I get the odd query, and this one is perhaps of broader interest.

Gerald Albertson wrote:

Hi James and Jennifer,

I absolutely love your pics, especially Desolation Sound at Christmastime.

It is a fine goal that I obtain the proper skills and confidence to do an Around-Vancouver Island adventure one day.

One of the next additions that I plan on making is the digital tachs that you describe.

My 34 Tollycraft has 210 hp 5.9 Cummins diesels of late 1988 manufacture….turbocharged but not aftercooled.

My neighbor has a 37 Nordic Tug that has a Cummins diesel (approx 350 hp) and it came with a block heater.  I think his is a simple headbolt heater as opposed to a tank heater, but I’m not sure about that. 

Anyway, I thought the block heaters might be a nice addition to my boat.  What do you think?

James’ response:

We don't chose to use block heaters on Dirona but they are a good option to increase engine longevity (cold start with cold oil is hard on them) and to warm the engines and engine rooms (decreases condensation and reduces rust).  Mechanically injected engines such as ours tend to smoke a bit when cold, and a block heater can reduce cold start smoke markedly.

Cummins sells core plug block heaters.  These are installed by removing an engine block core plug and inserting a block heater to take its place. They heat the coolant and it circulates by convection.

Another solution I've seen  is a pump and heater in the coolant.  A variant of that used in over-the-road applications uses a diesel furnace to heat coolant (and heat the cab) when the engine isn't running.  This allows the cab heater to function when the engine isn't running, and warms the engines.

A common installation I've heard used successfully in Cummins marine applications is Wolverine oil pan heaters: http://www.wolverineheater.com/.  They are used by Seaboard Marine extensively on Cummins with good success: http://www.sbmar.com/. They sell at reasonable prices and can offer wattage advice for your conditions.

            -jrh

James Hamilton

jrh@mvdirona.com

http://mvdirona.com

The Seattle Boat Show seminar schedule has just been posted. We’ll be presenting on the red stage at 4:15 on Saturday February 2^nd. Our presentation will include highlights from our upcoming Waggoner sister publication Cruising the Secret Coast: Unexplored Anchorages on British Columbia’s Inside Passage.

While docked in La Conner recently, we were fortunate to walk past the Pacific Mariner plant at just the right time. They were wheeling a huge, empty hull, likely of a Pacific Mariner 85, around the building. It appears that they mold the hulls on one side of their property, then transport them to the other side for completion. Another large boat looking near completion was next to the slot where this one was destined.

The tractor operator did an amazing job—the clearance at many points was barely inches.

On a recent trip from Elliott Bay to Mats Mats Bay, we passed the Washington State fast ferry Snohomish running south. The last we’d heard, the ferry was still mothballed in Eagle Harbor. A successful lawsuit by Rich Passage residents had taken the passenger-only Snohomish and its sister ship, the Chinook, out of service to prevent further erosion caused by their wakes. Both are to be sold.

When we saw the Snohomish that day, it was in temporary service between Port Townsend and Seattle. The two 80-year-old ferries on the run between Port Townsend and Keystone recently had been condemned, and no other car ferries in the fleet had a shallow enough draft to negotiate the approach to Keystone.

With gale force winds forecast for the Strait of Juan de Fuca, we anchored last night in Watmough Bay at the southeast tip of Lopez Island. The bay appears to have good protection from southeast weather, but we saw exactly the same winds as at unprotected Smith Island at the eastern end of the strait: steady winds above 30 knots with gusts to 54. This is the highest winds we’ve seen at anchor. The wind speed slightly topped the 52-knot gusts we saw in Pender Harbour a couple of winters back that blew our patio table overboard.

The waves certainly were much smaller than out in the strait, but big waves rolled into the anchorage all night, tossing our boat and making for a sleepless night for both of us. Our 66-lb Bruce held well with a 6:1 all-chain scope, and boy, was it in there when we left.