Tuggers

TUGGERSA Lord Nelson Victory Tug Owners Association Quarterly Publication Summer 2017 ~ No. 72

Your Association Officers: From the Note to the Fleet from Dave Howell, Wheelhouse President: Nellie D. 37VT63 Dave Howell Nellie D. 37VT63 While surfing the web I came across a [email protected] help wanted ad that contained the line \"Introverts need not apply.\"  I couldn't Vice President: help but chuckle.  This is the perfect Barb Lawrence tagline for an LNVT marketing Raven 37VT04 campaign.  I can see the 30 second [email protected] spot now: a voiceover describes the LNVT's virtues while the camera shows some of its beautiful lines.  While panning the saloon we see a relaxed, tuxedo-clad Daniel Craig, tie Treasurer: undone, martini in hand, leaning against the compression post.  He stares unabashedly John Niccolls into the camera and says, \"Introverts need not apply.\"  Fade to black.  ex-Knock Off 37VT66 [email protected] What got me thinking about introverts and LNVTs was our recent experience at Georgian Bay's TugFest.  On the event's first day we didn't know a soul.  Four days later we'd Forum Moderator: made friends with most everyone in the fleet, shown hundreds of people through Nellie, Phil de l'Etoile and done a TV news interview.   This greatly stretched our comfort zone but was Brave Duck 37VT67 incredibly rewarding.   I'm contemplating engraving \"Introverts need not apply\" just below [email protected] Nellie's USCG Document Number.  I'll look at it daily and it can be my mantra when we attend next year's Tugboat Roundup in Waterford, New York. Editor: Bicki Howell On behalf of the Association I'd like to thank the Isaksen's, Neptune 37VT35, Lawrence's, Nellie D. 37VT63 Raven 37VT04, and Croteau's, Hjortie 37VT33, for their vision and leadership on this [email protected] year's three rendezvous.  It's a ton of work putting the events together but they made it look easy.  Chief Tech Officer: John Howell This quarter, after 10 years online, LNVT.org achieved a major milestone: its 1,000,000th Nellie D. 37VT63 hit.  The URL and hosting costs the Association $60/year or $0.0036/hit; a good [email protected] investment considering how many people learn about our tugs via the site. Like us on Three tugs sold last quarter and one tug went up for sale.  There are now eight tugs on FaceBook the market: seven 37s and one 49.On the cover: The tug fleet underway There's been a story floating around the fleet that the LNVT49 is actually longer than 49'. during the 2017 Pacific Northwest Supposedly the shorter length was used because Taiwanese shipping companies offeredRendezvous [Photo by Barb a major price break for boats less than 50'.  Ken Smith just measured Polar MistLawrence, Raven 37VT04] 49VT07's length.  Myth busted, the 49 is actually just under 49' in length.On the back: The start of the 2017 Keeping it simple and having fun,Midwest Rendezvous on the St CroixRiver [Photo by Dave Howell , NellieD. 37VT63]What You'll See in this Issue:• Meet our newest LNVT members in “Welcome Aboard”.• You’ll want to check out \"Captain Cooks\" which features three crowd pleasing recipes from the 2017 East Coast Rendezvous in Fairhaven, MA.• In \"Tug Bits\" read the final chapter of Victorious’ 2016 cruising adventures, plus get a glimpse of the great time attendees had at this year’s LNVT East and West Coast Rendezvous.• Don't miss the group discussion about seacocks and thru-hulls, and learn about some great upgrades like storage, solar panel installation and much, more and in \"Tug Talk\".1 TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

