MS 30 Pilot II - Nu owner - DIY Little things

[rgano]

Larry,
The construction barge is now at my pier to correct all the Hurricane Michael damage. Should have my guest slips ready in a week or two. We can even put you on the lift if need be. So feel free to drop in at 30-17.146N 085-38.758W.

[JFisher]

MS P34 owner here. I sought to avoid cluttering my gunwales with rodholders too. I built a custom rocket launcher style rod holder that mounts on a removable pedestal. By rotating the deck hatch in which the pedestal receiver is mounted I can position the pedestal in two different locations. The rod holder platform is easily removed and the pedestal converts to quickly mount my bbq grill. I position the pedestal dead center in the aft cockpit for fishing and then, rotate it toward the transom for grilling.


Jim

[Olebird]

Hi Jim,

First, I see you just joined the forum and this was your first post - with pictures no less! Fantastic!

Welcome and thanks for sharing your MS 34 Pilot with the group. I really like that particular model - and your ideas for keeping the gunnels clean!!

I've about decided to do something similar. No rod holders in the gunnels - but a couple of flush mounted, pop up cleats for fenders on the aft quarter panels. Maybe a custom table top or two for use on the aft deck.

I'm adding an Atlantic Towers Radar Arch primarily to provide some handholds when boarding from a fixed dock (over the side). May put a couple of rocket launchers on the arch to get any rods up and out of the way when fishing.

Thanks again for the photos. Tell us more about yourself and your boat.

Happy Holidays,
Larry

[JFisher]

Hi Larry,

Thank you for the warm welcome! I have been lurking around this Mainship TF for a while ...I made the move over here after the Mainship Yahoo Group recently shut down. Finally decided to register on TF and join in the valued discussions.


I purchased my 2001 MS Pilot 34 in 2017. My third boat, first with a diesel (single 350 HP Yanmar 6LY-STE). Our home port is Tonawanda Island, in the Niagara River. For now we cruise and fish the river and Lake Erie. My wife and I will be retiring in a few years and intend to head across the Erie Canal, cruise the ICW south, and winter in Florida with the other snowbirds. In addition to mandatory routine maintenance I have completed a few projects that have improved her creature comforts.


To offer even more flexibility of use for my rod launcher/grill pedestal, I added a receiver to the underside of a small round teak table top and can mount that on top of the pedestal, when needed, in the aft cockpit too.

I was fortunate that the PO had stainless grab rails attached to the bimini frame, both vertically and horizontally. They have been incredibly useful when boarding and walking to the bow. A couple of photos show the grab rails below.


Merry Christmas to you and all of the forum members-
Jim

[Bacchus]

Jim
Welcome aboard TF.
We are just a way East in the Finger Lakes.
We get West periodically but have only gone as far as Buffalo once.
Let me know if you cruise this way.

[Olebird]

Nice looking set up Jim, thanks for the photos. I thought about something like that, just not sure the bimini would carry the load if I really leaned on it. The arch will solve the boarding over the side problem for now. Getting up to bow is another issue.


Buffalo locks and the Erie Canal are on my bucket list. Hope I can make it up there before too much longer.


I grew up spending summers in PENSACOLA and when not on the Gulf coast, I was on the Tennessee River. Have always had a boat of some kind. Started with a 15' canoe when I was a kid and now the MS. Before the MS I had a 27ft Sea Ray Amberjack Cuddy Cabin for 15 years - same layout but slightly smaller. "SeaBiscuit" is still in the barn for now - but that's a whole different story.


Have a great holiday. Fingers are crossed for some good weather around the first. Hope to put STARLITE back in the water a get upgrades started.

[Olebird]

Well, phase one of Starlite's rehab is complete .... splashed her yesterday after a month on the yard, with new bottom paint and a buffing and waxing job that revealed the pearl I thought she might be. Played the radio (FM) during our hi intensity flash light inspection per Dave ... so I fully expected her not to start when we dropped her in the bayou. Ran thru the pre start check list ... flipped the start switch for the little genset which fired up on the second rev. After a short warm up I brought the battery charger on line to top off the mains. With all numbers in the green, the Yanmar roared on the first compression stroke - a really sweet running little engine!

The bottom prep went well, no blisters or other hull issues found. Scrapped and ground down 15 years of PO paint jobs. Fortunately the hull had not been neglected as far as we could tell. I drilled the holes for her new thru hull transducer - oh boy was that bottom hard as a rock - sealed her up with some 4200 - ready for connecting to her new NMEA 2K buss.


