NUTS & BOATS

 The twice monthly newsletter for to-be and already-are cruisers

Volume 2, Issue #5 - March 1, 2004
Publisher: Trish Lambert
www.takehersailing.com
(C) P. Lambert 2004

Welcome to our new subscribers!

IN THIS ISSUE

• Going Aloft: Respecting the Gravity of the Situation

• Installing a Tank Monitor    

Please forward this newsletter to anyone you know who is interested in the cruising lifestyle.

If you are receiving this issue as a forward,  and would like to get your own free subscription, use the box at the right to subscribe.

OUR PRIVACY POLICY

TAKE HER SAILING GETS SOME GREAT PRESS!!!

 I was surprised and delighted when I was told that Take Her Sailing has received a highly complimentary review. Tom Dove, technical editor of Chesapeake Bay Magazine, wrote in the "chesapeakedotcom" section, "each article is short, clear, direct, and interesting," and said that if the advice in the ebooklets and consulting services is "of the same quality as the rest of the site, they may be worth pursuing."

Thanks, Tom! And, as to your last observation, I have one thing to say:

OF COURSE THEY ARE!

A CRUISER'S EYE VIEW
Going Aloft: Respecting the Gravity of the Situation                                          by Trish Lambert

Those of us who choose to live on boats routinely contend with the law of gravity. Gravity comes into play in our daily lives because of its effect on anything that leaves the deck without some sort of tether—hats, sunglasses, tools, bodies, and the like. Plus, living on “terra floata” puts us within a few feet of an alien environment that our lung-breathing bodies are not designed to cope with on any kind of long term basis; so when gravity puts us in the water, we want it to be by choice rather than accident.

Taking gravity into account kind of becomes second nature for liveaboards—we unconsciously make allowances for it when opening lockers or when stowing gear in the cabin prior to setting sail. We become so accustomed to living with gravity that it takes something out of the ordinary for us to stop and really think about it. Like when someone needs to go aloft.

With spring starting to spread across the northern hemisphere, many folks will be hitting the boat yards and marinas with project lists in hand, minds bent on prepping their boats for the sailing season. And since there is likely to be some amount of “up the mast time” needed to get things ready, I thought it would be a good time to go over the key points about safely defying gravity on a boat.

Dan, my first husband/skipper, introduced me to the idea of suspending myself along a vertical face far off the ground when we were still dating. He had taken up rock climbing and talked me into trying it. I learned about climbing harnesses, pitons, and belaying lines, as well as the protocol and communication system required between climbers to ensure safety. I had the satisfaction of completing several climbs of a few hundred feet each before I decided that this was an experience I could now file into the “done that” drawer of my life’s file cabinet.

When we moved aboard Brandy, however, I found that the skills I had learned came into play when it was time for one of us to go aloft. Belaying Dan (and then Jim and then Skip) up the mast required teamwork and lots of attention to gravity. Going up the mast is similar to rock climbing—with two major differences I’ll talk about later—and it made sense to me that we would use the same gear and have the same communication system on the boat that we used on the cliffs we climbed.

Over the years, I’ve watched a number of individuals and couples cope with going aloft. While most did it safely, it was surprising how many didn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation—literally. The climber has to depend on the ability and alertness of the belayer, so the belayer must know what he or she is doing. Both parties must also understand that the climber will likely be in place for some time and will need to have the right tools to do whatever job needs doing up there (this is the first difference from rock climbing—rock climbers don’t usually stop midclimb to pull out tools and work on some piece of hardware). And (the second difference) both the climber and the belayer need to grok the physics of pendulums: any movement on deck, whether from the wake of a passing boat or from someone walking around, can turn the mast into a jumbo metronome, which present serious difficulties to the climber as he or she tries to get the job done.

Here, then, are some observations and tips about going aloft. Please note my “gender labels” in this list assume a male/female team of two going through the exercise, with the male climbing and the female belaying. However, the roles of climber and belayer are neither blue nor pink, and the items I discuss apply regardless of the gender of the participants.

• Plan out the work before any feet leave the ground. Talk through what will be done aloft so that both parties know what’s planned.

• If possible, pick a time when all is quiet. Go aloft in calm waters with little or no boat traffic in order to minimize boat movement. Unless there is an emergency, avoid climbing the mast in rough waters or windy conditions.