Owners comments regarding various articles from past Tuggers’ issues. Do you have a comment, something to share, or some photos? We want to hear from you! Whoops… In the last issue, credit for the 2017 Northwest Winter Brunch picture (R) was given to Lou & Debbie Steplock, Pet Tug 37VT60. It was pointed out by Lou that both he and Debbie are in the photo and it was actually taken by Barb Lawrence, Raven 37VT04.Welcome Aboard to this summer's new LNVT Association members - owners and wannabes.  For you wannabes, here isa quote that may help spur your interest further: \"There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not.\" ~ Spoken by Ratty to Mole in “Wind in the Willows” a children's book by Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932). .Welcome Forrest \"Gump\" and Nadine Fasig, our newest wannabes who, like many of us, fell in love with the LNVT at first sight.  TheFasigs saw their first LNVT in the flesh at the Seattle Boat Show this past winter and are currently in the dreaming/scheming stage ofthe LNVT love affair.  Forrest tells us he is a retired arctic Alaska pilot and until recently owned a fish cannery in Dean Channel (far NWBC).  We are excited to have you aboard and have fingers crossed that you decide an LNVT is meant to be in your future. Congratulations to Will and Kathleen Patten who are the new owners of The Turtle 37VT21.  We hope to learn more about you and senda very warm welcome!John Hanson, a lifetime sailor, is a new Wannabe from Eustis, Florida, looking at LNVTs and hoping to find one in the San Francisco BayArea.  Welcome Aboard and hoping your search is successful!Peter Van Dommelen (son of Ruud & Trix van Dommelen, owners of Lord Nelson 37VT70) joined as an enthusiast/wannabe in July. Peter enjoys cruising around the Netherlands.  Welcome Peter!Welcome to Andrew & Karen Emmink, new owners of Loretta May, 37VT27.  This summer, they acquired Loretta May, downsized andmoved from their home in Pickering, Ontario to a new home at Bay Point Marina, on the shores of Georgian Bay at Penetanguishene. Wow!!! what a summer!Sadly, we note the passing of Steve Sanford, past owner of The Turtle 37VT21.  Eight Bells to signify the end of the watch.Welcome and Congratulations to all of you,Barb Lawrence, Raven 37VT04Vice President, LNVT Association 2TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

Captain CooksIn this issue we are sharing more great crowd pleasing recipes from fellow Tuggers. These threerecipes were huge hits at the East Coast Rendezvous in Fairhaven, Massachusetts this Summer. Tailgate Beans Randi and Mark Iskasen (John and Barb Robertson, Whimsea 37VT64 Ellen Isaken’s Ingredients: daughter and son, Neptune 37VT35) 6 slices bacon kept the crowd well 1 cup brown sugar (I use the Splenda Brown Sugar) 1/2 cup vinegar fed! 1 Tbsp yellow mustard [Photo by Sally 6 cans various beans, drained Seymour, Sally W 1 can French fried onions 37VT42] Note: You can vary types of beans selected by your taste and what you have on hand. Such as French Butter Almond Bars style green beans, pork and beans, lima beans, yellow wax beans, kidney beans, great northern beans. Randi Iskasen, Neptune 37VT35 Instructions: Ingredients: Preheat Oven 350. 1-1/2 cup sugar In medium skillet fry bacon. Remove from skillet and 3/4 cup melted butter crumble, set aside. 2 eggs In bacon drippings add sugar, vinegar, mustard and 1-1/2 tsp vanilla simmer uncovered for 10 mins. 1 tsp almond extract In large bowl combine all drained beans, 1/2 can French 1/4 tsp salt fried onions, add hot sugar mixture and place in large 1-1/2 cup flour baking dish. 3 Tbsp sliced almonds, lightly Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes. toasted Top with crumbled bacon and remaining onions and bake 1 Tbsp sugar for garnish uncovered 5-10 minutes until onions are golden. Instructions: BLT Dip Preheat Oven 350. Barb Robertson, Whimsea 37VT64 Grease & flour a 9” square or round pan. Blend sugar & melted butter. Ingredients: Beat in eggs, stir in almond and vanilla, add salt & flour, mix well. Spread batter evenly in pan, sprinkle with toasted almonds & sugar 1 cup mayo for garnish. 1 cup sour cream Bake 30-35 minutes at 350. 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes 3 green onions finely sliced Note: Toast almonds ahead or in preheated oven while mixing batter. 1 lb bacon, fried crisp and broken into small pieces Instructions: Combine all ingredients, chill and serve with Frito Scoops.3 TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

Stories and news about this and that ... 
