Save the Date May 18-20, 2012

27th Annual Morgan Invasion & Catalina Rendezvous 2012 - Sailing for Hospice at The Club Treasure Island:

Use this link to request more information.

'via Blog this'

Propane Outboards

We went to the Miami Boat Show / Strictly Sail last weekend in search of new ways to spend even more money on the boat.  We went to research a variety of boat projects and wound up becoming the first customer of Lehr's new 2.5 HP propane powered outboard motor.



They are selling green technology, but there was quite a bit more of interest to us than "saving the planet."

This motor will run on either a standard propane tank via a hose connection, or use the little 1 pound propane bottles sold in Wal-Mart etc. to run lanterns and stoves.

1. Our old Nissan 3 HP motor was 2-stroke and it's a pain to mix gas plus states are starting to ban 2-strokes on inland lakes due to motor oil pollution.
2. The new motor is a 4 stroke, much more environmentally friendly and is allowed on any lake that allows motors.
3. Ethanol in gasoline can easily gum up engines. Propane does not.
4. I hate having gasoline aboard my sailboat. Storing gasoline is dangerous in those red plastic containers with their leaky tops. Propane is still dangerous, but is stored in much more durable containers.
5. I'm terrible at top filling a gasoline outboard. I always seem to spill. Propane tanks screw on the motor. No mess or fuss.

Boat Projects

Nothing like a trip to the Miami Boat show to put together a list or projects for an old Morgan.

Navigation & Electronics

1. New Autohelm
2. VHF Radio - test / repair
3. LED running lights
4. troubleshoot anemometer
5. replace circuit breaker for windlass

Below Decks

1. New air conditioner units
2. replace icebox with freezer
3. replace refrigeration unit
4. Corian countertops

Engine

1. troubleshoot alternator

Other

1. new shore power cables
2. replace running rigging

Christmas 2009

Eric & Spencer leaving Gulfport Marina

Christmas 2009 Cruise

We moved the boat from Burnt Store Marina to its new home at Gulfport over Christmas break.  Here is Hannah at the wheel with Hoover standing watch.

New Stainless Ports

We replaced all of our old plastic portlights with stainless portslights over Thanksgiving weekend.

The results look great but it was a lot of work. The whole family participated.

Returning out of dry dock

Pelican was on the hard from March until October 2009 with a variety of fixes.

We finally got her back October 10th and here is Eric bringing her across the bay.

FL West Coast Morgan Owners Group is Forming

Junab Ali, owner of the beautifully restored 1982 Out Island 416 Sleeper asks:

A couple of fellas have expressed an interest in forming a Florida West Coast Morgan Owners Association. We were wondering if there is any interest in holding a Florida West Coast Morgan Rendezvous once or twice a year. Would you mind posting this on your website with my email address? Maybe I’ll get some nibbles.

Add Pelican to the list. Contact us here at morgan416@gmail.com, or get in touch with Junab directly at jali@tampabay.rr.com

2009 Morgan Invasion

Morgan
INVASION
2009 Rendezvous

The 24th Annual Morgan Invasion will be hosted
-- are you ready for this ??? --
by the
St Petersburg Yacht Club at Pass-A-Grille
May 8 - May 10

Here’s the plan:
raft and party at Pass-A-Grille on Friday
race in the Gulf and party at Pass-A-Grille on Saturday
breakfast and depart on Sunday

www.spyc.org

Notice of Race

Rules: The race will sort of be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing and the Sailing Instructions. For example, protests are very very discouraged.

Eligibility: Open to any self-righting sailboat built or designed by Charley Morgan. Boats must have, or be eligible for, a current PHRF rating www.westfloridaphrf.org . PHRF certificates can be delivered or sent to the St Petersburg Yacht Club Sailing Secretary, SailingSecretary@spyc.org or the event chair, GloriaDavis@tampabay.rr.com Boats that do not have PHRF certificates will be assigned a rating by the Race Committee

Fees: Entry fees include Saturday racing, docking/rafting at Pass-A-Grille, one Awards Dinner ticket, a 2009 Morgan Invasion pennant and complimentary coffee and rolls on Sunday morning.
$50.00 for entry forms received prior to Friday April 23
$70.00 April 24 through May 5
$80.00 May 6 through May 7

