Playing Catch-Up

Since much of our time in Panama had been spent building our new dinghy, we took the last few weeks to catch up on some much needed boat maintenance as we get ready to depart for South America. We headed back to Las Perlas to get back to work and enjoy some empty anchorages.

The Work

Having two parallel fuel filters allows us to quickly and easily switch to a fresh filter if the other becomes fouled. And judging by the grime it is a good time to change them both

Much of what we needed to do was routine engine maintenance. Every year we change all of the engine and transmission lubricants and their filters, replace the numerous diesel fuel filters between the tanks and the engine, and inspect/repair the raw water cooling system for hidden problems. The only issue we encountered was with the raw water system. The pump impeller shed two paddles at some point in the recent past and the pencil zinc inside the heat exchanger had completely disintegrated. Thankfully the broken pawls were easily extracted while cleaning the zinc debris inside the heat exchanger and we thoroughly lubricated the new impeller with glycerin to prolong its service life.

These are the various brands of lubricants we’ve been using since we bought the boat and all have worked well. We change all annually at approximately 200 engine hours
Typically our impellers last about a year but this one died prematurely. Thankfully the two broken paddles were easy to find inside the heat exchanger. We will now check the impeller more frequently.

The rest of our work focused on replacing and repairing broken components. The freshwater flush system on our watermaker had broken many months ago, so we replaced the faulty valve. We took the opportunity to splice into the charcoal filter of the flush system to provide extra filtration to the freshwater that feeds our kitchen sink and water heater. So now, the already tasteless reverse osmosis water we drink tastes even less like anything!

Replaced the broken freshwater flush valve for our watermaker and reconfigured the filter plumbing

Lastly, we replaced our old, failed electric autopilot controller. Though we often only use this autopilot when motoring, the months we spent without it took a toll whenever we had to motor long distances. Thankfully we were able to retain our tiller drive unit (an old Raymarine S1 GP), as there really aren’t any modern options available for a heavy displacement sailboats with a tiller. The larger motor in the “GP” drive unit required a more powerful “Actuator Control Unit” than what is sold for tiller dries these days. After some back and forth with Raymarine tech support, we determined that their “ACU-150” controller which is generally marketed for hydraulic steered boats is a suitable match for the “GP” drive unit we already have onboard. So far the new system has been smooth and precise whenever we motor.

Our new autopilot control head matches our other Raymarine instrument and has a cool rotary knob for steering the boat.

The Play

Seasons change, and so do the fish. We caught two Sierras and two Bonitos on our way back from Las Pearlas

When we weren’t working, we were enjoying the relatively empty island anchorages, catching fish, hiking, swimming and watching the wildlife. Unfortunately the water was still murky so spearfishing wasn’t particularly good. But the changing season lead to a whole new variety of fish in the open water. As we sailed between the islands, we caught multiple mackerels and bonitos while trolling, two species we had not seen since Mazatlan in Mexico. All in all, we enjoyed a relaxing wrap up to our time in Panama. Check back soon for our next adventure to South America!

All the pets have been eating good thanks to all of the fish! Milka especially likes the mackerel
Like clockwork, this Armadillo was rooting through the grass every evening when we walked along the causeway

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