Audacious has returned to the water, and we are all much happier for this change. She has been afloat now without leaks for a few weeks but with a quite frightening home made plug over the shaft log. We have not been able to make up our minds on the re-power and decided to launch with this plug in place.
Radiator hose from Napa Auto Parts: $3
Hose clamps from Napa Auto Parts: $4
Wooden bung courtesy of USNA: free
Lost sleep over this crazy contraption keeping the Columbia River out: priceless
Before the launch, I took a high pressure, hot water spray gun to the interior of Audacious, and she looks like a new boat! The engine compartment was certainly sporting the most impressive new looks. (compare with the photo from the previous post)
The next major step is to decide on our power option and get this in place so that we can leave the slip! Currently, an electric motor is at the top of our list, but this is certainly a break from the traditional and squarely in the realm of unproven for cruisers. Before Audacious came along, we had actually given very serious thought to a far smaller boat and going engineless. The electric option has struck us both as a compromise. We know that we will have to accept a much shorter range but are thrilled with the improvements in lifestyle afforded by this choice... no more diesel/oil smell, leaks, noise, maintenance, etc. It is also very difficult to watch the happenings in the Gulf of Mexico and not make a conscious decision to start by changing our own consumption habits. Electric propulsion is actually not a new idea and has been applied to boats for well over a century. The key weakness is the battery system which can be thought of as the fuel tanks. Current technology still would leave us needing to invest several thousand dollars in a modest battery bank that under best care and conditions would only last 4-5 years. The prop would be changes from the folding max-prop to a fixed three blade prop capable of providing regenerative power while under sail. A nice perk of this system is the plug-and-play nature. As society develops new technology (fuel cells, etc), these can be interchanged. If needed in the future, we can also always add a temporary or permanent generator to augment recharging. Tough decisions!
We decided a few years ago on using a rigid tender capable of being rowed efficiently and had decided on the fatty knees. These are well built, beautiful little boats designed by Lyle Hess. Fortunately and unfortunately, fatty knees owners love their boats! It can be very difficult to find them used and are quite expensive new. We lucked out a few weeks ago by stumbling into one for sale in Port Townsend, Washington a few hours after being posted on Craig’s List. Well, we loved the excuse for a trip back to Port Townsend and can also say that we LOVE our new fatty knees as well! Holly, Penny, and I made a picnic trip a few miles up our local channel against a full Spring flood current last weekend without too much trouble at all. In keeping with the spirit of Audacious, Holly has dubbed the dinghy “Frolic” after one of the other past Navy 44’s (all of these names were supposed to be traits of the ideal midshipman.... how the times must have changed since Frolic!)