Photo by Sally Seymour Final Chapter Of Victorious’ 2015-2016 Cruising Adventures Heidi Maitland, Victorious 37VT26 [email protected] completed three major legs in the last two months of our Wrightsville Beach and Oriental (NC); and Portsmouth and2016-2017 cruising adventure. The first leg was across the Hampton (VA). Any one of these places are a great destinationmiddle of Florida on the canal through Lake Ocheechobee. This for a long weekend or even a week. We stopped in most ofwaterway can be a challenge as it is often shallow, but with our these towns and either got fuel, food, beer, or all three! We hid3-1/2' draft it was no problem. The second leg of the journey from strong winds in Swansboro, SC and Great Bridge, VA.was to travel from Stuart, FL at the end of the St. Lucie Canal to The only town we just passed by and didn't stop wasDeltaville, VA. In Deltaville we hauled Victorious for new Charleston. Charleston suffered damage from the hurricane lastbottom paint plus we ground out hull blemishes and painted Fall and the marina we prefer was still not open for business.the port bulwark. Our final leg of the trip was to bring our tug We cruised a lot of miles where we didn't see any other boatshome to MA. and we experienced some moon tides that brought us close to being grounded.The entire journey was filled with memorable moments. Ken The family at Easterkeeps a vigilant lookout which helps us catch glimpses of We rented a car in Deltaville, VA and drove home to visit ourroseate spoonbills, eagles, dolphins, manatees, white pelicans, family back in Massachusetts. We were part of an Easter dinner at our older son's family's house and got to visit with ourherons and egrets along the shore. In the Ocheechobee canal we younger son and family several times. Of course this means that we got reacquainted with grandchildren Kenny and Siennahad the thrill of watching some very large alligators thrash after too long a time being away from them.about as we passed. Our boating friends, Linn and Ray took us In Deltaville Marine it was a nice time spent accomplishing our boat maintenance tasks alongside friends who also keep theirto the famous BBQ at \"JRs\" in Indiantown, along the boats there. Another fun event there was when Ed and Mary Ann McChain, Thistle 37VT46, visited us and then took us to seeOcheechobee Canal -- It's a locals' hangout and it lived up to its their boat. [Continued on next page] great reputation! When we arrive in Marineland, south of St. Augustine, FL, we were fortunate enough to be in time to hear a speaker from Duke University talk about the mantis shrimp she studies. Mantis shrimp are really quite interesting, about four inches long and pound for pound are the strongest animals in the world [see insert below]. Cruising through Georgia and South Carolina we learned about two islands that keep exotic animals, monkeys and lemurs. Although you can't go ashore, you can check them out by anchoring nearbyMonkey business [see photo left]. From northern Florida to Virginiathere were a very interesting series of small cities (or largetowns) on our route: St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach (FL);Hilton Head, Beaufort, Charleston and Georgetown (SC); Mantis ShrimpThese shrimp are aggressive relatives of crabs and lobsters that prey upon other animals bycrippling them with devastating jabs. Most are 2 to 7 inches long and although pretty they can bevery violent. The attack of a mantis shrimp happens very quickly - 50 times faster than the blinkof your eye. With the velocity of 10 meters per second, their punch has the power of a .22 caliberbullet. When one researcher tapped the tank to provoke a mantis shrimp, the animal smashedback and actually broke the glass! 4TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

