Things that . . . Work: HARBOR FREIGHT multi-tool

"Oscillating Multifunction Power Tool"

This one is a shocker for me.  I, like many, have wandered the halls of Harbor Freight lots of times.  When I do purchase a tool I do it with the idea of using it for one job, cause it likely will not last beyond that.  Well, when finishing up the Devil Seams last spring I was having a Devil of a time (ha!) getting into some of the tight places with the combination of my reefing knife and hand chisels.   On a lark I had noticed that Harbor Freight had their Multi-tool on a Super Coupon for $19.99 and decided to give it a try.

WOW

Now I know Fein has had these out for several years, and I have drooled over them many a time (mostly when I was reefing out the caulking on the deck).  But that tool, though I am sure it is a Fine Fein, was just too much $$$ for me to justify.

Well, $19.99 – OK.  Give it a try.  And does it work.  I have no way of comparing it to the Fein, but can say – for those jobs where the high speed osculating blade works, this is magic.  Those devil seams used to take me 30-45 mins / segment to get them nice and clean for re-caulking.  About 5 with the multi-tool.  Just today I needed to enlarge a clearance hold around a pipe -- would have been hard to get a chisel in there.  Multi-tool took 5 minutes.

This is a Harbor Freight tool.  I still get a chuckle out of the ‘spare brushes’ that came with it, and it does vibrate like the Worlds no end – glad most tasks only take 5 minutes.  But for those times when it is needed, it works.  Who would have guessed.

And all for $19.99!

Meet Juanda

Just before Christmas we visited the Mystical Mermaid here in Friday Harbor.  The young couple that owns and operates the store are very friendly, and when we stopped in, we realized we had actually become acquainted with Rebekah the day before at the grocery store!

Anyway, we were there for their grand re-opening, after they moved their shop into a new location on String Street.  They have a carved wood mermaid out front, and they were soliciting ideas to name her.  I asked Al what he thought he name was, and he answered immediately 'Wanda!'  I asked why, and he said, because of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Ha ha!  I thought it should be spelled Wanda, but Al and Brian and Rebekah all thought Juanda was the way to go.  Al won a $50 gift certificate for his idea!

The other day we finally had the camera along on a nice day, so we stopped for a photo or two.

Gasp!

First, a picture to make you gasp at the beauty.....

What a gorgeous sunset the other night!  And I was out without my camera!  As I rushed down the dock and back to the boat, the color was fading fast, but I grabbed the camera and headed back towards the port office.  I turned around to start shooting and -- what fortune! -- Chetzemoka was coming in to harbor.

Go ahead.  Double click and take a closer look!

Have you checked the Port of Friday Harbor webcam lately?  This photo is very nearly the shot you get when you do........http://www.portfridayharbor.org/marina-webcam/

It's views like this, and the friendly people in town, at the church, in Power Squadron and yacht clubs that make this town so lovely.  This morning I was sharing with Al that maybe it WAS time to be moving on.  I told him that even though last summer I was so excited to go to places we had never seen before, the longer we stay here, the more I like it!  When you are in such a beautiful, nice place, why would you EVER want to go anywhere else?

And Al admitted -- GASP!!! -- that he had been having the same thought!

There's a New Kid in Town!

Last Saturday morning, when the Washington State Ferry Sealth pulled away from the dock in Friday Harbor, she revealed another ferry at the secondary dock that we didn't recognize!

Chetzemoka

She is one of the newest ferries in the Washington State Ferry system, launched just over a year ago.  Based on a design from back east but built locally, her class has earned the nick-name Eileen (I-Lean) due to the unusual non-symmetrical design resulting in a built in 1 degree list.  Loading takes care of that.

We would not normally see this ferry here in the islands, but last Friday Yakima had some unexpected issues and was suddenly taken out of service.  Evergreen State (one of the oldest ferries in the service) was shifted over to cover for Yakima and  Chetzemoka was moved up to take Evergreen's inter-island route.

For those who are interested, here is the 'official' Washington State site: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/vesselwatch/VesselDetail.aspx?vessel_id=65
And here is a great site with even more info!: http://www.evergreenfleet.com/Chetzemoka--2010.html


We have been anxious to take a ride on Chetzemoka, and on Tuesday, Al's regular work phone call closed up just in time for us to throw some snacks in the backpack and hotfoot it to the ferry dock.  The attendants asked as we boarded "Orcas?  Shaw? Lopez?"  and we said "Inter-island!  We want to take a tour!"  Their reply -- "You aren't the only ones!"

Actual bike racks, instead of a rope at the wall.

The obligatory puzzle.  Though Al does not like the smaller tables!

We have a literal front row seat as we pull out of Friday Harbor.

Turtleback Mountain on Orcas Island is peeking over Shaw.

Pulling up to Orcas Landing

Into the sun at Shaw!

Orcas on the left, Mt. Baker through Obstruction Pass, Eagle Cliff on Cypress Island is behind Obstruction Island, Blakely Island on the right.

Ferry Landing at Lopez Island

It's not too windy here, at the moment...

Yes, we knew it would be the sunset cruise.  Mmmmm, romantic.

Back home to Friday Harbor.

Let the Beatings Begin!

OK, This one is a serious note - so pay attention.