Registration
Entry forms are available at www.spyc.org Send completed forms to:
St Petersburg Yacht Club, 11 Central Ave St Petersburg Fl 33701 ATTN Morgan Invasion

Schedule:

Friday, May 8
Boats arrive at Pass-A-Grille. Docking/rafting is free for all entrants.
Registration - - - - - - - - - - - 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Buffet dinner - - - - - - - - - - 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm ($25.00, reservations required)

Saturday, May 9
Hearty breakfast- - - - - - - - 7:00 am – 8:30 am ($8.00, reservations required)
Skippers meeting- - - - - - - 9:00 am
Box lunches available - - - 9:00 am
Begin departing docks - - - 9:30 am
Lunch for non-racers - - - 12:00 am ($8.00, BBQ, dogs & burgers, (reservations encouraged)
First Warning - - - - - - - - - - 11:00 am
Returning boats- - - - - - - - - ~4:00 pm
Dinner - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6:30 pm – followed by:
Our Honored Guest - - - - Charley Morgan
Awards - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Charley and our Commodore, Bob Johnson ($25.00 – reservations required)
Each entrant receives one dinner ticket

Sunday, May 10
Coffee & rolls - - - - - - - - - - 7:00 am – (complimentary)
Boats begin departing - - - - 9:00 am

Classes: and any divisions will be determined by the number of vessels in length/model categories and/or WFPHRF ratings.

Venue: Gulf of Mexico west of Pass-A-Grille

Courses: will be described in the sailing instructions

Penalty System. RRS 44.2 is modified to one tack and one gybe satisfies the rule.

Sailing Instructions: available May 1 on the SPYC website www.spyc.org and at the skippers meeting.

Radio Communication. Race Committee will begin broadcasting at 9:00am on the channels listed in the sailing instructions. Weather conditions, course selection, count-down and infractions will be broadcast

Scoring: The Low-Point Scoring System, RRS Appendix A will be used

Awards:

For additional information contact:

Gloria Davis, GloriaDavis@tampabay.rr.com or Phyllis Eades, SailingSecretary@spyc.org

2009 Projects List

PELICAN MAINTENANCE AND UPGRADES

Engine:
1. Repair Transmission
2. Replace Impeller
3. Inspect and Replace rubber hoses

Hull
1. Clean and paint bottom
2. inspect and lubricate through hull fittings
3. Non skid deck paint
4. Replace remaining plastic port lights with stainless ports from New Found Metals
5. Polish hull sides and whale stripe

Masthead
1. Replace VHF antenna, rewire if necessary
2. replace masthead light with LED anchor light
3. replace front deck light

Dinghy
1. Repair fractured dinghy

Electronics
1. New hydraulic auto helm

Below Decks
1. New Aft mattress
2. mount microwave in the galley

That should just about do it for 2009.

Mothers Day Cruise on Charlotte Harbor

Floating Dock is Launched!

Built a floating dock to continue work on Pelican together with a neighbor at Burnt Store marina. It was successfully launched in May. Total cost about $170.

Dry Tortugas

We had a great 6 day escape to the Dry Tortugas.

After attending an SSCA breakfast at the Burnt Store Cafe Saturday morning we purchased final supplies and got underway. Spent Saturday night anchored at Pelican Bay. Had dinner on the boat with Clay & Jeanne Griswold Saturday night.

After a brisk walk around Caya Costa island Sunday morning we headed to sea. The weather could not have been much better. Winds were from the west and off the beam for the better part of Sunday and into Sunday night. Monday morning the winds slowly shifted to from the North and finally from the East and again on our beam. We (mostly) sailed at around 5.5 knots the entire way. The trip was about 28 hours, and we motor sailed for about 8 hours in the early hours of Monday morning as the wind died.

The anchorage was kind of rough. It took us three tries to set the anchor in about a 20 mph breeze. Our 50' of chain really needs to be upgraded, but once the anchor set we held for the duration.

The fort was great. We spent our time walking the fort, snorkeling off the beach, and enjoying our boat. The wind never died, but we were able to cook some great meals on the grill.