Continuation ~ Final Chapter of Victorious’ 2018 Rendezvous2015-2016 Cruising Adventures Don't miss out Start Making Plans to Join us!As for the projects we accomplished, I must say, grinding out thebulwarks to smooth them and adding more fiberglass to keep theblemishes from forming again was a big task. Ken working on the bulwark East Coast - Mid July in Burlington, Vermont on beautiful Lake Champlain. Plans are underway for a fun eventWith our work done, on May 11 we started the final leg of our hosted by Keefer and Bill Irwin, Callisto 37VT19. Thiscruise. Ominously, the first two days we only made 12 miles total historic city promises to offer a great backdrop for thistowards home because of windy conditions. But, eventually we got venue. If you think you might attend, please let Keeferto New York City on a beautiful day. On May 22 we arrived in know to help her get a head count for planning purposes.Cohasset, MA, our home port. Contact her at [email protected] up the mileage we went almost 4,000 nautical miles total on West Coast - September 21 -23 in Bremerton, Washington.the cruise. We got about 4 miles to a gallon so that is 1000 gallons of This city offers great opportunities for people to join usfuel. There were no breakdowns, and only a few incidents that you either with their tug or to come via land. There is easymight call \"mishaps\". Not bad for 7-1/2 months on the water! access via ferry from downtown Seattle. More details will be coming soon from the event’s organizer Macy Galbreath, Lady 37VT08. Contact her at: [email protected] Midwest - September 28 - 30 in Hudson, Wisconsin. This is a great annual event hosted by Trevor and Stephanie Croteau, Hjortie 37VT33. On Thursday night the tugs will anchor near Prescott, Wisconsin on the St Croix River. Friday the tugs cruise north to Hudson, Wisconsin for the main event where attendees can join in the fun via land. Activities include pot lucks and a tug parade on the river. Contact Trevor at [email protected] the Carla B 37VT05 Oneida 37VT18 Mocko Jumbie 37VT49 Tug E Bear 37VT62 (Yacht World) (Yacht World) (For Sale by Owner) (For Sale by Owner) LNVT DW Yacht Sales, 877-299-2561 Capt Chris Burton, 866-532-6202 Elizabeth Harding, Ted & Kim Shann Location:  Waterloo, NY , or [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] dream! Asking price: $107,500 Location: Stafford, VA Location: St Croix, USVI Location: Olympia, WA Asking Price: $75,000 Asking Price: $105,000 Asking Price: $159,900[Find more details at: LNVT.org] Victory 49VT04 Ed Markus, 003-165-185-4339 Georgia J   37VT65 Rogue 37VT73 Lil Toot 37VT75 [email protected] For sale by owner (Yacht World) (Yacht World ) Location: Den Helder, Netherlands Frederick Nusbickel Patrick Harrington, 360-982-8682 George Norman, 865-207-4430 Asking Price: $388,450 [email protected] Location: Anacortes , WA [email protected] Location:   Coronado, CA Asking price: $109,900 Location: Chattanooga, TN Asking price: $135,000 Asking Price: $128,0005 TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

The 2017 East Coast RendezvousSally Seymour, Sally W [email protected] Nelson Victory Tugs gathered for the tenth annual East CoastRendezvous in Fairhaven, MA. The Fairhaven Shipyard is home to twoLNVTs, Neptune 37VT35 and La Salle 37VT23, Salty Paws 37VT66, Sally W37VT42, Tugnacious 37VT07 and Victorious 37VT26 brought the count to six.Crews from six other tugs, plus past owners and family and friends of hostsJohn and Ellen Isaksen, Neptune, brought the body count close to 40. [All Photos by Sally & Allan Seymour] The Isaksens put together a great variety “So good to see you again!” of activities which included tours of the Something new this year was harbor as well as a scallop boat, and a planned arrivals on Thursday guided walk of the historic area. There which gave everyone two were meals featuring local favorites, and solid days to enjoy the event before departures on Sunday. of course, ongoing It worked well. tug talk.  