It's official. I'm a trawler owner.

bligh said:

I have been thinking about your picture for a while. I had to go to youtube to figure out how to take a screenshot in my android, but I figured it out.
Below is the screenshot of the navionics app I am using in the same area you show above. I did notice, after studying it for a while that there is one "3" in there , but no other markings .. Bad on navionics for such a poor chart, bad on me for not cross checking it, although the contour lines lead you to believe its all deep.
I wonder how the new garmin charts on the new garmin device will be compared to these navionics.

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Here's what my Garmin Bluechart app shows.

New Updates

Frisky has been in the yard for the last couple of weeks.
New transducer installed.
New mast installed.
New sternthruster installed (by me)
New GPS and Radar installed.- We are installing a new teak cover where the radar is now installed so we will have future access to it.
She is now in the water having a few things buttoned up. I'm hoping to be back in the slip this weekend.

My boy and I took the tender out for a 'spin' on Sat and Sunday. The pictures are from Sat. We tried trolling for Stripers, but didnt catch anything. Sunday was really rough. When we got back to the slip, my SH handheld VHF was missing. It's a floating model. I hope someone finds it!

Please let us know how the HD radar performs. I'm debating a simrad 3G.

Somehow, since I took possession of the boat, one of the seals on the stern thruster failed and let water into the system. Dickson swapped me for a new thruster (for a fee). I vacuumed out all hoses and replace the remaining hoses I hadn't replaced before in the engine room. I also cleaned and repainted the reservoir tank and replaced the filter. I knew there was still some water in the system that would need to be removed, so I filled the system with new fluid and ran it for a while, then emptied the tank again with a suction canister. It was pretty contaminated by water. I partially refilled it again, but I didnt have enough fluid to run it again. I'm using a standard wix hydraulic fluid filter. I have heard that Parker makes a filter that absorbs a certain amount of water. Does anyone know how to cross reference the filter numbers so I can use these filters to get the rest of teh water out of the system? I am thinking I am going to need to swap the fluid out one or two more times regardless. I am hoping the filters can get the remaining bit out.

bligh said:

New GPS and Radar installed.

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If I read the Garmin GPS antenna manuals correctly, they should be mounted at least 3 feet from the radar and either above or below it. The pics appear to look like you are under 3 feet although they are above the radar. Is that an issue?

Unfortunately hyd oil is hygroscopic in nature. It attracts water (as opposed to repelling it like normal oil). The only 'cure' is flush, fill, flush,fill. How much does your whole system take? 3 gallons? A filter won't really help once the oil gets 'whipped' up going through the thruster pump vanes. Replace it a couple times.

Donsan said:

If I read the Garmin GPS antenna manuals correctly, they should be mounted at least 3 feet from the radar and either above or below it. The pics appear to look like you are under 3 feet although they are above the radar. Is that an issue?

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They are just above the radar. I hope its not an issue.

cappy208 said:

Unfortunately hyd oil is hygroscopic in nature. It attracts water (as opposed to repelling it like normal oil). The only 'cure' is flush, fill, flush,fill. How much does your whole system take? 3 gallons? A filter won't really help once the oil gets 'whipped' up going through the thruster pump vanes. Replace it a couple times.

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Im actually using ATF. I don't know if that makes a difference. But the water and the oil do seem to whip together pretty quickly. I could just separate the supply and return oil and only feed fresh oil into the system and catch the spoiled return oil in a reservoir (bucket). It would be a real hassle and of course the oil is not cheap. I'm thinking this may be my only option to fix it 100%.

Doesn't the fluid run in both directions? One way for port, and the other way for stbd? Make sure you constantly run it one way. Until cleared up or you will be just pushing contaminated fluid back and forth. Have you asked Manuf'r for guidance on flushing? They may have an installed valve/port in the system from the factory just to accomplish this.

cappy208 said:

Doesn't the fluid run in both directions? One way for port, and the other way for stbd? Make sure you constantly run it one way. Until cleared up or you will be just pushing contaminated fluid back and forth. Have you asked Manuf'r for guidance on flushing? They may have an installed valve/port in the system from the factory just to accomplish this.

