praying, weeping,
and bashing (standard operating procedure for head jobs, isn’t it?), I
finally got the head re-commissioned last night.

I have one more job to do of importance this year, and this one goes
out to the F 45 owners on the group. We had some thunderstorms in
boston over the past two weeks, and I found that the outside starboard
lazarette was full almost to overflowing (actually it did overflow -
through the walls and into the aft cabin) because the little overflow
scupper in the hatch had clogged with detritus. I’ve always thought
that was an unsatisfactory approach, and I’m considering trying to
engineer the same kind of drainage that the propane locker has. Has
anyone else had this problem with the lazarette, and if so, how’d you
fix it?

Sailing season is here, and vacation is almost upon us. We’ll be in BI
sound, MV, and buzzards bay throughout July 10 - 24, so if you see a
dark blue Freedom 45, please hail “Glory” - we love getting a chance
to meet with other owners.

Lance

3

Posted by Al Lorman (ajl@…>)


Lance:

I
was wondering why you’d been so quiet lately; now I know. You’ve
been busy.

Best,

Al



From:
FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of lance_ryley
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 2:02 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Glory’s Projects and Progress

\




Hi folks,
it’s been a while since I’ve written about the recent projects on
Glory, so I figured I’d highlight some of them.

Early spring was replacing some of the electronics. I’ll bet there are
a lot of early to mid 90s Freedoms that were built with ST-50
instruments. Our radar still says “Raytheon” on the side, as did our
ST7000 autopilot. We needed to replace the tri-data display because
the backlight no longer worked, and we needed to replace the autopilot
head because occasionally, usually when you needed it most, you’d hit
“auto” and the unit would beep at you until power was turned off and
restored. Not fun, especially single-handing.

For those of you not aware, the ST-50 and 60 instruments are
compatible with each other; however, there are a few things to keep in
mind.

First, ST50s use a round connector with three pins or sockets from
instrument head to instrument head, which is Seatalk (and power) and
is compatible with ST60 seatalk. The difference is that the ST60s use
a flat connector. You can buy an ST50-60 converter cable for both the
male and female ends. I bought mine at Jackrabbit for about $26 each.

Second, the ST-50 transducers are compatible with ST-60 heads;
however, you will need to cut the round connector off and crimp on
small blade connectors (included with the heads). This is more of an
annoyance than anything because the wire colors do not coincide from
the 50 to the 60, so - at least with the depth - we did a little
guessing until we got it right.

Third, the 50s use posts with knurled nuts that are vertical (for
surface mounts). The 60s need a larger cutout, and the holes are
diagonal. the overall display size is the same, but it’s worth taking
this annoyance into consideration when setting up the system.

At the same time we did the new tri-data display, we also added a
wireless autopilot controller. the transmitter (Seatalk) is mounted in
the seahood with the tridata and wind displays, plugged into the back
of the new tridata. We bought the controller that allows you to see
any of the network data on it, so from anywhere in the boat you can
get wind speed, depth, course and gps information, and of course
autopilot control.

the ST7002 head fit exactly where the old St7000 head fit, but needed
one of the round to flat cables. The previous setup had the autopilot
only attached to the fluxgate compass, so you were limited to setting
a course and setting the pilot. I added a Seatalk junction box
(included with the remote pilot kit) and a seatalk cable from the
chart plotter at the helm to the autopilot head, so now theoretically
we should be able to steer to a pre-charted course, the wind, or any
other data that is present on the network. With the exception of the
cables, the Raymarine equipment was ordered through Defender, which
seemed to have close to the best prices, at least for my area.