We left for home around 10:00 on Thursday. The trip home was even better than down. It took us 25 hours including a side trip to Loggerhead key. We made over 6 knots for most of the trip. We finally lost our wind around 2:00 AM and motored for about four hours. At 6:00 it picked up again and we sailed between 6.5 and 7.5 knots the rest of the way. The sailing was so nice we took advantage and cooked a full meal at sea. Good times.

Dry Tortugas Spring 2007

Yahoo! Groups: Morgan 41 Sailboats

morgan41sailboats : Morgan 41 Sailboats

Some nice person has created a Morgan 41 group at Yahoo! and was nice enough to invite us to join.

This is a great idea because there is not really any good resources left dedicated to the OI41 on the web.

Morgan Invasion

Morgan Invasion

April 21 is race day. DIYC again.

We've Moved!

To Burnt Store Marina over the Thanksgiving weekend.

We have talked about moving Pelican to somewhere in Charlotte Harbor for a couple of years and made the move over the weekend. The Burnt Store Marina facility is very nice and we look forward to having more time to explore gunkholes in Charlotte Harbor.

On Wednesday I replaced the failed alternator with a Balmar 612 series 100 amp alternator and the MC612H Max Charge Regulator. The alternator is tied directly to the house batteries. The starting Optima battery is charged by the house bank via a Balmar Digital Duo Charge. The Duo Charge only charges the Optima when it sees more than 13 volts on the house bank, and can charge the Optima at up to 30 amps an hour. I'd be completely happy with my handy work, but can't get the Faris tachometer to function with the new alternator.

I also added a rudder position sensor to the Raymarine wheel pilot. I picked up the RPS at the JSI flea market last summer. It did not have all the parts with it, and it took a while for me to plan how to install it. Once it was plugged in we noticed a big improvement in the wheel pilots performance.

Next job is installing a Xantrex Link 10 battery management system, and there are 16 stainless steel ports in my front hall waiting to go to the boat for yet another big project.

On top of all that, the front macerator pump housing failed and the pump has to be replaced. It's not a job I'm look foward to. The forward head also is starting to act like it needs a rebuild kit, but I'm leaning towards installing an electric head instead. It would be easier for guests to use.

Project List: Nov '06 through April '07

1. Install Link 10 Battery Monitor
2. Install Balmar 612 series 100 amp alternator
3. Install Balmar MC-612H Max Charge Regulator
4. Install Balmar Duo-Charge Digital charging system for Optima starting battery
5. Replace zincs and impellers in Perkins 4-154
6. Install new forward bilge pump motor
7. Install 16 new stainless steel portlights
8. Sand and varnish exterior wood.
9. Paint whale stripe Royal Deep Blue using Awlgrip.
10. New non-skid deck paint
11. calk toe-rail
12. New 200' of anchor chain with 100' anchor rode attached.
13. Reuse old 50' chain plus 200' of rode for Danforth anchor
14. Split anchor locker to handle two rodes
15. Install rudder position sensor for autohelm
16. Add Ventair product under all cushions on boat.
17. Replace aft mattress with a memory foam bed.
18. Install TV antenna on mizzen mast
19. Add two LED reading lights, one each in forepeak and aft cabin
20. Replace anchor lamp with LED system.
21. Replace all halogen & incandescent red overnight passage lights with RED LEDs.

New Projects

It's been a long while since I posted to the blog. Over Thanksgiving weekend 2006 we are moving Pelican from the Harborage Marina in St. Petersburg to Burnt Store Marina in Charlotte Harbor. We have wanted to explore Charlotte Harbor in detail and decided now was the time.

Prior to the trip I am installing the following new charging system for Pelican:

1. Xantrex Link 10 Battery Monitor. I am happy with the new battery configuration from the previous post, but have not had the ability to monitor our battery usage.

2. Balmar high output alternator -- I have the model 621-100-SR-IG on order which should be footed properly for a Perkins 4-154 engine and puts out up to 100 amps.

3. Balmar Max Charge Regulator MC612H I have used this regulator on a past boat and it does a terrific job of quickly charging a battery bank.

