Replacement of top window
The initial plan was only to replace the glass of the top window and the sealing but some parts of the hatch started to break when dismantling so we decided to replace the entire hatch. When removing the hatch, we also discovered that one area was actually not tight. If that hatch was not leaking during the summer, it was on the way to. One potential future headache less.
Wheel cover
We sew a new cover for the wheel and steering pedestal to protect from the sun and rain when the boat is not in use. Starting from a paper model, then upscaling to real size and testing on a cheap blanket, the last step was to fit the final version in canvas fabric. This fabric behaved quite differently from the cotton blanket, but we are very happy with the final result.
Outboard motor cover
We sew a new cover for the outbord motor of the dinghy to protect the plastic from UV. This was a good chance to practice sewing something with a complex form, using the stiff canvas.
Replacement of start motor
So far Lovisa has always been starting at first attempt without issue but we began hearing that it was starting a bit irregular. When looking in the motor room we could see sparks during start-up, most probably due to the corrosion on the electrical connections. The initial plan was to replace the start motor with a new one and restore the old one to keep as spare part but the old start motor just broke when trying to remove it. Maybe it was more that just bad connection. We took opportunity to install as well a new generator and new belt.
Replacement of rudder position sensor
Since we purchased the boat, we have been operating the autopilot with the rudder position sensor disconnected. For some reason, when the rudder position sensor is connected, the boat is unable to follow a course. No signs of damages are visible on the cabling of the sensor to the control unit and no issue can be seen on the actual installation of the sensor. Replacing the control unit with a spare one didn’t improve anything either. We suspect there might be something wrong with the rudder position sensor itself. The autopilot has been running quite fine even without this sensor connected but since we managed to find a sensor in new conditions, we decided to replace the sensor so we can continue to do fault tracing.
Inspection of exhaust elbow
Many sailors are recommending regular inspection of the exhaust elbow where the cooling sea water meets the exhaust gases and since Lovisa’s engine has around 2500h, we took the time to check the conditions of it. Removing the exhaust below is pretty easy. Once removed we could confirm presence of corrosion in several sections of the it and a slight constriction of the area inside the elbow and on the water inlet. On heat exchanger side, we could see a build up of white / yellowish crystals that brittles like sand and could be removed easily. We supposed these are crystals of salt? We could see a bit of corrosion where the exhaust pipe in the heat exchanger meets the housing of the heat exchanger. Comparing these conditions with pictures shared by other owners of Volvo Penta D1-30 and D2-40 engines who suffered failure in this area, it seems that we still have a bit of margin left.
For now, we decided to replace the elbow with a new part and continue to do regular checks since the corrosion is likely to continue its work and could potentially be a source of engine failure if not checked regularly.
Jib sail cover
We believe there could be occasions during our trip where we may want to have the jib on deck and already hooked to the inner forestay so it can be raised easily. In order to protect the jib when laying on deck, we built a cover to protect if from water sprays and from the sun. We have added hooks to the cover so we can tighten it to the boat and avoid having it flying around.
Replacement of standing rigging
Lovisa’s previous owners replaced the entire standing rigging prior to their departure around the world. There was nothing really wrong with it apart from minor oxidation there and there but for our own peace of mind since it still has several nautical miles on the neck, we decided to replace it all. We replaced the forestay, the backstay including the isolators, the cap shrouds, the intermediate shrouds, the lower shrouds and the cutter stay. We replaced as well the turnbuckles that were worn out and all the toggles for the backstay and the forestay. For the voyage, we will bring with us as spares some of the old stays that are still in good conditions.
Installation of watermaker
Having a watermaker unit onboard is not really a must for a long sail but for sure, being able to produce high amounts of fresh water onboard provides great advantages. To name one, it removes the burden to look regularly for marinas to refill water and this allows to stay away for longer time.
For Lovisa, we have chosen a Schenker Zen30, a model based on reverse osmosis, relatively compact and still capable of producing up to 30liters/h with energy consumption as low as 110W/h that is well below what the solar panels are capable of producing. Schenker have also a long experience in manufacturing watermakers so we are confident in this choice.
The entire system is pretty simple with a limited amount of components to assemble.
Even though this model is compact, it was a bit challenging to find an appropriate location that would be safe and sufficiently accessible for maintenance. The design also imposes some constraints for installation: the watermaker unit can be installed only on an horizontal plane and the forwarding pump that feeds the watermaker unit with sea water needs to be located below the watermaker. In addition to that, the watermaker unit weights about 30kg so we need to make sure it will not move even in rough seas.
We decided to install the watermaker unit on the top of the bed in the aft cabin, through an existing opening on the side of the closet. This is also how previous owners who sailed Lovisa around the world had their watermaker unit installed.
In the space below the bed where the start battery and the water heater are also located, we built a platform in plywood, formed against the shape of the hull to hold the pump, the filter and the pressure accumulator.