We made some modifications to the reefing this year as well. On the
45, the first reef as designed works well. There is a shuttle in the
boom. One line goes from the end of the boom, through the shuttle,
back to the end of the boom, up to the cringle, back down and tied
around the end of the boom. The other end goes from a point on the
mast, up to the reefing tack, down to the boom, through the other end
of the shuttle, back to the mast, and then back to the cockpit. this
works pretty well; however, the second reef doesn’t work because the
boom isn’t long enough to accomodate the deepness of the reef. We
decided to put two controls on the second reef, one for the tack and
one for the clew. This necessitated adding another rope clutch on the
port side and a bullet for it. we also had reinforced rings added to
the sail so we can use blocks at the clew end instead of going
straight through the clew rings to lower resistance while raising the
sail (idea garnered through this group). We haven’t tried it yet, but
will in the next couple weeks.

Down below, we made a late decision to ‘re-commission’ the aft head.
the PO told me that the valve was jammed in the ‘overboard’ position.
He was right, but it was only half the story. when I started
disconnecting hoses to get at the valve, I found that the hoses -
nearly 15 feet of 1 1/2" diameter white hose - were completely choked
with ‘sand.’ the toilet could barely flush the bowl because the hoses
were so choked up, and I estimate that when I pulled them out, they
weighed about 10 lbs more than they should. Needless to say, all of
the hose was replace. The diverter valve and vented loop were
rehabilitated. While removing the hose, I found that where it came off
the toilet and went up to the valve, the angle was so severe that it
kinked the hose down to allowing almost nothing through, which is why
I think it was so easy for the system to fill with uric acid crystals.
I replaced this shoddy piece of workmanship with a 90 degree elbow,
and after many many hours of struggling, cursing, praying, weeping,
and bashing (standard operating procedure for head jobs, isn’t it?), I
finally got the head re-commissioned last night.

I have one more job to do of importance this year, and this one goes
out to the F 45 owners on the group. We had some thunderstorms in
boston over the past two weeks, and I found that the outside starboard
lazarette was full almost to overflowing (actually it did overflow -
through the walls and into the aft cabin) because the little overflow
scupper in the hatch had clogged with detritus. I’ve always thought
that was an unsatisfactory approach, and I’m considering trying to
engineer the same kind of drainage that the propane locker has. Has
anyone else had this problem with the lazarette, and if so, how’d you
fix it?

Sailing season is here, and vacation is almost upon us. We’ll be in BI
sound, MV, and buzzards bay throughout July 10 - 24, so if you see a
dark blue Freedom 45, please hail “Glory” - we love getting a chance
to meet with other owners.

Lance


\

4

Posted by lance_ryley (lance_ryley@…>)

Herm,
I looked at that, and would have loved to do that, but unfortunately
the space for this didn’t really allow it without major surgery to the
boat, and I just don’t have the time that I’d like to devote to this.
The major design flaw as I see it is that the toilet has a right angle
coming off it, where things would have been MUCH easier to plumb if it
had a straight pipe going through the bulkhead. I may still order one
and do the surgery at a later date, as that would allow a pretty
straight shot up to the valve. in any case, after testing, things are a
ton better. Part of the limitation of anything more than ‘sharp’ angles
is that the holding tank extends down into the space where the hose
needs to angle, and provides very limited options for routing.

Lance

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, Herman and Gail Schiller
<hschiller2@…> wrote:

I hope that 90-degree elbow was of the “sweep” elbow type as used is
houshold drain plumbing. Sweep elbows have a more gradual way of
accomplishing the right turn, and therefore, ease the water’s
passage. Herm

At 02:02 PM 6/28/2008, you wrote:

5

Posted by sailorvela (sailorvela@…>)

You are been busy Lance!

15 ft. of hose? Damn that is a lot of hose. It makes me appreciate
the short runs the F-40. Best of luck with you projects.

Cheers,

Alex


— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “lance_ryley”
<lance_ryley@…> wrote:

Hi folks,
it’s been a while since I’ve written about the recent projects on
Glory, so I figured I’d highlight some of them.