4. Balmar Digital Duo Charge. The alternator and TrueCharge 40+ battery charger will be wired directly to the house bank of 6 6VDC flooded lead acid batteries. The Optima starting battery charge will be controlled by the Digital Duo Charge that is connected between the house bank and the starting battery. This system will put up to 30 amps into the starting battery only when the house bank is at a charging voltage above 13.5 volts.

Once we have the Link 10 installed we will learn how efficient our refrigeration, anchor light and reading lights are. Once we know this, we will understand the issues involved in long term cruising.

After this round of the electrical system is installed we will begin to install 16 new stainless ports from New Found Metals on Pelican. I can't say I'm looking forward to this job, but am looking forward to the results.

How to See in the Dark - WikiHow

How to See in the Dark - WikiHow

Morgan Invasion 2006

Davis Island Yacht Club

We decided to race at the last minute and our goal was to finish. We came in second behind Junab & Deena in Sleeper.

Shot taken December 27 on the way to Pelican Bay in Charlotte Harbor. Hoover was getting hot, so we put a hat on his head in jest. He actually liked it, put his head down and took a nap while we made our way south out in the Gulf.
click on image for larger picture

Thanksgiving weekend anchorage.
click on image for larger picture

October 8 Cruise to Isla Del Sol with the Dolphins

 
 

Isla Del Sol Anchorage

 
October 8 cruise with the Dolphins, hosted on Pelican 

Batteries, Batteries, Batteries

Update:  finished the job and now have everything mounted in the engine room including:

1.     TrueCharge 40+ as the main house charger, or to charge four of the house bank batteries when they are split apart.
2.     TrueCharge 20+ as a backup charger, or to charge two of the house bank batteries when they are split apart.
3.     Optima starting battery for the GenSet.  Which is recharged by the GenSet alternator.
4.     Optima starting battery for the Perkins engine, which is recharged by the Perkins alternator.
5.     Six 6VDC golf cart batteries.  4 mounted in the original Morgan battery box alongside the port side of the engine, and two more mounted in battery boxes in the bilge between the Perkins and the Genset.  These are tied together with a 2 bank battery switch.

My question now is should I tie the house bank back into the Perkins alternator, or simply rely on shore power or GenSet power to recharge the batteries?
--------------------------------

I came to a decision on what to do with Pelican's batteries.  I have not liked how the previous owner set up the battery loads, so I am going to take the time in September to get it fixed.  Right now here is pretty much how it had been set up:

Generator -- 12 VDC lead acid battery, tied to genset alternator and a TrueCharge 20+ battery charger

2 6VDC Trojans in aft cabin -- refrigerator only, tied to Perkins alternator and TrueCharge 40+ battery charger

4 Exide 6VDC batteries in engine room -- for all house except fridge, plus starting, plus windlass on 30 foot cable, tied to Perkins alternator through 2 way switch.  One set of 2 is tied to TrueCharge 40+, the other to TrueCharge 20+

TrueCharge 40+ is mounted in aft cabin on bulkhead next to Betsy's pillow.
TrueCharge 20+ is mounted inside engine room.

Problems with current set-up are:

1.   Starting Perkins from golf cart batteries which
   a.   causes electronics to turn off when starting the motor
   b.   is risky with house draw plus windlass draw on same set of batteries.

2.   Location of genset battery requires a maintenance free battery because it is hard to access from aft head.

3.   Fridge will deeply discharge a single set of two batteries over the weekend.  Prefer to see a more shallow discharge to extend battery life.

4.   Overall system is inefficient use of battery resources, hard to understand, and risky sharing starting batteries with house and windlass.

New Setup will be:

1.   Optima maintenance free 34M marine starting battery tied exclusively to genset.  (Yes, they are twice as much as cheaper marine starting batteries, but trouble free, could be mounted upside down or sideways if I wanted, and they have a 3 year warranty)

2.   Optima maintenance free marine starting battery tied exclusively to Perkins.  (OK, so now I'm spending 4 times as much, but really want to get this right.  This battery will be mounted in front of the genset, I estimate I need about an 8 foot cable run from the battery mounting to the engine.  Really not any longer than the current system going to the battery switch and back.  Oh, and the Optimas put out 1000MCA / 800 CCA vs. the cheaper option 550 CCA.

