Remember that episode, where Mads feared he wouldn't have enough content without rebuilding the boat? Ha! A boat is never complete, even one re-built by a perfectionist like Mads.
It's not even about being a perfectionist. On boats, stuff breaks ALL the time if you're actually using them. They're not tanks and even tanks break. Remember when he did the door forward? It not fitting on account of the boat having shifted because of the tension from the mast? Imagine boats bend all the time, that means a lot of stuff shifts. That alone, can cause issues. I had a friend who had a massive leak suddenly exist after in he was forced to take a relatively big wave nearly head on. The boat had caught it from 10 o'clock and that had twisted it just right. So Mads' repair life will never end as long as he's using the boat.
Just sail, Mads. Wave to Alex from Winded Voyage on your way out. You have wind vane steering, back up power autopilot, 2 crew, this leak is terribly minor... just sail. ❤
Hi Mads, Yes you may have more that one source of water in the bilge. Is it all sea water? Seems a very small leak from the anchor locker as the blue was minimal. How is your fridge condensation drained? Now you are in the tropics you will be amazed how much water the fridge produces.
You really don’t want to seal the emergency tiller cover, you need to be able to unscrew the cap quickly to attach your emergency tiller. Just put some grease on it to stop water ingress.
Lanocote works really well. It seals watertight and lubricates to prevent seizing with stainless to stainless contact in a saltwater environment. A little around the O-ring and on the threads themselves. Best thing for through-deck fittings, especially on septic which is hard to keep properly lubricated, much less clean.
For tracing leaks, you can use spray deodorant (the powder kind). Spray it around where the water is on a dry surface, and you'll see tracks where anything flows over it. The developer from a dye crack check kit works even better if you can get that. That machine shop probably has some.
Cobblestone was often used in ships ballasts - we had plenty of streets in New Orleans that were cobblestone. Great example of recycling in the early years!
Paolo provided a great fix at a fantastic price. It's always refreshing when you find a "master of the craft". Your water leak reminds me of finding a roof leak. The water never comes from the obvious place and the source is always not where you expect it. Thanks for sharing the video.
@@sailingyachtmagnum hate to say it but don’t think he really likes to sail (he likes the idea of sailing). All those beautiful days and never ONCE took the boat out for a fun day sail.
Self-induced failures from redesigning stuff while not exactly fully understanding how they were supposed to work in the first place is not uncommon in DIY work. I've done this myself with well-meaning fixes and "upgrades" that actually made things worse or even created a new issue that wasn't there in the original design. This is all part of the learning/experience process. To be fair, even professionals sometimes do this too.
I'm sure this was a little frustrating but it's certainly great to see your systematic processes. I really appreciate your approaches. Here's hoping things turned out ideally for you and your friends ✌️
Mads you got this.. as you kno with a vessel of any sort.... It's always a boat yoga experience or sauna deep below... Either way you kno every part of Athena... You got this... Blue dye was brilliant idea!! ✌🏼💗😊⛵
Mads, years ago I read on another sailor's blog: "everything on your boat is broken, you just don't know about it yet". It's true that a boat is a never-ending project but I am certain that Athena is in very capable hands and that you will succeed in your mission.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Sailing is one project after another, but that’s what makes it interesting and gives you a sense of fulfillment. The one good thing I know for sure is owning a sailboat and long distance sailing makes you a jack of all trades. Gallivant 36 Catalina Lake Michigan
Hi Mads. Leaks are crazy in these boats. I had a small leek in my anchor locker in the top of the locker... when a wave hits the bow it can spray the water up to the top of the box. Usually leaks are from condensation or fresh water system leaks. Just taste it 😉 and dow with the color it will taste blue :). For the repair of the rudder I think that only attaching the stainless support would have been more than enough. Also you have a wind-vane so why you use the autopilot - and you also have a replacement for the autopilot. I get that it is a long way to go gross the Atlantic ocean, but your bearing for the rudder will endure huge amount of miles - I think at least 20 0000 NM.
Mad's you are an inspiration! As a sailor it is easy to believe that you (alone) are dogged by bad luck and no one else is; But if someone as methodical as you can still end up with 'hair tearing' problems then us mere mortals should count our blessings!!! A few weeks ago a fellow CA member claimed having a 3d printer on board was a Gods' send. I bought one for another project and wow as it transformed things. Printing parts (even in carbon fibre) that are impossible to source is a doddle. You should investigate !!!!!
