Blog

This spring (while waiting for penerating oil to penetrate the stuck piston in the starboard engine) I put together a fuel polishing and distribution system for Blanca.

I had an issue with water in the fuel tanks–  they sat mostly empty all winter, and when I started the port engine, the water separator did its thing.  I had to shut down and empty the sludge bowl every 3 minutes or so!  I’d been ruminating about a fuel polishing system, so I decided to move that up in the schedule.

Here’s the result!  The two “original” Racor filters can now be used to polish the fuel, or feed the engines.  Or one one way and the other the other.  Or take one offline and use a single Racor for both engines.  That will come in handy for changing filters while underway.  I was able to run the polisher to remove the water from the tanks– it was probably 5 gallons or so.  Not sure how that much got in there; maybe one of the fill pipes wasn’t tightly closed.

Here’s a picture of the completed system– the two bulbs on the sludge bowls let me suck the sediment out without opening up the top of the filters and letting air into the system.

I drew up a diagram to help explain how the thing works.  Because I was bored during the week.  😛 Click here for the diagram.

 

Next time I should have some pictures of the starboard engine work.

–Kirk

Awhile back, I discovered that Blanca’s sister ship (the other of only two made) was docked in Alameda, California.  She (oddly, named “Gypsy”) recently underwent a change of ownership and was relocated to Ohio.  I’ve traded emails and phone-calls with the owners, and they shared some pictures of her as she was being relocated.  So strange, to see “my boat” (with slight differences), being partly disassembled and trailered!

Here she is, with her fly-bridge sliced off and placed on the bow.  This got her total height low enough for transport.

And here she is, being reassembled in Ohio.  I’m told they’ll keep her on the hard for awhile, to do some hull-work before re-launching her.

Our plans to visit Mystic Seaport have gelled this summer, so I’ll be possession of plans and design notes in August.  The new owners of Gypsy will be interested in them, too.

FWAFS,

Kirk