3.   The Exides will serve as a bank of 4 house batteries, still using the 4 way switch.  They will run the fridge, but no longer start the motor or run the windlass.  I believe I can still tie the Perkins alternator into these batteries to recharge them while under motor (?)

4.   The TrueCharge 40+ battery charger will be remounted inside the engine room.  Initially it will exclusively charge the house bank only.  I have the option of charging up to 3 sets of batteries with this system and can easily add the two optimas in the future if I desire.  (The Optimas are also sealed lead acid batteries so this will work.  You can't mix battery types with the TrueCharge.

5.   The 2 Trojans in the aft of the boat will be relocated to the engine room and tied into the four battery bank with the existing 2 way battery switch..  

6.   The TrueCharge 20+ will remain in the engine room.  It will exclusively be used to charge the 2 Trojans.  This way I have the option of charging all six batteries with either the 20 amp or 40 amp TrueCharge, or to split the bank of six into banks of 4 and 2 golf cart batteries and run both chargers at the same time, giving the system up to 60 amps per hour recharging.

7.  The Windlass will continue to run off of the house banks.


I think this will be a pretty good system.  All of the reading I have done and the participation in chat discussions points to it being a good idea to have separate starting and house banks.      

Installing Optima Starting Batteries

This weekend I am finally reconfiguring the batteries on the boat. The two new Optima starting batteries have arrived. When finished I will have dedicated starting batteries for the engine and the genset. Then will have one major bank of 6VDC golf cart batteries to run the house lights and the refrigeration.

The specs on the Optimas state they are 800 cold cranking amps and 1000 MCA. Look forward to getting this job done. The current battery configuration on the boat is suspect.

MARINE

Sailing with the Dolphin Cruising Club, Boca Ciega Bay. 4/23/05

Another great shot from Mike and Barbara Hawkins

From the rear

Mainsail is reefed, I think we need a second reef point if it is really going to blow.

Boca Ciega Bay

We sponsored a photo cruise on Boca Ciega Bay with the Dolphin Cruising Club on Saturday, April 23. Five boats braved 18 knot winds with gusts to the high 20's. It proved to be a bit of challenge to keep sails full AND take pictures at the same time. We later met on Pelican, downloaded our photos and burned CDs. Over 370 pictures were taken in about 90 minutes. We have a library of 64 shots of Pelican under sail from the cruise.

Cruising out in the Gulf on a brisk Saturday afternoon. April 16, 2005.

Good Old Boat: Quit Horsing Around by Steve Christensen

Good article about maintaining stability at anchor.

Good Old Boat: Quit Horsing Around by Steve Christensen

Sailing in the Gulf

Eric enjoying his favorite spot on Pelican. Sailing off of St. Pete Beach, FL. 

Completed Jobs

We have owned the boat for 8 months now and have completed the following projects:

Top Sides:

Removed old name and renamed her Pelican
Bottom job
New dock lines
Repaired stern rail
Repaired stern ladder and added teak steps
Added davits from Island Marine Product
Replaced sail covers with Doyle Stack Pack system
Replaced jib sacrificial
Replaced teflon wear patches on jib where sail meets spreader
New bimini and dodger
New side curtains and a tent over the aft cabin hatch
New winch and hatch covers
Installed 4 Folding Mast Steps to get up the mast to attend to the mainsail.
Added 4 swivel beer can holders in the cockpit
purchased an anchor snubber to take tension off the chain.
Replaced the mast boot on the mizzen

Galley

2 new fluorescent lights
Installed mast step to aid short people reaching into the fridge

Saloon

New overhead light
New Bose speakers mounted for stereo
New TV, DVD and electric antenna
Replaced hardware for table
Installed a dehumidifier on the boat
Replaced 2 new clear lenses and 5 new portlight gaskets.