The cruiser's life, boat work in exotic places. I do not envy you doing the boat work, but I would do it just for the chance to see another port rise up from the horizon.
First Acorn to Arabella published a day early and now Sail Life shows up Saturday evening instead of Sunday afternoon. Is there a warp in the space-time continuum?
Cobble stones are (almost) never native to ports. After unloading their cargo all eighteenth century sailing ships had to add ballast to stay upright until they could pick up another cargo load at another port. They added whatever stone was available, wherever they needed ballast. And wherever they loaded new cargo they would dump their now unneeded stone ballast at the new port.
If there is a leak in the gap between the tabbing and the hull, you don't need to cut the whole shelf out. Just cut out a few inches of the tabbing and re glass so the re is no gap in the tabbing.
Re-drill your chain locker drain hole to a larger size, fill it with epoxy then drill original size. That'll stop any leak between the tabbing and the hull, and stop wicking along the fibres where you drilled it.
hi mads, thanks for the good content. you made such good DIY content that you could also make how to videos. how to leave dock with springline and how to use whisker pole etc.
Hi Mads, always lots of interesting projects to do on a boat! Kind of surprised you don't just put on the spare autopilot as won't you be using the wind vane to steer on the passage except when there is no wind so the the spare is still a spare, so as to speak? Obviously whatever you are all comfortable with at the end of the day as you are the one's doing the trip not us armchair sailors!
Any chance of pressurizing the chain locker? At work we occasionally would give up on finding a leak and we would pressurize the area in question. It was a PITA to apply pressure but it didn’t take to much time to find the leak source. They often use externally pressure to look to look for leaks. This approach works almost every time.
Thanks for another good and inspiring episode Mads. Tried to find about more about the fancy fibre glass cloth. Would you care to respond by showing how it is spelled?
Maybe I misunderstood but I got the impression that the problem of the rudder stock sideway movement was caused by a bearing not being screwed/bolted down to some plywood somewhere below deck. Therefore I don't understand why that did not come back as part of the solution.
I don't sail so maybe I'm missing something but why not install the spare autopilot and just keep the leaking one as a backup until you have more time? Even if both somehow failed you would still have the windvane back up, and manual sailing as another backup. Seems like adequate redundancy.
The spare is there for when you are 1000 miles from land and your steering fails. It would be like finding a slow leak in a car tire and rather than fixing it before a big trip you replace it with the spare. And then driving off without a spare tire. I’d rather have a spare tire ready when if I should get a flat tire in southern Utah when the nearest town is a hundred miles away. Okay, you could carry the leaky spare but you have to still hope it lasts a hundred miles of desert driving.
@@MobilMobil-kv5ke well if fixing the spare was going to create a 3 week delay and cause me to lose my crew I would sure consider it. Also, I am sure he can find a way to replace the oil. So in your analogy it would be like setting out with a leaky spare when you have a compressor or even a foot pump.
@@mckenziekeith7434 You act like they would be helpless if all 3 of the systems simultaneously failed. All I'm saying is if it comes down to a full crew and a leaking backup autopilot or him soloing it with a rebuilt autopilot, I think the first is much safer.
@@ryanp0342 Maybe you have me mixed up with the other poster (Mobile 206). Either that or I didn't explain myself very well. Because I agree with you 100 percent.
Real boats do leak a tiny bit all the time :). Now agreeing that activating your bilge pump that often is indeed a probably bit too much. Now maybe your bilge pump is located very low. I have a manual bilge pump at the very bottom but the electric bilge pump needs at least 10 litres in the bilge to automatically start. Now your boat will never be perfect, the steering was the big issue, the leak a rather minor one.
Was the chain locker overboard drain hole bunged for the test sail? What if you bung it for the entire passage? Or is water coming in through the hawsepipe too? Check both sides of that tabbing, you may be getting the leak when heeled to port for example.
Remember that episode, where Mads feared he wouldn't have enough content without rebuilding the boat? Ha! A boat is never complete, even one re-built by a perfectionist like Mads.
DIY refit on an old boat is a perfect recipe for more content
I would have sworn that nothing on Athena would leak.
It's not even about being a perfectionist. On boats, stuff breaks ALL the time if you're actually using them. They're not tanks and even tanks break.
Remember when he did the door forward? It not fitting on account of the boat having shifted because of the tension from the mast? Imagine boats bend all the time, that means a lot of stuff shifts. That alone, can cause issues.
I had a friend who had a massive leak suddenly exist after in he was forced to take a relatively big wave nearly head on. The boat had caught it from 10 o'clock and that had twisted it just right.