• Assemble all the tools needed for the job and attach them to something. Put lanyards on all the tools that are going to be taken up and secure them to something else that’s going up—the bosun’s chair, a bucket, the climber’s belt loops. This will avoid 1) losing a tool to gravity and 2) losing the belayer to unconsciousness after being bonked on the head from a falling hunk of metal.

• Prepare two halyards to be attached to the climber. Do not use halyard shackles—tie the halyards directly to the bosun’s chair and/or climbing harness. The belayer will need to attend to both of these halyards at all times during the exercise. Check both halyards to make sure there’s no wear and tear that could give way; if polyester line looks OK on the outside, it is OK on the inside. The two key spots to check are the length within a few feet of the shackle and the wire-to-rope splice.

• Use a full climber’s harness in addition to a bosun’s chair. By “full,” I mean a harness system that covers both chest and seat areas. If the system is comfortable to “sit” in while aloft, you could forgo the bosun’s chair—but you would still need to use two halyards (for safety back up) and you would need to come up with an alternative to the chair’s tool pockets.

• Agree on a communication system to use while the climber is aloft, and then use it. The ability to speak in full sentences may be diminished because of wind or other factors, so one-word communications should be used for different actions. Make sure both of you know what the system is going to be and what the various words mean—this is not a situation that has a lot of leeway for miscommunication and misunderstanding. Further, because it is important for the person communicating (whether the climber or the belayer) to know that the other person has heard and understood, it is an excellent idea to discipline yourselves to repeat any command you hear to indicate that you have heard, understood, and are taking the requested action.

• Rig a canvas bucket on another halyard or messenger line that can be pulleyed up and down. This can be used to send up any tools or materials that the climber finds he needs once aloft, or to send down items if needed. Also, the bucket can be used to hold heavy tools so the climber doesn’t get encumbered by them.

• Go slow. Whether using mast steps (I’m a big fan of these) or being hauled up by winch, be patient. The belayer needs to keep the slack out of both halyards, and the climber needs to make sure he doesn’t get ahead of her. Take your time and make sure that the climber is safe all the way up.

• Once the climber is in position, tie off both halyards securely. The belayer should not depend on self-tailing winches to tie him off. Use cleats for both lines.

• The belayer should minimize movement on deck as much as possible to avoid pendulum action up top. Also, she should move away from the mast once the climber is cleated off, just in case something that isn’t tied to him happens to fall. However, she should remain close by and “on watch” for the whole time he is aloft.

• When it’s time for the climber to come down, belay him down slowly and in control. Avoid allowing the lines to be pulled down just by his weight. If he is climbing down on his own (as is the case if there are mast steps), the belayer must pay attention and match the speed of line release with his descent. Do not take the lines off the winches until he is on or within easy jumping distance of “terra floata.”

Dealing with gravity on a boat when someone has to leave the deck and go vertical is really an exercise in common sense. After all, gravity isn’t just a good idea—it’s a law!!!

ANNOUNCING TWO GREAT PRODUCT LINES FROM TAKE HER SAILING

WANT TO KEEP YOURSELF INSPIRED & MOTIVATED?
TRY TAKE HER SAILING'S "YEAR OF TIPS"

Get some extra oomph to keep you on track to get out on the water. Receive a weekly tip from me about some aspect of cruising delivered to your email box every week for a year.

I cover a wide range of hints and tips, and I'll bet I bring up stuff you haven't thought about!!!

Get a year's worth of weekly email cruising tips for $9.97!

WANT TO TRY BEFORE YOU BUY?

Get three free cruising tips in your email for three days!
 

****************

AND NOW, PRODUCT LINE NUMBER 2: THE TAKE HER SAILING SHIP'S STORE!!

I have teamed up with Café Press to offer a range of Take Her Sailing merchandise ranging from all kinds of shirts to mugs, mousepads, greeting cards and calendars! The first items in two themed series are on sale now.

Check out the Magellan Series and the Signal Flag Series!
 

CAPT'N PAULEY'S PAGES
Installing a Holding Tank Monitor                                                                      By Paul Esterle

How well I remember the first (and only) day I overfilled the holding tank. The good news was that nobody was standing beside the boat when the noxious fluid came shooting out of the vent.   After cleaning and deodorizing the dock, I knew I had to prevent such an occurrence from ever happening again.

My chance came when remodeling the head was next on my project list. I stripped down the head to the bare walls, removed all the old hoses and globe valves and removed the holding tank for steam cleaning. The rebuilding process would include all cabinetry, an additional overhead hatch, new hoses, a new Y-valve, vented loops, a macerator pump, vent line charcoal filter and, of course, a tank monitoring system. 

