Russian Trawler Update 2

[TheAtomicDog]

Hi all,

So much time has passed and so much has happened. If you would like learn more about this post-Soviet adventure, read on!

So, I have had all the registration and government docs done. It is officially and legally my boat. Sweet! Oh! By the way...the previous owner forgot to mention a detail or two. Nothing too important. The three fire extinguishers are all inop. And in 2005 she exploded at the dock and sank. She sat in the bottom for three years and was resurrected in 2008. But she’s given sterling service these past 12 years, so hardly worth mentioning.

 

[Macrophylla]

That’s a fantastic intro to what promises to be a very interesting thread.

 

[Arc]

There’s not much to ‘ read on’ . So I have no clue where this story is going

 

[TheAtomicDog]

Anyway, in for a penny, in for a pound as the saying goes

Obviously I was wrong about the engine being original. It turns out that some of the cooling system components are from the original type, but the engine has been replaced with a D65.
This is actually sort of good news. The D65 is a military engine and in Soviet times that meant the best quality. It also meant it can go with no maintenance and can use just about anything sort of diesel-ish as fuel. It’s also got 20 more hp, at around 60.
Here is a brief tour:

 

[TheAtomicDog]

Some more photos of the boat in general, before I gutted the interior. Orientation seems to be problematic. Apologies in advance.

Ps, if you are confused, please check my previous posts for context.

 

[Comodave]

Keep on having fun. Looks good.

 

[bayview]

Hard to believe that it was under water fir three years,

 

[TheAtomicDog]

I have a question about bilge pumps. When I asked the previous owner about them, he showed me a giant syringe. That was it. Nothing else. At first I thought it must be a joke, but it was not. Having taken the interior deck up, I start to understand. Under the floor is a steel grid, roughly 1m X .25m that is enclosed. Basically, each one would flood independently until it overflowed into the adjacent sections. I’m not sure how to compensate for that in terms of bailing. That being said, the bilge is completely dry and there are no through-holes in that section.
In the engine room, there is some water, most of it from when I decommissioned the sea strainer for winter. Most of what’s in the bilge there appears to be oil and grease. I can put a pump in below the floor there, but the engine room is not the lowest point on the boat. Anyway, I’d love to get your thoughts on how to proceed. Thanks in advance

 

[twistedtree]

I love it. Was the "new" engine fitted after the sinking? Or did it just start right up after raising the boat?

 

[Nomad Willy]

Atomic,
No rush but sometime I’d like all the info on the bower (anchor).
VERY interesting. I’m sure I’ve never seen one like that.

And who’s the girl in the blue hat your chasing around.

 

[TheAtomicDog]

Atomic,
No rush but sometime I’d like all the info on the bower (anchor).
VERY interesting. I’m sure I’ve never seen one like that.

And who’s the girl in the blue hat your chasing around.

It appears to be a standard Russian sea anchor design. якорь матросова If you want to google it. I think this one is 50kg, but haven’t gotten close enough yet. By Christmas the water will be solid enough to lower the anchor onto it and have a closer look.

Blue hat is my “woman friend”

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. TAG. Oh, and by the way...She sat on the bottom for three years...

 

[OldDan1943]

3 years buried in fresh water or salt water?
I hope you paid less that salvage value, maybe free if you move it out of the way. A real navigational hazard. LOL

Ideally, they would pay you.

 

[Lepke]

I have a question about bilge pumps. When I asked the previous owner about them, he showed me a giant syringe. That was it. Nothing else. At first I thought it must be a joke, but it was not. Having taken the interior deck up, I start to understand. Under the floor is a steel grid, roughly 1m X .25m that is enclosed. Basically, each one would flood independently until it overflowed into the adjacent sections. I’m not sure how to compensate for that in terms of bailing. That being said, the bilge is completely dry and there are no through-holes in that section.
In the engine room, there is some water, most of it from when I decommissioned the sea strainer for winter. Most of what’s in the bilge there appears to be oil and grease. I can put a pump in below the floor there, but the engine room is not the lowest point on the boat. Anyway, I’d love to get your thoughts on how to proceed. Thanks in advance

In steel construction, small limber holes are usually made at the time of construction, because it's easier before the plating goes on. But they all are setup to drain to the lowest point. Without a drain point you have to take on a lot of water before the pump kicks on. And if your bilge alarm doesn't happen to be in the flooded section it won't go off before you have several inches of water thruout the bilge.