Early spring was replacing some of the electronics. I’ll bet there
are
a lot of early to mid 90s Freedoms that were built with ST-50
instruments. Our radar still says “Raytheon” on the side, as did our
ST7000 autopilot. We needed to replace the tri-data display because
the backlight no longer worked, and we needed to replace the
autopilot
head because occasionally, usually when you needed it most, you’d
hit
“auto” and the unit would beep at you until power was turned off and
restored. Not fun, especially single-handing.

For those of you not aware, the ST-50 and 60 instruments are
compatible with each other; however, there are a few things to keep
in
mind.

First, ST50s use a round connector with three pins or sockets from
instrument head to instrument head, which is Seatalk (and power) and
is compatible with ST60 seatalk. The difference is that the ST60s
use
a flat connector. You can buy an ST50-60 converter cable for both
the
male and female ends. I bought mine at Jackrabbit for about $26
each.

Second, the ST-50 transducers are compatible with ST-60 heads;
however, you will need to cut the round connector off and crimp on
small blade connectors (included with the heads). This is more of an
annoyance than anything because the wire colors do not coincide from
the 50 to the 60, so - at least with the depth - we did a little
guessing until we got it right.

Third, the 50s use posts with knurled nuts that are vertical (for
surface mounts). The 60s need a larger cutout, and the holes are
diagonal. the overall display size is the same, but it’s worth
taking
this annoyance into consideration when setting up the system.

At the same time we did the new tri-data display, we also added a
wireless autopilot controller. the transmitter (Seatalk) is mounted
in
the seahood with the tridata and wind displays, plugged into the
back
of the new tridata. We bought the controller that allows you to see
any of the network data on it, so from anywhere in the boat you can
get wind speed, depth, course and gps information, and of course
autopilot control.

the ST7002 head fit exactly where the old St7000 head fit, but
needed
one of the round to flat cables. The previous setup had the
autopilot
only attached to the fluxgate compass, so you were limited to
setting
a course and setting the pilot. I added a Seatalk junction box
(included with the remote pilot kit) and a seatalk cable from the
chart plotter at the helm to the autopilot head, so now
theoretically
we should be able to steer to a pre-charted course, the wind, or any
other data that is present on the network. With the exception of the
cables, the Raymarine equipment was ordered through Defender, which
seemed to have close to the best prices, at least for my area.

We made some modifications to the reefing this year as well. On the
45, the first reef as designed works well. There is a shuttle in the
boom. One line goes from the end of the boom, through the shuttle,
back to the end of the boom, up to the cringle, back down and tied
around the end of the boom. The other end goes from a point on the
mast, up to the reefing tack, down to the boom, through the other
end
of the shuttle, back to the mast, and then back to the cockpit. this
works pretty well; however, the second reef doesn’t work because the
boom isn’t long enough to accomodate the deepness of the reef. We
decided to put two controls on the second reef, one for the tack and
one for the clew. This necessitated adding another rope clutch on
the
port side and a bullet for it. we also had reinforced rings added to
the sail so we can use blocks at the clew end instead of going
straight through the clew rings to lower resistance while raising
the
sail (idea garnered through this group). We haven’t tried it yet,
but
will in the next couple weeks.

Down below, we made a late decision to ‘re-commission’ the aft head.
the PO told me that the valve was jammed in the ‘overboard’
position.
He was right, but it was only half the story. when I started
disconnecting hoses to get at the valve, I found that the hoses -
nearly 15 feet of 1 1/2" diameter white hose - were completely
choked
with ‘sand.’ the toilet could barely flush the bowl because the
hoses
were so choked up, and I estimate that when I pulled them out, they
weighed about 10 lbs more than they should. Needless to say, all of
the hose was replace. The diverter valve and vented loop were
rehabilitated. While removing the hose, I found that where it came
off
the toilet and went up to the valve, the angle was so severe that it
kinked the hose down to allowing almost nothing through, which is
why
I think it was so easy for the system to fill with uric acid
crystals.
I replaced this shoddy piece of workmanship with a 90 degree elbow,
and after many many hours of struggling, cursing, praying, weeping,
and bashing (standard operating procedure for head jobs, isn’t
it?), I
finally got the head re-commissioned last night.