So Mads' repair life will never end as long as he's using the boat.
@@jonunya3128 No boat on this planet is leak proof.
So true!
Just sail, Mads. Wave to Alex from Winded Voyage on your way out. You have wind vane steering, back up power autopilot, 2 crew, this leak is terribly minor... just sail. ❤
i havent seen any sailing yet on this channel...lots of motoring though
That workshop is awesome, hats off to the owner manager.
Hi Mads,
Yes you may have more that one source of water in the bilge. Is it all sea water?
Seems a very small leak from the anchor locker as the blue was minimal.
How is your fridge condensation drained? Now you are in the tropics you will be amazed how much water the fridge produces.
Mads is so consistent with the Sunday vids this actually had me so confused! But I’m here for it! What a nice surprise ❤
You really don’t want to seal the emergency tiller cover, you need to be able to unscrew the cap quickly to attach your emergency tiller. Just put some grease on it to stop water ingress.
Lanocote works really well. It seals watertight and lubricates to prevent seizing with stainless to stainless contact in a saltwater environment. A little around the O-ring and on the threads themselves. Best thing for through-deck fittings, especially on septic which is hard to keep properly lubricated, much less clean.
Indeed, sealant is likely to cause it to seizee up.
For tracing leaks, you can use spray deodorant (the powder kind). Spray it around where the water is on a dry surface, and you'll see tracks where anything flows over it. The developer from a dye crack check kit works even better if you can get that. That machine shop probably has some.
Watching you bung that hose was so nice, we had to watch it twice. ;)
Wow, don't you wish you could bring Paulo' with you? And his shop? What an amazing find.
Cobblestone was often used in ships ballasts - we had plenty of streets in New Orleans that were cobblestone. Great example of recycling in the early years!
Paolo provided a great fix at a fantastic price. It's always refreshing when you find a "master of the craft". Your water leak reminds me of finding a roof leak. The water never comes from the obvious place and the source is always not where you expect it. Thanks for sharing the video.
I still think you should be sailing the boat every day to shakedown the boat. Fixing curtains and stuff can wait. Also test that windvane!
even after being out of the water for the winter we always do a few shakedown sail's before setting off on the summer cruise
@@sailingyachtmagnum hate to say it but don’t think he really likes to sail (he likes the idea of sailing).
All those beautiful days and never ONCE took the boat out for a fun day sail.
Excellent work and video!!!
Paulo is the BEST ...believe me! Know him for a long time and he's able of doing the most unbeliavable things .
Another great video Mads.
Love your pet mouse on your neck! Give it a name 😊 You’re the best, keep up the great work.
a rare SATURDAY posting? Yes please!!!
Great stories, well produced.
fascinating video! great approach (philosophically) to whatever life throws at you!
Good luck!
Hi , all the fun of boating , chasing faulty item and keeping on top of it all . Keep going and were all be watching .👍👍👍
Self-induced failures from redesigning stuff while not exactly fully understanding how they were supposed to work in the first place is not uncommon in DIY work. I've done this myself with well-meaning fixes and "upgrades" that actually made things worse or even created a new issue that wasn't there in the original design. This is all part of the learning/experience process. To be fair, even professionals sometimes do this too.
Mads your a trooper.
I'm sure this was a little frustrating but it's certainly great to see your systematic processes. I really appreciate your approaches. Here's hoping things turned out ideally for you and your friends ✌️
Holy carp!
That steady rest on the right has to be a 2 foot diameter!
Also such a clean shop!
Overhead crane. Shop seems very well thought out.
Mads you got this.. as you kno with a vessel of any sort.... It's always a boat yoga experience or sauna deep below... Either way you kno every part of Athena... You got this... Blue dye was brilliant idea!! ✌🏼💗😊⛵
Mads, years ago I read on another sailor's blog: "everything on your boat is broken, you just don't know about it yet". It's true that a boat is a never-ending project but I am certain that Athena is in very capable hands and that you will succeed in your mission.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Sailing is one project after another, but that’s what makes it interesting and gives you a sense of fulfillment. The one good thing I know for sure is owning a sailboat and long distance sailing makes you a jack of all trades. Gallivant 36 Catalina Lake Michigan
Hi Mads. Leaks are crazy in these boats. I had a small leek in my anchor locker in the top of the locker... when a wave hits the bow it can spray the water up to the top of the box. Usually leaks are from condensation or fresh water system leaks. Just taste it 😉 and dow with the color it will taste blue :). For the repair of the rudder I think that only attaching the stainless support would have been more than enough. Also you have a wind-vane so why you use the autopilot - and you also have a replacement for the autopilot. I get that it is a long way to go gross the Atlantic ocean, but your bearing for the rudder will endure huge amount of miles - I think at least 20 0000 NM.