A local historian conducted The Isaksen family ensured that no one a walking tour of was ever hungry. Menus of local fare Fairhaven, highlighting included sea scallops, clam chowder and several buildings donated Portuguese pulled pork sandwiches. to the town by a financier Sweets featuring local favorites such as who grew up there. Henry Butter Almond Bars (recipe on page 3), Huddleston Rogers built cookies, cakes and pastries were the town hall, library, high homemade by the Iskasen family. [L: school and Unitarian Jeanne Koenig, Salty Paws, in the buffet Church, each in a separate line] and distinctive architectural style. John Mackie, John William 37VT68 and Dave Howell, Nellie Harbor tours were D. 37VT63, compared notes on conducted aboard Neptune. their recent trips. The Mackies The New Bedford/ spent three months in the Fairhaven Harbor is home Bahamas last year and had just to the largest fishing fleet in returned from cruising in the New England. Gulf of Mexico. The Howells left Naples, FL in early 2016 and at the time of the rendezvoushad cruised 6,000 miles and had reached the upper NE portionof Lake Michigan.Saturday morning's The happy group gathered for a photo record of the event.“Tug Talk” was held inone of the shipyard's 6TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72buildings called \"TheBig Shed.\" Peopleshared a variety ofinteresting stories fromvoyages to compostingtoilets.

[Article photos by Barb Lawrence, Raven 37VT04] The 2017 Pacific Northwest Rendezvous Bicki Howell, Nellie D. 37VT63 [email protected] This year’s rendezvous was an 11 day cruising event which started in Poulsbo, WA in mid July. Ports of call included Kingston, Coupeville, La Conner, Deer Harbor and Spencer Spit. Eight boats and around two dozen people attended various portions of the rendezvous. Organizer Barb Lawrence, Raven, arranged special celebrations and activities at every port of call. There were celebrations of Bastille Day and National Ice Cream Day, BBQs at the beach, winery tours, an organ concert at the Rosario Resort on Orcas Island, games and pot lucks.Ooh la la! Bob White, Renegade37VT72, shows us how to celebrateBastille Day. When it came time to National Tequila Day make the ice cream with just wouldn't be complete without a friendly, albeit competitive, the Softshell ice cream tortilla toss organized by Tom Blackwood and Janis Bialko. [L-R: Craig Kurath, Joe Payne, Mike Lawrence, Laurie Payne and Tom balls, Ken Smith, Polar Mist Blackwood] 49VT07, and Laurie Payne, Other attendees included some very special past owner pups aboard Lady 37VT08, C’est Si Bon Hiaqua 37VT03, 37VT38 and Wally 41VT02. [L: Tug, the really got into pup, is helping Captain Mike Dunn navigate the act. aboard Wally]Getting together for barbecues, pot The weather was perfect.lucks and happy hours was always a many of the stopshit with the attendees. enabled the group to enjoy small, scenic[Photo R: Pat Smith, Joe Payne, towns.Dave Howell, and Craig Kurath][Photo Below, L-R: Dave Howell,Mike Lawrence, Joe Payne, MikeDunn, Macy Galbreath and JanisBialko]7 TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

What Fellow Owners are Working On... Faucet Replacement Allan and Sally Seymour aboard Sally W 37VT42, needed to replace their galley sink faucet. They found this Moen pullout spray faucet from the Renzo collection in spot resistant stainless steel finish. A shiny chrome finish is also available. They like the single lever-style handle and the fact that the spout is a good length for an LNVT’s small double sink. It's available for $128 on Amazon:  https://goo.gl/BtgLYkKeeping the Rain OutBill Irwin, Callisto [email protected] LNVT is number 19, it seems in the earlier boats the four forward ports were built with a shallow lower sill which allows waterto drip in when it rains and the ports are left open.I recently found a solution. Seaworthy Goods makes a high-quality hood that keeps the rain out when the ports are open. The portvisors come with 3M self-adhesive tape already attached to the visor. They install around the outside of the porthole trim rings.Installation is simple; no drilling, cutting, or special tools are required.The ports are made with Lexan XL102UV (formerly XL-10). It is a tough polycarbonate with a UV-resistant surface on both sides.They say it filters out UV and has excellent clarity, it is used where high impact strength is needed outdoors, e.g. hurricane shuttersand vandal-resistant windows. It is attached with 3M VHB (Very High Bond) tape, an