Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

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RFGuy
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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by RFGuy »

Wow! That is one gorgeous dashboard now! :D
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roamer46
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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by roamer46 »

Thanks, RF Guy!

I'm still clearing out my camera's memory card with things I finished a while ago but never posted on because...well...life got ugly for a while (and it's still ongoing).

Anyway, today's article is about the positive crankcase ventilation system I came up with, which should help keep my engine room from getting gunked up with oil discharged from the Cummins original vent scheme...which was to just vent those fumes directly into the ER.

There are many commercial options for PCV systems, and the cheapest of them is ~$375 per engine. The most expensive can run $750 per side. I put mine together for ~$100 for both sides, but that didn't include new air filters because new ones came with my engines. Even if you add the price of new filters in, the parts total would be ~$200. It'll be interesting to see how they perform once we splash the boat and run it for a while.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: DIY Positive Crankcase Ventilation

Cheers,
Q

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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by roamer46 »

The windshield on this boat has been an ongoing source of frustration since I first started the refit back in 2008. I thought all my problems were solved when I installed the custom units from Motion Windows. But when I washed the boat in preparation for some paint repairs in October last year, a bunch of water came through the screw holes on the center windshield clamp ring and pooled up on the dashboard. I tracked the problem down to a couple of manufacturing defects: outer seals that were cut too short and shrank, and an inner seal that wasn't attached to anything over 3-4 inches. Motion Windows graciously sent me a length of their window seal to replace the defective one, and I used Lexel sealant to fill the gap for the inner seal. The tent has some holes in it, and rain has streamed down the windshield several times since I finished the repair. No more leaks! The windshield is finally done!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Windshield Wrap Up

Cheers,
Q

The shrunk seal.
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roamer46
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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by roamer46 »

Chris Craft started installing Engelhard Impressed Current Cathodic Protection Systems (Cathodic Protection Automatically Controlled, or CAPAC for short) on all of the Roamer metal boat models in the 1960s. When I started this refit, I had no idea that these systems even existed. So when I saw the biggest pit in the hull in close proximity to a thing that looked like a plastic picnic plate (the bottom paint in the area also looked like it had been cooked), I decided that whatever it was, my boat was better off without it. I removed the picnic plates (there were two of them) and stupidly threw them in the trash.

As the refit progressed and I learned a thing or two, I realized that what I'd done was a big mistake. With a properly functioning CAPAC system, you don't need zincs. And with a properly installed CAPAC system, you don't get the hull pitting that I found on my boat. So I did a bunch of research, found an original manual for the model of CAPAC my boat came with, and I found a company in Florida that still sells the 'plastic picnic plates'.

One plate is the anode that pushes current (at 12vdc) out into the water to "polarize" any exposed underwater metal on the boat. The other plate is the reference cell that senses the degree of polarization. Together they cost $1750...to replace the two perfectly good ones I threw in the trash because I was stupid. lol

Anyway, the new ones are installed and wired to the Engelhard panel I refurbed and reinstalled in the salon electrical panel a while ago. All I need to do is supply it with 12vdc and it's ready to 'polarlize' my hull and underwater metal when I splash in the Spring.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the CAPAC Anti-Corrosion System

Cheers,
Q

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roamer46
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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by roamer46 »

I've been working on the sliding helm doors off and on for three years. Finding hardware that will work in this application has been far more challenging than I thought it would be. After two false starts, I finally found slider tracks that will work. They're linear motion tracks from PCB Linear. There are no moving parts. The tracks and traveler cars are anodized aluminum, and the bearing material that lines the contact surface of the traveler appears similar to delrin. They slide very smoothly, with almost no friction. I'll use two cars per track, with a piece of 316 stainless angle connecting the two. The doors will sit on the angle, with screws holding them in place.

Once the doors are installed, the boat will be very close to weatherproof.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Helm Doors II

Cheers,
Q

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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by roamer46 »

I've been making progress on the refit when I'm not swamped with case filings in my various employment-related lawsuit and other claims. I haven't had time to post anything recently but thought I'd give a quick refit heads-up.

After a bunch of nonsense with the fuel system that I'll cover in more detail later, I finally got the starboard engine fuel circuit nailed down and was recently able to light it off. The idle is rock-solid, gauges show good oil and gear pressure, and the tach appears to be working fine. I plan to dismantle the tent the first week of June and will splash the boat as soon as the surveyor and insurance company clear it for launch. There are more details at the linked blog page and also a video of it starting and running. I can't figure out how to make my video link work here.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The Starboard Engine Runs!

Cheers,
Q
roamer46
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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by roamer46 »

I was so excited about the starboard engine lighting off and running perfectly that I posted the video of it a bit out of sequence. I wanted to go back and explain what's happened since November of last year as I dealt with leaking fuel that had to be fixed before I could try another test run.

When I tried to do the first engine test fire last fall, I found two major fuel leaks: one was a crack in the return fuel line coming off the injection pump; the other was at the mechanical lift pump on the engine. Cummins didn't design these engines with easy injection pump maintenance as an objective, and there's no way to replace the cracked return line without removing the injection pump from the engine. I came up with a workaround using a Swagelok fitting that I think will work just fine.

I also bought a new lift pump and painted it white before installing it. Now it's the prettiest part of the whole engine and gear. lol

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fuel System Fixes

Cheers,
Q

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nuhobby
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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by nuhobby »

Wow! Great to see that engine coming to life.
roamer46
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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by roamer46 »

It certainly was, nuhobby!

Big News!

The surveyor comes tomorrow. If he signs off on splashing the boat, I'll pass his report on to the insurance company. If they approve splashing, the boat goes in the water as soon as I can get the tent out of the way. Should happen this week.

But, backing up a bit, I had five leaks show up in that brand new stainless steel fuel manifold I made a few months back. Turns out that pipe fittings made in China don't seal up like they should. So I took it all apart and redid the leaky joints using a Loctite product that came highly recommended by pipe-fitters who say it's the only thing that works on stainless fittings. While I had it apart, I also bent some new tubing because I was, frankly, a bit ashamed of the poor quality work I did when I first bent two of the stainless supply and return lines. The results are much better.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fixing Fuel Supply Manifold Leaks

Cheers,
Q

Before (tube on the lower right that goes under the angle)
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roamer46
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Re: Using a Shop Smith Mark V on a Chris Craft Roamer refit

Post by roamer46 »

Bad news. The surveyor didn't show as scheduled. He eventually contacted me to let me know he's in the hospital with heart problems. Priorities, right?!?! lol

We may have worked out a path forward that (hopefully) will involve an associate of his checking the boat out tomorrow. I checked out the last survey this guy did, and it took him ten days from inspection to sending me the report. So it looks like the window for launching will get pushed into next week.

That said, the missus got involved in the refit over the winter when I observed that the V-berth is pretty much done and could be used as a bedroom if only it had a mattress. She got right on it, and today I brought the mattress with a custom cover onboard. It turned out real nice, and was a small fraction of the cost of having an upholstery shop make it.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The Missus's Custom V-berth Mattress

Cheers,
Q

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