I have one more job to do of importance this year, and this one goes
out to the F 45 owners on the group. We had some thunderstorms in
boston over the past two weeks, and I found that the outside
starboard
lazarette was full almost to overflowing (actually it did overflow -
through the walls and into the aft cabin) because the little
overflow
scupper in the hatch had clogged with detritus. I’ve always thought
that was an unsatisfactory approach, and I’m considering trying to
engineer the same kind of drainage that the propane locker has. Has
anyone else had this problem with the lazarette, and if so, how’d
you
fix it?

Sailing season is here, and vacation is almost upon us. We’ll be in
BI
sound, MV, and buzzards bay throughout July 10 - 24, so if you see a
dark blue Freedom 45, please hail “Glory” - we love getting a chance
to meet with other owners.

Lance

6

Posted by Ian Goodwin (igood0ne@…>)
Lance,
This is in response to your problem with water filling up your starboard lazarette. Sorry I didn’t respond sooner but I don’t check this email more than a couple of times a month.

Anyway I had a similar problem to yours, not nearly as dramatic or as damaging. My problem consisted of dampness only because water would enter due to bypassing the silly little over flow scupper when it was overwhelmed by the amount of water trying to drain. I’m in Florida and we have torrential rains often in the summer, so solving this problem was important to me. Apparently, unlike your boat, mine has a drain in the bottom of the lazarette which drains all the way across the boat to the port side near the propane locker drain. That drain prevents the locker from filling, and I can’t believe that your 45 does not have a similar drain.

To resolve this problem though I approached it differently. I installed gaskets to keep the water out. I think I could run the boat under water and the starboard lazarette will not let water in. Initially, I called Adkins & Hoyle the manufacturers of the port lights and asked about their gaskets. Their gaskets are extremely espensive, something like $35.00 for each port light for 3/8 and 1/2 inch gaskets. I went on line and found a local company that provides gaskets for any and all industrial needs. In my case it was Florida Seal and Rubber. I took a sample of Adkins & Hoyle gasket in and was told they can get most any size. It is black round foam gasket. I ordered 3/4 inch which they sold to me for $2.50 a foot. The minimum was 10 feet and they got 12 feet for me. They said to
use 3M Super Weatherstip and Gasket Adhesive. I adhered it to the lid and shut it for a few days and now water either drains down the scupper or simply overflows. Water does not enter the lazarette.

If anyone is thinking of installing new port light gaskets, I suggest getting a roll from a local supplier, 3/8 inch is .25 per foot. If you do that, you will need to use the gasket sealant that Adkins & Hoyle sells.

Hope this helps solve the problem

Ian

----- Original Message ----From: lance_ryley <lance_ryley@…>To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.comSent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 2:02:11 PMSubject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Glory’s Projects and Progress

