I have been having ongoing problems with the raw water pump leaking on my Westerbeke 42B. The engine has about 450 total hours, which is pretty low considering the age of the boat. The raw water pump started leaking two years ago during the 2008 season. On the Westerbeke, the pump housing has a set of weep holes which will theoretically drain any water that gets past the internal shaft water seal. This serves two purposes. First is to give you a visual indication of a leak, although the pump is unfortunately located directly over the forward port engine mount which will start to rust from the salt water dripping out of the pump. Second, the weep holes should keep salt water out of the pump bearings, which are protected by an oil seal on the other side of the weep holes.
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When we moved up from our Catalina 30 to a 380, the extra room and ease of boarding certainly made life easier for us, especially given our crew includes a 50lb Portuguese water dog. The two nice state rooms and ample salon means there’s even room for friends. This allowed me to justify a larger more stable RIB to carry all the people, pets, and supplies. While the 11’ RIB tows well, its bottom quickly fouls with growth if left in the water. I also don’t like hoisting a 120 lb. RIB on and off foredeck, squeeze around it, or trying to spot objects in the water over it. Towing the dinghy also overly complicates arrivals and departures, or docking, since we must reposition the dinghy often. My initial inclination that davits weren’t in our future dissipated quickly, and it
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Well, old man winter is rearing his ugly head again – at least for those of us in the northern climates. I finally broke down today and winterized Blue Heron. And she put up a good fight as I found a couple maintenance items that needed attention. So it was a long day.
This winter’s project list isn’t too long. Primary focus will be on solving the engine raw water pump seal leakage. This is the second year in a row that the pump started leaking after a rebuild with a new shaft, bearing and seals ($$). So that will require some discussions with Westerbeke. Then I have decided to go for a Stack-Pac mainsail cover. I got a very good price through Sail Care of Ford City, PA for the Doyle version. I will also get the main cleaned and re-coated while
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John Welch, Dragon’s Lair Hull #7, League City, Texas
My wife and I are preparing our boat for cruising once we retire. One of the modifications we felt we needed was a wash down pump which, when we have chartered, we have found a useful tool.
I purchased a Jabsco Washdown Par Max 4.0 Washdown kit model 32900-0092 from West Marine. The current price at West Marine is $199. The pump produces 4.0 GPM. When I purchased the boat, I had a ¾” bronze full flow safety seacock/thru-hull installed just forward of the keel which provided a water source for the system. If hauling the boat to install a thru-hull is not an option, another approach would be to place a “T” and a shutoff valve in the water intake for the AC unit. You will need hose, stainless steel nuts, washers and bolts, clamps, sealant, and electrical wire to
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