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Yeah, if I run it in one direction with new fluid, it should flush it all out as long as I don't feed it back into the system.

Although Bob is a very helpful person, he does not have any experience with this sort of issue. Also from what I can tell Dickson Thruster is a one man show.

bligh said:

They are just above the radar. I hope its not an issue.

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Your pic looks like the same one from the manual I looked at online for the MFD 7212 but directly to the left of it and in bold letters, it states to be sure it is at least 3 feet away from the path of any radar beam.

I was kind of hoping to do a mast mount like yours but the Garmin manual is scaring me away. Let us know how it works.

I am using the product as it was designed from seaview.

This is from the seaview website.

"With this spreader kit there are two ways to configure it, one for a closed dome radar configuration and one for a satdome configuration. The above image illustrates what is included out of the box, including the extension posts. When you are using a closed dome radar with a spreader kit you want to raise your GPS units above the closed dome radar to avoid interference. If you are using a satdome you don’t need to use these extension posts with GPS units. "

Fireworks we saw in Rio Vista this weekend.

The current GPS location will be fine. Even though it may not be ideal from a purist standpoint it really won't effect either the GPS or the Radar. I had something similar on my Mainship and it was set up that way and worked for 5 plus seasons. Neither unit seemed to effect operational performance of the other.
Bill

Good News! Frisky is out of the boat yard. I brought her back to the slip on Friday (without hitting the bottom).
Most projects are completed. The electrician and I still have some minor wiring and penetrations to deal with and then that's it until he starts with the major electical items later this year.
Some pictures below, new radar mast, new window coverings with view from inside, new electronic gadgets, new ais vhf.

Also a new fuel polishing system in the ER that I still need to run the plumbing on. (Will be asking technical questions later). Also all new hoses for the hydraulic stern thruster along with new fluid.

All Looks Good... keep up the great efforts for oncoming years of fun in the sun! - Art

Frisky is looking fantastic Bligh sporting her new jewelry.

John at Waltons Marine Repair in Rio Vista did most of the general work. Waltons lets owners work on their own boats while they are out of the water. They do great woodwork, fiberglass, and general repairs. John made a great teak box cover for the new hole in my overhead. Very professional.

Micheal Daley of Redwood Marine Electrical did much of the electrical and will continue to do more work overhauling the electrical system. Michael is highly skilled and quite meticulous.

I highly recommend both of these outfits. They were both easy to work with and priced fairly.

Looking great!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Bligh(and Bligh-son) and Frisky last weekend and can attest that she sure looks sweet. Bligh's making some great improvements. He even had his private window washer (Stepmom) in there on Sunday morning cleaning all the windows.

Boat looks fantastic!
Do you have the hull rubbed out?

How far along are you on flushing the bow thruster system? I'm likely too late but I'll carry on anyway.

Normally you should not connect the actual thruster at all untill the system is cleaned. Done by using fittings to connect the two hoses together. That way the thruster never sees contaminated oil.

The control valve should be disassembled and cleaned. They are not hard to do but other wise some water or moisture may stay to cause later trouble. It can hide and stay in the lower parts of the spool and at the spool ends where there is almost no oil movement so little or NO flushing.

The tank should be completely swabbed out.

Vacuuming the lines out is a good idea
but air pressure will probably do a much better job.

Both is even better.

Just be sure the hose end is firmly contained so it cannot fly about, spraying oil everywhere and maybe smacking and damaging something.

You will want to put the end firmly into a jug like an old plastic fuel jug/jerry can so any oil is definitely contained. In addition to solid oil there will be mist. Just ensure there is a good escape hole for the pressurized air or you may burst the jug. I think an old oil container will be on the light side. The fuel jug/jerry can can then be cleaned later.

With the thruster out of line you can use a cheaper oil since no pressure, or very little will be developed. Reswab the reservoir out once flushing has been done, then refill with the correct oil. Whatever remains of the flushing oil should be so minimal that it should not cause problems. If you want to be sure then do a final flush with the final oil and then clean the tank again.

You have salt water which will be far nastier in the hydraulics than some fresh water so it must be removed. thoroughly.