 

[Lepke]

It must have cost a few rubles to salvage. Divers, and a crane big enough the lift the boat full of water. In the US, you'd be looking at near a million.

 

[TheAtomicDog]

In steel construction, small limber holes are usually made at the time of construction, because it's easier before the plating goes on. But they all are setup to drain to the lowest point. Without a drain point you have to take on a lot of water before the pump kicks on. And if your bilge alarm doesn't happen to be in the flooded section it won't go off before you have several inches of water thruout the bilge.

Thanks for this. I will check for limber holes. I hope they are there. I don’t want to have to drill a dozen or so.

Regarding salvage costs, at that time in Russia I would be surprised if it cost $10k. No OSHA, no environmental impact studies, no insurance.

By the way, it was a propane explosion and it blew the deck off, as well as internal fittings that caused the boat to sink.

Fresh water, thankfully.

 

[MurrayM]

Atomic,
No rush but sometime I’d like all the info on the bower (anchor).
VERY interesting. I’m sure I’ve never seen one like that...

Did a quick image search for stockless anchors, and it appears to be a Matrosov anchor:

Matrosov Anchor, HHP Anchor - Chongqing King-Sea Marine Equipment Co.,Ltd.

 

[Lostsailor13]

Kinda looks like a small version of the yamal

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I have a question about bilge pumps. When I asked the previous owner about them, he showed me a giant syringe. That was it. Nothing else. At first I thought it must be a joke, but it was not. Having taken the interior deck up, I start to understand. Under the floor is a steel grid, roughly 1m X .25m that is enclosed. Basically, each one would flood independently until it overflowed into the adjacent sections. I’m not sure how to compensate for that in terms of bailing. That being said, the bilge is completely dry and there are no through-holes in that section.
In the engine room, there is some water, most of it from when I decommissioned the sea strainer for winter. Most of what’s in the bilge there appears to be oil and grease. I can put a pump in below the floor there, but the engine room is not the lowest point on the boat. Anyway, I’d love to get your thoughts on how to proceed. Thanks in advance

Did you get an answer?

 

[TheAtomicDog]

@Alaskan Sea-Duction

Yes. Lepke responded. There are limber holes that run along the keel. Bilge pumps ordered.

 

[tdoriot]

Wow! That's wheelborrow sized nuts! And we think we have problems!

 

[CaptTom]

Keep those pictures coming! This is a very interesting project.

 

[Medic]

This is gonna be fun...

'Yo, Atomic Dog,

This is gonna be a great thread. Please keep the pics coming, and your sense of humor and (I hope) adventure intact.

 

[Nick F]

Tough luck on the extinguishers !

 

[TheAtomicDog]

Tough luck on the extinguishers !

I know, right? Who lets all their extinguishers go inop at once?

I will post another update soon. She's frozen solid right now, so work is slow going.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Atomic,
What on earth is that monster capstan used for?

Whenever I see this thread I’ll pop on and scope out the latest.
Some threads are just a magnet for me.

 

[TheAtomicDog]

Hey Willy,

That capstan is one of my favourite features of the boat. I said previously I would drop the anchor on the ice around Christmas, which I did indeed do. It's a 35kg sea anchor, which that monster capstan can raise one-handed. You can also wrap rope around the upper part and wind in anything else that you need or want to be closer. I have seen another converted SSP where they replaced it with an electric winch, but this thing is waaay more fun.

 

[TheAtomicDog]

A closer shot of the capstan.

 

[Nomad Willy]

TAD,
Oh I see it’s also a vertical windless but couldn’t see that in the original picture.
And what great gear it would be to “kedge off” the mother vessel when needed.
Cheers

 

[Pete Meisinger]

That's quite a story. Tell me, was the previous owner a real estate salesman, a used car salesman or a politician?

He had to be one of the three!!

pete