Being rather isolated, even when near towns, boats need to be more concerned about safety than say an automobile or house.  It is hard to just pull over to the side of the road when something goes wrong, and even harder to just step outside if needed.  Take for example one of the most feared events to a mariner:  Fire.

Rattle, Rattle, Rattle?

Most of us carry the required number of Fire Extinguishers, and many carry far more (we have 7 aboard Viking Star).  Perhaps the most common are the Dry Chemical fire extinguishers, and what I want to talk about is a much needed maintenance for them.

At issue is  that over time the dry powder begins to pack down inside the extinguishers.  Think back to flour, and how it can pack down into a denser mass.  Same thing happens with the powder inside these Dry Chemical fire extinguishers.  Assisted by the motion and vibration aboard modern boats - over time this packing can be very effective.  To the point where, when called upon for duty, the powder will be so packed in it will not come out.

I remember several years ago there were a series of moorage fires in the Seattle area.  One thing that caught my eye was during one fire 7 portable extinguishers were used, and only 2 of them worked!  Now, I do not know for sure if the other 5 failed because of packing, but can guess it is a likely cause.  Just because the pressure gauge reads Good does not mean your inspection is complete.  You need to take them out of their mounts and shake them.  Shake them good.  If the powder is free you will feel and/or hear it.

Whack, Whack, Whack!

If however you can not hear and feel the powder moving inside, it is time for a good beating!  Often you can just use your hand (assuming things are not too well packed in), but I like to use a rubber dead-blow hammer (I got mine at Harbor Freight for about $3).  Works great and does not risk denting the extinguisher (or my hand).

A few whacks will get things loosened up in no time.

Then give them a visual:  no parts missing or broken, hose still in good shape, no rust, and that pressure gauge is in the Green/Good area.

One other hint, if you can mount these horizontally (as opposed to hanging vertically from a wall) that will greatly reduce the chance of packing the powder, but not totally eliminate it.

I find I need to do this about twice a year to keep things moving freely.


So here's to yet another item one hopes to never use, but if we need to, we want it to actually work. . . .

Refinements to the Water Maker

As mentioned in the prior posts, we have had issues with the Heat Exchanger.  Not in its operation, but in its construction of the mounting flange.  It is rather soft material, and very thin; causing distortion and making it difficult to keep it sealed correctly.  In this closeup photo of the flange  you can see what I am talking about..
















Addressing this,I soldered on some brass stiffening trips as you can see here.  I used 1" x 3/32" stock, purchased from a local hardware store.  If you can find thicker (ala 1/8") it would work fine, but need to have it 1" wide.








Yesterday I bolted it back on, and it seems to be working well - at least the flanges no longer distort!










While I was at it, I also took the opportunity to re-route some of the plumbing as shown in this update diagram.  The difference is we now run the sea water through the heat exchanger before sending it to the RO membranes.  The reason for this is Revise Osmosis membranes are temperature sensitive.  When they say 40GPH, it is when using a water temp of 77oF.  Up here we see water in the 40's to the low 50's.  It might get up to the mid 50's during the summer,but never to the 70-80o range.  By pre-heating the water I am expecting to get more produced out of the membranes while still keeping them within their design specification.  Once we get underway next month and start using the Water Maker again I will report on its performance.

Click to make larger

Update:  See some more thoughts on this pre-heating idea here:
    http://mvvikingstar.blogspot.com/2014/06/rethinking-water-maker-raw-water-pre.html

And one last point:  Those motor mounts I used, the ones I just plucked from someone else's design that I thought were a bit on the small side.  Well, yup.  While inspecting things I noted one has collapsed.  Does not impact anything other then a bit more noise put into the hull.  But those are obviously one part that is not right.

Yup, it is time.

Remember that old joke about the Rich Guy who would purchase a new car every time his ash tray filled up?  Well, perhaps not in exactly the same vane, we are none-the-less getting some hints about our stay here in Friday Harbor..





I mentioned before about Moss on the Deck.  Here is the proof.  And I found some lines showing a bit green to them as well!









Not to mention what happens to the Inside of a boat when it sits too long at dock. . . .

-- The Look of Shame --

Finally, here is a photo of what Kristi has been calling our 'Front lawn'.

Well, take a look here!  Yup, looks to me like the Lawn might need mowing soon - so it is DEFINITELY  time to get underway!

We talked to the Port office Friday and told them we were looking to head out Feb 3rd.  This will allow us to attend a Feb 2nd Friday Harbor Power Squadron event where Terry and Linda Lush will be presenting on their travels to Broughton Islands.  Then as long as there is not a weather event we will leave the next day.




But before we get away there are a few projects which need to be completed.  First off we need to tidy the boat some.  As the photo above shows, we picked up a few (5 actually) large boxes of stuff during our last trip back to Portland.  Need to find a home for those.  Need to get the Generator / Water maker back on line, service the main engine, and hook up the aft cabin radiators into the hydronic heating system.  Busy Busy Busy!

Kristi and I have enjoyed our stay here at Friday Harbor, and very much enjoyed the hospitality offered by all we have met.  After another season of cruising there is a good chance we will winter over here again next November.  Providing we do not end up in Victoria -- got a lead on great winter rates there as well!