Local shop showed up on cue with replacement cushions for the cock pit - I love it when a plan comes together With a little canvas work and windlass repair, she should be ready for some early spring sight seeing on Santa Rosa Sound.



PS - My new TF gold and red burgee looks great against shinny decks and rails -- photos to follow soonest!

[Bacchus]

Olebird
Congats! Nice when a plan comes together well.

[rgano]

I like your refit. I dunno, but there was just something too utilitarian about the armrests on those pilot seats. So I rebuilt them in a more aesthetically pleasing teak. Pier rebuild here has hit a couple week snag. Hope to be done before you head eastward.

[Olebird]

Good Morning - Rich and Don & all, thanks for the comments and continuing interest. A little breezy up here on Sand Mountain this morning, but 70 deg - 60 mph gust tomorrow & tornadoes.

Rich, I agree with you on the helm chairs - there's just something not right with the proportions. Not made for 6 footer +++ Ok for now, but longer term - may have to make a few modifications as well.

Dan, glad I picked Pensacola for the initial rehab efforts. Folks at Pelican's Perch and the contractors they have recommended have been outstanding in keeping to a schedule and demonstrating basic competence. (no interest in PP)

Not the least expensive on the Gulf Coast, but affordable.

Anyone want to suggest how to clean helm chair back springs, seat pedestals post, and throttle quadrant. The Detailers got the worst of the corrosion off, but some stubborn spots still need work. I think the springs are an Aluminum alloy - the throttle housing looks like chrome plated, cast something? Heavier than pot metal!

Rich, on Starlite there are what look like AC vents under the helm seat facing the bow, visible in photo. I think they are courtesy lights, but haven't opened them up yet to see. Do you have something like that on "Frolic"? Hope they are lights. Cockpit is a little short on lighting - neighbors think I've been too deep in the Ripple Jug when the sun goes down and I start stumbling around. Or maybe I have - don't remember!

Next trip down in a couple of weeks to install the "tower in a box". Think I'll start a new thread to describe my experience with that - starting out not so good - minor bending issue with freight company got to remember to take the port-a-power - Also got to reread Rich's post on routing cables.

Rich, last question - the gen set coolant over flow container came off the side of gen set case and wound up laying in the bilge. I noticed signs of antifreeze in the bilge. Shop Vac'ed it out before pumps put it overboard (god only knows what kind of toxic soup it might make when mixed with all the other crap in Bayou Chico) The container was empty.

Is it likely it siphoned or leaked a significant portion of the coolant from the gen set? That bracket is easily bent by a new owner who is way too big to be squirming around down into the engine compartment - ref helm chair issues above ... LOL!!

PS. Break out the WG&C (whip, gun and chair) on that dock. Shooting for 2/15/20 to drop in and check out Frolic.

Regards
Big L

[rgano]

Q1 - Corrosion on the throttle quadrant - I handled that on my trawler by removing it and sanding it to accept a metal primer and silver-colored overcoat sprayed on by a friend who was using the stuff to coat his steel hull. You could remove prep and have the chair parts powder coated, but based on some experiences I have had with that process, I recommend painting as a lower cost alternative.

Q2 - That is a vent under the chair pedestal facing front. If you look carefully at the extremer right edge of the photo, you will see the edge of one of the courtesy lights facing inboard on the side of the bench. I think Frolic has four. Flipping on the courtesy light switch on the power panel lights these as well as the couple down in the cabin. Up on my helm console there is a switch for the cockpit lights. I changed out the colored cockpit incandescent lights for bright LEDs and actually added an extra set of LEDS for a really well-lighted cockpit. In my hardtop, I have six additional dome lights run from two switches on the console, the forward two red LEDs and the after four white.

Q3 - The only way the coolant is coming out of the generator is when there is enough pressure to push the spring of the radiator cap up allowing coolant to flow. When the pressure is reduced, the spring reseats the cap's seal. In a double acting cap like we are discussing here, the engine draws that expelled coolant back in as the engine cools, unless some duck-footed six footer knocked the coolant recovery bottle into the bilge allowing air to be ingested back into the cooling engine instead of coolant. Moral of this story is ensure the cooled genny is full under the radiator cap before resetting the coolant recovery bottle in place with fluid in it to the half full level to ensure the bottom of the pickup tube is always below the level of the coolant. Oh, and I have found that the Nextgen really does cool best in the hot summer waters here with 30% ethylene glycol (green Prestone) and 70% water. The 50/50 red stuff I use in the Yanmar was not right for the genny.

2/15 should be doable, at least to get the guest slip cleared of the new pilings the contractor has floating in there. Cannot guarantee my boat will be in its lift by then, but hope so.