Every couple of years Fiddler needs to come out of the water. Usually it gets hauled out for a visual inspection of the hull, to apply a coat or two of anti-fouling paint, and to clean up the propellers, drive shafts, thru-hulls, and struts. In addition, this time Fiddler's seals on the shafts and rudder... Continue Reading →
Wires are sized based on the amps that will flow through them, and the length of the wire run. If the load is heavier than the wire can handle, it will get very hot and potentially cause a fire. Fuses and circuit breakers are used to protect the wiring. So when an appropriately sized wire... Continue Reading →
Maintaining Fiddler takes a lot of time and requires an understanding of multiple systems. Unlike a car where the maintenance is related primarily to the engine and drive train (changing the oil and other fluids, spark plugs, brakes, and rotating the tires), Fiddler has two diesel engines, two drive trains, two propellers, two rudders, hydraulic... Continue Reading →
With the rainy and windy weather, I have plenty of time to work on projects. This week I replaced the cooling pump and raw water hoses attached to it. The cooling pump draws sea water and pumps it through the three reverse cycle AC/heat units, then over the side. It was showing signs of corrosion... Continue Reading →
Caprail I've been waiting for a stretch of three days of dry weather and it finally came last week. The caprail has taken a beating this summer and it shows. It gets scuffed, the sun fades and dulls it, and I scratch it hauling in the kayaks. Fiddler's caprail is made of fiberglass. Many boats... Continue Reading →
The last weekend in September is the beginning of fall, but the weather is summer-like for a couple of more days with expected highs near 80 degrees. So rather than stay at home and do chores, we opted to go out on the boat for a couple of nights and enjoy the last of the... Continue Reading →
Our friends Samantha (Sam) and David have birthdays about a week apart. Sam's was last week and David's is this weekend so we invited them to go on a boat trip to celebrate! We left Saturday afternoon and three and a half hours later were docked at Port Ludlow. Port Ludlow is 27 miles north... Continue Reading →
Cathleen's brother Alan, wife Susan, and kids Calvin and Jay, recently spent a week with us. They enjoyed going to the Museum of Flight, MoPop, the Boeing factory tour, the Seattle Underground tour, and the Living Computer Museum. We also took Fiddler on an overnight trip to Gig Harbor. Jay bravely learned to kayak. The... Continue Reading →
Our nephew Trace and his girlfriend Megan visited us from Utah and wanted to go on a short boat trip. One of our favorite locations for a short trip in the Puget Sound area is Poulsbo, a town of Norwegian heritage. They have a couple of nice marinas and a huge bay, Liberty Bay, in... Continue Reading →
My favorite day trip on the boat is to go to Blakely Harbor on the east side of Bainbridge Island. The distance from the marina is only 6 miles and there is a view of the Seattle skyline. We usually anchor for a few hours and eat lunch or dinner, then cruise along the Seattle... Continue Reading →
Fiddler 