One tip for you if you ever decide to do this to your boat: adult diapers. Seriously, I bought several packages of adults diapers for use when removing the old plumbing and holding tank because they are small enough to fit the area and they absorb all the spillage. I jammed them around and under each of the hoses before I removed anything. Anything that leaked out leaked onto the diapers, which I then just threw away.

Back at the project at hand, I found several manufacturers who could supply tank-monitoring systems. Most of these were dual-purpose units that could monitor either fresh-water or black-water tanks. I chose a Tankwatch 4 (R) unit from Sealand Technology for no other reason than I was also using their sanitation hose in my head project.

The tank monitoring system consists of two main parts. The first is a sending unit that threads into a standard 3-inch NPT cleanout port flange. Most holding tanks are equipped with such a cleanout port, while many water tanks are not. The manufacturer can provide flanges for installation in tanks that don’t have the port already in place. These sending units also have a fitting that will accept a 5/8” vent hose. If your holding tank isn’t vented or is vented through the existing cleanout port, you can use the one in the sending unit.

These sending units come with either of two lengths of probes, 22-inches or 45-inches long. The probes are polyethylene tubes that carry the float switches and are cut to match the depth of the tank. Each sender has three tubes, one for full, half-full and empty. By the way, a very complete set of instructions is also supplied; so don’t worry about the installation process.

The second part is the monitoring panel. This panel has a series of LED lights to indicate the status of the tank. For a holding tank, red indicates full, amber is one half full and green indicates the tank is empty. The light sequence is reversed if the monitor is installed in a water tank. The control panel comes with two different sets of lens inserts, one for each type of use.

In addition to the tank monitor kit, you’ll need electrical wire and quick disconnect terminals to complete the installation. Before doing any actual installation you’ll need to find a location for the control panel, find a path for the wiring from the sending unit to the control panel and a source of 12 volt DC power. I placed the control panel in the head, in plain view of anyone using the facilities.

The first step in the installation process is preparing the sending unit. The probe tubes containing the float switches need to be cut to the proper lengths to match the depth of your tank. This trimming process matches the proper probe lengths to your individual tank. The only caveat here is to make sure you don’t cut the switch wires when you cut the tubes. Once the tubes are cut to length, they are locked in place by tightening up a compression nut.

The floats need to be configured for the type of tank in which the monitor is being installed. Again, very complete instructions are provided.

The next step is to cut a hole for the control panel. A full size template is provided in the instructions. The hole is 3-7/16” wide and 2-7/15” high. The panel is held in place with 4 #6 x 1” oval head screws. I installed mine in the paneling above the sink in the head. The paneling was 1/2” MDO plywood covered with almond laminate and the black control panel fit perfectly and didn’t look out of place.

I installed a short terminal strip behind the paneling as a convenient place to terminate all the wiring. I used quick disconnect terminals at the sender end of the wiring. All of the wiring from the sending unit to the terminal block was contained in black vinyl spiral wrap and wire clips every 18”.

Select the correct wiring diagram for the type of tank (fresh water or black water) and connect the wiring accordingly. Apply power and move the floats up and down by hand to make sure you have made the right connections (don’t ask how I know this step is important).

I then disconnected the wiring at the sending unit and tightened the sending unit in the clean out port. I made sure I remembered to install the O-ring seal. After reconnecting the wires I was in business. I hooked up my tank monitor so that it was powered up any time the main battery switch was on. The unit only draws .017 amps, so battery life wasn’t an issue.

If you have an electric head or a LectraSan, Sealand can provide an optional relay to disable the power to the head when the tank is full. Another option is a “Do Not Flush” indicator light. This is usually installed in the bulkhead behind the commode, presumably where the person using the facility can see it. This obviously lights up when the tank monitor senses a full tank.

SPRING SALE!!!

GET "TOOLS & TECHNIQUES" FOR $5.97
$2 OFF THE REGULAR PRICE

In honor of the spread of spring, Capt'n Pauley's ebooklet, "Tools & Techniques," is on sale!

This is a perfect book for spring boat projects. Paul will tell you how to find alternative methods to use what you have instead of postponing projects until you "might" have all the tools you think you will need.

For the month of March, buy and download this invaluable ebooklet for $5.97, a $2 discount.

See you next issue! And please drop me a line any time!