Aft Cabin

New fan
new overhead light
2 new reading lights on starboard side
new hammock
new memory foam pad on bunk
Removed lower port side cabinet to make bunk 18" longer
New carpeting

V-berth

New fan
2 new hammocks
New carpeting

Heads

New overhead light in aft head
New teak toothbrush and soap holders in aft head
New portlight lens and gaskets in forward head
Rebuilt forward head

Electronics

Installed Garmin 182C with depth, speed and temperature transducer
Retrofitted a used Raymarine ST4000+ wheel pilot and tied it into the Garmin

Engine and Electrical

Mapped the 12VDC wiring diagram for the boat
2 of 3 sets of 6 Volt batteries replaced
Plumbed oil change system into both the Perkins and the Northern Lights Generator
Replaced aft bilge pump and float switch
Added two battery desulfators to battery system

Safety

mounted new flashlights and fire extinguishers throughout the boat
New flares and safety equipment
Replaced aft bilge pump and float switch
Installed four red lights below decks of overnight passages
Repaired or replaced four sets of lifelines
New life jackets
New man overboard lifesling
Services and registered GPS EPIRB

Current Wish & Job List

1. Install shower curtain in forward head
2. Sand and Cetol the above decks teak
3.

Overhead Lights

 


Besides carpeting, I did a little wire pulling. We decided we really wanted to have a couple of overhead lights -- one in the saloon and one in the aft cabin. I thought it would be easy to pull a wire through the headliner to the side and tie it into the existing 12VDC lighting. It turned out it was much harder than I thought. While there is plenty of space to pull wire on the roof, the liner seems to be glued to the topsides at all of the corners. I learned this after cutting a 3/4" hole in the middle of the headliner. Fortunately I was able to cut another hole into the headliner behind the galley fan and fish the wire that way. With the fan in its normal position you can't tell it's been done.

Not wanting to make the same mistake in the aft cabin, I carefully checked port, starboard and aft to see if I could fish under the headliner. Same story. I was about to give up when I decided to try from the the overhead light in the aft head. I pulled that light down and fished the metal tape in. It seemed to be able to make a straight line to right where I wanted to install the overhead light. So I went ahead and punched another hole in the aft cabin liner. This time I was able to fish into the new hole without any problem. The two new overhead lights are two way. One for white light, the other for red while underway. The new lights are a very nice addition to the boat.

New Carpet

I spent the weekend recarpeting Pelican. The old carpeting was very ugly and badly worn indoor/outdoor. Since we use a dehumidifier on the boat, we think we can get away with a nice berber. The installation has turned out o.k. so far and looks much better than before. 

Stupid Sailboat tricks

How not to take your boat into the breakers

Pelican Under Sail -- pictures thanks to Junab Ali 

We had a great trip this week to Desoto Point with Junab, Denna and Corbon Ali on their 1983 Morgan OI 41 (416) ketch. We had a great sail in both directions and rafted up for the afternoon and evening. What a pleasure to tour Sleeper and the beautiful job the Ali family has done upgrading her. We shared a great meal with them before seperating for the night. We got a kick out of the sailor who came by and told us he thought he was seeing double. On the trip home both boats had a fast sail across the mouth of Tampa Bay with just jib and mizzen sails flying. Our GPS stated we were going as fast as 7.4 knots. We look forward to doing it again. 

A Wheel Pilot on an OI41?

 


We have successfully installed a RayMarine ST4000+ Wheel Pilot onto a Morgan Out Island 41. It's not really rated for such a large boat, but it is working great.

Update: I received a question on how it works since the Out Island displaces much more than the specs for the ST4000+ and here was my reply:

I am a firm believer that I will need a proper below-decks autopilot system that is tied directly into my OI41's hydraulic system -- eventually. I also have first hand experience that autopilots can break down on long trips and you should have a backup. Based on circumstance, I have decided to install the backup first, then later put in the proper (and expensive) hydraulic system. In a couple of years I will look at either Raymarine or SimRad (formerly Robertson).

I had the Raymarine ST4000+ wheel pilot sitting in my garage. When I bought the boat I learned it didn't fit without using a hole saw so I put it away. The ST4000+ had worked great on my last boat which displaced about 14,000 lbs. loaded, had a chain drive wheel/rudder assembly that was way out of balance. If I let go of the wheel it pulled hard to starboard whether under power or sail and took a bit of over correcting to keep the boat on line. The OI416 is very well balanced. The hydraulic steering does not take much torque to turn the wheel at all.