Mad's you are an inspiration! As a sailor it is easy to believe that you (alone) are dogged by bad luck and no one else is; But if someone as methodical as you can still end up with 'hair tearing' problems then us mere mortals should count our blessings!!! A few weeks ago a fellow CA member claimed having a 3d printer on board was a Gods' send. I bought one for another project and wow as it transformed things. Printing parts (even in carbon fibre) that are impossible to source is a doddle. You should investigate !!!!!
Stuck with repairs in Mindelo - I remember that from last April.
Always a good video.
Well, there's good reason for the saying about doing boat repairs in exotic places!!
Good to see a thorough investigation I action to find the root cause of the problem. Success with your endeavors
The cruiser's life, boat work in exotic places. I do not envy you doing the boat work, but I would do it just for the chance to see another port rise up from the horizon.
Glad to hear you’re getting things sorted.
Keep at it mate Good video
I woke up and found this video on my feed. I panicked, thinking I overslept about 14 hrs.
I'm so neurotic!
Got to be honest I had a what day is it moment too.
🤞🤞 I hope your parts get to you sooner than later! 🍻🍻
Sailing fun is described as fixing your boat in exotic locations. 😁
We had the same leak in our boat for 1,5 year.. and it was the chain locker hole 🤣 good luck!
Yaaay happy saturday!!
Ahhh cruising, fixing your boat in exotic places.
Have the same Problem with the drain of my chain locker. Fixed it with thru hull from tru design.
Thanks Mads.
This is unusually timed, but I'm not complaining
First Acorn to Arabella published a day early and now Sail Life shows up Saturday evening instead of Sunday afternoon. Is there a warp in the space-time continuum?
Yeah it has thrown off my weekend. Feels like when the clock turns to summertime and everything feels a little odd for a day or two:p
Cobble stones are (almost) never native to ports. After unloading their cargo all eighteenth century sailing ships had to add ballast to stay upright until they could pick up another cargo load at another port. They added whatever stone was available, wherever they needed ballast. And wherever they loaded new cargo they would dump their now unneeded stone ballast at the new port.
It's early, but I'm here for it!
Cobble stones were used as balist. Ships arrive 'empty' off load cobble then load more valuable cargo.
Try ballast.
Impressed... I think ;)
If there is a leak in the gap between the tabbing and the hull, you don't need to cut the whole shelf out. Just cut out a few inches of the tabbing and re glass so the re is no gap in the tabbing.
Wow, Saturday night Sail Life, woohoo
I know the feeling Searching for an elusive leak. 🤞you get all sorted in time.
Re-drill your chain locker drain hole to a larger size, fill it with epoxy then drill original size. That'll stop any leak between the tabbing and the hull, and stop wicking along the fibres where you drilled it.
Capillary action, perhaps from the air temperature inside the locker. If it's not got a higher up air venting grille.
hi mads, thanks for the good content. you made such good DIY content that you could also make how to videos. how to leave dock with springline and how to use whisker pole etc.
What fun! DIY boat repair fans rejoice!!
Eva, hope you're watching.
Hi Mads, great video as usual! Just a note, there's an editing mistake: 12:46 repeats again at 12:55. Hope all is going/went well with the crossing!
That is not an editing mistake mistake, it is just a deja-vu sensation that proves we we are living in a Matrix simulation simulation
@@spadasinuldeserviciu in other words: Nah, he just changed something…
On a Saturday night???!!!!! Mind blown
Talcum powder (baby bottom powder) is often used for tracing leaks. And.... I never thought I would say this, but I miss the lady!
Hi Mads, always lots of interesting projects to do on a boat! Kind of surprised you don't just put on the spare autopilot as won't you be using the wind vane to steer on the passage except when there is no wind so the the spare is still a spare, so as to speak? Obviously whatever you are all comfortable with at the end of the day as you are the one's doing the trip not us armchair sailors!
Good luck on the leak.
Is it Sunday already? My body clock must be WAY off!
It is Sunday,at least where I live😂
Looking for leaks is like trying to find a squeak. It moves on it's own a lot.