And of course , as suggested, contact the mfgr about any specific instructions they have.

bligh said:

John at Waltons Marine Repair in Rio Vista did most of the general work. Waltons lets owners work on their own boats while they are out of the water. They do great woodwork, fiberglass, and general repairs. John made a great teak box cover for the new hole in my overhead. Very professional.

Micheal Daley of Redwood Marine Electrical did much of the electrical and will continue to do more work overhauling the electrical system. Michael is highly skilled and quite meticulous.

I highly recommend both of these outfits. They were both easy to work with and priced fairly.

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Thanks Bligh. I will stop by Waltons to look it over next time traveling to boat. Also contemplating Ladds Marine for haul in next year or two. Will keep Michael Daley, Redwood Marine Electrical in mind for needs that may arise. I just checked out both websites... look good. - Art

C lectric said:

How far along are you on flushing the bow thruster system? I'm likely too late but I'll carry on anyway.

Normally you should not connect the actual thruster at all untill the system is cleaned. Done by using fittings to connect the two hoses together. That way the thruster never sees contaminated oil.

The control valve should be disassembled and cleaned. They are not hard to do but other wise some water or moisture may stay to cause later trouble. It can hide and stay in the lower parts of the spool and at the spool ends where there is almost no oil movement so little or NO flushing.

The tank should be completely swabbed out.

Vacuuming the lines out is a good idea
but air pressure will probably do a much better job.

Both is even better.

Just be sure the hose end is firmly contained so it cannot fly about, spraying oil everywhere and maybe smacking and damaging something.

You will want to put the end firmly into a jug like an old plastic fuel jug/jerry can so any oil is definitely contained. In addition to solid oil there will be mist. Just ensure there is a good escape hole for the pressurized air or you may burst the jug. I think an old oil container will be on the light side. The fuel jug/jerry can can then be cleaned later.

With the thruster out of line you can use a cheaper oil since no pressure, or very little will be developed. Reswab the reservoir out once flushing has been done, then refill with the correct oil. Whatever remains of the flushing oil should be so minimal that it should not cause problems. If you want to be sure then do a final flush with the final oil and then clean the tank again.

You have salt water which will be far nastier in the hydraulics than some fresh water so it must be removed. thoroughly.

And of course , as suggested, contact the mfgr about any specific instructions they have.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. But too late at this point. I drained everything i could and cleaned the tank the refilled it with fresh ATF. Then i ran it for 5 minutes and sucked out all the oil i could from the resovoir tank. It was still contaminated, but not too bad. So i refilled the tank with ATF again and i havent done anything else yet. The water in it is fresh. The boat is back in the water. I can still remove the thruster, but its a hassle. What i was planning was to empty as much of the fluid in it again as much as i can. Then refill the resovior and pump it through the system. But insread of pumping back into the resovoir I would route the return line into a 5 gallon bucket and keep feeding new ATF into it until it looks clear. Does that sound sufficient? Or do i sti) need to break it all down again?
I have also heard parker makes hydralic fluid filters that will absorb up to 8 ounces of water. But i haven't put a lot of time into tracking them down yet. I hope these exist as i could use them to get the last little bit of water out of the system after i do my purging routine.
When u say cheaper oil, what are you referring to? I wa SC figuring i would need two 5 gallon pails of atf (probably a couple hundo each)
Thoughts?

BTW the manufacturer was clueless about what to do. Really.

FlyWright said:

I had the pleasure of meeting Bligh(and Bligh-son) and Frisky last weekend and can attest that she sure looks sweet. Bligh's making some great improvements. He even had his private window washer (Stepmom) in there on Sunday morning cleaning all the windows.

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Thanks for the kind remarks!

Bligh, isn't it time to change your avatar?

markpierce said:

Bligh, isn't it time to change your avatar?

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Lol. Ill work on it.

FlyWright said:

I had the pleasure of meeting Bligh(and Bligh-son) and Frisky last weekend and can attest that she sure looks sweet. Bligh's making some great improvements. He even had his private window washer (Stepmom) in there on Sunday morning cleaning all the windows.

Click to expand...

Any help with boat maintenance is appreciated. On rare occasions, my sister helps polish the brightwork.