extremely strong all-weather adhesive, withUV and chemical resistance. It is formulated for permanent uses, such as attaching road signs and aircraft wing components. The tapeholds up well to salt, heat, cold, water, and solvents.It is important to note that the proper sizing for our ports is 14-R not 15-R. They have have a wonderful customer servicedepartment that you can call with with any questions. CONTACT: Seaworthy Goods (941-448-9173) http://seaworthygoods.comBefore sticking the visor on, Simply peel off the red Apply hard pressure to thebe sure to thoroughly clean backing tape and stick on tape after installation.the area with denatured over the ports.alcohol.[Photos by Sally Seymour] 8TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

Seacock Valve and Thru-hull Discussions At each of the three LNVT rendezvous this year there was a lot of discussion regarding seacocks and thru-hulls. The drawing on the left shows an overview of these two critical components. The topics included failures, removal and replacements. Below is a summary of some of those discussions. You will find more details on the LNVT blog at: https://lnvtblog.blogspot.com/ Earlier this year we received an email from Carl Miller, Saphira 35LN23 showing a failed Seacock.Pictured to the right is the head discharge with the valvethat broke. It is 1-1⁄4” valve fitting but connects to a 1-1⁄2”hose. As seen in the first photo (R), the shaft that turns theball had rotted. The part that engages the ball hadvirtually disappeared. In addition, the slot in the ballwhere the shaft is supposed to engage the ball wasdestroyed. Carl wire brushed the ball, which wasoriginally chrome plated, but the plating was all gone orcovered by sea life crud. Even if the ball could have been turned, he noted that the Teflon sealswere chewed up by the roughness of the ball surface. In the end, Carl hauled Saphira and replaced the seacock and thru-hull. The boatis now back on her mooring in Hawaii. The picture below shows the individual pieces that make up the seacock valve.The guts of a seacock valveFrom John Mackie, John William 37VT68 Groco Tri-Flange SeacockTo remove the old thru-hull I used a die grinder to cut the seaside ofthe thru-hull. In the past I have replaced a lot of seacocks on otherpeople’s boats which were mounted on blocks of wood, fiberglass oraluminum. I usually found those pads loose, split or rotten.Because of this, I do not use backer blocks with the flanged seacock,but I do grind the inside and outside of the hull smooth. I use5/16” flat head SS machine screws and countersink the heads.9 TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

From Barb Robertson, Whimsea 37VT64 Be prepared for thru-hull emergencies with wooden plugsWith all the talk of seacock failures Just as an additional safety note; invest in a set of thoseand the thought of loosing my boat wooden tapered plugs you see hanging in the plumbingdue to such a simple failure I decided isle of your marine store. Screw a small eye at the top ofto do some research. For LNVT each one and tie the appropriate size plug to the thru-owners not in a position to do a haul hull. Keep a hammer where you can find it and makeout, I thought the photo and sure you have room to use it. While the thru-hull mayrecommendation (see insert right) for be marine rated and strong enough, the hose could alsoa simple emergency Plan B might be fail. Having the plug ready to drive into the resultinghelpful and provide some peace of hole might well save your boat.mind. I plan to replace Whimsea’sseacocks next spring but might buy a [Article from: thevirtualboatyard.com]couple of these plugs just in case.From Dave Howell, Nellie D. 37VT63After two Lord Nelsons reported seacock failures we removed and inspected Nellie's five underwater seacocks. The good news isthere was absolutely nothing wrong with any on them. In fact, after soaking them in phosphoric acid they looked almost new. Thedilemma then became, do we reinstall 30 year old hardware or buy new? Tipping us in favor of replacement was the added safetyfactor of today's new hardware. Groco's