I don't completely understand the guidelines for displacement and autopilots once you move to hydraulic steering. My ten year old son struggled to man the helm on the last boat, and is totally bored at the helm of the Morgan because there isn't much to do.

So I went ahead, took a deep breath, and cut a 2.5" hole into my helm and installed the ST4000. It turns out it works pretty great. I have it talking to my Garmin 182C chart plotter via NMEA. I can plot a course on the Garmin and each leg gets sent to the ST4000 and it stays on course. Our main test so far was a trip across Tampa Bay a couple of weeks ago. We were on a run to a broad reach, about 16-18 knot winds with 2 to 2.5' trailing seas sailing just Jib and Mizzen sails. She kept course just fine.

The tweaking part I referred to is really just trying different software settings for sensitivity, course correction and how hard you have to turn the wheel to turn the boat effectively. Ironically, the best settings turned out to be the factory defaults whereas the ST4000 still remembered the old boat settings. I spent a few hours playing with the software settings as we sailed across the bay to find this out.

One note about sea state. The ST4000+ has a feature that "learns" as you go so that it reduces the amount of corrections, particularly on a following sea. This feature was turned off for the last boat because the less the pilot tried to work, the more prone I was to turning in circles. Once we turned it on during our run across the bay it did an especially good job of keeping us on course with a minimum of course corrections on my beautifully balanced Morgan. But I'm only basing this on a three hour trip in relatively light seas.

Would I do it this way if I didn't already own the ST4000? No. I would spend the $3,500 and get the proper below decks hydraulic unit for a several reasons. 1. My wheel would not have a contraption bolted onto it. 2. With a belt pilot or wheel pilot the motor makes noise when turning the wheel. With the hydraulic system the wheel doesn't even turn while steering the boat. 3. The electronics and software in the new packages are really good now, especially in trailing seas.

That said, total new parts I needed for the installation came to a little under $200 most of which was $170 for the back box for the control unit. And it works very well.

Pelican under sail in Gulf of Mexico, Thursday March 24, 2005. (Picture thanks to Junab Ali on Sleeper) 

T-Shirt Graphics

I found a graphic that I could use as part of a cafepress.com t-shirt. This gives the outline of the OI41. Now we need to find a pelican like is painted on the stern and we can create our cafepress site.

Sailboat Yacht Review

Link to Owners Manuals

Morgan 416 Owners Manual

Hynautics Web Site

nav.html

It's Possible is now Pelican

We happily put the boat back in the water and brought her home after two weeks in the yard. We are now nearly finished with the major maintenance. This trip to the yard included:

Scraping and painting. We did it ourselves once on a 31' Bombay Clipper and am much happier finding a good yard (like Salt Creek in St. Pete) and writing a check. The barrier coat is really doing a good job because there was not a single blister. However, the guys in the yard said that there must have originally been some issues with priming when it was put one. They used some fancy 3M expoxy primer this time where there were bare spots (barrier coat showing.)

The cutlass bearing was in good shape, so was not replaced this year.

We had four seacocks in the engine room that were either stuck or very hard. All were serviced and now are easy to use.

A new Garmin transducer for depth, speed and water temperature was installed. This will be wired into the Garmin 182C chartplotter. We used the hole for the Data Marine knot meter which did not work, and kept the existing Data Marine transducer in place which leaves us with a spare depth finder. Now the GPS will be full of all kinds of information!

We also had the sides compounded and waxed. The sides came out great, but the whale stripe still needs more TLC.

Also had the mechanic plumb the Northern Lights generator into the existing electric oil change pump for the Perkins. Now I can change the oil and filters on either generator or diesel engine in about ten minutes. The pump speed is about a minute per gallon.

And finally, we had the name It's Possible stripped from the back, and a fancy Pelican lettering and graphic is now painted on the transom.

Once the side curtains finally show up, we're left with just a few more items to go:

1. Auto Pilot (below decks, hydraulic, leaning towards the new RayMarine units which includes a rudder indicator as part of the system)
2. Radar
3. electronic wind speed and direction indicator
4. Whisker pole
5. New carpeting
6. Replace a couple of original lights below

4.

Pelican hard aground getting painted and necessary mechanical work completed. January, 2005.