See you 👍🏽
Nice
Do you use 'Never Sez" on your bolts and hardware? It works well against corrosion.
You need an ‘Endo’-Camera - which you can connect to your smartphone - to find that leak. Those cameras cost around 15 - 30 bucks.
Yeah, the boss is back.❤ Now some things will get done. Hate to say it Old buddy but you overmarried. Love your channel.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!
Uploading off schedule! What will I do on Sunday??
How could this be happening to me!?
Why don't you just hold off and watch it on Sunday? Problem fixed.
@@HammerRocks I couldn't wait. I doubt you could either. 😃
@@JY-mq5lg It's Sunday here in Australia, so watched it as soon as I saw it. But I don't have a problem with it dropping a day early. 👍
Any chance of pressurizing the chain locker? At work we occasionally would give up on finding a leak and we would pressurize the area in question. It was a PITA to apply pressure but it didn’t take to much time to find the leak source. They often use externally pressure to look to look for leaks. This approach works almost every time.
O" Glorious Sanding once again???
Thanks for another good and inspiring episode Mads. Tried to find about more about the fancy fibre glass cloth. Would you care to respond by showing how it is spelled?
12:45 - Groundhog Day! 😁
🎉
At 2:20 pointing past imaginary laundry...😂👉😳pew
I get it! At 5:00 he's just thinking of something easier to do than tackling the repairs.
👏👍
Maybe I misunderstood but I got the impression that the problem of the rudder stock sideway movement was caused by a bearing not being screwed/bolted down to some plywood somewhere below deck. Therefore I don't understand why that did not come back as part of the solution.
That was fixed.
little groundhog day going on there lol :o).
ı am 53 and ı have learned one thing, that is "issues never ends in a boat" :)
I don't sail so maybe I'm missing something but why not install the spare autopilot and just keep the leaking one as a backup until you have more time? Even if both somehow failed you would still have the windvane back up, and manual sailing as another backup. Seems like adequate redundancy.
Yes. Isn't that the point of a spare?
The spare is there for when you are 1000 miles from land and your steering fails. It would be like finding a slow leak in a car tire and rather than fixing it before a big trip you replace it with the spare. And then driving off without a spare tire. I’d rather have a spare tire ready when if I should get a flat tire in southern Utah when the nearest town is a hundred miles away. Okay, you could carry the leaky spare but you have to still hope it lasts a hundred miles of desert driving.
@@MobilMobil-kv5ke well if fixing the spare was going to create a 3 week delay and cause me to lose my crew I would sure consider it. Also, I am sure he can find a way to replace the oil. So in your analogy it would be like setting out with a leaky spare when you have a compressor or even a foot pump.
@@mckenziekeith7434 You act like they would be helpless if all 3 of the systems simultaneously failed. All I'm saying is if it comes down to a full crew and a leaking backup autopilot or him soloing it with a rebuilt autopilot, I think the first is much safer.
@@ryanp0342 Maybe you have me mixed up with the other poster (Mobile 206). Either that or I didn't explain myself very well. Because I agree with you 100 percent.
Enough water to set off the bilge pump every hour. I too would prefer to get something like that fixed before sailing for weeks.
When it rains... Sorry for the troubled start. See you.
Am I the only one with deja vu around 12:56? :P
Fun and games
Christmas in March!
Oh, man I wish I could be a crew member!
I'm not a sailor, I would drill a hole in the boat to let the water out. I hope this helps.
i hope all goes well and you can keep moving to your wife. take care and have a wonderful week ahead
Mas, I had a Matrix moment there with the bilge pump portion of your video....
Real boats do leak a tiny bit all the time :). Now agreeing that activating your bilge pump that often is indeed a probably bit too much. Now maybe your bilge pump is located very low. I have a manual bilge pump at the very bottom but the electric bilge pump needs at least 10 litres in the bilge to automatically start. Now your boat will never be perfect, the steering was the big issue, the leak a rather minor one.
😎
😀☀️
Mads 13:07 is a repeated scene from the one just before it on bunging the hose.
nice videos ......please , can you tell me where you bought the "teak" for the interior floor ? Is it a syntetic teak ?
Wow. This episode dropped one day early.
Liked
Was the chain locker overboard drain hole bunged for the test sail? What if you bung it for the entire passage? Or is water coming in through the hawsepipe too?
Check both sides of that tabbing, you may be getting the leak when heeled to port for example.
anyone else a tad worried - LOL
I mean Mads 100% has a video uploaded when I wake up sunday morning