tri-flange seacock is held in place by not only the thru-hull's threads, but also by three5/6\"x2-1/2\" screws which go all the way through the hull. While the idea of drilling 15 more holes below the waterline is anathemato me, it's scarier contemplating a seacock failure. Getting the old seacocks and thru-hulls out was a lot easier than expected--how often can you say that about a boat project? That's because the black caulk that Ocean Eagle used didn't greatly resist the effort to get the pieces apart. It's clearly not 3M 5200! Nellie had two factory-original hull strainers: one on the engine's raw water intake and one on the galley sink hand pump's intake.  The hull strainer and thru-hull are a single, bronze cast piece. Last year zebra mussels plugged our hull strainer and we couldn't completely clear it.  Even withNellie’s original hull Groco hinged hull the boat hauled it was difficult to get access through the hull strainer's slots.  One solution, since we were replacing the thru-hulls anyway, was to purchasestrainer strainer separate hull strainers that can be opened for cleaning (see photo).  The drawback is that it requires diving over the side or hauling the boat to clear them.  Remember, too, that the hull strainers are backed up by Groco strainersinside our tugs.  Do we need both hull and internal strainers?  We decided that the difficulty in clearing a blocked hull strainerexceeded the benefit of having it.  If a thru-hull blockage does occur we'll removed the hose from the Groco sea strainer and use adowel rod to clear it.  Best of all this can be done while aboard; there's no need to go swimming.  We do make a point of checking theGroco strainer each time before heading out.  So far so good; 2000 miles in grass laden and zebramussel infested waters without a problem. As part of the thru-hull and seacock replacement project we filled a 2\" below-the-waterline hole Ground 12” circle in hullleft by a legacy transducer.  How hard can it be to plug a hole?  Turns out it's a big job.  Doing itright requires a lot of hull grinding.  Starting from 12\" away from the hole, the glass is grounddeeper and deeper as the hole is approached (see photo).  When finished, the prepared area looksfunnel-like.  The gouge was then filled with 24 layers of 1708 fiberglass cloth and epoxy.  The firstlayer of glass had a 2\" diameter while each successive layer's diameter increased by 1/2\". Enough epoxy was mixed to wet out several layers.   When it was done a new batch was mixedup and the process repeated. From Joe Glinski, Our Villa 37VT56 Joe made a handy tool, see picture, to help clear a plugged thru-hull or seacock.  It uses the water pressure, provided by two dockside hoses, to blow the blockage out of the boat.  The fitting he's holding is 1-1/4\" and so would work on either the galley drain line or the engine's raw water supply line. 10TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

Projects aboard Hiaqua 37VT03Randy [email protected] preparation for the 2017 cruising season,Hiaqua tops off the list of new upgrades with awheelhouse computer mouse table (CMT). This8\"x 8\" multi functional fold up and stowabletable hooks under the lip of the wheelhouse seatedge trim and under the cushion. The table canbe positioned anywhere across the seat andworks great for morning lattes in the wheelhouse Wheel house computer mouse tableand as a mouse table while underway. We useCoastal Explorer via a computer based chartprogram which is then projected on a second fixed mounted 15\" display monitor so the CMTis a perfect portable table to use while cruising seated with mouse and remote autopilot.New carpets and upholstery were just installed in the wheelhouse and salon. Salon upholsteryincludes a new “L” shaped settee along the aft wall. A tapered cubby storage unit with a 13degree back slope was built behind the back cushion along the port wall. Oriental carpetrunners also made a huge improvement along with a custom profile runner in thewheelhouse. The two teak side chairs were also stripped, oiled and re-upholstered.Two 160 watt Grape solar panels (Home Depot $200 each) were installed atop the wheelhouseand connected to a Tracer BN 30A MPPT Solar Charge Controller with remote (ebay $180). We Cubby storage Grape solar panelsare happy to report after three continuous months of cruising Northern BC, we NEVER had tostart our generator the entire summer and only connectedto shore power ONCE at a marina to run power tools!Yahoo!! After converting all our lights to LEDs, our mainelectrical draw is the refrigerator and pumps (4 waterand 3 bilge). Our average evening and nighttimeelectrical draw is 3.0 A/hr (about 30 Ah/night). Thisseems to be a very manageable recovery for our solarpanels, even on somewhat overcast days. An Airmar 220weather station was also installed atop the wheelhousewhich makes it very helpful in tracking wind directionand speed, temperature and barometric temperaturechanges on our chart plotter. We also installed a NMEA Tracer solar charge2000 backbone which integrates all the electronics into controllerone computer connection. Really nice! Great Storage Idea Two baskets screwed onto wood board Dee Anderson, Jack Robert 37VT17 A lot of us struggle with the storage area under the stove. Some owners have built a drawer to gain better access and take advantage of this large space. Well, Al Peterson, Kedge 37VT43, provided us with a simple solution that really works. Al screwed two baskets onto a board and made a rack that is easy to lift and pull out. We made two of these racks, one for each side under the stove. I purchased my baskets at the dollar store and suggest getting ones with handles so they are easier to grab to pull the rack forward.11 TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

Replaced Your Impeller Lately?How long do impellers last?  The pictured impeller (R) lasted three years.  The real question is, where wouldyou prefer to change yours--at the dock or in a seaway?  Consider it cheap insurance to install a newimpeller at the beginning of each boating season.Stopping Bomar Hatch LeaksRandy Miller, Hiaqua [email protected] Courtesy of Raven 37VT04 and Excelsior 37VT01we've solved two major issues: adequate fuel tank venting and Bomar hatch leaks. As shown in the picture at left, we mounted a fuel vent inboard of the companionway door.  Both the port and starboard fuel tanks are plumbed to this vent.  The vent is fabricated of 3/4\" OD stainless hydraulic tubing.  The new vent, along with last year's vent line rerouting (to ensure a continuous upward slope), makes fueling a breeze. We repurposed the old fuel vent thruhull as a drain for the newly installed Bomar gutter system.  A hole was drilled and tapped in each Bomar flange to accept a 1/8\" NPT x 3/8\" hose nipple.  Short pieces of fuel line (3/8\"New Fuel Vent ID x 5/8\" OD) were used to feed into 5/8\" ID tubing.  The 5/8\" ID tubing is attached to an athwart ships mounted 1x3x90\" board.  This board was placed as high as possible on the port side and then sloped 2.5 - 3 degrees to starboard so as to allow the gutter to continuously drain.  In conjunction to the drain we installed some new seals  (Frost King SS20CL, 3/8\" x 5/16\" x 17' silicon D, $5.71/hatch from Amazon).  The Bomars arenow actually sealed and no more water is sneaking by them and into the bilge!  We never heard our main bilge pumps turn on allsummer (the only bilge pump used was the Slurpee).  To illuminate the lazarette two, 110V, LED lights, with three-way switches,were mounted forward of the Bomars. Port side drain into 5/8” Starboard side “T” into drain 5/8” tube sloped to starboard drain tube tube mounted on sloped board & then down and outDrain with “D” gasket Thank you Soundings for featuring the LNVT in your October 2017 edition. The author indicated the LNVT is \"one of the most distinctive motoryachts of the modern era.\" The article finished by stating the Victory Tug is, \"much sought after on the used boat market.\" The article by Steve Knauth can be found at the following link: goo.gl/Bj1Eeo 12TUGGERS|Summer 2017 ~ Issue 72

Jack Robert 37VT17Kedge, jack Robert, Our Villa and Hjortie at the 2017 Midwest Rendezvous