Hi folks,it’s been a while since I’ve written about the recent projects onGlory, so I figured I’d highlight some of them.Early spring was replacing some of the electronics. I’ll bet there area lot of early to mid 90s Freedoms that were built with ST-50instruments. Our radar still says “Raytheon” on the side, as did ourST7000 autopilot. We needed to replace the tri-data display becausethe backlight no longer worked, and we needed to replace the autopilothead because occasionally, usually when you needed it most, you’d hit"auto" and the unit would beep at you until power was turned off andrestored. Not fun, especially single-handing.For those of you not aware, the ST-50 and 60 instruments arecompatible with each other; however, there are a few things to keep inmind. First, ST50s use a round connector with three pins or sockets frominstrument head to instrument head, which is Seatalk
(and power) andis compatible with ST60 seatalk. The difference is that the ST60s usea flat connector. You can buy an ST50-60 converter cable for both themale and female ends. I bought mine at Jackrabbit for about $26 each.Second, the ST-50 transducers are compatible with ST-60 heads;however, you will need to cut the round connector off and crimp onsmall blade connectors (included with the heads). This is more of anannoyance than anything because the wire colors do not coincide fromthe 50 to the 60, so - at least with the depth - we did a littleguessing until we got it right.Third, the 50s use posts with knurled nuts that are vertical (forsurface mounts). The 60s need a larger cutout, and the holes arediagonal. the overall display size is the same, but it’s worth takingthis annoyance into consideration when setting up the system.At the same time we did the new tri-data display, we also
added awireless autopilot controller. the transmitter (Seatalk) is mounted inthe seahood with the tridata and wind displays, plugged into the backof the new tridata. We bought the controller that allows you to seeany of the network data on it, so from anywhere in the boat you canget wind speed, depth, course and gps information, and of courseautopilot control.the ST7002 head fit exactly where the old St7000 head fit, but neededone of the round to flat cables. The previous setup had the autopilotonly attached to the fluxgate compass, so you were limited to settinga course and setting the pilot. I added a Seatalk junction box(included with the remote pilot kit) and a seatalk cable from thechart plotter at the helm to the autopilot head, so now theoreticallywe should be able to steer to a pre-charted course, the wind, or anyother data that is present on the network. With the exception of
thecables, the Raymarine equipment was ordered through Defender, whichseemed to have close to the best prices, at least for my area.We made some modifications to the reefing this year as well. On the45, the first reef as designed works well. There is a shuttle in theboom. One line goes from the end of the boom, through the shuttle,back to the end of the boom, up to the cringle, back down and tiedaround the end of the boom. The other end goes from a point on themast, up to the reefing tack, down to the boom, through the other endof the shuttle, back to the mast, and then back to the cockpit. thisworks pretty well; however, the second reef doesn’t work because theboom isn’t long enough to accomodate the deepness of the reef. Wedecided to put two controls on the second reef, one for the tack andone for the clew. This necessitated adding another rope clutch on theport side and a bullet for it. we
also had reinforced rings added tothe sail so we can use blocks at the clew end instead of goingstraight through the clew rings to lower resistance while raising thesail (idea garnered through this group). We haven’t tried it yet, butwill in the next couple weeks.Down below, we made a late decision to ‘re-commission’ the aft head.the PO told me that the valve was jammed in the ‘overboard’ position.He was right, but it was only half the story. when I starteddisconnecting hoses to get at the valve, I found that the hoses -nearly 15 feet of 1 1/2" diameter white hose - were completely chokedwith ‘sand.’ the toilet could barely flush the bowl because the hoseswere so choked up, and I estimate that when I pulled them out, theyweighed about 10 lbs more than they should. Needless to say, all ofthe hose was replace. The diverter valve and vented loop wererehabilitated. While removing the hose, I found
that where it came offthe toilet and went up to the valve, the angle was so severe that itkinked the hose down to allowing almost nothing through, which is whyI think it was so easy for the system to fill with uric acid crystals.I replaced this shoddy piece of workmanship with a 90 degree elbow,and after many many hours of struggling, cursing, praying, weeping,and bashing (standard operating procedure for head jobs, isn’t it?), Ifinally got the head re-commissioned last night.I have one more job to do of importance this year, and this one goesout to the F 45 owners on the group. We had some thunderstorms inboston over the past two weeks, and I found that the outside starboardlazarette was full almost to overflowing (actually it did overflow -through the walls and into the aft cabin) because the little overflowscupper in the hatch had clogged with detritus. I’ve always thoughtthat was an
unsatisfactory approach, and I’m considering trying toengineer the same kind of drainage that the propane locker has. Hasanyone else had this problem with the lazarette, and if so, how’d youfix it?Sailing season is here, and vacation is almost upon us. We’ll be in BIsound, MV, and buzzards bay throughout July 10 - 24, so if you see adark blue Freedom 45, please hail “Glory” - we love getting a chanceto meet with other owners.Lance